Stringjam

Awesome work, Marty! For those that don't know....Big M subs are killin' machines. 8-) Is that flat sided bait on the bottom a new design? BTW - - BEAUTIFUL paint jobs!

Those look great, Natural! Very nice choice of colors on the paint. Now get that wooden crank assembled!

A few I rely on: Shallow: Big M "M-Flat" I could give a list a mile long of good baits here, but the M-Flat is as good of an all-around shallow flatside as can be had (IMO). Also.... Bagley KB1 and G-Force BFlat II Lucky Craft RC 1.5 Medium: Storm Wiggle Wart Poe's 300 (or Competition Cedars 4300) and RC3 Rapala DT6 or 10 Rapala Shad Raps (4-8...they all work) and my confidence bait, a Big M custom Tapp-style crank Deep: Poe's Competition Cedars 4400 and 4500, or regular Poe's 400 Big M customs (seeing a pattern here.. ) Marty made me this sub to hit 20'....it actually does better than that, and with a killer action. BTW.....Marty (Big M) is a forum member here - check out his posts in the TackleMaking section if you want to see more info.

You're gonna love making your own jigs, Natural.......you'll wonder why on earth you ever paid so much money to buy single manufactured jigs!

Nice!! Is that top bait a new design? The body looks very Petey-like.

Very nice! Love the paint on all three of them!

IMO - - buy effective crankbaits - throw them in cover - and don't worry about what shape the bill is. There is WAY more to the effectiveness and running characteristics of crankbaits than whether or not the bill is a "square." Some of my best gnarly-stuff crankbaits have round lips, FWIW. Ex....Bagley KB1 Some of my favorite crankbaits in life.....Big M "M-Flat" and signature flatside....both round lips....both murder.

Keep an eye on eBay - - you can usually pick them up for less than $10. There are 3 levels of sound.....sound-lo, sound-hi, and sound-less.

I've been through a lot of different vibes trying to figure that out. I don't have any grass where I fish, however - so I fish vibes in different ways than a lot of people who fish them in grass. I fish baits around a lot of rocks and stuff, so baits that stand on their nose (as you noted with the Spot) have a HUGE advantage in that situation. My favorite vibes are: Cordell Spot Jackall TN/70 Air Viper Risebacker (silent version) BPS Rattlin' Shad One of the main reasons I like the above baits, is because they work AT ANY SPEED. A lot of vibes don't.....like the XCalibur baits and the Rapala, which seem to just drop their action when you slow them down. Both baits also just flop over on their side if you drop them to the bottom (may or may not be important to you). The Spot, I believe, is still the most versatile - all around performer I've used. It does everything well. The Jackall is a super-cool bait.....it has a quicker rate of fall than the Spot, so I don't like it so much for shallow flats fishing - but any time I'm around deeper water, I love this bait. It has this high-frequency wiggle that starts up at even the slowest crawl. Drop the bait to the bottom and it sticks up on it's nose like a champ. Jackall really did a good job with this design! The silent Risebacker is my "finesse" vibe......it falls very slowly, doesn't rattle, and has an action similar (a bit tighter) to the Spot. One of my favorite clear-water vibes. The BPS has a really aggressive kind of action......good all-around bait, but won't nose-stand. If you're looking for a vibe with a completely different kind of action - check out a Shimano Complex Undulator.

I believe the Mutt is a little smaller than the Hickey. Not sure on that one, though.....I haven't picked up any Mutts (yet). The Hickey is a fish-catching machine.

That's a gorgeous color scheme on the top bait, Marty! Killer for clear water! What is that bait, btw? Is that an M-Shad with less lip angle?

Excellent!! I'll bet those kill! I like how fearless you are with the colors - the shiny dark blue M-Flat looks incredibly nice!

Cordell Spot works as well or better than 90% of the lipless baits I've tried - which is over 20 different models. It sounds like you like a lipless bait that works well at slow speeds - - stay way from the XCalibur and Rapala stuff - - you slow them down and they drop their action. You can work the Spot at any speed and it will still do it's thang. I'm not impressed with Lucky Craft vibes - - - if you want an expensive Japanese vibe, try an Ever Green Buzzer Beater, Air Viper Risebacker, or Jackall TN/70. FWIW....the BPS Rattlin' Shads are EXCELLENT baits - especially given the price.

Marty - that Midnight Sex color is KILLIN!!! Love it!!!

