Crankbait made soft

[Crankbait]

I have a little thing I do to my crankbaits that I’d like to share and since I probably won’t be fishing against any of you in tournament….what the heck. I’ve always wanted to make my cranks as life like as possible. I simple coat my cranks with aquarium silicone. I know what you’re thinking but hear me out. I simple take a small brush bought from Wal Mart or even Harbor Freight tools and some clear drying silicone. I usually try a dab on my workbench first just to make sure it dries to my liking and is soft. I run a thin bead down the back and both sides and run the brush from nose to tail creating a thin even coat. I leave the hooks on (at least the rear treble) for this makes it easier to hang the crank to dry. You do have to be careful when doing the nose and belly as to not get silicone on your split rings but it’s fairly easy to get off if you do get some on them. I did an experiment where I took two cranks that I had applied silicone to (I cut the trebles off at the bend) I threw those two cranks all day and was a little fascinated by the results. The bass were holding onto the crankbaits there was no barb to stick them. Several bass held on long enough for me to almost belly grab them. I was blown away. Here’s what I can say about what the silicone does. It gives the body a soft/mushy feel. The silicone changes/alters the sound of the rattle….I think this helped to change the sound that some bass may have become accustom to. The silicone greatly increases the sent I apply to my cranks. I actually have two jars filled with bang (in the oil version) that I allow my most used cranks to just sit in and soak. The silicone losses its nasty smell after about 4 hours of drying and I often prep my cranks the evening before I go out. I haven’t done a crank yet that the silicone changed the action of the crank. You can vary the thickness sometimes I’ll apply a 2nd coat to some cranks that I know I will be throwing against riprap. I even throw some up on the bank (structure permitting of course) and pull the crank back into the water. The silicone not only helps the crank from cracking but also preserves the finish. When the bass tear up the silicone (a single coating usually lasts a couple of seasons and I fish Jan to Dec 25. Sorry long post but wanted to share this because I’ve gotten so much from this forum. I know this may only appeal to some of the diehard crankers but it worth a look at even to the occasional cranker. It’s cheap and easy. Got any questions hit me up. Here’s a crank that has silicone on it