1. Inspect Crankbait Bills & Diving Lips
Find chipped, loose or cracked diving bills before casting.
Open Detailed GuideFRESHWATER BASS • HARD BAIT CARE • TACKLE STORAGE
Hard Bait Care: Crankbait Bills, Lure Finishes & Tangle-Free Storage
Keep crankbaits ready, swimming true and protected between trips.
Six practical guides to inspecting cracked diving lips, checking lure bodies, gently cleaning paint, preventing treble-hook tangles and organizing hard baits for the next Lund trip.
Hard baits only — our approved soft-plastic guide remains a separate page. Guide 6 retains the original approved Lund angler photograph.
Three Hard-Bait Checks: Inspect, Clean & Protect
Check the lure body and bill, clean gently, then keep dry hard baits apart in their storage compartments.
Photographs illustrate general lure types. Follow model-specific maker instructions and retire structurally damaged hard baits.
Six Hard-Bait Inspection & Storage Skills
Click a photographic card to open its matching five-step detailed guide. Each photo is embedded in this standalone page.
2. Check Hard-Bait Bodies for Cracks & Leaks
Separate ordinary paint chips from structural failures.
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3. Gently Clean Painted Finishes & Eyes
Remove mud, weeds and dried residue without damaging paint.
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4. Store Crankbaits Without Hook Tangles
Use adjustable dividers and safe hook guards.
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5. Inspect Body Finish, Eyes & Hook Hangers
Spot worn coatings and loose attachments before fishing.
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6. Complete a Hard-Bait Check from Our Lund
Start each trip with clean, sound lures and flattened barbs.
Open Detailed GuideComplete Hard-Bait Care & Inspection Guides
Six expandable five-step guides covering diving bills, body cracks, cleaning, treble storage, hardware wear and pre-trip checks.
1. Inspect Crankbait Bills & Diving Lips — Detailed Guide
A crankbait bill shapes depth and swimming action. A crack at its root or a loose lip can change performance and cause a lost lure.
Five Practical Steps
- Look along the entire diving lip. Hold the bait in good light and inspect both faces and edges for cracks, chips or clouded stress marks.
- Inspect the lip-to-body joint. Check the spot where the bill enters the lure; watch for gaps, movement, water stains or a split seam.
- Check the line-tie location. Confirm the lure’s line-tie eye is secure; some designs mount it directly in the lip.
- Compare with a known-good bait. If a bill looks bent or distorted, compare it with an identical model rather than bending it by guesswork.
- Set aside structural damage. Retire or seek the maker’s repair advice for a loose or cracked bill before another cast.
Fishing tip: Minor surface scuffs may be only cosmetic; structural cracks and loose lips are a different problem.
Safety & equipment care: Do not bend a diving bill or rely on household glue to secure a badly cracked bill. Keep trebles controlled during inspection.
2. Check Hard-Bait Bodies for Cracks & Leaks — Detailed Guide
Paint scratches, hairline body seams and water entering the lure do not mean the same thing. Inspect the hard plastic shell before deciding whether a lure is serviceable.
Five Practical Steps
- Inspect the shell and seams. Look for cracks around the belly, nose, tail, hook hangers and halves of the lure body.
- Distinguish paint from plastic damage. A chipped finish may leave the body sound; an open shell seam or split plastic needs closer attention.
- Check for signs of water entry. Notice new fogging, unexpected changes in buoyancy or a lure that feels heavier after a fishing session.
- Listen for unusual changes. On rattling models, compare the sound to the same lure type if a damaged body is suspected.
- Tag and isolate suspect lures. Keep a questionable bait apart from ready-to-fish tackle until inspected, repaired according to maker advice or replaced.
Fishing tip: When possible, compare a suspect lure with an undamaged copy of the same model and size.
Safety & equipment care: Do not puncture, drill or heat a sealed lure to remove moisture; internal weights, seals and buoyancy may be altered.
3. Gently Clean Painted Finishes & Eyes — Detailed Guide
A gentle cleaning routine protects painted finishes and restores visibility to eyes, bills and line ties without abrasive scrubbing.
Five Practical Steps
- Remove loose debris. Pick off weeds, leaves and tangled line without pulling hooks into your fingers.
- Use a damp cloth first. Wipe lake mud and surface film with fresh water and a soft microfiber cloth.
- Use mild soap only if needed. For stubborn grime, use a little mild dish soap and a soft brush, then gently rinse as appropriate for the lure.
- Inspect eyes and hardware openings. Clean carefully around line-tie rings, hook hangers and molded eyes without scraping their coating.
- Dry before packing. Pat with a clean cloth and air-dry completely before returning the lure to its closed box.
