Do any of you ever drill out the rattles in your crankbaits???   I would like to try but dont know the best way....where do you drill hole??? How big of hole??  do you remove rattles??? do you fill in with silicone or does some other product work better??? Does it effect how the bait swims???   Does it make them run more shallow or deeper?? Have you had success with more subtle rattlleless crankbaits???  any help or input would be appreciated

ive heard of people doing it, but with so many companies out there that make so many varieties of one bait, it saves the frustration to just buy em. take the shad rap for example. original is solid balsa. but now they have the plastic RS, jointed, and the new x-rap model.

ive heard of people doing it, but with so many companies out there that make so many varieties of one bait, it saves the frustration to just buy em.

Feed the Bait Monkey!

8-)

I drill a lot of my traps and I can promise you that it makes a difference in clear water when everyone else is throwing the rattling baits. I have caught a ton following behind a few that did not do well when throwing them in an area that is getting pounded.

Do any of you ever drill out the rattles in your crankbaits??? I would like to try but dont know the best way....where do you drill hole??? How big of hole?? do you remove rattles??? do you fill in with silicone or does some other product work better??? Does it effect how the bait swims??? Does it make them run more shallow or deeper?? Have you had success with more subtle rattlleless crankbaits??? any help or input would be appreciated

Yes...to all of them  ;D

Start with a small hole and only make it bigger if you need to to remove the shot/balls. Usually drill in the belly or the throat. Use a small plug of some sort like a rubber T-stop or a small piece of cork to fill in the larger holes. Sand and epoxy as needed. Might be able to get by with just epoxy on the small holes. Yes, you'll ruin some baits by doing this as they require the shot as part of their balance system. Others it doesn't make a difference. Won't know for certain until you try, but that's part of the fun of experimenting. Same with depth. Some will run shallower, some won't be affected much depending on number and weight of shot along with diving bill type (if it even has one).

-T9

When you take out the BB's, try adding 1 tungsten carbide ball to the inside of the bait  

Might sound like a silly question, but to those who don't like the fanfare of the rattles, do you think it affects your bite when your fishing partner is throwing something on the order of a clackin rap?  In otherwords, do you think it spooks the fish when you are throwing soft plactics or maybe a another crank w/o rattles?

Some can be silenced other can 't, there are baits where the beads are small enough and move freely inside the chamber of the bait, you can drill a hole and remove them( like with Rat L-Traps ).

Other baits not only have these kind of beads but one or two large beads inside a chamber not connected to the rest of the chambers, those large beads can 't be removed by drilling ( you would have to make a really big hole to remove the bead ).

do you ever fill the whole chamber with epoxy???  

do you ever fill the whole chamber with epoxy???

No, I just seal the hole.

I plan on making some silent rattle traps by just drilling a small hole and filling the chamber with some marine epoxy I have?

Allen

In the tacklemaking section a week or so ago it was discussed how to silence baits but I thought it should be posted again here.

When altering baits in any way it is a good idea to know exactly how it is made inside and about the only way to do that is autopsy a few baits. Have sectioned a bunch of baits and it can save you some problems if you know how its weighted, how its weighted(closed chambers or open chambers and if the rattles are used as an intergal part of the weight system. Int the picture, 1/2oz. Rattle trap you can see what your dealing with and how to modify it. The best way I have found is to drill a 1/16" hole in the top rear section and using a syringe, fill the rear section with mineral oil. This kills the sound plus adds a little weight. The mineral oil in some baits does not completely silence the rattles but changes them to a very low noise. With a 1/16" hole a drop of epoxy on a toothpick seals the hole.

It's always cool to modify a bait to your specs, I do this a lot with spinnerbaits. Regarding lipless cranks the Sebile Flat Shad is a silent lipless crank with mineral oil, I was impressed with that bait last season. I also have picked some Daiwa lipless cranks in a silent version through Ichiban Tackle, haven't tried them yet.

In the tacklemaking section a week or so ago it was discussed how to silence baits but I thought it should be posted again here.

When altering baits in any way it is a good idea to know exactly how it is made inside and about the only way to do that is autopsy a few baits. Have sectioned a bunch of baits and it can save you some problems if you know how its weighted, how its weighted(closed chambers or open chambers and if the rattles are used as an intergal part of the weight system. Int the picture, 1/2oz. Rattle trap you can see what your dealing with and how to modify it. The best way I have found is to drill a 1/16" hole in the top rear section and using a syringe, fill the rear section with mineral oil. This kills the sound plus adds a little weight. The mineral oil in some baits does not completely silence the rattles but changes them to a very low noise. With a 1/16" hole a drop of epoxy on a toothpick seals the hole.

Awesome post, man.

Thanks a bunch.