Cranks4fun

I posted these pictures on a small collectors site and the guys were gracious and tried to help but I could not verify their guess anywhere online. One guy said "Roger's Slim Jim" but I cannot find ANY Slim Jim bait (and there are several) that look remotely like this and I have checked Google and Ebay. One looks very much like a Norman Razor bait, and it might be but it looks like it has rounder edges than the razor. Any guesses are helpful so I can verify date and value if any.

Thanks, KStooks and Avalonjohn44, for the info. I will look into those to get some history and reviews.

Just saw this and thought I would share my experience. I still use that Rapala knot but only on Rapala floaters and ultralight cranks. It has served me well for many years. I have started putting Eagle Claw OVAL 36 lb. split rings on most my other cranks. The reason is that I want to avoid tying in the split gap of the oval ring and on round rings it takes much more effort to avoid. In addition, as you use the bait with the round split ring, the knot can move into the gap increasing the chances of losing the bait. I use duolock clip too on occasion. I have used these in conjunction with split rings and I have noticed no issues. Some of my cranks (Timber Tigers, Speed traps, etc.) come with duo-locks and I usually leave them that way. I have never, repeat never, had on fail. If I were fishing for trophy stripers or spoonbills I might reconsider.

I love that Sisson bait with the weed guards! Haha! It is gadgety-looking but it would probably work well along some shallow weed mats where we fish. Thanks, guys, for looking into this. I hope I can discover the make of those baits. I will fish with one tomorrow to see if it produces anything. I suspect it will work better in a month with cooler water though. Please share any future similar discoveries. What a strange addiction these things are. Oddly, The single most productive crankbait that I have ever fished is the cheapo Walmart Bait Bonanza CC big O ($2.97). I have lots of good productive crankbaits but that one in my favorite color has accounted for probably 100 SM bass in 2 years. It seems to work well in clear streams and rivers only. I can hardly buy a bite on it in Grand Lake, OK or Table Rock Lake, MO. I doctor them up with good hardware and they really get hit in clear moving water! I am wanting another crankbait that will do that for me in the stained and clear water lakes. It is probably a pipe dream, but it is fun searching for one and experimenting.

Munkin, I googled Sisson baits and I cannot find any with a circuit board lip. Where did you see those? Me neither. I think I still have one or two old ones. I have a top water double prop lure of his too. It is like a long torpedo with a prop in the front and in the back, like a short devil's horse lure.

Yeah! Those are the ones I am familiar with too.

Crypt, You guys could be right. Have you seen any Lee Sissons baits with those glass, glue-on eyes? I would love to compare some pictures with what I have. I have never seen any Sissons baits like that, though. Then again, I have never seen cheap baits with circuit board lips. Storm Arashis are the cheapest I've seen with circuit board lips at about $8 retail.

Scaleface, I am familiar with Lee Sissons. He worked with Jim Bagley when they were in Florida and then did several of his own lines in various woods later. Very creative guy. I'm glad you jumped on here. I saw sometime back that you were a Rogers crankbait fan. This place I visit gets them in regularly. There are several Deep Big Jims? or Deep Jims? there now. I bought all of their shallow Big Jims after reading about your luck with them. Which size and color did well for you?

WRB/ Tom, Yeah they could be some other wood type. Thanks for trying, Tom. I even Googled images of balsa baits, flat custom baits, etc. I just don't see these online.... yet. I live in the 4-corners area of SW Missouri, near Arkansa, Oklahoma, and Kansas. This is historically a hot place for custom lure-makers, some small; some some fairly well-known. No telling if some small-scale guy made 500 pieces and went out of business with little record of his production. BaitFinesse, Maybe the lure maker will see them on here. Haha! BaitFinesse, I am thinking they are customs too, but I would sure like to know more about them if possible. I just changed to hooks out and added an oval split ring on front and tested them in the tub. The action is good (Rapala-esque- Haha!).

Croakhunter, Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I know my Bagley's fairly well and I am sure they are not Bagley's, unless it is some kind of a rare "custom" Bagley's unlike anything I have ever seen. I have lots of Bagley cranks -old and new. Strike King and Mister twister outsourced same balsa and exotic wood baits for Walmart and K-mart in the '80's. I have some. They are real inconsistently made but some will catch fish. Circuit board lips were very rare back then and usually only oh $$$ customs.

