Stringjam

I'll throw the crankbait a lot of times for inactive fish. I don't know how many times I've gone through an area fishing slow, methodical presentations like a jig, caught nothing, and then burned a crankbait the same area and caught multiple fish (and oftentimes kickers). When you burn it through, they just react - - whether they're feeding or not. I've even done this in very cold water (early winter) when the presentation was typically very slow - and also during post-spawn when other stuff just doesn't seem to be working. If that doesn't work, I may just do the opposite - - tie on a slow rise or suspending crankbait and just barely crawl it through the area. You can fish a crankbait just as slowly as a jig. I like jigs, too, though.....so I'll pick both.

Pointer and Flat CB SR Anybody ever notice how when somebody starts a thread asking for info about Lucky Craft, etc.....some people just have to show up with their noses stuck up in the air to let everyone know that they "do just fine without them?" If you can't contribute to a thread in a positive way - - stay out of it.

I fished the heck out of Slug-Go's, Super Flukes, Bass Assassins, etc for several years - - I consistently caught the biggest largemouth on the Slug-Go's.....too much to ignore. I tended to get more numbers on the Flukes.

Or perhaps a wizard.... All I know is I'm definitely glad I ran across him - - most def one of the best crankbait builders out there!

Fantastic - as usual.......REALLLY looking forward to trying out the M-Flat - - got a good feeling about this one!

Zoom Mag II - red shad.

Are they made in the U.S. or Mexico? The ones made in California will be in a fish-shaped package or a very small box....on the back, they'll state that they're made in CA and usually have a year (it will be in the late 80's). These are "worth" the most, but aren't really worth all that much (they tend to go for about $6-$10 on eBay). If they're made in Mexico, they're only worth what someone might be willing to pay, which usually isn't much, as the quality on these baits is awful.

What benefit does being hollow have? I know some guys that pour these and a lot of them actually prefer the solid ones.

I'm going to try one - - since I dig lipless cranks, but I I don't really care for the typical BS marketing strategies some of the companies keep using. I'm sure it's going to catch fish, and it's probably a great little lipless crank, but I don't really see anything groundbreaking here. I'm going to keep an open mind though - - I'm not going to say anything bad about it until I've spent some time fishing it.....but it has some stiff competition from some lipless cranks that have been using some of these ideas for years. My Air Viper Risebackers have low-tone rattles (or none at all), super sharp hooks, beautiful finish work, and most importantly - and action that triggers fish......and I can find them for $7-$10 on eBay anytime. And you want to talk big vibration from a lipless crank....think Shimano Undulator.... Lots of great vibes out there - - they all have certain attributes that make them better for this condition or that......there is no one perfect lipless for every condition......that's good though - - it's just another excuse to buy some more... ;D

Marty Burns (aka Big M) can make just about anything from 1' to 20+'......plus, he's a great guy to deal with. 8-)

In my experience (being the key words here), they do. Different conditions perhaps? We all fish different kinds of waters and conditions. I have some of the XPS Poppers and I don't like them at all - - I even tried shaving the lips and modifying them, and I still can't get them to act anything like my RICO. I have nothing against inexpensive lures - - the Chug Bug is probably my favorite topwater in life!! But when conditions work well for the RICO (clear, calm water, and finicky fish) - I'll reach for it every time. It was $20 well spent for me - I won't say that everyone will find it has the same value for them, so I'm merely offering my opinion based on my personal experience with the lure.

One thing to consider about expensive topwaters - - - when was the last time you lost one? I've fished my favorite RICO now for about 8 years.....$20? Heck - that's a steal!!! How much money do you think the average Senko fisherman goes through in 8 years? Hardbaits are a bargain.

I use braid 100% of the time when cranking - - I do tie on a mono leader most of the time, as the braid doesn't handle rocks or crankbait lips very well (use a good, abrasion resistant mono - like CXX)). Deep cranking especially - you get maximum depth without that "reeling in an anchor with a rubber band" feeling you get from mono. I don't have any problems with hooks ripping out.

