Your favorite crankbait?

[dan2957]

I see a previous post about your favorite BIG BASS lures. I am wondering what your favorite crankbait for Minnesota fishing may be. I have been using Bandit cranks and Excalibur cranks for a few years. It seems to me that the best colors are natural colors too. The past few years I have been pounding fish with jigs, Next year I would like to learn how to be more effective with crankbaits. In my opinion jigs are the most reliable way to put fish in the boat, but I think cranking will put a limit in the boat too, just look at KVD. What do you guys think?

[LEECH21]

I like the fat raps and the shad raps. The jointed shad raps are my fav!

[Mark Christianson]

I continue to go back to my Bomber Fat A.

I probably put more time on that lure than any crank I have, but I have confidence in it. And cant put it down when I am crankin.

[Hillbiehle]

1. Bandit 2. Rat-L-Trap 3. Mann's -1A

[FishinBill]

Love the FatRap! when that pattern is on...it is on!

Rattle traps produce numbers all year round...cold water especially.

subwarts are great for shallow water or when weed beds come up but don't break the surface. dives about a foot at the most.

[Wayne Ek]

In order, 1. Bomber Fat A 2. Big O 3. Rattle trap. I carry alot of cranks with me, but these 3 see the most use. How about the other guys... In cranks I'm more interested in the baits size and action than color.

[FishinFool]

I really like the jointed shad raps. They have provided the best action for me the past few years. Crawdad color is hard to beat.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I fish cranks quite a bit.. and depending on the time of the year and weather I change my faves quite a bit. For shallow stuff, I really like Bandit 100's and 200's... I like the fat free guppie cranks for med depth, and for the deep stuff I like the DT16, DD22 and Poes 400's... I also like the 300's When the water is cold I like flat side cranks over your typical round cranks. I also almost always add a featherd treble hook to the back of my cranks too. Also, many of my crankbaits are hand painted. I am a stickler when it comes to color of a crank.

Here is a pict of one of my fave Poe 400's

[dan2957]

Bandit crankbaits are quickly becoming my favorite baits. The only complaint is that I have to make a very long cast to get them to reach their maximum depth. Once there, they dont stay there very long.

[friendlyfisher]

I have started to fall in love with the Rapala DT series. I have been catching everything on them.

[Vman]

what would be a good rod/reel/line setup for fishing with the Poe's 400's ?

[Deitz Dittrich]

V-man.. the poes 400 is a very deep diving crank.. I suggest a lower gear ratio reel. I use the older model Curado with the 5.1-1 gear ratio or I also use a Calcutta 200 at times too... its got like a 5.3-1 gear in it. The lower gear ratio helps to save on forarm fatigue. For a rod I use a Shimano Crucial crankbait series rod. 7' MH action. IF you plan on using an all graphite rod, a med action may be enough.

For line I usually will use 10 lb P-line Floroclear. Except in the late fall, then I use 20 lb fireline.

Good luck!

[Vman]

Now, I'll have to get and do some shopping. I have a low gear ratio reel, but, I think I'll get a rod to match it and I'll give the Pline a try.

Thanks for the help.

[cjac]

Cabelas has their E-glass rods on sale for $15, an econimical way to start out. It's almost worth it go try a couple lengths/powers for that price and decide what suits your fishing needs/lures/presentations the best, then go get that size/power in the better quality rod.

[ssaamm]

Rattle traps year round and DT-10's in the fall. I love the fact that even if the fish aren't hitting, you can cast the rattle traps a country mile. For my simple mind it can keep me interested. Speaking of reels, I bought a Shimamo Cardiff at a going out of business sale for about $60. It has been great, especially considering the price. Dietz, I would love to see how you skip 'em under and around the docks with a bait caster. I feel like I have a good grasp on the art using a spinning reel. I think that I would us alot of colorful language if I tried the bait caster. Merry Christmas!

[Deitz Dittrich]

v-man.. Not a problem.. glad I could help.

ssaamm_ I cant skip a crank under a dock with a baitcaster.. and I must admit I went through a few spools of line trying to teach myself with a jig, and I too used a little colorfull language(dont tell my mom )

[JPSavage]

Has anyone tried All Terrain tackle products(Jim Moynagh, Savage,Mn.)?.....Their jigs look good to me, like the eye tie in the head, light wire worm jigs, and plastics are interesting as well.

[st.crioxfishin]

I used their jigs this whole past summer. I absolutley love them. I like the head style and the whole style of the jig. My favorite colors, were green, blk blue, and brown orange for the colored water. I think theres a few different styles, I can't remember the style I used, but It wasn't the "grassmaster" one it was the other model.

