[flipnfool]

Can someone tell me how to mod. this lure so that it will wake. I saw somewhere that Mark Davis heated the bill and changed the angle so that the bait will not dive, I tried this but I either bent the bill too much or not enough. Now the bait stays high in the water but has no action. Please tell me what to do.

[diemai]

I know the "Long A" , I even own some , but I never heard about such lure-tuning .

But what I can tell you is , that on the Swedish "ABU Hi-Lo"(looks much like a vintage "Heddon Vampire" , but has a six positions adjustable lip) the topwater position of lip would let the lure literally just skim over the surface , without much of a wobble at all .
In this position the lip does not point forward as usual , nor does not even sit 90° offset to lures length axis , but points towards tail a bit , say at approx. 95° to max. 100° angle .

Maybe , this could help a bit , greetz , diemai

[flabasspond]

Hello Flippin fool...and welcome! I have modified maybe 20 long A's and it is not an exact science. I use the bic lighter method but you have to go slow...the secret seems to be heating the plastic all the way through. Try not to burn the surface, keep rotating your flame around the bill base, then slowly and evenly bend the bill back. I have gravitated towards the larger, jointed models which give incredible wobbling action. I use them mostly in early spring around shallow hydrilla, where it is tough to fish anything sub-surface effectivly. Great big fish bait, they really smack it! It must appear lifelike from above too, because I have had both osprey and seagulls dive on that bait! Talk about instant heart rate acceleration LOL!! Use a good set of leather gloves, that bill gets hot! Try bending it a little at a time (it won't take much) and test... you can always bend it a little more, but it is tough to try to bend it back. Once you get one you like make a template of the bill angle, then you'll always have it, in case you lose your original bait. Like most things it gets much easier once you have done a few..good luck!

[timjohnson]

line size and type has a lot to do with "waking" a long A.

17 pound Big Game works great, as does 20, the line size definitely does not hamper strikes. MONO is the key, not fluoro or co-polymer .and the larger line helps keep the bait "up". I don't like braid for a wake bait.

REEL SLOW!!!!!! You want the front of the bait just under the surface, the tail sticks up and "wags" at you. The angle of retrieve has a lot to do with the bait working properly. Too much slack in the line and it doesn't "wag" at you....too tight and the bait will dive. Wind makes a difference too. If it's too windy for the wake bait, throw a spook or a swimbait instead. The wakebait is best on pretty calm water.

I've never made a "mod" on one, and some just "wake" better than others. They all have their unique characteristics, just like any other crankbait.