hercdoc

There is a time and place for every lure...at least that's what I tell my wife as I pull on from the shelf and place it in the basket.

I picked this crank up at a yard sale today. No markings but it has two line ties, one on each end. It must have the original hooks because there are no split rings attaching them. The lure has no rattles and is plastic. Any help IDing the lure is appreciated. Thanks!

I'm In!!!

The best retriever I have found, by far, is a Micropterus salmoides in the 12" to 24" length. Not only will the retriever bring your lure to you with it in its mouth but I have found that quite frequently it will get right beside the boat and release the lure back so you are ready for another cast. Shore bound anglers can also use this retriever quite effectively.

Why not a small, soft sided tackle box with zippers. No chance of it coming unlatched unless it's not zipped. You can add boxes or take away as needed. Just a thought...

I found some At Walmart around the tennis equip that slips over the rod handle rather than wraps around. i like these much better. I forget the name brand. I'd have to look it up.

All cranks are not created equal...you need to master the crankbait before you develop the technique. Learn what the bait does under the water when your turning the handle. I am fortunate enough to have an Olympic size pool at my disposal. I have spent many, many hours tuning my cranks ( I have a box full of cranks that won't run straight no matter how much tuning I do) and then learning what they do when I turn the handle at a certain speed. Example...direct tie to the lure, not the split ring...then tie to the split ring...then use a snap lock...a speed clip...4.7:1 reel...5.2:1...6.3:1 reel speed. Slow retrieve...medium retrieve...fast retrieve. Burn the lure...stop and go...pull and reel. I like to have a mental image of what my crank is doing under the water. I even have thrown a pool chair into the pool to see what the crank does when it deflects off an object. If you can't tell by now, I love fishing cranks. I know in our fast paced world all we want to do is tie a lure on and catch a fish, but I believe if we spend some time with the lure we are fishing with and learn what it's doing in the water, it will give us just much more advantage on catching a fish.

I'll second the Lazer eyes! Used them all spring and killed the LMB in a couple of ponds I frequent which aren't over 8ft deep. Tenn Shad worked best and if you keep the rod tip high and reel slow it will act as a wake bait for the early morning bite.

Wow! Merry Christmas! Some nice looking cranks there. Mann's, Bagley's, Bomber's, a Storm ThinFin. Some of those should catch a fish or two in Korea...Good Luck!

I picked up four of these lures at a yard sale this past weekend and after doing a search on the I-net I haven't been able to find out what the actual diving depth is on this lure. I'm figuring about 8-10 feet but was wondering if anybody can help me out with this. Thanks

So does the increased length of the rod increase the casting distance or does the action of the rod increase the casting distance? Wouldn't a 7' Med action rod cast a lure futher than a 7' 6" Heavy action. I would think that the loading and unloading of the rod action increases casting distance not the length.

"Quality matters more than price. You may look at a $3 bait and think it is a great deal. I look at a $15 bait and know it is a good deal." So you think that the more price you pay for a lure the better quality a lure is? I've got a $50.00 piece of wood I'll sell you if your interested.

That's exactly what I do...since I have "old timers" disease.

You need to invest in a lure retriever. Might save you a few bucks (unless your fishing from the bank). I use a telescoping pole that extends out to 18'. It's already paid for itself in the lures I have shaken free.

I use the BPS Double sided crankbait organizers for shallow, deep, and topwater, and jerk baits. I can get up to 60+ shallow water cranks in both sides. Just fold the trebles under the body and lay the bait in the box. I use a falcon box for lipless cranks.

If you like the Devil Horse then give Bagley's Twin Spin Bang-O-Lure a try. I like the props on this lure better...they seem to drive the fish crazy down here.

Alright...I'll bite...what is Reaction Innovations best creation :-?

I've got a BPS David Fritts 5.2:1 that I use for crankin. I've had it since Christmas and I have caught over 150 bass so far. Love this reel!! Every now and then they go on sale for 69.99 and when it does I will pick up a 6.3:1. "This reel cast a honkin mile!"

I will take a small box of the same lures (but assorted sizes) and fish a small lake near my home, not so much to catch fish but to see and feel what the lure is doing. I have been going to this pond for about 25 years and I have even seen the lake drained so I know the lay of the land under the water. It's a good training base to learn how a certain lure will perform. I don't expect to catch many fish because I'm changing baits about every 15-20 minutes. One time I'll use nothing but cranks and the next I'll throw 6" worms, the next time will be topwater prop baits. Last year when Dean Rojas won the Bass tournament at Oneida Lake I went out and bought a few frogs and played with them a few times. I always fish this way by myself because if I'm fishing with someone I have the strong urge to swap baits when they start catching fish and I'm not.

but what, when the glue dries, if the rattle is a bit off center from the centerline of the bait or too far forward or too far back. This would make the bait run off track, wouldn't it? I have wanted to silence some of my crankbaits but was afraid of getting them off balance. Just a thought...

I got an old Lew's Speed Stick handle that I have been saving for a reason. I'm going to mount it to a block of wood and make me a line spooling station. I think I can make one cheaper than $30.00 which is how much they want for the Berkley one.

Thanks y'all...I going to check some of these lures out and see what I can come up with. I was thinking about taking some of my rattling baits and drilling a hole to squirt in some glue to quiet the rattles. But what if, once the glue dries, the lure is off balance from the rattles glued in an unbalanced condition. I guess I can try to pick up some old crankbaits from a yard sale or flea market and experiment a little.

One of the public lakes I fish gets a lot of bank fishing pressure. Yesterday I talked to three different individuals using crankbaits and all were using shallow running, rattling cranks (2 were using Bandits 100 and one was using a Bomber Square A). Non of them were having any luck which got me to thinking...if everybody is throwing rattling cranks, then I should be throwing cranks with no rattles. Something that the bass maybe hasn't seen. So I'm asking...what are some of the non-rattling shallow running cranks that y'all would recommend. Preferably in the 0-3 ft range.

I finally decided to try some braid on my LP baitcaster. I picked up a spool of Berkley Tracer 40lb line. This line has 2.5 ft of high viz yellow and 2.5 ft of black alternating throughout the 110 yd spool. After using it for 2 1/2 weeks I really look forward to fishing with it. I've been throwing nothing but plastics and I do like the high viz yellow for keeping track of the whereabouts of my line. When I tie on my hooks I make sure to tie to the black section. I have noticed a bit of fading of the black but I figure I can take a sharpie and dress it up. I recommend this line for anybody who would like to try a visible braid.

So far from the three ponds that I visit on a weekly basis, my biggest producer has been a BPS XPS Lazer Eye Nitro Extreme Shallow crankbait. Looking back at my records I have caught a total of 69 LMB since Februaury. The best color has been the Bleeding Tenn. Shad with the XXX Shad. Sometimes they liked it cranked fast and sometimes slow. Next would be the Bomber Square A in the Tenn Shad color. The Tenn Shad color seems to produce the best in my parts.