Limiting Cranks And Jerkbaits

[OkobojiEagle]

For those of you that limit the number of crankbaits and jerkbaits you carry, how few have you gotten to and which ones have made your cut?  I'm most interested in those used for lake smallie fishing.

 

oe

[Packard]

On St Clair I have one 3700 for deep cranks, one for shallow and lipless, and a 3771 CDS for jerkbaits. But then again the fish here aren't too picky when it comes down to the actual bait, it is how you present it.

[Teal]

I dont smallie fish, but i do use cranks and jerks often for largemouth. Basicly what i do based on the season,time of year and pattern i adjust what goes in the boat. Im not confined to space either.

Winter and early sping i do not limit my jerkbaits very much. I have two 3700 boxes of them and will take them both.

Cranks on the other hand, i have several boxes and i will considate into a couple boxes. With my favorite colors at the depths at which i think will work...

When im pond fishing or on the river in my small jon boat, ill basicly grab a two different sizes in ghost minnow and a clown like color. Cranks, two or three for each depth, chartruse black back, bluegil, red craw, sexy shad and blue back herring color.

I like the pointers and rogues.

Cranks, i like spro fat jons and bomber 6a and 7a

[tomustang]

For those of you that limit the number of crankbaits and jerkbaits you carry, how few have you gotten to and which ones have made your cut?  I'm most interested in those used for lake smallie fishing.

 

oe

I tried before but I could not. When I go out to throw a crankbait I bring an arsenal

[Jell0b0y]

I tried before but I could not. When I go out to throw a crankbait I bring an arsenal

I am in the same boat when i go it everything plus the kitchen sink. I have a hard time leaving anything behind. I have no self-control

[ww2farmer]

Deep diving cranks that have made  my "cut" and are in the boat at all times: Strike king 5xd + 6xd, Spro Little John DD and Baby Little John DD's, Spro Fat Poppa 70's.

 

Deep cranks I have eliminated from the rotation, and gotten rid of  : Strike King series 5+6, Rapala DT's, Norman DD's, Bandit 300's + 700's and deep flat maxx, Bomber Fat Free shads,

 

Mid range that have made the cut: Strike King 3xd, Spro little john MD, Spro fat poppa 55, storm wiggle warts

 

Mid range that are gone: Strike King series 3 + 4, Rapala DT's, rapala shad raps, rapala fat raps, rapala x-rap shads, Bombers, Bandit 200's

 

Shallow that have made the cut; Strike king KVD's, Spro little johns, storm sub warts, excaliber squarebills, Lucky strike RC's, and Manns baby 1-

 

Shallow that are gone: Rapala DT flats and fats,Strike King series 1xs, 1, and 4s, Bandit footloose, shallow flat maxx, and 100's

 

Lipless the made the cut: SK redeye shad, Spro Aruku shad, excailber lipless, Damiki tremors

 

Lipless gone: Any Rapala, Rat-L-Traps, SK diamond shads, Cordell spots.

 

Jerkbaits that made the cut: Excailiber EEshad, Luck-e-strike RC STX, Spro McStick + McRip

 

Jerkbaits gone: Rapala x-raps + husky jerks, SK wild shiners, bomber long A's, Rouges,

 

New baits for me this year with results TBD: SK KVD jerkbaits, SK 10xd, the new Storm suspending Jerkbaits, and lippless baits, Luck-e-strike freak, smoothie, and wart hog, and a IDK what else yet.

[ncbassfisher1496]

Deep diving cranks that have made my "cut" and are in the boat at all times: Strike king 5xd + 6xd, Spro Little John DD and Baby Little John DD's, Spro Fat Poppa 70's.

Deep cranks I have eliminated from the rotation, and gotten rid of : Strike King series 5+6, Rapala DT's, Norman DD's, Bandit 300's + 700's and deep flat maxx, Bomber Fat Free shads,

Mid range that have made the cut: Strike King 3xd, Spro little john MD, Spro fat poppa 55, storm wiggle warts

Mid range that are gone: Strike King series 3 + 4, Rapala DT's, rapala shad raps, rapala fat raps, rapala x-rap shads, Bombers, Bandit 200's

Shallow that have made the cut; Strike king KVD's, Spro little johns, storm sub warts, excaliber squarebills, Lucky strike RC's, and Manns baby 1-

Shallow that are gone: Rapala DT flats and fats,Strike King series 1xs, 1, and 4s, Bandit footloose, shallow flat maxx, and 100's

Lipless the made the cut: SK redeye shad, Spro Aruku shad, excailber lipless, Damiki tremors

Lipless gone: Any Rapala, Rat-L-Traps, SK diamond shads, Cordell spots.

Jerkbaits that made the cut: Excailiber EEshad, Luck-e-strike RC STX, Spro McStick + McRip

Jerkbaits gone: Rapala x-raps + husky jerks, SK wild shiners, bomber long A's, Rouges,

New baits for me this year with results TBD: SK KVD jerkbaits, SK 10xd, the new Storm suspending Jerkbaits, and lippless baits, Luck-e-strike freak, smoothie, and wart hog, and a IDK what else yet.

Why did you cut the Bandits and the Rapala x-raps and husky jerks?

[ww2farmer]

Why did you cut the Bandits and the Rapala x-raps and husky jerks?

