bandit cranks?

[rboat]

I want to learn more about using crankbaits. I keep hearing praise about the bandits. They are cheaper and still very effective. What size, model, and colors should I pick up? Most of the water I fish runs shallow, some grass and not much rocks or wood. Thanks.

[Guest muddy]

Hey Almost all bandits will work. I like the Bombers a whole lot better and for just 2 bucks more I really like the RAPALA DT's my Favorite. I like crawfish, shad  and bluegill colors.

You know all that wood and rocks YOU WANT TO HIT THEM WITH THESE BAITS a lot of bites will come right after you hit structure and the lures action changes. You loose some baits but for me they are far more effectively fished this way

[Avalonjohn44]

Bandits are great.  I catch more on bandits than I do on almost all other cranks combined.  They are cheap, run true out of the box, I have never had to tune one even after use, durable, and easily replaceable because everyone carries them.   They come in a million colors...

There are four models that I fish:

Footloose - 0-1 foot diver

100 2-5'

200 4-8'

300 8-12'

Colors I like the best are pearl chartreuse, taco salad, black splatterback, brown splatterback, rootbeer, and pb&j.  

I don't care for the flatmaxx line, and have not yet tried the 400 series.

[S I G M A]

i'm not a huge fan on bandit lures, i definetly like bomber lures a lot more. But thats just personal preference

[Guest muddy]

hEY aVALON: uNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DO YOU THROW THAT PEARLCHARTRUESE, I HAVE A COUPLE OF THEM AND HAVENT USED THEM YET?

[Cory20]

If you go with bandit, upgrade the hooks.

I was fishing a tourney with a friend and he caught two fish on one treble, the smaller of the two (weighed a pound tops) broke off one of the hooks.  

Bombers and Normans are a little nicer IMO.

[Avalonjohn44]

Muddy, I have the bait in the 100 series, and fish from shore 95% of the time.  I throw it all season long, from spring till just a couple of weeks ago.  I mostly fish a private lake near my house, and the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.  

In the lake, I love bouncing it off rip-rap rock lines, and along weed lines or above those weeds.  There is not too much wood structure in the pond I hit, but I would bet it would work well in wood too with the square lip... The water is usually heavily stained 2-3 foot clarity,  but I have also gotten fish when the water is muddy.  I use a spinning outfit, an Okuma reel and a Calico Jack medium action 6ft rod, nothing fancy at all...

In the river I fan cast it in all directions upstream, downstream, and across bouncing it off every rock I can manage to hit... The water ranges from clear to very muddy after a rain, but get best results when it is slightly to moderately stained.  

Over the last two years just fishing these 3 ponds and rivers, I would bet I caught over 100  fish off this little lure (and my fishing time is pretty limited by a wife and three kids).  Best LM is 5 5oz, best SM on it was 4lb even.  

The only other bait that comes close to being as productive for me is a spinnerbait.  For me, it has outfished a senko, a worm, a buzzbait, and my best megabass, LC, and Bagley cranks.  BTW, I will admit to not having as much patience as I should with plastics which is probably why for me it outfishes a senko..

[Stringjam]

If I were you, and especially since the areas you fish have sparse cover, I would pick up a Bomber Flat A (shallow).    Probably the most ignored and underused production crank out there - - and about the only one I can think of that gets close to the custom carved flatsides that are unbeatable in certain situations.  The lure is BARGAIN.    

[volpster31]

i reccommend  BOMBER cranks too....ive tried bandits & there o.k,but bombers are much more affective for me..

the rapala dt-4 are my favorite but their not cheap

[kbkindle]

kb here   bandit  100and 200  and firetiger color   i dont leave the dock without  those being   tied on.   like he said change hooks i put a bigger (RED) hook on the front  kb

[Guest muddy]

Muddy, I have the bait in the 100 series, and fish from shore 95% of the time. I throw it all season long, from spring till just a couple of weeks ago. I mostly fish a private lake near my house, and the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.

In the lake, I love bouncing it off rip-rap rock lines, and along weed lines or above those weeds. There is not too much wood structure in the pond I hit, but I would bet it would work well in wood too with the square lip... The water is usually heavily stained 2-3 foot clarity, but I have also gotten fish when the water is muddy. I use a spinning outfit, an Okuma reel and a Calico Jack medium action 6ft rod, nothing fancy at all...

In the river I fan cast it in all directions upstream, downstream, and across bouncing it off every rock I can manage to hit... The water ranges from clear to very muddy after a rain, but get best results when it is slightly to moderately stained.

