Adding weight to crankbaits

[MichaelAngelo]

I'm starting to learn where crankbaits fit into my bag of tricks. The problem is, they don't cast as far as a heavy chunk of metal (spoon).

Some thoughts I've had to increase their casting distance:

-run a bullet sinker above to leader, ahead of the lure
-run a bullet sinker above the snap, directly in front of the lure
-run a thin chord through an egg sinker and tie it off the the bottom of the lip where it meets the body of the lure

And if I can find lead tape (I've wanted lead tape for a very, very long time, if you know where I can buy it please let me know)
-wrap the hook shanks with lead tape

What'dya guys reckon is the best option?

[TOFishingNoob]

(09-21-2013 02:42 PM)MichaelAngelo Wrote:  I'm starting to learn where crankbaits fit into my bag of tricks. The problem is, they don't cast as far as a heavy chunk of metal (spoon).

Some thoughts I've had to increase their casting distance:

-run a bullet sinker above to leader, ahead of the lure
-run a bullet sinker above the snap, directly in front of the lure
-run a thin chord through an egg sinker and tie it off the the bottom of the lip where it meets the body of the lure

And if I can find lead tape (I've wanted lead tape for a very, very long time, if you know where I can buy it please let me know)
-wrap the hook shanks with lead tape

What'dya guys reckon is the best option?

Get crankbaits with rattles, use appropriate gear (light line), get crankbaits that are at least 1/2 ounce... I pretty much use crankbaits exclusively for bass and I can cast pretty far with them.

[MuskieBait]

Define far...50 feet, 100 feet, 50 yards, 100 yards?

Some distance is more realistic than others...depending on what you want to do with the crankbaits.

I know we had this discussion this morning...J-13 casting for salmon out 50 yards...you can do it with a lighter action rod and thinner line...but once you hook up, will you be able to control and land the fish in a short time?

And those little cranks you use to troll for salmon...not easy again.

The issue often is presentation. If you wish to fish a floating lure that floats up on the pause, the added sinker will not allow that rising action. If you wish to fish a suspending lure that suspend, adding a sinker will cause it to sink on the pause. If you wish to fish a deep diving but floating lure on bottom that rise on the pause (ie, you can run it bouncing off rocks but the pause to allow the lure to rise over a boulder), adding a weight on the line will again cause it to hang up on bottom on the pause.

Adding a weight on the line can also restrict action. A wide wobbling lure with a weight 1-2 foot in front can reduce the wobble (as compared to unrestricted). Putting the weight directly in front of the lip is the worst. It affects how water push against the lip to create the wobble. It really depends on the type of lure you are using.

It takes a lot of experimentation and there's not hard rule...just gotta try it out on a case by case situation.

[OldTimer]

Lead tape will be VERY hard to find........ it's considered toxic here now. Have you considered trying the smaller diameter solder available at CTC or plumbing retailers?

Even so - adding weight directly to hard baits will destroy the action it took the designers years to perfect.

I've had success adding weight using the rubber core sinkers attached a good 2-3 feet above the lure......... used to do this casting off the grain elevators at Owen Sound. Takes a while to get the timing down - but it works....... tangles can and do happen though.

But best bet is to just get heavier crank baits.

Bomber has a whole line of saltwater hard baits - top, mid depth and deep diving. Prices aren't too bad either. J30's cast well..... and there are others that are even heavier.

http://www.bombersaltwatergrade.com/cata...ghardbaits

Rapala and Live Target do as well but the $ get WOW.

Cheers,

OldTimer

[fishfight]

I lived in a condo with swimming pool , so I have the option to experiment on my crankbait.

You can drill a hole and add small split shot inside to make hem heavier ,then seal the hole with glue gun

Drill a small hole to allow water to enter, it will make them heavier as well. floating frogs have this option and sink deeper as it absorbs water.

Wrap some soldering iron to the hooks.

change front hook to bigger ones.

Extend the lip. Use wooden ice cream scooper found at dollar store, cut , shape and glue to lip, urethane them, option to add nail polish glitter.

Glue a penny or smaller coin currencies found from other countries.

You can even add a lip to rattler.

All I have suggested and worked as tested on the water. I used cheaper crank bait from dollarama that does not work too well or too light. Since Aliexpress.com sells quality lures cheap for $1 these days, I will not buy most dollarama crank bait lures again.

[Eli]

Don't know about tape but you can order lead putty from newworldcarp.com

[MichaelAngelo]

I found some lead tape at Golf Town for about 10 dollars. I'll experiment with it. But like you guys have said, adding weight to the crankbait severely dampens the wiggle.

I experimented with hook size... the larger/heavier the hooks the less wiggle I feel on my rod tip.

I drilled a clear crankbait and filled it up a bit with glowing face cream from Dollarama. I thought I'd created the holy grail of salmon lures... but of course it was now completely unbalanced and would refuse to dive.