Stringjam

Get somebody who is experienced driving high perf bass boats to drive it. If they don't have any problems driving it, the answer = more seat time. If takes a good bit of practice to learn how to properly balance a boat that gets up on the pad......DON'T TRY TO "DRIVE" THROUGH IT. If the chining gets bad enough you hook the hull and end up in the drink. You have to learn to balance the boat and not let it get to the point of chine-walking in the first place. Eventually you'll get the feel of what the hull is doing and start making the minor corrections necessary to keep it balanced. I bought my first real high perf bass boat about 10 years ago (a Bullet 21XD) and I knew there would be a learning curve - - I spent about a month doing nothing but driving that thing until it finally "clicked." When it did - it was a breeze.

A triple split ring? Can't say I've seen that before.. :-?

Is it a basically a DT-16 with a weight in the lip, or did they redesign any of the physical dimensions of the bait (lip size, length)? I'm always glad to see Fritts doing well in tournaments......he's gotta be among the best (or THE best) to ever to toss a diving plug. His mad success way back in the mid 90's is what caused me to get hooked on crank.

Like has already mentioned - - Casey will paint that pattern for $17. Lots of other guys who could do it just as well. The guy could have bought 2 Spros and had them both painted in that pattern for much less than he just paid for 1. ;D

Throw a spinnerbait first.......that water isn't that cold. Heck, our water is in the mid 40's around here, and I'm catching big strings fishing crankbaits. Last week my partner was laughing at me when we pulled up to our first spot and I pulled out my mid-divers. He got out his slow moving jig and suspending jerkbait like he had been programmed to do. After I'd put five fish that weighed in at ~20 lbs. into the boat - while he had yet to catch a single fish - he wasn't laughing anymore. I fish Zara Spooks until there's ice forming on the banks. Keep your mind open.

How absurdly stupid are these people? You can buy that bait and send it to Casey and he'll give it that paint job for $17 freakin' bucks. ;D The funny thing is for the most part, it's 2 guys going through all the trouble of multiple-bidding. If you really want something, just put a sniper bid up in the last few seconds - - throwing bids back and forth with someone way before the end of the auction just drives the price up IMO.

I agree with Jackall dude.....get the component boxes and just throw what you need in any kind of bag. I buy these cheap insulated cooler bags from BPS (I think they're like $14 or so)....the 3700's fit perfectly in them.

Yes I do know......they indeed are.

Owner trebles are bada$$

Tom designed the Hot Lips and Speed Trap for LJ, and was also hired by Wordens (owners of the Poes line) to tweak the 300 and 400 into a another small line of baits called the Poe's Competition Cedars. These were supposed to be a more "premium" Poes aimed at tournament fishermen and deep crank experts. Doesn't seem like they really marketed the line much. They've been out for years now but have pretty much sat in obscurity most of that time - - I noticed Tackle Warehouse JUST started stocking them. He also designed another bait for the Comp Cedars lineup, the 4500 LR, that busts 20' quite easily. Really good crank!

Luhr-Jensen cranks are typically thin because the designer (Tom Seward) really trips on wall-thickness on plastic baits. The point is to give plastic baits more of the lively attributes of lightweight balsa construction. Tom knows his stuff. Check out the Poe's Comp Cedars for more of his handiwork.

Great, tight wigglers! I use both the 1/8th and 1/4......they get bit.

Big M custom (check out the TackleMaking section of this forum - - tell him what you want, and he'll make it) JawJacker Model B Some other good hits: Rapala DT FAT3 OSP Blitz or Blitz Max

How's that crankbait coming?

Just looking at the pictures, the weighting looks similar to the Vision 110, but the lip angle and size look completely different. Little things make a huge difference in hardbait design.....a few degrees here, a 1/16" of an inch there, moving the line tie just a teeny amount - make for a bait that behaves in a completely different manner than one it may look similar to. Still no comment on the action? I guess nobody has actually fished it yet.

If you haven't already, ask this over at TackleUnderground.

There's several Japanese custom makers who use the design.....it changes the treble orientation so that the bait doesn't get as much abuse from the hook. I've heard some people comment that it increases hooking percentage - - I haven't really noticed.

Care to share? Can you describe the action?

G-Force B-Flat and the old school B-Flat Killr B2 Killr B1 (shallow round lip) Honey B for finesse cranking

Hey Stringjam, I've been looking for these on ebay for months, haven't seen a single one. :'( Hmmm....they used to come up pretty regularly - - I'll keep an eye out.

flat cb sr

The size, profile, and action of the bait are very important when you start talking shallow cranks. If you want something as close as you can get to a LC 1.5 in both size and action, you should probably check out a Bagley Killr' B II. Slightly tighter action than the LC, but the same kind of action - and with a similar profile and size. About $10.00 retail - - sometimes you can find them much cheaper (BPS was blowing them out for $5.00 awhile back) I know that's not much cheaper than the LC - so you have to decide on exactly what it's worth to you. I would rather have ONE great crankbait than a whole box full of "decent" crankbaits. A lot of big fat baits like the B2, Fatboy, and to some extent the Rapala Fat 3 have a wider, more exaggerated wobble. That's not to say they aren't good baits - when fish are on that type of vibe......but if you start using them and aren't getting bit, the culprit can be that big wide action. Wider does not = better. Certain conditions - yes - wide produces. Other times, they won't touch it. I generally have more consistent success on tighter wigglers in the conditions I fish. I consider the RC 1.5 pretty moderate....not what I consider wide, and I think that's one reason it is so successful in so many different conditions.

Looks like some murderous cranks headed my way....

That 2" deep diver is killin'! I might as well just give you direct access to my account.....

Forget snap swivels. Snaps by themselves are great for crankbaits, jerkbaits, and walking topwaters. I use them in place of a split ring. Tying directly to the line-tie on a wiggling / wobbling hard bait will inhibit the action. Either tie directly to a split ring or use a snap. Some guys tie a loop knot (Rapala Knot). I've tried it, and I don't care for it......just my experience. I prefer small, lightweight snaps like the Berkley #1 CrossLock. You won't pull a CrossLock apart. Smaller Duo-Lock snaps easily pull apart. There ya go.....my opinion.