Best way to fade a Crankbait color?

Does anyone know if a manufacture sells Matt finish or faded finish hardbaits? Does anyone still place them in their trucks in the sun?

Great seeing your post DJD but I have no idea how to fade a crankbait however I am sure exposing it to the sun would work over time.

more effective in summer but hang small dow rod or fishing line under or in front of your truck visor where is doesn't obstruct your vision and hang your baits. flip em like a burger when sunny side gets where you want it. Brings back my tourney days memories 30 years ago when at least half of the trucks had crank baits hanging in the windshield lol... Good Luck Tech

Well I do know that if you wanted to fade something very quickly such as a colored T-shirt or something that has color, you can expose it to intense UV light, such as welding or plasma cutting. I deal with welding on a daily basis and know that The intense UV light will fade your clothes very rapidly and I am sure if you had someone who was willing to hang a crank bait in a welding booth at a school for welding will do a number on it! But why do you fade it, just to create a non-duplicated bait?

[QUOTE=Rob1678;572433] But why do you fade it, just to create a non-duplicated bait?[/QUOTE]

Back in the 80's I think David Fritts and Rick Clunn talked about how the sun faded crankbaits were more natural and the duller colors caught more fish than the bright and shiny ones.

When I bought cranks back then the first thing I did was take the hooks off and hang them on the clothesline until they looked "right". I would have a clothesline full of Bagleys, Poe's,and Rebel cranks.

Some 200 grit sandpaper will knock a lot of the "shine" off and make it more of a matte finish. It does dull the color some too, I think the clearcoat on most crankbaits now has some UV protectors and once you sand them they fade easier too.

gerald Swindle has a piece on "Wired to fish" about sanding shad raps in the winter with 100 sandpaper do dull them .says the bait fish in winter look duller.they make sunlamps,that might fade them. not for sure
. good luck