You might try downsizing the jig - - cutting the the skirt right at the hook and cut the top off of the skirt "Eakins-style" This will cut the bulk of the jig way down......I catch way more smallies and spots on this style of jig than any others I throw......and for that matter, largemouths like it just as well.

Not in any particular order.... 1. Home-made spinnerbait 2. Home-made jig 3. Zoom Mag-II 4. Storm Chug Bug 5. Poe's RC3 / 300 / 400 / 400P, Rapala Shad Rap, Storm Wiggle Wart, Cordell Super Spot, LC RC 1.5 and Flat CB SR, Big M's signature Flatside, and hand-poured 6" straight-tailed finesse worms.

There are no rules. I fish some super-clear water and one of my best colors is firetiger. But just look at some of the sunfish that bass feed on, they are vibrant with yellows, oranges, purple...etc.. I've given up hope of ever really figuring out any hard rules for color selection on crankbaits - because the fish just keep proving me wrong. One thing though - - if you stick with the "natural colors" in clear water too hard, you may miss out on some killer fishing! Just look at the color "Table Rock Shad." Ever been to Table Rock, where this color was made famous by dominating a bunch of tournaments? 15'+ visibility in many areas.

My best RICO by far is just silver with a chart. belly - - - but I think it's action has the most to do with it....it's just killer!

Natural - it has a moderate wobble....wider than your Zooms, but still leaning towards the "tight" action side of things.

I've tried one - not extensively. Disappointed with the buoyancy - - - I think it would be a better cover bait without the heavy tungsten ball weighing it down. Other than that, I like the action. I can think of a lot of conditions the bait would work very well in.

I like them in almost any shallow condition with decent visibility - - especially for pressured fish! One of the big differences in silent vibes is the sink rate....you can fish the bait more slowly if need be, and drop it by stuff with a more natural fall. Of course, I commonly fish vibes like a worm - - especially on deep rocky banks - - so I think of lipless cranks as something you can fish at almost any depth or speed. I have a Mamiya-OP lipless crank that is just nuts. I took the front hook off and replaced the back with a single.....you can get crazier moves out of that thing than you can with a Pointer. Plus, this particular bait nose-stands, and vibrates at even the slowest crawl. You can do a lot of cool stuff with lipless cranks!

FWIW, I've gotten several Air Vipers for as little as $5 on eBay. I'm guessing Cordell and Bill Lewis just don't think there's a market for silent lipless cranks........now where's my drill bit, I think I'm going to do some surgery on a few Spots.

Sorry....my best guess is, a Cordell Super Spot, a drill bit, and a bit of epoxy. I'll probably try it myself sometime - - - Spots rock! As far as how it effects the action - - I have the risebackers in silent, low sound, and high sound. The more rattles they put in the bait, the faster it sinks, and the less "lively" the bait is.....one reason I really like the silent baits in certain conditions...the slower fall rate and responsive action.

Air Viper Risebacker in the "Sound-Less" model - - - one of my absolute favorite vibes in life: Also, the Shimano Silent Undulator - - very cool action! Ever Green also makes the Buzzer Beater in a silent model - - if you like the Aruku Shad, you'll probably also really dig the Buzzer Beater. Also......Jackall makes a silent model in their TN series. I have one of the TN/70's in rattling version and I really dig it, so the silent is probably killer as well. (it's the chart. shad bait up top)

I'm pretty sure Cordell made a jointed Spot - - I think I remember seeing them in an old 1985 BPS Master Catalog - - they had finishes just like the one you have pictured.

FWIW.....Rat-L-Trap is not the "original".....the Cordell Super Spot predates it. I own at least 20 different kinds of vibes from both inexpensive (Cordell, Bill Lewis, Rapala, etc.) to high-end (Shimano, Daiwa, Ever Green, LC, Jackall, CLU, etc...)....and it's amazing how different the characteristics of each one are - - some are more specialized than others, and really excel in certain conditions. That said, if I were only given 1 single vibe to fish in any/all conditions, it would be the Cordell Super Spot.