Cranks4fun

early AM fishing always starts with about 20 oz. of COFFEE (the nectar of life) but I eat Jerky, Chips, trail mix, salted almonds, Crackers with Peanut Butter, sandwiches, whatever my buddy has in his box and occasionally sardines to gross out the guy fishing with me! I like bottled sweet tea and water too!

Know the seasonal trends (Cold- S. jerkbaits, jigs, lipless, dropshot, shaky; pre-spawn-Sq. bills, lipless, t-rigged worms/ lizards,... you know) and experiment based on those trends. Find the fish and find what works and stay with what works until it stops working and then you change up. There is another method I've used called the MEWES method. MEWES stands for Make Excuses While Eating Snacks. You just sit in the boat (or on shore) and say things like "When the Wind's out of the East the fish bite Least- That's our problem. Hand me some more chips!"

Welcome! I lived in SE Virginia growing up and again as an adult. I was a pastor in Carrollton for 10 years (Just outside of Smithfield). I also taught school in Va. Beach for 7 years. I went to school as a kid in Suffolk and Chesapeake. Lots of great fishing there. My parents and my oldest son are still living in "Tidewater". There are many awesome fishing opportunities there (Chesapeake Bay, James River, The 6 Suffolk Lakes**, Newport News Reservoir, North Landing River, Blackwater River, etc.). I live in SW Missouri now but I go back to VA once a year to see the family. I sure miss fishing some great waters there, but I guess there are great waters in every state...if you really want to fish!

I like fishing bodies of water that are 20 acres or less in the winter. It is much easier to locate bass because there are only so many places they can be. I've had some awesome fishing experiences on small bodies of water on cold days. My experience on big lakes in the winter probably reflects the truth that the author was sharing. They are hard to find (for me anyway) until there is a 4-5 day warming trend. Sometimes bass will move into very shallow water in the winter if the surface temps climb 3 or 4 degrees over several days. I am longing for those conditions now!

Update on previous comments above. I said I would give the Lucky Craft pointer more time... I did. I went out to the Elk River (in SW Mo) and fished a 20-25 stretch of rock over gin-clear water about 14 ft deep moving very slowly. I fished for two hours. I saw several smallies under 12 inches and caught just one fish about 14 inches long on that Lucky craft pointer in the ghost shad color. Tried a little drop shot fishing and running some flat cranks but the water was cold and the fish were just not in the mood. I actually put a 2-inch swim bait just inches in front of two different 12 inch bass and jiggled it and they gave no reaction at all. SOOO. A good day with the Lucky Craft I guess. I'm still not selling my other jerkbaits off though. They may have accomplished the same thing. Gonna work with the LC some more though.

I wish I had accepted the advice from Bill Dance years ago about plastic worms. He said something like, "If you think you are fishing slow enough, you need to fish just a little bit slower (paraphrased)." While that is not always the case, oftentimes it is. I also wish I would have known to occasionally put my favorite crankbaits and topwaters down, regardless of how fun they were to fish, and to use jigs and weedless soft stuff to go into the heart of nasty cover. I've read that biggest mistake that tournament fisherman make (pros and amateurs) is to ruin their winning chances by getting "stuck" on their favorite methods when circumstances are screaming for change.

Both have performed well for me but I like 832 better on a bait caster. I still have 30 Lb. power pro on three rods and 40Lb. test 832 on my frog/ toad rod. Both are good but Power Pro runs cheaper here ($13 a spool Wally World) and 832 is about $19 a spool? I think. Anyway, the 832 looses its color over time but it casts and performs wonderfully. I've fished Ribbit Frogs on 832 through some of the nastiest weed beds and that Sufix stuff hauls the big girls right out. I have 30 lb. Power Pro on a 4000 series Shimano Sedona spinning rod for fishing light worms in coontail weed mats. I also have it on two bait casters. It works fine but it is just a little noisy. I also have a new 30lb. test spool of Sufix Performance Braid that I got on sale ($7.00) but I haven't put it on anything yet.

