Cranks4fun

Michigander, What kind of "toads" do you have problems with? Are the Ribbits or Zooms or something else? Also, tell the trick to success with my Spro frogs if you know one. I love floating those frogs into holes in the pads and I usually get hits but very few catches on those things.

When I fish Spro or Booyah frogs (hollow bodied) I get lots of misses. I use 40-50 lb Sufix braid and I still don't get the hook-set timing right most of the time. Bass love to "hit and spit" those floating frogs. My fishing buddy has had better "luck" (skill) than I have with those. The Ribbit toads, on the other hand, are a far more consistent catcher for me. The only time I have had problems with the hook-up rate on Ribbit toads is when I used the special Ribbit twin hook system they sell. It was horrible! I went back to a heavy guage #5 wide-gap Gammy hook and my catch rates were very high. We love those Ribbit toads on the edges of pads a weed mats. I may miss one in ten bites on those. Just thinking about that surface bite has me longing for spring! Splash, plop, plop, plop, plop, BLAMM!!

About 20 years ago I was fishing with a friend in Virginia who only used one bass bait. I had bait casting gear and high-end Shimano spinning gear and a box full of colorful lures and he was using a Zebco 33, a cheap rod, and Zoom pumpkin/chart. curly tail worms that he fished T-rigged and weightless... and he humiliated me! He out-fished me 3 to 1 at least. He would cast out into shallow water and then pinch the line between his thumb and forefinger to feel the pick-up. Then he would let the bass take it for 5 seconds or so before setting the hook. There was a drawback. Most of the bass he caught swallowed the hook and he released (killed) lots of bleeders. I tried to discourage him from doing that but he thought I was being a sore loser, and I might have been somewhat. What made it all the worse was that he made fun of my high-dollar gear while beating me.

I have never tried a square bill in water under 50 degrees but I have caught and witnessed others catching smallmouth in water around 38 degrees with Rapala DT6's, Shad Raps, and craw-colored lipless cranks. You have to slow down and find the sweet spot. We even catch them in moving water with these sometimes. Largemouths?? I have not experimented much with cranks for them other than the shad raps. THey are cold-water staples in the crank dept. THey are also a multi-species bait in cold water. We've caught crappie, smallmouth, largemouth, and white bass using them. I have heard of guys catching big brown trout with them in cold water too.

1-2 ft. seems shallow for suspending jerkbaits which are usually used in water under 50 degrees. Then again, you might be facing some fishing circumstances I have never dealt with. Let me add two things: First, I have tons (probably 75) jerkbaits from various makers and have had the best results fishing suspenders (4-6 ft divers) using fluoro and dead sticking - crank it down and jerk, jerk, 15-30 second pause, repeat. The pause feels like an hour at first, but you get accustomed to it. I also tank tune (add/ remove weight) and test my suspenders in iced water in my kitchen around 40-45 degrees. My wife used to make fun of me for doing it. Secondly, you might want to try slow rolling an original floating Rapala jerkbait. I had a friend in Indiana who has had some BIG days doing this. They run shallow (usually under 2') but you will have to find the sweet spot in speed. If you crank it too fast, you might get the depth but not the reaction you are looking for. If you crank it too slow the bait will just "wake" at the top. In the late spring and summer, that waking technique can be killer early morning or right before dark on a windless day! Best wishes. If you learn something new with suspending those jerkbaits in the shallows, please share it!

