Crankbaits and hard plastics???

[shaller777]

I live in southern new jersey and have fished lakes around here since i was a kid. I know the salt a lot better than i know the freshwater so that's why i'm here. I am not a serious bass fisherman but i do it quite often since there are small lakes everywhere around here. I use mostly soft plastics and spinner baits since they have been the most effective for me. I rarely use hard plastics because they haven't really produced for me, but then again i don't think i have used them enough to know. I wanted to get into cranking and i needed some recommendations. I was looking for a good brand of crankbaits that weren't too expensive so i could fill a box with different colors, sizes, and depths. I have heard good things about strike king and bomber and would like some opinions. Thanks for the help and any other opinions and tips would help out!

[Blue Streak]

Bandits, Rapala, and Norman are all excellent.

[MALTESE FALCON]

Rapala

Strike King

Norman

Bandit

Bomber

Falcon

[zaraspook_dylan2]

my personal favourite, for large and smallmouth, is the old faithful Big-O by Cotton Cordell, in white or perch.

[Eternal Angler]

Bomber is my favorite, it's dynamite on smallmouth bass in the lake near me.

[powerman970]

H2O's from Academy Dude...If you don't have an Academy near you get with me.  I ship them all over the U.S. and I don't overcharge like the guys on FleaBay.  I mark 'em up $1 per bait and charge you shipping.  I'll even send the receipt with your order.  They are made by the same company that makes Lucky Crafts (or so I have been told) and they have some killer colors, VMC hooks and only cost around $3.50 a piece.

Other than that I use Bandits and Normans more than anything else.

[midnighthrasher]

Rapala DT series

[WdyCrankbait]

I second Midnighthrasher's opinion.  I never did well with crankbaits until I got Rapala's DT series.  Then, I was catching bass left and right!  Also, another good crankbait is BPS XPS Nitro crankbaits.  They have done very well for me! 

[WdyCrankbait]

One more thing, learn the Rapala knot for crankbait fishing (if you do not already know it)  I think it really frees up a crankbait for better swimming action.

[ww2farmer]

Before buying a bunch of hard baits, buy a few, catch a few fish on them and gainsome confidence, then expand from there. Here are some baits that catch tons of fish inthe right time/place:

Sub surface: Manns Baby 1-

Shallow : Bandit 100 series

Mid Depth: Rapala Shad Rap

Lipless: Rat-L-Trap

Natural colors like Shad,perch, bluegill, babybass, and craw patterns are standbuys and will catch fish any where. Get a few fish on these lures, learn when/how/why they work and go from there.