Many different reasons. On the rapala's,  #1 was quality issues..........too many broken bills on DT's, too many X-raps that sank/took on water/fell apart, skitter pops that the cups would break after 1 fish, and the list goes on.........and on. #2 was there lack of CS, and as a result of #1 and #2 I have purged all Rapala baits from my tackle selection........hence the huskey jerks, and shad raps going. I may re-think my decison on the shad-raps, but I have found sutable and, better replacements for the HJ's. Funny, though VMC, and Storm, both owned by big brother Rapala, have not given me any of the same issues, so I continue to use those brands. #3 the baits I replaced them with have caught more, lasted longer, and give me more bank for the buck, so I am not missing anything, but the headache that comes from breaking the bill of a brand new DT 16 the first time it bangs into underwater cover, or a an x-rap sinking like a rock straight out of the package before a fish even has a chance to fart in the same zip code I casted it to, let alone bite it.

 

 On the Bandits............#1 just elimintaing an option that wasn't any better or worse than other baits I use, and freeing up space for other stuff I liked better. #2/#3  production/availabilty............as for production.....it's a non-issue. Since I started using, for example, say a SK 3xd vs a Bandit 300, I have seen no decline in my results. I know there are people who will claim that "one bait does this better in that situation" and so on, and if it makes them sleep better at night knowing......or thinking that, and having endless options available.........more power to them. As for the availabilty? All the colors I liked in the Bandit were available in the SK, and I can go into any local store and restock the 3xd's I use when ever I want, no need to make on-line orders, thats a big plus when I need a few baits NOW. Just the oposite for Bandits...........around here, some stores have them, some don't, often the colors/sizes I want were not in stock or carried at all.

[roadwarrior]

Smithwick Rogue, Red Eye Shad and Norman Fat Boy.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I usually limit myself to 3-4 of each type when space is a concern (squarebill, medium 5-10, deep 10+, lipless, and jerkbaits.). I try to have a bright color (chartruese, orange), reflective color (silver, gold, aurora black), natural shad color (sexy shad, Tennessee shad), and brown sunfish type color (sexy sunfish, rootbeer, baby bream).

[OkobojiEagle]

Warmouth...  good system.  I limit myself to one 3600 box for all hard baits,  top to bottom.  I think of them as a set of tools, each for a different need.  Top water, one each: LC Gunfish 95, smaller Gunfish, Zara Puppy, Frenzy popper, baby Torpedo, Jitterbug, slow rising Flat Rap and a Storm Wiggle Wart wake bait.  Colors are pretty much bait fish/ reflective except for the bullfrog color popper.

 

The jerkbaits are ghost/ reflective or perch colors.  1: Pointer 65, 3:Pointer 75, 2: Slender Pointer 75, 1: Pointer 100, 1: Pointer 95 silent, 2: Staysee 95, 1: Flat Rap weighted to suspend.  I'm  considering replacing one or both Staysee 95s with a Pointer DD100.  These jerk baits and the top waters are my most used hard baits.

 

Lipless rattlers... 1 each Excalibur X-50 blue/chrome/orange; the newer Strike King (can't think of the model name) sexy shad color; and a firetiger Frenzy rattler.

 

Unlike Farmer, I like the Rapala baits and haven't had quality problems with them, but I do fish them slower and more gently than many anglers I've fished with.  Suspending Shad Raps: 1:4, 1:5, 2:7s and 1:8 perch and shad colors.

 

Floating cranks consist of 1: Bandit shallow diver; 1: original Wiggle Wart; the original DT series in blue gill color 4, 6, 10 & 14; DT 4 & 6 parrot; DT 14 & 16 crawfish.

 

That pretty much fills my 3600 box.  I fish smallmouth over rocky points, weed edges and docks (no fallen timber).  I'm always open to suggestions if I've made a glaring omission. 

 

oe

[Bankbeater]

I use to carry a little of everything. Now I carry two types of baits. For shallow water I use 1 minus cranks, and for mid range and deep water I use lipless baits. To get them down deeper I just let them sink more.

[papajoe222]

For smallie cranks I like the Rebel Crawfish in the 2in. size and the Deep Little N by Norman. Crawfish and chartruse colors (the Norman has a color similar to Rapala's Mardigras that's been a killer).  For jerkbaits, it's a Rogue  in a bright color or an original Rapala #7 in gold/black.

If I'm river fishing, I'll down size to a smaller bait and go with the Little N instead of the deep version.

[jhoffman]

Im finding myself like above trying to shift into one brand. I havent decided what I am sticking with yet. I need to do the same with soft plastics. Theres no reason to have an entire rubbermaid container filled with different craw immitations when realisitically I could get buy with about 3: a beaver, a chigger craw, a paca chunk.

[Matt Jungblut]

I have a small tacklebag 4 mid size trays

rapala jointed shad raps & new shallow 1s both size 7  5 different colors shad, bluegil,perch, hot olive and cabelas flame tiger 

moonsault 200-350  probally 8 different shad patterns i get them off ebay 7.00 a lure 1 must have is Aurora Black

staycee 90 ver 2   same as above

bandit 100s  brown craw, white, firetiger, black, and chrome

timber tigers dc2-dc6  firetiger, red craw, and chrome-blue

dts 4-10ft   same colors as above

x rap shad size 6  white, yellow perch, gold, and orange

crankin rap   shad, hot olive and yellow perch

 

yes colors are important have had days where if you didnt have that color you werent gettin bit

[Big Bassman]

I hate to say it because I'm old enough to know better, but I take every bait I can put in my boat that will still allow me room to fish. If I don't, I always seem to want something I don't have with me. The "Bait Monkey" just torments the heck out of me all the time (he's been doing this for over 50 years) so I have plenty of assorted baits and tackle, why not use'em. I've been doing this for alot of years, and using an assortment of baits is part of the fun. All that being said, I could and would if I wanted to do exactly what Warmouth stated, but why? That is why I have a bassboat, so I can take my arsenal to the fish. It's all part of the experience! I realize I'm Bass Crazy!