Balsa vs. plastic crankbaits

[basscat73]

Do you prefer one over the other? And why? I've read articles on balsa and plastic, but I'd like to hear some firsthand accounts regarding them.

[Raul]

I fish with both, I like them both indistinctiveley, I prefer palstic baits when the water is muddy or murky because even though there are rattling balsa baits I feel the sound produced by plastic baits is superior.

Balsa baits are unique, you won 't find "identical" wood baits, each bait is an individual and another even made from the same piece of wood than the other won 't move the same way, sometimes you get that "magic" balsa bait, the one that no matter where or how bad you fish it it will always catch fish, problem is that those "magic" wood baits are like winning the lottery, the odds are against you; with plastic baits this does not happen so infrequently, a good plastic bait will be "identical" to another and all you need is to purchase another one and you 'll get the same results.

[.ghoti.]

I couldn't begin to tell you why, but, the balsa Shad Rap has caught many more fish, for me, than the plastic version. Enough so that I will no longer buy the plastic one. I keep the balsa versions in my boxex at all times. I loose quite a few cranks, and this is one bait I will not be without.

Balsa, and wood cranks in general, seem to deflect off or float back from cover better than plastic. I tend to loose more plastic cranks than wood ones. I'll agree with Raul about plastic cranks in dingy water. They do make more noise. I don't know if they catch any more fish.  I tend to fish a spinnerbait more in dingy water than a crank. I've overall caught more fish with "quiet" wood cranks than with noisy plastic ones.

Cheers,

GK

[Stringjam]

I'll echo what the 2 posters above have said - - as I use both (plastic, Balsa, Jelutong, Redwood, and Cedar...there's a lot of wood crank options available).  

Proper design is #1 to me, and the ability of a crankbait to maintain its action even at low speeds.  

Another plus to plastic is they don't have to be maintained like wood.  You need to keep wooden cranks sealed (I use Devcon 2-ton epoxy) - chips, etc...and pay careful attention to the lip joint area.....otherwise they will absorb water - especially Balsa.

Even with all that, I still love wooden cranks.........I don't think I'll ever get rid of my California Poe's 300 and 400's even if I ever happen to find something better.    

FWIW, even "quiet" rattle-less crankbaits are quite noisy underwater.  Get in a swimming pool sometime and have somebody reel a silent wooden bait by you - - the hardware clicks quite loudly.  The Bagley B3 is a great dirty water crank, and it has no rattle.                

[Valascus]

I also use both. Though I tend to use balsa wood cranks (Rapala DT series) more than plastics. I use the plastics in very muddy water since, as pointed out by Raul and ghoti, that the sound they create is superior to balsa baits.

If I am fishing a spot that has a lot of rock or other hard surfaces I will fish the plastic cranks since they seem to have better durability and can take the punishment better than their balsa counterparts.

If I am fishing in a real snaggy spot, I prefer balsa since they are more bouyant and deflect off of cover better than their plastic counterparts.

[clipper]

I couldn't begin to tell you why, but, the balsa Shad Rap has caught many more fish, for me, than the plastic version. GK

 Same for me too.  The #5 Shad Rap is my favorite crankbait when the conditions are right.  

[MALTESE FALCON]

Another vote for the balsa Shad Raps. They are still my favorite crankbait.

Falcon

[Guest whittler]

A balsa bait by its very nature is more responsive and the ability to hunt is a lot more likley to happen with balsa than plastic. Most common complaint with cranks is they have to be tuned and by tuning most fishermen think that it means when you retreive that it should come in a straight line back and plastics will do that very well. With a balsa, that hunts, its path back is erratic and unpredictable, now it should not roll over or blowout but its path is anything but straight. Unfortunatley a lot of folks who are not familiar with a crankbait that hunts think there is something wrong with it. A baits that hunts will move, on a straight retreive as much as a foot or more to the right or left and the pop back on track.

Give me balsa.