Stringjam

I agree. FWIW....I think a lot of guys here would be surprised at how much fun it is to make some of this stuff. I make my own buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, and jigs. One of my friends and I experimented several years ago with different wire shapes and head size/blade combinations on buzzbaits and came up with a bait that worked(s) extremely well for us. A 1/4 oz. head with a blade designed for 3/8 oz. baits, and forming the wire to put the body WAY lower than typical designs. The bait can be crawled extremely slowly. It's a lot of fun, and I think a lot more people would get into it if they knew how relatively easy it is to get into (and a good way to save a ton of cash if you want). Once we figured out what we liked, we poured a ton of them - - - I'm still on the initial batch I made about 12 years ago... ;D

How much I spent on my top producing crankbait last year: $15 How much I spent on Yamamoto soft plastics that year: $OMG! The moral? Crankbaits - no matter the cost - are cheap! ;D

Cavitron didn't invent buzzbaits......they tweaked a design that's been around for a very long time. The term innovator belongs to guys like Lauri Rapala, Fred Young, Jim Heddon, Bobby Garland, Darris Allison, etc..... JMO....Cavitron modified an existing basic design, but that doesn't make them "innovative" to me, it just makes them good at what they do. They had to copy somebody else's original thought and modify it to get where they're at today.

~$30 for some crankbaits (FD Sparrow, Zoom WEC Wobbler)

Crank(freakin')baits! Whichever one happens to fit the conditions at the time. .......and sometimes a homemade ball-head jig.

Agreed - to each his own. I like to use a snap in place of any lure that uses a split ring (especially walking topwaters, jerks, cranks, etc..) I've experimented enough with that style of bait to determine that a snap (or split ring) actually aids the action and helps free up the bait. So in that regard, either a snap (my pref.) or a split ring is a necessary piece of hardware (for me).

Use a good, high quality snap. It isn't a weak link, and it doesn't hurt the action as long as you use the proper size - and on most designs, it helps the action. Tie some 20 lb mono to a Berkley CrossLock and pull until one breaks.....it won't be the snap. IMO - just because certain hardware comes with a lure doesn't mean it's the best choice. Manufactures generally go with what's cheapest, and a cheap duolock design is NOT what you want. I've pulled apart some duo-locks with 12 lb. test. Also - experiment with the use of snap vs. no snap. On crankbaits, it's a no brainer - the proper snap will aid the action. On topwaters, they might put too much weight on the front or certain baits (like small poppers). FWIW.....I fish crankbaits 90% of the time, and I use a snap 100% of the time, and I've yet to break one.

Pointer 100 If they still made the Flat CB SR, it would be fighting with the Pointer for that spot....

Proper hull design has as much to do with speed and ride than anything....there's plenty of "slow" bassboats that will bust your butt a lot worse than the fast ones. EX...the Bullet 21XD is one of the best rough water bassboats in life....and rippin' fast for a nearly 22' boat.

I know this is common knowledge among writers, but this is something I've found completely untrue.....at least on my home waters. It doesn't take many other (often more important) factors into consideration. The pros themselves have differing opinions on the subject.......Mark Davis once said he likes wide wobbling lures in cold water because you can still get action from them at very slow speeds. Add to that - - cold water tournaments in my neck of the woods are likely to be won on a Shad Rap or a Wiggle Wart.....two lures at complete opposite ends of the action spectrum. Both lures can obviously be productive at the same time.

Yup. 8-)

Good all-around choice. Bomber and Rapala both make some good baits. The Bomber 7A has probably won more tournaments than any other crankbait in life. Throw a Flat A in there for the clear water, and if you have any rocky structure at all, you are required by crankbait law to get some Storm Wiggle Warts in a crawfish pattern. Get to know cranks before you start throwing big money at them....as you figure out what kind of designs and actions work best in your waters, you'll have a better idea of what to look for when/if you decide to get something "high-end." There's some really good, affordable options to get started with. Some of Rapala's designs will hang with anybody. The DT6 is one of the best tight-wiggling mid-divers you can buy at any price, and the Shad Raps are nearly unbeatable as a clear water, diving finesse crank. If you want to go get a taste of "high-end" plastic shallow cranks - - I would recommend O.S.P. over Lucky Craft......Blitz, Blitz Max, and HPF. Or you can go custom/small co. - - one of the balsa crank carvers like Big M (a forum member here), Zoom WEC, Flat-Shad, JawJacker, etc.... The difference is action.....finely tuned baits that offer actions and designs that aren't available from mass mfgs. Just because they're high-end doesn't mean everything they make will catch fish for you - - that's why you need to know what designs work well on your home waters before you invest a bunch.

What kind of water do you fish - - clear? dirty? Do you catch fish deep or shallow in the fall? Rocks? Wood?

I generally find that tight is most consistent for my waters for shad-based stuff. Sometimes I base my choice on how fast I need to fish.....If I'm going to burn a bait, a tight bait is going to perform much better. Crawling - - a wide kicking bait will maintain it's action at the slowest speeds. The Wiggle Wart is a solid producer anytime - - and usually a crawfish imitator - so I would agree with you there.

Really nice, Marty - - I dig the look of your new clear.

Towards the deeper end of that (7-10'), this bait from Big M: For a round bait in the 7-10' range, the Poe's Comp Cedars 4300. I still really dig a good ole' Bomber 7A, too.

Daiwa Peanut, or Cotton Cordell Big-O?

Good bait! Doesn't sit on it's nose like a Spot, but it has a great action at ANY speed.

Tired of looking at cranks? Surely you jest! That purple shad pattern on top is great - - these Ozarks bass loooove their purple.

Black can work just as well in the middle of the day - in clear water or dirty. I've had one in the rotation just about all year and it's been very consistent.

The Cordell Spot is still one of my all-around favorites.....and I have over 20 brands of vibes. The Air Viper Risebackers are also among my favorites......keep an eye on eBay and you'll see them pop up every once and awhile - - generally at very good prices. The "Soundless" model has a very slow fall rate and is a bait I reach for a lot in shallow, clear water. The Rapala is my least favorite.......very little action, and when reeled slowly, has no action at all.

Big M "M-Flat" (check the Tackle Making section for his stuff) JawJacker Model B Flat-Shad Rippit, and the Classic PT is killer in cold, clear water. Zoom WEC Hicky and Mutt Spro Little John Rapala Shallow Fat Rap (you'll have to find these on eBay, they disc. them). O.S.P. Blitz, Blitz Max, and HPF Spec 2 Bagley KB1 (with the small round lip) There's many more, but these are some of my favs, and are all readily available and easy to get.

I've seen him say on TV and have also read that he uses heavy action rods for almost all of his fishing because no matter what combo he picks up it has the same feel and that's important to him. http://www.fishingworld.com/pro-rickclunn/ArtofAngling/ Interesting article......I'd have a heck of a time trying to accurately cast a 1/4 oz. balsa flatside with a 7' heavy rod, though....different strokes.

What kind of cranking was the article referring to? Rick Clunn uses very stiff graphite rods for cranking around cover - - completely different situation than deep cranking. There isn't one catch-all rod for fishing crankbaits, because the method itself involves fishing baits from 1/8 oz. to over 1 oz, and depths from surface to 20'+ deep.

Horton is a paint scheme.....ex. the last two baits