Don't let anyone fool you. The old round Ambassadeurs are still great reels. There are LOTS of them still around from the '50's. The Calcuttas are easier to cast and they work better with light baits, but to say they they are MORE durable is a joke! There are Ambassadeur 5000's out there still being fished that were made in the '50's. I have one from the '50's that is all original that I do not use now but I easily could. I have a friend that fished both reels (actually he used Calcuttas & Abu 6500's I think) heavily for stripers on the Chesapeake Bay in saltwater. He said that the only issues he ever had with the Abus is the salt would occasionally corrode the stainless bearings over time (easy inexpensive fix). In freshwater, you would have to abuse them to destroy them. You get wear and tear issues (pawls, etc.) just like we do on our Shimanos and Daiwas (I'm a Daiwa fanboy but own lots of Shimanos too). The great thing about Swedish ABUs is that their vintage parts are still very easily acquired and there are LOTS of aftermarket parts producers. Many Japanese & American guys love the older ABUs and they collect them and pimp them up and trick them out (they have webpages and Facebook sites on this stuff). Shimano doesn't make parts available for their reels beyond a certain number of years after production ceases though you can often get early Curado and Chronarch parts on ebay and after-market bearings are readily available for them (ABEC 7's etc.). I still fish some 1990's era 4600's and 5000c's on occasion, and I have some '80's era Shimano baitcasters that I still fish occasionally too (a Bantam 10sg and Bantam 10 SGX). For the most part, however, I am more into Daiwa Zillions, Tatulas, and Tierras, etc. nowadays. The others are old technology but they are still fun to fish.

Team9nine and Scaleface are right. Rebels, the fifth one down is a Rebel Deep Wee-R. The three below it are Natural Ikes. I have caught fish on the Rebel Wee-R's but I have never caught a fish on one of the Natural Ikes (because I have hardly ever used them probably). I have never used or owned those other baitfish Rebels. They look cool, like plastic versions of the Bagley fingerling series.

I still use a 12 ft Alumacraft on small bodies of water. Heck! I have used it many times on Grand Lake (Bassmaster Classic was held there twice). When there are two of us in it, the rule is that only one can stand at a time (the other seated guy is bio-ballast ). You should always have one leg pressed hard against the bench (I also have custom-framed seats in mine). Have your rapid seating technique down for wakes and windy waters. If it is real bad (15 plus mph wind), I would not be out on OPEN BIG water in a little jon. Another big caution: be careful swinging those treble hooks around with two guys in the boat. I rammed a Shad rap into my buddy's head one day while in a canoe. It was painful for him and embarrassing for me. We plan and discuss our casting direction in small boats now.

Hey, bro! I can remember a time when I felt that way too. Spinnerbaits were only in my boxes because I got them on clearance or as gifts. For ten years or so, I think I only caught a couple of dinks on them. I hated and neglected them. Once I fished them in the right conditions (I think got desperate that first successful day) and then had a couple of good days with them, my confidence in them soared. I NEVER fish them now unless there is a very good wind. When boat control gets difficult, spinnerbaits often become gold! Try them again in wind, near weeds or wood, and in stained water. I think your opinion will change.

Occasionally, spinnerbaits are the very best option. Somebody taught me years back and I still utilize this tip. In the spring, summer, and early fall (never tried it in the winter) after the aggressive morning bite, if the winds are above 10 mph, a spinnerbait fished in stained water near weeds in water 3-10 ft. (generally) is often the bait that saves the day. Wind, stained water, and spinnerbaits can be magic. For all the KVD fanboys, KVD has echoed this fact too. I beat my buddy (a very good fisherman) 7 keepers to 1 using this tactic fishing in 20 mph winds on a very slow day. The fish just would not agree to anything else. That day I used a 1/2 oz Booyah with double colorado blades in Chartreuse. I like War Eagles and Strike KIngs too.

My favorite winter baits for water under 50 degrees are : 1) Suspending jerkbaits (pointers, bomber 14 ap, husky jerks, and Rogues), 2) Jigs, esp.when it gets below 35 degrees, 3) #5 & #7 Shad Raps, 4) Sixth Sense flat X75, and 5) wacky rigged Senkos unweighted. ***For smallmouth I also love craw-colored rat-l-traps bounced off a deep rocky bottom. In water between 50-60 degrees, I fish in spring and fall mode. I use almost everything except topwater baits. Regular crankbaits (Bandits, Squarebills, Lipless, etc.) reign supreme. Dropshot and T-rigged worms are good in the pre-spawn time too. If the wind exceeds 10 mph, try a spinnerbait. Later, when the water gets over 60 degrees, it is topwater time.

