Stringjam

Fish them any possible way you can think of - - they'll work. Eakins-style jigs (I pour my own) are about the only jig I even throw anymore. They're extremely versatile.

beautiful pattern, Marty!

After all these years, nobody really has quantifiable evidence answer to that question - - perhaps that is (in some degree) an answer in itself. In my personal experience, a lure's ACTION, SIZE, and PROFILE are the biggest triggering attributes. The color itself also plays a role, and increasingly so (it seems) in highly pressured / clear water. Emphasis on the basic color - - not the detailing. If you don't believe it plays some roll, then spend time fishing bass schools (deep cranking structure, etc...) when oftentimes you can trigger more fish by switching to a different color of the same bait. It can make a difference. As far as minute detailing goes, I don't have a dogmatic answer, but with bass being the predominately sight-feeding creatures they are, I wouldn't put it past them to get picky in certain situations (suspending jerkbaits in super-clear water comes to mind). That's the kind of stuff I fish in the winter, and I don't know how many times I've looked down in the water at my Pointer and watched a bass just sitting behind it, staring at it. If fish are going to pull that junk on me I'm more confident with something that looks realistic. But, as usual, I'm sure a lot of fish this year are going to disprove a lot of the stuff I believe......I have ample examples of both to stick in front of their noses and they've yet to make it clear which one they really prefer, so I don't think I'll really trip on it too much.

Actually it is www.bait-ink.com Some nice looking stuff there......I really like his take on crawfish patterns - very unique.

Micro has me hankerin' (did I really just say that?) for one of those Hardcores - sounds right up my alley. Scrap the Lucky Craft idea and get a Jackall TN/70. Also, no lipless collection is complete without a Cordell Spot.

Actually I haven't tried these. I've seen the website before......I think I was just turned off because they spend half their time talking about a yellow dot on their baits instead of giving useful information (like what kind of action they have). They may be good baits, though.....who knows. Maybe I'll give a couple of their models a try some day. When I start spending over $20, I'm usually looking for actions, profiles, and performance attributes that I can't find in other baits.

If you're going to be throwing it in any kind of cover, just chock up the $14.95 and get a Flat-Shad Sonny B. It'll kick the arse of half the flatsided baits from here to Japan. Also - - drop "Big M" from this board a note.......he makes a killer flatsided bait called an M-Flat - - also an excellent bait in a variety of conditions. Rob Cochran (aka JawJacker Crankbaits) makes a semi-flat bait with a little more aggression that I also dig the heck out of. It's called the "Model CK." Rob's quality and consistency are superb. He also makes a Lil Petey-style crank that is excellent when fish are on tight baits. Note - - there's some more but I'm trying to keep close to your ~$10 mark.......these cranks I just listed are all under $15 - - and I consider them an excellent value for what you're getting. For cold water and sparse cover, the Flat A works very well, but IMO it sucks around brush, and I don't like the Little John around brush, either. It is very good at the same kind of gig as the Flat A, however. I think for $10 you can still pick up a Bagley G-Force B-Flat, and it's well worth the money.

It's kind of a weird phenomenon. On the other hand - - David Fritts blows away everybody on Clarks Hill in the Oct. FLW fishing crankbaits, and nobody even blinks. He beat 2nd place by 10 lbs.!! David is a cranking master of the highest order, but the only thing people care about is what magical color KVD used to win a couple of tournaments with. ;D Oh - what color was David using? Bone/Brown back. Exciting isn't it!!!! He doesn't win tournaments with colors, though........he used something that's a lot harder to get, and isn't available in a kit from BPS. It's called "Mad Skills," and it comes with every 10,000 or so casts you make with a crankbait. ;D

I'm anxious to try one. I've gotten my DT-16's to 18 feet.....16' is a breeze - - it shouldn't be that hard for them to squeeze a few more feet out of that design.

The baits are for sale every day. You can mail this guy your Spro and he'll paint it that exact same color for less than $20. Check his website, and all the other custom painters.....it isn't that expensive to get a custom paint job.....and that job isn't that advanced in the first place. I always have to laugh at the suckers who fall for this stuff.......I can think of a dozen painters who could pull that off just as well. Oh well.....impatience has a price.

GSI? Got any pics or links? You guys have about a thousand bait makers up there. ;D

Great to hear they're taking care of you - good on em'. No it isn't - how about a little credit where it's due.... I keep seeing this from Bill Lewis and others. See the bait on the left? It's Cotton Cordell's Hot Spot and it came out over 10 years BEFORE the Rat-L-Trap. Notice any similarity? :

Care to elaborate?

