Stringjam

I didn't think that looked quite like a M-Flat.......can't wait to try that thing out!

Indeed! Fantastic job on the Horton - exactly what I wanted. Hmmm.....line tie @ the nose on the M-Flat - - what difference have you noticed in the action?

I agree.......most of my best cranks all have very simple paint schemes.

If Bill Norman lures ever went out of business, I think I would look for the nearest bomb shelter.

What kind of water are you fishing, and what kind of cranks are you throwing?

Rapala Shallow Fat Rap Lucky Craft Flat CB SR Bobby Garland Hyper-Tale Hula Zoom WEC Wobbler & Z-Flat Coffin Berkley Frenzy "Flicker Shad"

Killer. What's up with the little flatside right under the M-Flat?

That's it.....I'm gonna have to order one of these new lil' wobblers! Those all look killer, M.

Great stuff, Marty - - - I would take the M-Flat on the bottom over a Megabass anything.

Marty - - I haven't seen that little round bait before.....looks killer!! Tight wobble? The finishes are murder.......I especially like your take on the Horton scheme.

I agree with the above post.....firetiger will work in any water condition - murky OR CLEAR.

I use the HPF Spec 2, Blitz, and Blitz Max. All three are great baits. The Blitz Max has an action unlike any other fat crank I've ever used.....it has very wide wiggle and snaps very hard back and forth. Very aggressive. The HPF Spec 2 is a silent flatsided crank.......excellent bait that I've caught a lot of fish on. Normally I'm way into balsa custom lures when it comes to this type of design, but O.S.P. really did a good job on it.

Why? Isn't discussion the whole point of internet forums? There's plenty of other posts to click on if one doesn't like the subject matter...

I think a lot of what this boils down to is that a lot of folks are crankbait "specialists," and are very, very picky about their selections. I'm one of those people......I have custom cranks from some of the best builders in the U.S. and Japan. I also fish crankbaits 90% of the time........I know how almost every single bait I have performs, feels, moves, and reacts to deflection. I'm PICKY about my cranks - - and I have a heck of a lot of fun throwing those things. I've also murdered fish all day while my partners wondered why on earth fish wouldn't hit their cranks as well. Well - one reason is because crankbaits take a lot of experience and feel to become very proficient at.....to the point that you don't just catch active fish on them, but inactive fish as well. I don't expect people who only pick up a crank when their Senko isn't working to get excited about Lucky Craft anything. The other thing? I would rather have ONE crankbait that performs the way I want than a box full of ones that don't. Price doesn't always determine that part!!!! But in some designs - it does. I dig Storm Wiggle Warts and Rapalas as much as anybody, and they're relatively inexpensive - but neither company offers anything close to my most productive bait style (flatsided shallow and mid-depth cranks). Neither does Lucky Craft (anymore....RIP Flat CB SR). I consider any supurb crank under $20 a bargain.......but that's just me - - I'm not rich by any means, but I can't see where spending that much money every now and then for a crank that will last me for years is any big deal. I spend more than that in gas just driving to the lake.

Excellent post.. ;D This is always how people will think......"If I spend $8 for a Rapala, that's fine.....if you spend $15 for a Lucky Craft, you're dumb." I'm still fishing the same Pointer 100 I bought 3 years ago.......would somebody explain to me how that is "expensive?" ;D Most guys spend that much on beer every weekend....and that $15 just ends up in the toilet........oops - I guess that doesn't count, eh?

rooski - - did you get my pm's?

I think a lot of the problem people have with buying premium or expensive lures is that they don't buy lures designed to fish their conditions. If you're catching fish on a #5 Shad Rap - don't buy a Lucky Craft BDS 3 to throw in the same water, and then post how disappointed you are that it didn't work. Just because it's expensive and pretty doesn't mean you can just buy "whatever" and throw it "wherever" and expect it to work. That said - - LC has some baits that are designed extremely well and do their thang on the bass. That's worth every penny.......and if you are a big soft plastics user and claim that any hardbait isn't worth the money - you might try adding up your soft plastic "expense account" at the end of the year for some real perspective.

Brent - - you actually do this for a living, so I'll bow out to what wisdom you have to offer on the subject. My statement about the salt just reflects what I've found as a generality. example.....Bobby Garland's original hula grubs and Hyper-Tale Hulas. The best way I can describe them is "breathing." Bobby was adamant against the use of salt and refused to use them in his plastics, claiming that they stiffened the bait and robbed the action. Compared to Yamamotos, the Garlands still have (or had - no longer being in production) the edge in that category.....not to mention how much longer they last. another example......Gambler's Hibdon Flippin' Tube. Compare this lure to something like a Strike King Flippin' Tube which is chock full of salt. There is undeniably no comparison in the action - they aren't even in the same league. Will it always make a difference? I'm sure it won't - - but fluid action gives me more confidence in the clear water I fish, and I can personally see absolutely no benefit to impregnating a lure with salt. Just my experience.......IMO, FWIW and so on. Others may feel free to disagree.

I still use plain, straight-tailed plastic worms......a lot. They fit the conditions I fish and many times work much better than curl-tailed worms. (clear water.....cautious fish) FWIW.......I don't like salt in plastic, and if I'm getting hand-pours I always request that they don't impregnate the plastic with anything. It hampers the flexibility of the plastic, and from my experience just makes it easier to tear and doesn't really do anything in the first place (unless you're using the salt to actually create an action, such as a Senko).

Lucky Craft doesn't make a crankbait that acts like a Wobbler. Different baits for different conditions. Zoom cranks excel at subtlety......tight actions that appeal to pressured or inactive fish. The Wobbler kicks a little tighter, rolls a little quicker, and dives a little deeper than 90% of the baits made in that style. It's a shame Ed decided to stop making it. I don't know how many times I've nailed fish on a Hicky or Z-Flat while my partners threw aggressive-action crankbaits and never got a bite. Rob Cochran at Jaw Jacker built me a little round bait that I've been diggin on a lot lately. Not really the same vibe as the Wobbler.....but definitely a serious keeper. There's so many killer cranks out there right now........it's a great time to be a fan!

The Z1 is a Bagley B1 or B2 type of I remember right. The Wobbler is more of a Killer B2s-sized plug (but not at all similar to the Bagley). The Wobblers are a unique bait - you aren't going to have a fun time trying to track down a bait with the exact same action. Those baits are tight and have a very quick roll compared to the typical round bodied crank. Since Zoom quit making them, the price has gone nutty for those things. Expect a bidding war and $40+ if you catch one on eBay. I get most of my Zooms from Peeper's Baits or Simmon's store on EBay.

There are baits made today that are just as good (or better) than the old Bagleys. The difference was the action......nothing mystical - and there are plenty of crank builders that know these designs inside and out. Check out: Flat-Shad Jaw Jacker ZOOM WEC Nomad Lures Marty Burns (Big M) Ralph Manley (e-specialty baits) Brian's Bees Bobby Kelly Lures Mike Estep THIS is the golden age of crankbait making - not 1960.

Bright colors can work great in clear water - I fish them all the time. Table Rock Shad (yellow with a purple back) has won a ton of $$$$ around here, and Table Rock has up to 20' of visibility. Bass don't read books.......and it seems like a lot of outdoor writers just regurgitate widely-accepted generalities for the purpose of article writing, anyway. A lot of those articles are helpful for beginners who need some basic concepts to get them going - - but past that, you just have to figure out what works best on your home waters yourself.

dark

Like someone mentioned earlier - - try wrapping some lead wire around the front hook. Common practice in crankbait circles.