Crank Problems

[Cboogie]

Some crankbaits just dont swim right. people say they were made poorly and that all of them do not swim right.

some cranks for me swim at and angle and does not come straight to me

what are some nice cranks that will swim right at an affordable price?

[SquareBill]

I don't know about the rest of you, but if nothing twists your **** more than a new crank that runs crooked right out of the box, then I advise you to steer clear of strike king pro model cranks-it seems that at least 4 out of 5 I have ever bought needed to be tuned right out of the box. With that being said I would say for...

--squarebills/shallow cranks: Bomber Square A's, Bandits, Norman(Thin N & Mad N)

--Mid depth 5-9/9-12 feet: Any Bomber's (4,5,6 A's), Norman (Little N, Middle N), Bandits, Wiggle Warts

All of these are great cranks that have always ran true out of the box and produced fish for me. You can find any of these cranks for $4-5 usually, and the bombers can sometimes be picked up awfully cheap if you catch em' on sale.

If you want to spend a couple extra bucks($6-8), the Rapala DT's, Bomber Fat Free Shad's & Switchback Shads are all good cranks that you won't have to spend time tuning.

For the most part though when it comes to affordable, reliable, and quality cranks I don't stray to far from Bomber, Norman, Bandits, Warts, and Raps

[Sam]

Massed produced crankbaits may need a little "tuning" when they come out of the box.

Use a needle nose pliers and adjust the bill screw a little at a time so that the bait finally runs straight.

By trial and error you can get them all to run straight.

Consider replacing the rear treble hook with one with a feather.

Just some suggestions to consider.

[ww2farmer]

I have at least 100 Strike King crank baits. Pro model series from 1xs's to 6xd's and every thing in between, Red Eye shads, KVD's, etc... and out of those baits I have had ZERO that were duds. Yes a few tweaks to get them to run perfectly straight, but the same can be said for any bomber, norman, or bandit that I have owned though, and none that ran on there side or any of this other non-sense I hear about. How can I have 100's of baits that catch fish, run true, and be fine, and other people seem to never get 2 in a row that even float????

[Avalonjohn44]

Out of hundreds of cranks bought, I only consistently have problems with Norman lures needing serious tuning out of the box. Most others run true from the get go.

[Bluebasser86]

Whichever side they are running towards, bend the eye the opposite direction. Sometimes it just takes a tiny tweaking to get them running straight. Lots of different baits occasionally need tuning out of the package. It's annoying to have to deal with but once they're fixed they usually stay running true pretty well.

[dulouz]

I had a problem once with a cableas brand square bill crank. I was fishing on the back of a boat, cranking the same direction we were moving. The bait kept spiraling through the water and I couldn't figure out why. I put on a bandit 100 and it worked fine. What I think happened is that the boat was making it move to fast. I tried the same troubled bait from shore and it worked fine. Lesson learned: Use the Bandit first next time.

[Hooligan]

I've occasionally had Lucky Craft Flat CBs that weren't tuned out of the box. It happens. I had bemoaned Strike King cranks earlier this year and after I ordered 25 series 5, 6, and 6XD I had to retract it, I have thrown 15 of them checking them and every single one is just fine. I've got a pile of Middle N and Deep Little N that are in need of tuning.

[Fishes in trees]

Many cranks need tuning from time to time. I'll grant that tuning them immediately after getting them wet for the first time is a pain. I find a crankbait tuning tool (page 346, BPS 2011 Master catalog) easier to use than needle nose pliers. They are cheap - $3.79 at BPS. Try that tool and see if it makes tuning cranks any easier.

[tholmes]

Many cranks need tuning from time to time. I'll grant that tuning them immediately after getting them wet for the first time is a pain. I find a crankbait tuning tool (page 346, BPS 2011 Master catalog) easier to use than needle nose pliers. They are cheap - $3.79 at BPS. Try that tool and see if it makes tuning cranks any easier.

Link to BPS tool:

Lure tuning tool

It works great!

Tom