Not sure if anyone else has experienced this or not, but I bought a chartreuse with black back Bagley square bill a few months ago at Angler's Pro Tackle. The first time I used it, after a little while I noticed a line going through the body starting by the bill and going most of the way through the body to the tail area. It was cracked!!

I spoke to Rick at Angler's Pro who suggested that I get a hold of Bagley and that they would likely send me a replacement (or several) for my trouble. After a call and several emails, I finally received one (1)replacement in the mail a few weeks ago.

I used it this past weekend while out in East Texas, and guess what? Another crack just like that last one, only this time the square bill came completely out of the lure.

Not sure why this is happening. I'm not throwing them against anything hard, hitting rocks, etc. Has anyone else experienced this with Bagley's? I don't think I will be buying any more of their lures and will stick with Strike King and other brands.

Jim

I used to break bills off the balsa wood Bagleys all the time. Crashing them into stumps, laydowns and such.

Are the new baits made out of balsa wood?

Had the same thing happen to me watched the fish swim away with the bait in its mouth

Balsa baits are notoriously fragile, one trick is to carry some clear nail polish and paint over the cracks as you see them. It will keep them sealed for a little while but balsa baits are pretty much like soft plastics..good for a while but itbwill fall apart.

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How did that happen, the bagelys have a wire connecting the line tie to the hook perches.

If anything you would have brought back fish, line tie and hooks and wire and no wood.

You must have broken off.

Like others have stated. Balsa is not dense wood or hard plastic. You going to break some. But when a fish wants a balsa bait that's what they want.

All the Bagleys baits I use are balsa, but I've never had that issue.

Then you're doing it wrong!

It was a rapala square bill sorry for the confusion, the bill came out of the wood like it came unglued

I was night fishing about a year ago on arbuckle in Okie and had a giant on the line. I'm tellin you my rod was bent as much as possible and that sucker was pulling as hard as anything I've had on...
Get all the was to the boat and I lose the fish thinking my line broke. When I go to re tie, I notice the bill was still attached and the epoxy was bad I guess. I have never been so frustrated and would have love to see the fish I had on.

Since then, I don't buy rapala's anymore.
So frustrated!

And to make matters worse, it was a pretty new bait. Not like it had been sitting in the sun or anything.

I have cracked about every brand balsa square bill I have used. When Fred Young was making them he told a friend and I if we didn't crack a few we weren't fishing them right.

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Getting cracks in the bill is from use.If you are getting cracks in the paint that could be from the wood swelling and/ or from letting them get to hot in the boat.It could be a lack of wood sealer used before painting.