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+--- Thread: Kinky Swimbait Tails (/showthread.php?tid=1104345)
Kinky Swimbait Tails - RockyRaab2 - 02-13-2024
I long while back, I bought a package of discounted minnow swimbaits with "boot" paddle tails. Discovered that the tails were all kinked and crooked from being just loosely packed in the bag. They wouldn't swim straight at all, and I tossed the package into one of my storage bags, to be forgotten about until today, when I was doing some winter sorting and cleaning.
Was about to just toss them when I remembered some comment I'd heard on Youtube. Tried an experiment.
I took the kinky baits, strung them on a wire and hung them in a glass of boiling water. Like magic, those kinked tails immediately started unkinking. After a few minutes, I took them out and hung them to dry and cool in air. Like magic, they are back to factory fresh and straight!
Tips: Fill a drinking glass with water so that about the rear half of the bait is submerged. Remove the baits and bring the water to a boil. Hang the wired baits (string them so they don't touch each other - two or three at a time) and suspend them in the water for five minutes. Remove and hang them in another empty glass so they hang straight while they cool completely. Reheat the water between batches if you need to.
It's always best to store these paddle tail baits so they stay straight, such as in plastic lure boxes instead of the original plastic pouches. But if they get kinked and unfishable, here's how to avoid throwing them out.