Fishing tip: Clean with light pressure. A small soft brush works well around the bill root and eye sockets.
Safety & equipment care: Avoid acetone, strong solvents, stiff wire brushes and hot water that can damage paint, adhesives or finishes.
4. Store Crankbaits Without Hook Tangles — Detailed Guide
Crowded tackle boxes let treble hooks cross and scratch nearby lures. Give each hard bait room and keep it easy to retrieve.
Five Practical Steps
- Group by size and diving depth. Separate squarebills, medium and deep divers, jerkbaits and topwaters into useful labeled sections.
- Adjust dividers to lure length. Make a compartment long enough for a complete bill and body so the lid cannot press against them.
- Control free-swinging treble hooks. Consider correctly sized protective hook caps or approved hook keepers before grouping several lures.
- Protect delicate finishes. Avoid stacking sharp trebles directly against painted sides or clear bills.
- Check closure and moisture. Close the box without crushing a bill; open it later to dry if damp lures or rain entered.
Fishing tip: One lure per compartment is ideal where space permits; properly guarded trebles reduce hook tangles when sharing space.
Safety & equipment care: Put covers on carefully and retain theBASSguys practice of flattening all hook barbs. Never reach blindly into a crowded treble-hook box.
5. Inspect Body Finish, Eyes & Hook Hangers — Detailed Guide
The finish and metal mounting points often reveal wear that a quick glance overlooks. This is a final body-and-hardware check, not a substitute for the detailed hook and split-ring guides.
Five Practical Steps
- Check paint and protective clearcoat. Look for large flakes, exposed undercoat or peeling around high-contact areas.
- Examine molded and applied eyes. Confirm glued-on eyes are secure and that sharp edges will not damage line.
- Look around hook hangers. Inspect the body surrounding each hook attachment for stress cracks or looseness.
- Check line-tie security. Inspect the eyelet itself for movement, burrs and separation from the lure body.
- Decide whether to retain or replace. Cosmetic scratches can be fine; loose metal fittings or fractured body material call for replacement or maker-approved repair.
Fishing tip: Store a suspect lure in a separate compartment with a note describing the damage.
Safety & equipment care: Do not straighten or wrench on a loose hanger embedded in thin plastic. Avoid applying solvents or nail polish to unknown finishes.
6. Complete a Hard-Bait Check from Our Lund — Detailed Guide
Before leaving the dock, we check lure integrity, hook safety and dry storage to avoid surprises on the water.
Five Practical Steps
- Choose the freshwater hard baits for the day. Select squarebills, deep-diving crankbaits, lipless baits, jerkbaits and topwaters appropriate to conditions.
- Inspect bills and shells. Set aside cracked lips, split bodies, loose hangers and suspect waterlogged lures.
- Confirm barbs remain flattened. Check single and treble hooks, following theBASSguys barbless-hook practice.
- Pack dry, separated compartments. Use dividers and hook guards to protect finishes and prevent hook tangles.
- After fishing, dry before putting away. Remove debris, clean as needed, and air-dry used lures before long-term storage.
Fishing tip: A five-minute pre-trip hard-bait check can save an unexpected lure change during a productive bass bite.
Safety & equipment care: Check the safety of all trebles when handling hard baits, and never leave loose lures on the walking deck.
Printable Hard-Bait Inspection Form
Use the green button to print this form alone. The red full-page button includes the six expanded photographic guides.
theBASSguys • FRESHWATER FISHING FIELD NOTES
Crankbait & Hard-Bait Care — Field Card
Inspect bills, lure bodies, hooks, finishes and dry storage before your next trip.
| Observation / setup | First Spot | Second Spot |
|---|---|---|
| Crankbait lips free of splits, chips and cracks? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Bills securely attached to lure bodies? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| No open seams, damaged shells or signs of water entry? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Line-tie eyes and hook hangers secure? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Lure paint and finish checked for damage? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Mud, weed debris and old residue cleaned off? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| All used lures dry before storage? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Hook points inspected and all barbs flattened? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Treble hooks covered, separated or safely controlled? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
| Compartments allow bills and hooks to fit without pressure? | _____________________ | _____________________ |
Hooks sharpened / replaced: _____________________________________ Barbs flattened: __________________
Hard baits removed for repair / replacement: ____________________ Extra lure boxes needed: ____________________
theBASSguys practice: Flatten all hook barbs, never return wet hard baits to sealed storage, and isolate structurally damaged lures.
Technical References: Hard-Bait Storage & Care
Source reading for cleaning, drying and hard-bait organization. These original guides focus on freshwater bass fishing.