I am about 99% sure they are balsa. no rattles, light weight, and the setting of the lip - usually balsa baits with circuit board lips have an externally visible "set line" that has minor minuscule flaws (Think Rapala balsa baits). Plastic baits with lips molded in the bait have no set line (Bomber a series, Bandits, Normans, etc.). Circuit board lips on injection mold baits have to be inserted after the bodies are molded and sonic-heat sealed (like Storm Arashi and Spro Little Johns). My long-term experience tells me these are balsa. The barely-visible color behind the lip looks tan like balsa, not clear or white like plastic. On these there is also a thick paint or outer pre-fab shrink wrap coating (think Rapala shad rap and DT series and newer Bagley's). Plastics are not generally coated thick like that. Think of the difference between a Rapala Huskey jerk (plastic) and a Rapala Floating minnow (balsa) both in their old natural shad color. The hook hanger on the back is a screw in hanger like the non-brass Bagley's. Years ago, Bomber had screw-in hangers on their A-series plastics, but that has been decades ago. Yeah, I'm sure they're balsa. I will throw in another top-side picture

I just picked up two lightly-used crankbaits at a flea market that I visit weekly. I buy cheap lightly used Bandits, Bombers, Rogers, Normans, Strike King, Storms, and Rapalas, etc. there. There were a bunch of new lures there including these two flat balsa cranks with circuit board lips and life-like, glued on eyes (not painted eyes). They look like a custom bait but there is no name on them. I know nearly all of the standard brands well, but I do not typically buy customs, if these are customs. I know there are lots of tackle connoisseurs, bait-monkey addicts, semi-pros and pros out there on BR. I figure if anyone can identify these guys, it will be somebody on here. Check out the pictures and give me your opinion on these if you would. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

Bruce424, Yeah, I know what you are talking about. I've tied those while saltwater fishing. I grew up on the lower Chesapeake Bay and we used those snelled looped leaders on saltwater bottom rigs. We bought two-hook, pre-manufactured bottom rigs and then usually bought the snelled hooks (hooks on factory-pre-tied leaders) and looped them onto the bottom rigs. A big *** oz. weight was then snapped onto the bottom clip. I think most inshore saltwater fishermen are familiar this rig. You could save money by tying your own in the way you described above. Some crappie and perch fishermen use similar 2-hook bottom rigs too. They were the original "drop shot" rigs but they had two hooks. They have been around for decades.

I have used the double uni and others and they work well but they always seemed time-consuming to tie in the boat. I just went back a looked at the video on the 6-turn "surgeon's knot" that Turkey sandwich mentioned. I have heard of that many times but never tried that one. It looks very easy. I am going try that. The reason for all this renewed interest in these braid-flouro-leader set ups is that we have started doing mini tournaments and we often use huge (10-20 acre) weedy ponds with big open areas along the weed edges. My buddy schooled us last week (first time in 4 trips- Ha!), but he's talkin' trash now so I need a BIG home run win next outing. He Never fishes the drop shot and teases me about it being a sissy, trendy, nerd style of fishing. So, I need a "power drop shot" set-up to clean up along the thick weed edges. I wanna make him cry! I really appreciate all of the tips and feedback. I can smell victory already! Haha!

I can tie the knot I just described in the dark. I cannot do that with the alberto knot or the uni knot. Even the video instructors warn that you have practice those knots for a while. The knot I tied above is much, much easier to ME, but I know everyone is a little different. Maybe you have the knots down after years of practice, but not me. I used to never use leaders with braid but rather I'd go straight fluoro with one knot (line to lure) and still do quite often. In fact, I actually usually go straight braid when using braid (no leader) because of the headache of connecting the leaders out on a boat. Regardless, if this works well, it will be easier for me anyway. Thanks for your sharing your insight

A-Jay, Yeah it sounds too good and too simple to be true. I will test it some more and modify it if there are unforeseen issues. If it does work like it seems to so far though, this will be a HUGE time saver. If not, back to the blood knot, the uni knot, and the it-is-easier-to-turn-back-flips-while-drinking-coffee-than-to-tie-these-on-a-boat knots! Haha!Thanks for the insight!

