Bass Digest July 2014 Issue 9 | Page 48

COMMUNITY

Crankbait Protection

TOP TIP

Crankbait treble hooks…

Somewhat like the fruit of the

Bidens Pilosa or more commonly

known as the Black Jack, they

latch themselves into and

onto anything they come into

contact with. From boat carpets,

car seats, other rods, you

generally find yourself fighting the trebles more than the fish they are meant to be putting in the boat. Then there is always the fear of those needle sharp grappling hooks impaling flesh…

Quite recently I was subjected to a tug-of-war with a crankbait treble that had lodged itself in my car seat. After a fair amount of back and forth trying to free the treble I finally managed to dislodge the perpetrating tri-barbed villain, but not before it strained a single thread of my material car seats, so close…

I decided to give my local tackle store a visit to see if they had any protective pouches or contraptions to assist in taming these vicious trebles. However it seems I am not the only one fighting the war on these bad boys, and the tackle retailer had nothing left stock.

Now before I instil a sense of fear against the formidable crankbait and its entourage of hooks, rest assured that it

There are various types of velcro “pouches” out on the market, from those made out of neoprene or transparent plastic material to actually just material.

Problems I experienced with these are that the crankbait trebles still make their way into the various types of material used and still create frustration. Then after a multitude of times removing the offending trebles the pouches start looking worse for wear.

Then there are treble covers or safety clips. Great little things! Just wish I could stop losing them all over the place.

Now not so long ago a friend to Bass Digest shared this idea with us. So we decided it definitely deserved a showing in our top tip insert. Not only is it a quick and easy solution, but it is definitely a far more cost effective method for keeping your crankbaits under control.

is undeniably one of the most important and versatile lures to have in your arsenal when waging war against the Largemouth Greenback Beret’s. So how do we make our lives easier and safer when tying up a crankbait?

Bass Digest/July, 2014