Over the last two years just fishing these 3 ponds and rivers, I would bet I caught over 100 fish off this little lure (and my fishing time is pretty limited by a wife and three kids). Best LM is 5 5oz, best SM on it was 4lb even.

The only other bait that comes close to being as productive for me is a spinnerbait. For me, it has outfished a senko, a worm, a buzzbait, and my best megabass, LC, and Bagley cranks. BTW, I will admit to not having as much patience as I should with plastics which is probably why for me it outfishes a senko..

THANK YOU MUCH I wanted to know if you fished it in muddy/stained situations, thanks again 8-)

[Avalonjohn44]

No Prob.  I just read that some other fellows change hooks, I have done this too on some of my bandits.  Some of my bandits came with really good hooks, VMC type quality, while some come with really bendy fragile hooks, like the ones you get on daiwa peanuts...

[skunked_again]

If you go with bandit, upgrade the hooks.

I was fishing a tourney with a friend and he caught two fish on one treble, the smaller of the two (weighed a pound tops) broke off one of the hooks.  

Bombers and Normans are a little nicer IMO.

def. what cory said. i like vcm hooks on everything i toss. for what i fish i like the 200's and 300's due to the fact they float up real fast.... which equals they will float over the bigger rocks and timber getting hung up less. one thing that takes a while to get over is running the bait into anything and everything and not worrying about getting hung up. i have in the past gotten hung up and tried to jiggle the bait loose only to have a bass hit the bait while it was hung up on a stump. the other great thing is you can use these baits year around depending on if there wind and what the winds blowing past/over.

[Tin]

Cant beat a 100 series around laydowns and in shallow rivers. i really like the splatterback colors.

[pitchnboy]

Get BANDITS throw all your other cranks out...these are the only cranks i own and that are in my box, it will be the best money you ever spent i promise. best in my eyes.

pitch

[Bream Master]

My most productive Bandit is the Rootbeer color in the 300 series.  I caught my first gar with it not too long ago.  They are very sturdy and do run true out of the box.  

You will definately like bandits.

Cheers.

[Avalonjohn44]

Get BANDITS throw all your other cranks out...

While I appreciate the love for Bandits, this goes against everything the bait monkey stands for...

[basser89]

I've been throwing Bandits for a little while now (mostly for smallies). I only have a few in the 100 series but will be adding more (colors and other series) in the future. Smallies (on the upper Potomac) really seem to like them as well as walleye and an occasional musky too. Isn't that right MskSlyr?  

[kbkindle]

Cant beat a 100 series around laydowns and in shallow rivers. i really like the splatterback colors.

  kb here   like i said before  i just love bandit cranks.   you have me going to the bait monkey  again i dont have ANY of the splatterback  colors  and here in indiana   season is over for me   kb

[burleytog]

They can't be beat when it comes to colors, but I find them a little on the light side.

[links_man2]

Have had good luck with the 100, 200 and 300 baits, but primarily fish the 300.  Have also had times where the Deep Flat MAXX was what they wanted.  Primary colors are Pearl-Black Back and Chart-Blue Back.  In the past I always changed hooks, but have noticed lately they are coming with a better quality hook straight out of the box.

Did have 1 bait a year ago that the paint chipped on it.  Sent their cust svc a picture and they sent me 2 replacement baits --- good cust svc.

[L-Train]

I used to be the guy who defended Bandits to the death.  They are good, I have more of them than anything else.   There is a time and place for each.  The hooks are horrible.  Change em.  

I will say this, if LC RC 1.5  and bandits were the same price, I would have 100% LC's. 8-)

[Tpayneful]

I fish the Footloose a lot and it performs way better than a Mann's -1.  I also had success yesterday on a 100 and 200.  They all hit the red front hook.  I swapped all of my front hooks to red this year.  I fish a pearl / black back in clear water and aqua / chartruse in stained water.  I prefer a ML rod when casting them because they are light.  

If Bandit replaces baits that are chipped then I will send them a few pictures of mine!  My good ones all have paint chipped off!

[links_man2]

The bait I had replaced was new and I hadn't even fished it.  Not sure they will replace heavily used baits.

Looks like on those, you got your  moneys worth---LOL.

[Tpayneful]

Links,

      That Footloose is the second one that I have had the paint knocked off this year.  I broke the other one trying to flip it back over a dock on a bad cast.  Ended up cracking the lure.  I probably caught 100 bass on those two Footloose baits this year.  I caught 30 in one day on the Potomac last June.  Heck, I even caught a double on it!