First, let me say that I am praying for those facing Hurricane Irma in the south Atlantic. Now to the knot: I have been thinking about trying this knot for a while. I actually learned a similar application while perch fishing on the great lakes with a friend years ago. I just tried it and it seems to work great! I have been experimenting with casting it through spinning gear in the back yard and pulling the knot very hard with both hands and it casts and holds up very well. I will include a picture or two below. You simply take your fluoro leader and double the end over like you are tying a palomar knot. Instead, tie a simple overhand loop knot, making the loop very small (anywhere from 1/2' to 1/8"). Then tie your braid to the loop with a palomar knot and cut the tags off very short. After all of the uni knots, FG knots, Alberto knots, etc. that we have learned on Youtube, it seems that this one works just as well. I have not done comparison tests with competing knots lifting weights yet, but it seems strong pulling it by hand. I am going to keep experimenting, but just like discovering the simplicity of the palomar knot, I feel like this thing is going to work, even if it holds to just 85% of the fluoro strength (10 lb. test) it will be fine for my applications. The knot casts through the smallest eyelet of my 7 ft. Berkley Lightining Shock rod with very little observable resistance, just a slight tick sound occasionally if you listen very hard. There are at least two advantages to a knot like this: 1) When having to retie a new leader onto your braid while out on the boat in the wind, rain, burning sun, etc., and 2) to pre-tie a series of leaders (for back-ups or to vary leader thickness or length) and have them ready to simply tie on with a palomar. Maybe this is not new to you guys but I have never read about anyone doing this. There may be some downsides on the water that I haven't yet considered but I am ready to try it fishing this Saturday. Let me know if you have tried this.

We developed a reliable method for standing up in my 12 ft./ 36" wide jon boat. I am not encouraging anyone else to do this but we have never had a fail (flip over or fall in) in many years of doing this. If two people are in the boat, only one stands at a time and only when motor is off and there are no waves or wakes (over 3-4 inches). I have actually done this while trolling but I do not advise others to do it. When you stand, spread your feet 18-24 inches apart, toward each side of the boat (port & starboard) and have one calf of one leg touching the bench seat at all times. Have your hips facing the front of the boat ready to collapse into a seated position if you get destabilized. If there is only one person in the boat you can do this too. With a trolling motor and battery and the kind of tackle bags we haul, there is still a low center of gravity in the boat, but keep that calf touching the bench! Be careful and have fun!

I still fish out of a 12 ft. jon boat (Alumacraft) frequently. I use it in ponds, small rivers, and even in large lakes. I have used it in Table Rock (MO), Grand Lake (OK), and in Beaver Lake (AR). When alone I have little fear unless the winds are excessive because the front of the boat will bounce over fairly good sized wakes. When I have two in the boat, I tend to be more cautious. I have never had water come over the side though. Years ago in VA I used to take my little 10 ft. Jon boat out in the mouth of the James River which was 4 1/2 miles wide and was open to shipping, real shipping (150 plus ft. long tankers etc.). That really was not very wise though - I just couldn't stay away from those stripers and croakers! You just have to be careful and watch the weather on big water and stay relatively close to shore (within 100 yards or so). If you have to hop big wakes try quartering over them (angling into them instead of straight on). It is always wise to to err on the side of safety but typical bass lakes/ reservoirs should not be a problem unless winds are really strong or you are really loaded down with weight.

Bluebasser86, I completely understand liking certain baits better than others. I slay fish when I go wacky rigging with senkos but it is my least favorite way to fish. Why? Not sure... It is slow and not as exciting as feeling the jolt I feel on a crankbait or spinnerbait. Everyone has their preferences. BTW, I still throw those wacky rigs if my buddies start pulling ahead of me in numbers! Haha! I also like to win! I cannot hardly believe those zebra mussel pictures. That is horrible! When I lived in N. Indiana, I used to fish Lake Michigan every spring for brown trout, yellow perch, Steelhead, and Cohos. We had zebra mussels too, but someone had accidently introduced round gobies and they, it has been discovered, eat zebra mussels (up to 100 a day). What is even more interesting is that smallmouth bass love gobies! While non-indigenous species are usually harmful, gobies have turned out to be helpful (following the zebra mussel invasion). There are lots of interesting new reoprts and studies out on this. I wonder if round gobies could help your lakes?!

