G'day Rob,
From a luremakers point of view I tend to get a little annoyed when someone dicks around with a lure considering the time & effort put into research & development by the maker to produce a lure that performs to an optimum level.
I take it that your lure has a slot in the bib which held the towing wire. If so, you can make a replacement from 1.2mm stainless mig wire. What you do is to take a piece of wire around 30mm long and form it into a staple (U) large enough to go through the bib slot. Place it into the slot & bend the shafts at right angles forward & aft.
You probably will have to experiment a bit with the amount of staple showing above the level of the bib.
Make sure you replace the split ring.
Cheers - Lou