The D-Baits are a good design - they catch fish for sure. I've gotten some baits from him though that were really soft, though. Some others you may consider: Big M: M-Flat Flat-Shad: Sonny B (one of the best flatsided cover baits in life) or Classic PT (great cold water bait) JawJacker: Petey-style bait. Zoom WEC: Hicky and Mutt Bagley: G-Force B-Flat or the old school B-Flat (eBay) O.S.P.: HPF Spec 2 (okay, it's not balsa, but it doesn't mind)

The Cordell Spot predates the 'Trap. And Hannah Montana sells millions more albums than Stevie Ray Vaughn. Still doesn't make me want to listen to her. I do agree with you on their fish catching ability....the design works well and has for years...I just believe there are better options.

Keep your eye out and you can find some good deals on them. These baits are also designed to nose-stand like the Jackall. The action is more subtle and good for high speed.

There's usually a good selection of them on eBay from various Japanese retailers.......I don't believe Shimano markets them to the U.S. Price is usually from $7-$10.

"Best" lipless depends on where and how you will fish them. If you fish them down drops and around rocky areas, you're going to want baits that can be worked very slowly, and also drop nose first (and preferably rest on their nose on the bottom). Some good options here are the Jackall TN/70, Cordell Spot, and Aruku Shads from Spro. Baits that don't work good for doing this kind of fishing are the XCalibur baits, Rapala, etc........they drop their action when you slow them down (an attribute I don't like all-around), and when they hit the bottom they just flop over on their side. I'm not impressed with the Lucky Crafts I've tried (save the LV-O, which technically is a lipped bait), and I don't know anybody into lipless baits that likes the MegaBass VibX's. I usually reserve judgment until actually getting time in with a bait, but until I actually hear an experienced reviewer say something good about the MB, I'm gonna pass. You'll be hard-pressed to find better all-around designs than the Jackall or the Cordell Spot. They'll cover almost anything. The Jackall also can be worked at incredibly slow speeds - - I mean CRAWLING. I actually tested over 20 different vibes in a tank to observe their behavior and how much speed it took to actuate the lure. The Jackall is so bada$$ here.......it sits on its nose with the tail up in the air on the bottom, and with the slightest tug it springs to life with a tight, lively wiggle.....they nailed my idea of a perfect rock vibe. Air Viper makes (made) a killer bait called a Risebacker. 3 different sound levels available, but my fav is the silent bait. It has a very slow drop rate and is my favorite for finesse cranking and shallow water. You'll see these pop up on eBay with regularity. It's a shame Air Viper went down - - their baits are outstanding in every way....they absolutely own most of the other Japanese vibes I've thrown. Also have to give a shout-out to the Shimano Scorpion A.......it's a great burner/ripper with a really tight action.

Some bait makers make their baits more for the love the craft than selling high volume. They don't bother me at all - - more power to them. I don't have to buy their stuff, but I'm glad they make it anyway. It's not like they're barraging us with an incessant stream of hype and paying obnoxious tournament fishermen to make videos of huge private lake bass being caught on them in a Billy Mays Oxi-Clean-style ad.

Extends to 18' - - I never leave home without it.

I prefer using a telescoping pole to all other methods.

No - you don't always have to hit stuff, and sometimes hitting stuff too hard can really turn fish off. I love fishing flatsided cranks along rock banks in the spring......I'll give the baits some irregularity in the action, especially if I'm over a piece of cover or structure, but they don't have to hit anything to get inhaled. Sometimes the reverse is true - - just have to experiment on any given day to find out. I find my most consistent method of triggering strikes involves "ticking" cover and structure, not plowing it. I don't like to overpower the depth so much that the bait loses its action. As in anything - the are exceptions and times when I'll rip and burn a bait as hard as I can to get fish triggered.

That's the best description of the SureSet I've heard, yet! ;D

Owners are righteous.

Uh oh, Muddy.....I know where that leads.... ;D As far as some classic baits from Bagley you can't go wrong with - - keep an eye on eBay for the old KB1's with the small round lip. Also - both the old version and the new B-Flat are great baits (the new one is called a "G-Force" B Flat and has a circuit bill). The old one has a Lexan, square lip and is a little more of a kicker. I've used both with lots of success. Sometimes you can get a killer deal on the old Bagley stuff, too... Flat-Shad (I really recommend the Sonny B...the Classic PT is also a great bait for cold water) Big M (M-Flat) JawJacker (check out the Model B if you like Killr' B-style plugs) Zoom WEC (Hicky, Mutt) There's many more, but these are some very good ones.