I would like to try it just based on the success I've had with other OSP baits (the Blitz, Blitz Max, and HPF Spec 2's). They seem to take their product design very seriously - - good stuff!

20 lb. PowerPro Braid with a short P-Line CXX leader (for abrasion against rocks and crank lips). I don't get the whole "stretchy" line thing for cranks.....especially deep cranks. I want to know exactly what that bait is doing at all times. Even David Fritts uses the lowest stretch mono's he can. 20' diving crankbait + 100' cast + stretchy mono = MUSH.

Awesome(!)

Some new designs from Big-M that I'm going to be testing out this year - - hopefully the water levels will return to normal by fall....15' above normal pool isn't good for crank testing. :shock: These are M-Shads.....the chart. shad paint job was dead on! This next one is crazy - it rolls so widely that it is just on the verge of blowout...I plan on making a YouTube video of this crank next time I'm on the water. This was a custom color I requested and he nailed it.....a red flatsided bait with fine-mesh gold scaling. Finesse flatsided crank - I dig these.... Marty is determined to get me into fat cranks.... The first crank looks a lot like an RC 1.5 - - it's actually a little stockier with a much wider lip.....kind of like a cross between an RC 1.5 and a BDS 2. Action is similar to a BDS2 or a Rapala DT Fat3....love the paint! Lastly - a DD22-style deep crank....always a fan of the Big-M subs!

I don't really see how bass fishing gear is any more expensive now than it used to be. Sure, there is some super-premium stuff available now that wasn't available back when, but I can't tell that prices for typical bass fishing gear have changed much. If you want inexpensive gear - it's very easy to find - .......if you want premium or enthusiast grade stuff, it's there, too. You can find stuff at almost any budget level to do what you need.

Yup, Marty's baits rock - - now post some pictures of em darnit!!

What characteristics of braid have disappointed you? I assure you, there is no "hype" - - I wouldn't have used it almost exclusively for the past 12 years were that the case.....but like all things, it isn't for everybody. I find most of the things that people list as negatives are easily overcome or are a result of improper use or handling. You obviously don't put on 80 lb. braid and try to use your rod and reel to bust it loose......it isn't the braid's fault it's strong, it's the user's fault for not utilizing a little common sense - - you wouldn't pull that kind of stuff with 80 lb. mono either....something's gonna break. Both the abrasion problem and clear water problem are both solved with the use of leaders......you still retain the benefits of braid, and get the stealth and abrasion resistance of mono. As far as being expensive - no way......I've saved hundreds by switching to braid. I have some reels that haven't been respooled for over 2 years.

I love braid!!!! I personally see no advantage to using a stretchy line in any situation - ESPECIALLY crankbaits (what I fish 90% of the time). The line should be a transmitter of exactly what the bait is doing at all times - which is CRITICAL when deep cranking or cranking in heavy cover - it should not a source of mush and stretch.......even if you use mono, you should use the LOWEST STRETCH mono you can find (ask David Fritts - he knows a bit about cranking.. )

PowerPro 20 and smaller is awesome for cranking. If you're fishing around rocks, you can put a short leader on.......you really have to watch line size with little cranks - - too fat, as you know, will kill the action. 8-10 lb. P-Line CXX is some very strong stuff, and probably the most abrasion resistant line I've ever used - - also quite stiff (but that's what you get for the abrasion resistance). I can't imagine any good 10 lb. test breaking in open water as long as the drag is set correctly.

I agree bmadd - - and there are some really killer inexpensive cranks. I don't judge crankbaits by price - - only by effectiveness. I think the Storm Wiggle Wart is one of the best cranks ever made - and it doesn't get much cheaper than that. I'm also a huge fan of the Cordell Super Spot - - what is that..$2.75? And I have high-end Japanese lipless cranks that cost almost $20 each. Bottom line is, the Spot hangs with them, or bests them, and that's why I use it. Same reason why I reach for for one of Big M's baits, or Zoom WEC, BlackJack, Flat-Shad, Richard Manley, D-Baits, or other custom baits.....because they offer something that works, and at times, what they offer can't be touched by anything else. Worth every penny to me.

Buy some customs and you'll see what the fuss is about....there are actions and profiles available that you can't get from the mass mfgs, and only experience using them will prove to you if they're better. (I always have to smile to myself when I hear people who have never even fished with these baits say that they aren't worth it...) I'll be happy to list some of my favorites if you're ever interested.