Problem with Thunderstick Jr. Rattle

[eyepopper]

Eye-people,

I've got several of the old Storm Thunderstick Juniors that will not rattle. I tried using a metal object to "tap" the bottom of the bait to dislodge the BB, with no results.

Anybody out there know of a better method to use?

Thanx in advance for any help you can provide.

Pop

[Borch]

Grab a tool with rubberized handles, hold the front of the bait and give the lure a good hard rap with the handle of the tool. May take a couple of wacks but this usually works. This is what the customer serve dept at strom told me to do a couple of years ago. It's very common for the JRs to have this problem of the BB being stuck. These little bugger are tough so don't be afraid to give it a good wack and watch out for the hooks.

[Bugtussle]

Funny you should ask this question. I went many years before I even realized that the T-stick Jr. was suppose to rattle. I bet only 1 out of 10 of these in my tackle box actually rattle. I've tried wacking them to loosen the rattle. Maybe I need to try Borch's advice and wack them even harder.

[eyepopper]

Bugsy,

I'm gonna try clamping one in a bench vise then whack the bejesus out of it to see Borch's advice works. If not, I'm gonna Dremel-drill a tiny hole into the rattlin' chamber, pry the BB loose with a pin, then seal up the hole with some kind of sealant.

Whaddya think???

Pop

[steelydan]

Good day pop,
I think you should tie it to the back of your pick up (if you have one) real tight so you don't loose it. I'm sure you know how hard they are to get a hold of. Drive around 60 mph. This usaly works for me, but I do live on a bumppy road. You may have to speed up a bit.
I L Y
Steely :^)

[FJH1]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-13-01 AT 04:04PM (CST)[p]This is pretty common. I fished on the Storm "regional" Pro Staff for a number of years (up until they were sold to Normark), so I'm pretty acquainted with the problem. I take off the hooks (I replace them anyway). Grab onto the tail of the lure and smack it as hard as you can on a table. I'm not kidding, I've had to hit these things so hard I was sure it would crack in half. But it has always worked to loosen up the rattles.

Best Regards,

FJH

[eyepopper]

FJH1,

Thanx for the tip, but you've raised another question. What do you use to replace the hooks on the T-stix? I seem to catch fish just fine on the original hooks, but would be thrilled if there's something that would increase my percentage of hook-ups.

Any other Eye-people have an opinion on this?

Pop

[FJH1]

I either replace with Triple Grips or Gamakatsu EWG (Extr Wide Gap) hooks. Recently I've been using the EWG hooks more and really like them - sticky sharp.

Best Regards,

FJH

[Bugtussle]

Thanks FJH for the tip. I tried it today on a number of my T-stick Jr's and it worked to free the rattles on each, although some of them still had a tendency for the rattles to get stuck again.