Thanks again for trying to help me, guys. I'd be afraid to use that yellow crank that Islandbass painted. I wouldn't want to get bit! Seriously though, Those do look cool. I hope you catch something on them. I have two other flat balsa baits that I was never able to identify. I'll give them all a whirl and hopefully find a sleeper that I can use to humiliate my fishing buddies! I have a couple that I already want to keep under lock and key and I only fish them with braid for fear of losing them. Last night I lost a Spro Little John MD knockoff (one of those Chinese copies with lighter rattles and solid black eye). I through it around some feeding white bass and a gar bit it shook his head and swam away with it. It was the very first cast with the thing! Gar were only created to be garden fertilizer and archery practice targets!

Thanks for taking a stab at it, guys. It could be a homemade crankbait but if so, the guy was very good. The hangers are lined up very straight and and the bait was slotted perfectly for the bill connection unlike some Poe's and Bagley's cranks you find. I think I will coat it with 2-ton clear epoxy like I do some of my Shad Raps to make them more chip resistant. It might turn out to be one of those sleeper baits I use for special situations.

Thank you guys, for trying. It is not a Poe's or an old Rapala. It is thinner than the thinnest Poe's, even the Pro RC series. I am going to look at the Stanford Cedar plugs and compare it. Thanks again. If you find any more close comparisons, please share them and I'll do a Google image search.

I just bought this lightly used flat balsa (I think) crankbait. The eyes, red gill slits and the small black dot are glued on and have a clear-coat finish over them. You can feel the edge of those. The eyes are "sparkley" stick-on type. The Diving bill looks like Lexan or some clear plastic (It's NOT circuit board). the bait is flat, in case that is not obvious from the picture. I think it is a custom or limited run (semi-custom/ small shop) bait. Can anyone identify it?

I remember you telling me that before. I overhauled that one like my others (new hooks and an oval split ring up front) and I plan on giving it some test time on the water. I have quite a few Big O's too. The best ones I ever fished were the modern medium size in brown craw (overhauled with better hooks too). I had two and they probably caught me 100 smallmouth before I lost them both within a month.. The great thing about having an old, discontinued bait that really catches is that many of my fishing buddies don't use vintage stuff. It gives me an advantage sometimes when the competitiveness gets heavy! Haha!

Yes, Tom, It says, "Cordell" on one side and "BIG O" on the other. I double checked it myself because I had never seen one with a paint job like that. It is a late '70's or early '80's plastic version I think. I have several like that in various colors.

I just got back from a local "Swap meet" (parking lot flea market) where I bought several old lures. In the picture you'll see a Roger's Big Jim, a Rebel Deep Wee R in natural perch, and then a Cordell Big O in a perch or bluegill color (largest lure). I've never seen this color Big O. Is that color rare? I checked ebay and there were no matches. Have any of you guys ever seen that color and is it of any special value? I just searched again under a different ebay search including words "rare color" and found one. I guess it is rare (uncommon anyway). It might be a fish slayer! It catches fishermen for sure!

Pnw LipRipper, That thumb injury was the result of trying to filet 36 white bass in a hurry. After about the first 10 fish I usually get impatient and start slicing too fast. I told my buddy I'm only bringing 12 home at a time unless he starts cleaning. Everyone likes catching 'em but it's all fun 'till cleaning time! Haha!

I saw that Rattlin killer b2, the deeper diver (10 ft. ?) and it looked cool. It was $5.99 too! I really like that! The balsa ones run $8.99-$9.99 based on where you get them. I'm glad to hear that the square bills are good. I have three of the Baglet Sunny B's (balsa). I actually have a post on here (BassResource) about them. I have only tried fishing with them once for about 20 minutes and I scored a zero. They did look good though. I need to get them wet some more. I have the shallow runners. They have a PRO Sunny B out now with a square bill. It looks cool.