I'll be the weird guy here. I rarely throw my Lucky Craft baits and I can't really remember ever having a stellar day with a LC square bill or pointer or their over-priced, poor performing spinnerbait. I love the looks of the pointer 78 in the ghost shad but I am not sure I ever caught a big fish with it. Going to try again this year with my Lucky Crafts. I have had awesome days with the following: 1. Bomber 14 AP -Pro Suspending Model Long A (shorter one, Blue flash/ orange belly) 2. Cultiva (Owner's hardbaits) Ripping minnow - a translucent, shiner color? 3. Smithwith Pro Suspending Rogue (Mark Menendez signature-white/green back)

Reason, I've noticed that too. I'd love to see that DT4. You may already know that Bandit popularized one of their mistakes (a different color on each side) and they call it "mistake". I read a few years back the Rootbeer and "Mistake" were their best sellers. 2 years ago they added and new half bass, half bluegill "mistake" but not sure if it has sold as well as the original. Sometimes colors make a difference sometimes not. I believe it is usually more of a dark or light, bright or subdued thing that draws the response from bucket mouths. I cannot imagine the bass looking and thinking, "Man! look at the gill and scale detail and coloration. That looks real!" I think, not really sure, it is just moving color that draws a feed reaction or a fear reaction. The translucent "ghost" colors DO seem to make a BIG difference in clear, cold water situations for me. Chartreuse and Firetigers also seem to work well in dark stained or lightly muddied waters. Dark colors, I am told, work better in chocolate-milk muddy water. Regardless, I enjoy having and chunking baits with cool color schemes. I am still playing with toys I guess. Mumbly, I just saw that number. Thanks! Heavyduty, were those you found all blue like the ones we want?

Mumbly, I sent Luck-E-Strike an email with pictures today. I could not find a phone number on their website. I will let you know what the response is. Cheesfrank, THat looks exactly like mine. Was that the only one they had in that color?

OK, Smalljaw, thanks for finding that. I did see it and it is a lot closer to what I have, though not quite as blue. I wonder if a phone call to LES and text with a picture would get them to match it from their stock and send me more. Bluebasser might want to get some too. I think I will try. Thanks again. By the way, I really love the normal green copper shad too. I haven't fished with it much, but it just looks cool to me. I am afraid that may be what the bait monkey wants..."Yeeesss! Buy the lures that look cool! It doesn't matter if they catch bass. They look COOOOL in your tackle tray.... (followed by devilish snicker)" Here's the link to that TW color chart. The color is not quite as blue, but it is closer. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Luck-E-Strike_Rattler_Rick_Clunn_Square_Bill_Crankbait/descpage-LKERSQB.html

Thanks for checking, SmallJaw67. However, I think Bluebasser86 is correct. It may be that the color is not be coming through very clearly on your computer. I checked TW too and did not see anything close. You may have been looking at the blue/ chartreuse which is blue-ish but different. Let me post another picture of a regular Luck-E-Strike RC copper shad with this mistake version so the contrast is obvious. The smaller one on top is a regular Green Copper Shad and it is a Luck-E-Strike RC Square, though smaller. I have a Lucky Craft one too and its color is like that upper one. All of mine are silent (non-rattling). Let us know if you find something closer though.

Some baits are still available but just different now (Wiggle Warts, Old Rogues, Rebel Wee-R's, CC Big O's). I just bought a late '70's 3 inch Cordell Big O. It is plastic, not wooden like the originals, but it has that original bulbous shape and a decent perch paint job. I put Eagle Claw Lazers on it (only new #4 trebles I had) and put it in one of my summer boxes for a test run in 2017. Last year, a cheapo Pradco CC Big O in the medium size (craw color) was the most productive smallmouth crank I threw. I also like some of the old discontinued Poe's and Xcallibur and Natural Ike cranks.

I went to wally world to look for a few things in the tackle section this morning and found this cool mistake among the Rick Clunn cranks. It is number coded to be a "Green copper shad", but it is not. I have the Lucky Craft version of the green copper shad and have looked at the Luck-E-Strike version many times and there is a huge difference. It is just a mistake or a bad mix on the factory paint sprayer or something. It is mostly blue-ish...really awesome looking! Maybe it will become a secret weapon. Haha! I'll paste a picture.

Non-Square bills? Bandit 200, Norman Tiny N in craw colors, Shad Rap #5, DT4 & DT6, and Bomber Fat Free Guppy Medium Diver in Tenn. Shad.

I have used several, and I suspect you mean finesse drop-shot, because now there are "power drop shot" guys out there who use baitcast reels and fluorocarbon in the 10-17 lb. test range. I am not knowledgeable on the power drop shot stuff, but on lighter spinning gear, I do have experience. A good reel in your price range would be the Pflueger President. The online reviews are great and I have used one for that purpose with 8 lb. InVizX line and it performed VERY well. I have also used Shimano Symetres, but I have read the newer ones (post 2014?) are not as reliable, but I am not sure. If you use braid with a fluoro or mono leader, almost any spinning reel will work. If you are a straight fluoro guy, the medium-grade & higher-end spinning reels tend to have less line-twist issues. One BIG tip that I promise you will help you once you find bass: Do not move the bait much. Slide it slow, twitch/ bounce it lightly, and then let it sit motionless, repeat. The hook set is just a firm lift of the rod. HANG ON!