[Maineiac]

Like most people that really like to throw crankbaits I have way to many and think of them all as favorites when the situation is right. I guess looking back over the last couple of years though that in terms of hard cranks that for general bass fishing I use the following the most:

1. Some form of lipless crank as a search bait. Rattle traps are good but I find myself throwing the Rapala 3/4 ounce lipless cranks more and more.And I am quite fond of throwing a 1.25 ounce 4" lipless designed fo saltwater striper fishing.

2.Years ago I grew quite fond of the original Big O's but had gotten away from them for some reason. This last year I pirated one in black from a friend and caught a scad of fish on it. That big clunky single rattle and slow wide warbble still catches fish.

3. Big stick baits like the Husky Jerks and the big Rougues and the Strike King Wild shinner get a workout on wind blown points and shores for smallies. The newer Long Casts and X-Raps finding more and more use though.

4. Spring of the year over rock I don't think you can beat a Bomber Flat A in either the regular or deep diving model. I carry just 2 colors of these, a craw patern and a screaming yellow black back.

5. Poe's RC-3's Just continue to catch fish in any color. But they are getting harder to get all the time.

6. The new Glass Shad Shad Raps from Rapala seriously catch fish and are a bait I throw when I want to crank with a spinning rig.

7. One of my all time favorites though was the big 7/8's ounce Berkley Frenzy Mag Diver. Why they stopped making this bait baffles me. You can still find them at discount houses and on HSOList but choices are getting limited. I buy them now when ever I find them and then paint them myself to get the color I want. Some of my efforts are not to artistic but the fish don't seem to care but with the youngest moving back to the state soon I will enlist him and his airbrush for better appearance.

8. And any of the contents of the 8 or 9 Plano 3700 boxes stuffed full of hard cranks that work when any of the others don't.

[Coach Dog]

I really like the new DT's and the shad raps. A favorite of mine in shallow water is the Mann's 1-minus. Phenomenal in the spring!

[Coach Dog]

I am also ticked that Rapala no longer makes the balsa fat rap. All they make now is the glass ones (I think) as I assume the DT's took over. One of my favorites is the firetiger fat rap.

[delmuts]

hey deitz ! would you care to enlighten us as to why you use the #10 mono in the summer , but in the fall change to a braid??? you have me curious!

also! for some one looking for a nice reel for crank baits that is on the cheaper side; i bought a BPS reel last season.( i was told they are made by phlueger) is looks just like my round style trion and has a 5:00 to 1 ratio. i like it!

[Maineiac]

Coach Dog you had me spooked for a minute on the no more balsa Fat Raps so I went to the Normark Rapala site and low and behold they do still offer the balsa Fat Raps. Only 4 colors but they are all good ones. Forgot about them in my fav crankbait post but for smallies under really clear water conditions they are a kick butt lure. Has anyone had much success with them for LM because I sure have not. But smallies must think they are candy. A N D Dietz what is the deal on the seasonal line change? Thats a good question and one that has me puzzeling. Ok what are we missing?

[Maineiac]

Dang it I must have tapioca for brains this night. What about the Rapala count down series. I have a bunch and find the action and the ability to fish them at a depth that I choose simply by casting and counting a blessing at times and only wish I would remember more often to throw them. Any one else like the lure?

[Deitz Dittrich]

Quote:

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hey deitz ! would you care to enlighten us as to why you use the #10 mono in the summer , but in the fall change to a braid??? you have me curious!

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Del my friend.. here is the deal...

I fish a lot of cranks! Not sure what my problem is.. I just like the things!.. they catch fish! During most of the year I will try and pick the edges of the weeds or bounce my cranks off of rocks. Thats how I catch fish on them best, either staying right off the weed edge or right over the weeds or banging the rocks like a rock and roll song. However, in fall I switch gears.

Fall cranking is totally different for me. In fall I try and pick an ULTRA boyant crank. DD22, Fat free shad, ect.. I will then try and find deep green weeds. Then position my boat on the edge and in 5-10 feet.. then cast at a 45 degree angle away from the weeds.. crank in till I get stuck, then rip my rod as hard as I can to jar the bait free.. then let it float up... For this, mono has too much stretch, you would have to be built like a monster to rip weeds with mono, the briad line will help get the bait down deeper and then will rip the weeds off... The reason I done use briad all year round, you loose more fish. Plain and simple, I have a much harder time keeping a fish buttoned up with braid over mono.