Adding a small lure head to your dead ballyhoo baits fends off the dreaded washout and adds smoke and pop to a relatively small-profile offering. Unfortunately, the Jr. Hooker or Chugger heads from Mold Craft are too small to fit down snugly on the larger ballyhoo that we like to use for a pitch bait.

First, you need to trim off about half the skirt length to keep things streamlined. To open up little lures and make them fit on the bait better, use your bait knife to carve out the underside a bit until it can accommodate the bait's head. A couple of twists at each end usually does the trick.

Core Gillespie
The Hooker
Costa Rica