Strike King cranks won't catch anything! Just kidding.. I think they all (crankbaits) have their time & place, but sometimes certain ones shine more consistently for me. Some years a certain crank will really produce and then the next year it is not so hot. There are a lot of guys who love the Strike Kings on here, but I have not used My SK's as much as I have my Rapalas, Bandits, Cordells, H2O's, Normans, etc. I may try them more this spring.

That second picture does look like a "Little N" but it is fatter I think. I think that is the old Jumbo style Big O, but I could be wrong. I don't know if they still make that big 3-inch size. I have a BIG balsa "Original Big O" - re-issue (copy of the originals) that I got on sale at BPS, but I hear they are not fish catchers like the real originals. I have never used that one.

Just bought one yesterday. They have an interesting flat-but-fat body style. Looking forward to getting it wet. They come with great hooks and awesome colors and they are very LOUD rattling cranks. I got the "Sunrise Perch" color. Looks cool!

I am not exaggerating when I say the BIG O (medium size cheap plastic one) in the brown crawdad color was my best (I mean absolute best!!!) smallmouth bait in the rivers and creeks in SW Missouri this year (late spring & summer). I caught some on a DT-6, H2o Squarebills, a couple of different jerkbaits and grubs, and quite a few on a Bandit Footloose, but nothing worked as consistently as that bargain bin ($2.97) Big O. I went back to get more in that crawdad color but could only find one. I have found other colors, but I am not sure if they will work as well. I did make one modification to the bait. I put EWG Gamakatsu trebles on them. That bait did not do as well in Grand lake or some ponds we fish, but it is a clear creek killer! Got a pic below... It is kind of scratched up but that happens to awesome baits!

Reading this reminds me that my most productive lures often change from year to year. I have concluded that the things that trigger bass bites are not quite as clear as some anglers think. Anyway, this year it has been these three cranks: a Bandit Footloose in chartreuse/blue for shallow & top water. A little deeper (2-4ft) and in clear creeks it has been a cheap Cordell Big O with Gammy EWG trebles and a Norman Tiny N in a seemingly irreplaceable brown/red craw color (lost that bait in the jaws of a smallie). From 4-8 ft it would be a 3-way tie between a #7 shad Rap, a DT6 in green craw, and an H2o Xpress CRULD -Deep UL in some shad color. In previous years, a Norman Fat Boy, Mann's 1-, Bandit 200, a Fat Free Guppy, a Bomber Flat A, and a Bomber Long A suspending Pro jerkbait have been in my "necessary" box.

If the temps are falling drastically, the bass may be moving to deeper water. Do the canals lead to deeper pools? After cold fronts bass will often stick close to cover and will refuse to chase baits. You can still catch them by dragging soft plastics or jigs very slowly through cover. Of course, some cover is better than others. I have a stretch of river that we fished in spring and we caught 26 bass on about 150 yards of shoreline. Went back to the same area in the summer twice and could not get a bite. Mysteries, mysteries. ??

The Bait Monkey ate me up today. I went to Rogers, Arkansas and visited the Cabelas there and found some sales! The Spro Little John XL 70 (larger 7-9 ft. diver) was on sale for $7.29 (reg.$11.99) so I bought TWO! They rang up $12 but they gave them to me for tag/ sticker price. They had a few Storm Arashis for $1.88 so I got 5 of them and I hit the Academy and picked up a 6th Sense Flat Crush 75X that was on sale too! Anyway, There is not much information on Bass Resource or other forums yet the productivity of this larger Spro Little John. People rave about the "50" size and I want one of those too eventually, but what do you guys know about the productivity, fish-catching ability of the BIG Spro Little Johns? Any experiences? Special conditions? Just a cold water bait??

Were you fishing by the bridge at the Newport News Park? I saw that you liked those lakes. I have been there when i could not go under it and I have also been there where you could ONLY if you curled up in the boat floor. I lived in SE Virginia most of my life (Chesapeake, Suffolk, Carrollton) and fished at Newport News Park several times. Nice fish in the pic, by the way.

20 inches... By the way, that is an awesome looking fishing hole behind you.