Musky Lures - Repair or Refurbish

In everyone's tackle box there is always a lure to two that hardly ever gets used. Reasons vary from clear coat peeling (and paint), faded bucktails, repeated abuse, lures hitting rocks, plastic lips broken. None of this is good. Or maybe you just lost confidence in a lure after a few trips with no action. Whatever the reason, if you have musky lures you no longer use, there's a couple things you can do. You can sell, repair, or refurbish.

If you like to tinker and have time, may I suggest repainting and repairing your forgotten lures. Re-tie that bucktail, mixing feathers with hair. I've also combined hard plastic or wood with rubber tails. This requires cutting a hard plastic minnow bait in half and matching it with a soft plastic tail, i.e. big grub or swim tail. You can get creative "joining " two lures together and end up with an impressive new look the fish have not seen. I've had good success over the years in southern musky waters using combined lures made from two different lures.

I cut minnow baits behind the front tables and add rattles if the hard plastic is hollow. The hole has to be sealed air tight with a piece of thin plastic. Place you lure on the plastic and draw the pattern. Cut the pattern and bond to the lure with gorilla glue. Then, your ready to add a swim tail, (matching the size of the lure) grub, or anything rubber that you think looks good. The key is to experiment with different looks.

As for repainting musky lures, it's hard to beat airbrushing. But, if you don't have the time, or money for airbrushing, break out the aerosol cans, a screen (scale pattern) and repaint. Epoxy or wood filler may be needed first, followed by a little light sanding. Spray a couple coats of primer before using colors. You can get creative using aerosol paint with different patterns and colors. Don't buy cheap paint! I have at least six different colors on hand along with quality clear coat for a finished shine.

Bucktails also loose there luster if not properly taken care of. I usually have different colors of deer tails ready when the time comes to retie. You will need a bobbitt to hold your thread, and a vise to hold the spinner steady while replacing hair. Use a drop of gorilla glue after your finished tying the hair.

Take another look at those "never used" lures. Get creative and bring those lures back to life. You may come up with a new favorite. Musky are unique fish. Musky fishermen are some of the most die hard nuts on the planet. We experiment with all aspects of the sport. Who knows what your next experiment with forgotten lures will be.

Dwayne Hickey

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