[Terrydabassman]

Did a search, came up empty. Crank bait runs great, really thumps the rod tip, then ka-blooy roles over on it's right side.
My question is....hows come? Tunning helped some but didn't cure the problem. Everything is centered on the bait, the bait sets straight in the water....I'm at a loss.

Thanks guys,
Terry

[BobP]

When it happens to me, I retune the bait to see if I can get it to do the same thing in the opposite direction. If I can, that tells me there is SOME tuning point, however narrow, in which the bait will run straight, at some speed. If not, I suspect the lip/body is not symetrical or straight. If it can spiral in both directions, I suspect one of 3 things; either there's too much lip, the lip angle is too large, or there's not enough ballast to stabilize it for that lip.

[cheesehead]

A crooked or asymetrical lip is a good starting point

[Vodkaman]

Terry, could you post a pic.

Usually it is because you are flirting on the edge of instability. Moving the eye forward or trimming the lip back 1mm or 2mm should cure it.

When you said that you tried tuning, are you just talking bending the eye left or right?

There are other causes, which is why a pic might help, before you start cutting.

[longball]

well if you spell it "roll" you will get more hits. Vodkaman did a huge study on the stability of crankbaits. Search for Death roll and it should come up. If you can't get it I will link you to it tomorrow. Its on my work pc.

[The_Rookie]

Terry I dont have a clue what to tell you!!! BUT I WILL PUMP YOU UP!!!

"Terry.. TERRY... YOU DA MAN!!! IF YOU CANT DO IT!! nobody can!!!

Hope that helps.. NOW GET TO WORK AND FIX THAT DARN THING!!!!

IM OUT!!!

[Dean McClain]

Terry, is this a new bait or prototype? Is it the odd one out of a batch that don''t roll? Is the weight in this lure perhaps a little higher in the belly than some of your other lures? A little difference here can make a huge difference in stability at speed, and i mention this simply because this can easily be overlooked. You are obviously very close on this one, as V-man suggested, with his "edge of instability" comment. A 1/16th of an inch in belly depth can completely change a lure's behavior when it's this close. If the lure has a terrific action right up to an extreme speed blow-out, I might not change anything (my choice). Any changes that you do make, along the lines of adjusting tow-eye height, or bill length or angle, should be made in very small increments, and one at a time, for sure.

Did you recently purchase a new reel with a faster retrieve? It is possible to roll lures these days that never rolled in the past, simply because we're retrieving them at unprecedented speeds with new reels that, across the board, gain more line per handle crank than ever before. When Fred Young advised anglers to "burn" his original Big 0's, he wasn't talking about cranking your arm off with a reel that that put 30 inches of line on the reel per handle revolution, as most reels popular 30 years ago were much slower than today's standard. Just something to think about...
Good Luck, & be patient!

Dean

[clemmy]

I've found upsizing one of the two hooks (usually the back one) can help. Sometimes even a switch to a larger split ring will do the trick.

Of course this may cause fouling...and also will not help if the bait isn't straight etc. as others have mentioned.

Clemmy

[Terrydabassman]

Yes, this is a prototype bait and could be too much weight. It's balsa and further tuning did make it blow out on the left as well. But wow does this baby thump.
It's close, and I really do appreciate all the responses.
I must a been hungry when I posted this about a "role", or it's just a West Virginia thing.

[BobP]

I like building "extreme" action baits too because they have lots of action while being retrieved short distances. Not a great bait to burn over a grass bed but its often just the thing for aggravating a fish to bite in a laydown tree or other heavy shore cover. Great substitute for a spinnerbait some days.