WRB, If you read down the responses, Mcfishing620 says that he fishes out of a Sun Dolphin 120 boat. Look at his first response to his post. Deep diving crankbaits are not effective in weeds. Most medium divers are not unless you have 4-6 ft. of weedless water above them. Regardless, he can try whatever. I was just sharing my thoughts from my experiences. I wish I knew how to fish deep divers through weeds. If you have some tips, please share them.

Big cold fronts followed by strong high pressure are one of the most difficult challenges to bass fisherman, as we all probably know. I am no expert on cold-front fishing, but based on lots of reading, fishing slower and REAL CLOSE to heavy cover. In high pressure situations in winter and early spring, you just about have to drag the bait across their lips sometimes. I fished with a guy in VA who used to use weightless ribbontail Zoom worms (pumpkin/chartreuse). He would cast to cover and let it sink and just sit for about 30-45 seconds (painfully LONG!). Then he would twitch it or drag it about 3 inches every 5 seconds or so. He caught bass that way but he deep hooked a lot (even killed some). I use drop shot after a cold front and lots of guys use shaky head worms moved very slowly. Good luck!

To respond to the original post, weed coverage, depth, and water clarity have a lot to do with crankbait choices. Since you are fishing from a boat, you will not lose as many cranks. Hopefully, you will lose none. In water less that 6 ft., Square bills, Baby 1 Minus, wake baits, etc. If the weeds are choking the water you may not be able to use the squarebills. If you are fishing water up to 10 ft and weeds are not an issue in the deeper water, the options are almost limitless. If the water is muddy or green, use noisy baits or wide wobblers like the Norman Fat Boy or the BL Echo. The number and age class of the bass will be a factor too. If the pond is overrun with bass 14 inches and under due to poor stocking, they will often hit anything that moves. If you have Big bass in the pond, fish as close to cover as you can. They like the weed matts and wood, even deep wood in midday. In ponds, sunfish and crawdads are often more important forage than shad or shiners, which may be absent altogether. Match the hatch, or fish baits that look like the forage you think they are eating normally. Good luck! Let us know what you discover as you fish the pond. We might need your tips!

Bluebasser86, I was wondering why you were unloading your hardbaits too. I probably need to unload some because I have hundreds. I do have an addiction but I catch so many bass on cranks that it seems crazy sometimes. I am converting my buddies to crankbait fishing because I keep hauling them in with 'em. I saw the orange craw Bandit 200 on your picture. I just schooled two guys on Stockton with that. They were throwing ned rigs and jigs and fluke Jrs. and I out fished them with the Bandit off of rocky bluffs (maybe I shouldn't be telling that- ). They guy using the Ned rig did catch a few early, but as evening set in I passed them. He also caught two on the Whopper Plopper. Anyway, don't unload all your crankbaits just yet. You may end up having to buy more next spring. By the way, what do zebra mussels have to do with not fishing cranks? Are they cutting your line or are you snagging up?

All of the baits mentioned above have their loyal users because they generally work: grubs, spinners, Rebel Wee Craws, tubes, jigs, etc. The last two years I have caught my biggest stream smallies on crankbaits, craw colored or brownish crankbaits. I had some great days on those SK Bitsy Bug jigs last year too! 4 inch Senkos have worked great in the past for me too. Someone mentioned that the fish in the larger deeper pools don't bite often. They will bite in those pools if you hit them early in the morning and late in the evening. I had about a 20-fish evening trip recently and most of my fish came from those large pools in the last 1 1/2 hours before dark. about three weeks back, I caught a 17 incher (big around here) on an H2O Xpress CRUL crankbait in bluegill. He was in faster water behind a boulder with current flowing over it. When you catch one in or near that current, they feel like they are three times bigger than they really are! I included a picture of the 17 incher below but my phone camera lens was dirty or something. Sorry!