Best tuned cranks?

[bugman]

I was reading that anywhere between 1/4 -3/4 of the crankbaits need some amount of tuning right out of the package and some can never be tuned right. What brands do you have the best luck with that are easy to tune or come out of package tuned? Are the high priced cranks any better than the lower end baits?

[Bud]

              Are the high priced cranks any better than the lower end baits?            

Buy Lucky Craft they run true out of the box.

[roadwarrior]

I test all luress in a pool when I buy them. Many are defective right out of the box, many more become defective over time. I have not had any "bad" X-Raps and have NEVER had a defective Lucky Craft. The very worst are Smithwick Rogues, Bagley BIIs are a close second.

Buy your hard baits from retailers that allow exchange without hassle. I buy the vast majority of my lures at BPS and have NEVER been denied an exchange. BTW, I consider broken lures "defective". Many lures companies make low quality lures (Rat-L-Trap), but the are still VERY effective. Just exchange them if you are not satisfied.

[Skidder]

I agree Lucky Craft! Never had to tune one out of the box. You get what you pay for!

[bugman]

I agree Lucky Craft! Never had to tune one out of the box. You get what you pay for!

Do LC cranks stay tuned after use or do the get out of tune with regular use? I ask this because I can justify the high price if I only need a few good lures that will last a long time.

[Skidder]

They stay tuned. Obviously if it gets a lot of use and abuse, you might have to tweak it but they are far superior to others, hooks, colors, run true, etc.

[jomatty]

that is the one reason that i like lucky craft.  the baits look great and all but that dosent justify the expense to me.  not having to spend a lot of time on the water with needle nosed pliers adjusting and readjusting is where they earn their keep in my book.

[ben23]

Also, another alternative to the upper end Daiwa and LC lures are the handmade cranks. Rarely will you ever have a handmade run crooked.

Some handmades actually will not cost you more than the lucky crafts either!

Wheck out Whittler, Catching Concepts (ebay), and there are other members on the forum like Big M, and jasone.....all with steallar baits/ prices.

Ben

[Brad_Coovert]

Most LC's run true out of the box, but tuning is not an issue that should get in the way of buying a bait.  Crankbaits are easy to tune.

Also, baits get out of tune easy.  Rocks, wood, snags and big fish will get a bait out of tune.

Choose your cranks on the depth, action, size and colors you want.  You will ebd tuning them all at some point.

Brad

[Brad_Coovert]

Another thing on cranks.  Some cranks are not meant to run straight when tuned properly.  They are meant to "search" along the bottom.  They will run left, then right, then left, then right, changing direction when they hit an object.

Brad

[Maxximus Redneckus]

i have found my raps made in iraland and finland are perfect right out of the box but i notice a lot made in estonia are needin help.  Wonder if i should not use um maybe collectors items someday??

[FishTank]

Lucky Craft have worked best for me.  I also use Rapalas alot but only maybe one out of five actually run true.

[Guest whittler]

Like Brad said, should you ever get a crankbait that truly hunts it will not return in a straight line. Guys used to using plastic baits are expecting to see them run straight so they bend and tune until they do, plus the chances of finding a plastic bait that hunts is very slim. A wooden bait on the other hand is more likley to hunt and most fishermen again bend and tune untill it runs straight, killing its ability to hunt. When you find a bait that hunts its a prized peice, you do not have to see it in the water, you can feel it in your hands. If you ever wonder why when you have three identical baits, that one will catch more fish than the other two combined, there is a reason.

[ben23]

^^^ hes one of those crankbait makers I was telling you about.....check him out

[BIG M]

First off finding a crankbait that truely hunts is like finding a needle in a haystack.   Those baits don't come around very often, it's a mistake that every custom builder in the country is trying to figure out and duplicate because it flat out catches fish.    IMO all cranks should run straight and true, and then the user can play around with make them run in different directions.  

Sisson lures, Rapala, and Bagleys are bad about not being tuned out the box.  

[Redlinerobert]

Luckycraft, Daiwa, Yozuri and luhr jensen for me.

[T-rig]

Megabass, Jackall, Lucky Craft, Imakatsu all run true out of the box. Most Japanese baits do!

They also all have very good hardware! No changing hooks, split rings or tuning.

[MALTESE FALCON]

My Lucky Crafts all run true, and I have a boatload of Ralalas, and I can only remember having to tune one.

Falcon

[Avalonjohn44]

My Lucky Crafts and Megabass lures have been perfect every time.  

My favorite lures, my Bandit 100s, 200s, and 300s have all been true out of the box so far.  I stocked up on these over the winter and haven't used them all, but I'm confident these awesome little cranks will be OK...

I might be very lucky, but even most of my Rapalas run just fine out of the box.  I have only had to tune maybe a 6 or 7 ever, and I have a lot of Rapalas.  

The rate is higher on my Bagleys, but not so bad either.  

I bought a half dozen Norman flat sided cranks, and every single one of those needed to be tuned, a lot.  

Almost every Rebel has needed to be tuned.

[ben23]

Yeah, normans need to be tuned often.....

I think alot of the wooden ones need tuning......but that doesn't matter.....once you tune it right they are fish-catching machines

[Stringjam]

Whittler brought up some good points - and there are several theories on baits that "hunt."   One theory involves irregularly tuned baits, and another involves baits that are tuned so perfectly that they are on the "edge."   A guy on BFHP that has quite extensive crankbait experience claims he can get perfectly tuned cranks to hunt far easier than untuned ones.   So who knows.....  My favorite Wiggle Warts look like a fat lady chasing a twinkie........it's no wonder they catch fish like crazy when conditions are right.    

Tuning cranks isn't that hard - - I've had to tune some of my best cranks lots of times.  If you catch a big or aggressive bass on a crank with a soft brass eyelet, it is probably going to bend a little bit......even baits with stainless eyelets will do that.  Hang it up in a rock or a stump - - you may bend it a little bit.......if you fish cranks a lot, it's just going to happen - learn to fix it and be happy.    

I have some Japanese crankbaits from Megabass, Tiemco, Ever Green, Jackall, Lucky Craft, BeeZee - and if you treat them bad enough they have to be tuned too..