TACKLE REPORT/ REVIEW: Last week I experienced two firsts: 1) I fished in my kayak during a 30-minute-long torrential rain that was so hard I could not see more than about 40 yards and I could not hear my buddy talking 10 ft from me. 2) I fished the NEW Bagley Rattlin Honey B crankbait (plastic version) for the first time! It was killer! I did not keep an accurate count but I'll bet I caught at least 15 LM bass on it in 2 1/2 hours. My friend was ahead of me by about 4 bass. I tied this lure onto an ultralight with 10 Lb PowerPro braid (2 Lb dia.) and I started coming back fast. I passed him and lost count. Caught one 19 incher on it too. My usual default "comeback bait" (wacky-rigged Senko) only drew one bite in the previous hour. That was VERY unusual. I took a firetiger version of this same Bagley bait to Grand Lake in OK a few days later and caught about 3 white bass on it but it was a post-frontal day and the bite was just slow. I have some of the original balsa honey B's, deep and shallow, even one with brass hangers, but I have never done as well with them (though I honestly have not fished them often either). Even though I have only used 2 colors and fished this bait on 2 occasions, I can say this for sure, this little Rattlin' Honey B was THE bait on one occasion and it was as productive as everything else we tried on another day. They consistently run $5.99 online. I am NOT sponsored by Bagley ... but if they want to sponsor me, I'm game! Haha! This brown craw/ chart. color was the real killer!

A buddy and I had a 70-fish Day combined (all LM Bass) recently fishing in kayaks. We both caught fish in excess of 21 inches (5 - 6 1/2 Lb. range) and lots of 3 pounders etc. We were fishing coontail and slop and so there was a lot of hard cranking and lifting. We used everything: frogs, toads (Ribbits), Yum Dingers, Power worms, whopper Ploppers, buzzbaits, and even a few crankbaits and spinnerbaits on the edges. When the day was over we both had sore wrists and elbows and scratched up fingers and thumbs. It took about 48 hours to fully recover from the soreness but it still felt gooood.

I have a Daiwa Fuego 3000H and it is a bit heavier than the LT version as you know, so my comments have limited value. It is a good sturdy reel though. I use it to throw weightless senkos around slop and coontail and the bass often take my lure deep into the thick stuff and it cranks em right back out (using braid). Those Daiwa BG's are all the rage in spinning right now I think but I have not used one yet.

Different reels have different "personalities" (require different settings). The OP said he used a Daiwa type R, I think. I have some Daiwas: a Tatula CT, A old Pro Tournament PT33p, A Tierra, a Zillion, and an older Capricorn. They all cast well but I have to set them differently and the casting distance differs from reel to reel. My Tierra probably casts the furthest but it seems to throw a coil (tries to backlash) when I really wing it out there. My Zillion and my Capricorn almost never backlash. My Tatula hasn't seen enough fishing time to honestly compare, but many reels require "tighter" settings because they are more prone to throw coils or backlash. My older Ambassadeur 5000's will produce backlashes in a heartbeat if I try to throw a bait real hard. I used to have a Revo that would backlash a little if I started casting real hard. I have a Quantum (Energy PT) that you could almost cast without even using your thumb and never have an issue and I can really swing hard for the outfield with it too! Another Energy PT might be different. As others have suggested, line quality makes a difference too. I spooled P-line CXX 10 lb on a reel or two and have had no problems but I have read on here about some people casting that line in heaver Lb. testings (17-20Lb. maybe ??) and having real problems - A lot of thick Fluoro is like that too. Even some long-term pros complain about their baitcasters having "professional overruns" (euphemism for nasty backlashes) at times. I had to really practice with my Ambassadeurs to get them casting right and I learned how to set them and fish slightly heavier baits with them (1/2 oz spinnerbaits etc.). That Daiwa you have might be like a spirited horse. It might need some extra time before you see what it can really do. Don't give up!? Good luck!

Thanks again for taking the time to share your insight and experience with these reels, DVC.