TackleTour

Have you seen any of your lures do this?

All mine are good, my guess would be leaving these baits in the boat compartments during extreme heat...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3APKSbmOFyY

A great Australian pastime with lures... happens even in backpacks.

Heat expands the rattles and body so the bait expands and splits at the seams or splits the paint. I made this mistake last summer and left my box on the deck in the sun for four hours after changing baits. I had seven baits split. Three different manufactures. Thank goodness they weren't customs.

I wonder if balsa fairs better...

poisonokie wrote:I wonder if balsa fairs better...

It depends on the clear coat that is used.
I use a decoupage epoxy to coat wood baits, because it is designed to move with large wood surfaces, like bar tops and tables.
Balsa is different animal. It seems to be a much more dimensionally stable hardwood, so it doesn't expand very much when it's exposed to heat.
I seal them with super glue, and then paint and top coat with either UV cured resin or KBS Diamond Clear. They are both designed to withstand exposure to sunlight. I know some really talented balsa builders who use Devcon 30 minute epoxy to both seal and top coat their lures.

I have had Red Eye Shad and Yozuri rattle baits swell in my tackle compartments. They don't swim the same afterwards.

I had some baits swell when they were left in my garage during the summer.. Some Imakatsu and Jackall. But it looks like all baits could be affected.

Now I keep everything inside the house when not in use. When fishing I keep everything below deck or covered up.