Stringjam

I've had a chance to use the Little John now a bit. The bait does have a nice, moderate wobbling action and looks pretty good - - buoyancy is very low.....the lowest of any flatsided crank that I own......so I think I'm going to find the best uses for it in inactive fish conditions (like cold water). Definitely not the first lure I'll probably reach for in shallow, heavy cover situations - - Marty's cranks (and plenty of other higher flotation flatsides) own it for that kind of gig. As far as plastic flatsided baits go, I still prefer the OSP HPF Spec II and (of course) the long gone LC Flat CB SR. If they would take out that big tungsten weight transfer ball, I'm sure it would probably lighten up the bait and improve flotation considerably - - and If I wanted to slow the rise, I could just weight it myself.

About a dozen Zoom WEC Cranks for $5 each at the BPS Outlet H&T Balsas for $5 each, also at the outlet. Also, sort of a good little deal........I like to take my crankbait boxes out of the boat every time I'm done fishing (so they aren't exposed to extreme temps). So instead of trying to carry them all in and out of the boat all the time, I bought this bag from BPS to hold them. It's actually a 48-can insulated soft cooler ;D - - but I found that it perfectly holds five Plano 3700's (six if you want to lay one horizontally on top) and even some utility boxes along the side. Pretty nifty tackle bag for only $13.00. I've even left it out in on the boat deck during some pretty good rains and it managed to keep everything inside perfectly dry (well....it is a cooler....)

Avid - - - I do use braid on my spinning outfit.....I wouldn't think of using anything else. Nothing like being able to feel a fish look at your bait at 50'. I've fished with, and without the swivel....and no, it's not completely necessary. I do feel, however, more confident in the knots I can tie to the swivel with the 6 lb. test stuff than with my typical uni-uni knot I use to connect all my other rigs. In this instance, I can't see any negative to the use of the little swivel. Perhaps I'll change my mind though.....sometimes I just tie the leader, and sometimes I just tie to the swivel. 8-)

Thanks for the link - - I use a swivel too. Think I'll give those a try. I usually use 6-10 lb. test for drop shotting, so the swivel is the last thing I have to worry about breaking.

Fish it "as is." It will work fine.

This site's own Marty Burns (aka Big M) He can make pretty much anything I want or need from -1' to +20'

I like the little Taildancers, too - - I'm not sure why they would be the object of any bashing(?)

I have some that sure as heck are worth it - - but out of about a dozen RICO's, only a few behave extremely well.....I have one that walks the dog with incredible ease - better than any of the others, so there's some inconsistency going on there.

I dig em'! The HPF Spec 2's (no rattle) have great buoyancy for a plastic bait - moreso than some of my balsa cranks. This bait has been copied to death, though.....you can see it all over eBay - - I think Stamina (or somebody(?) ) actually sells bodies that look identical to the OSP......so a lot of guys with an airbrush put a coat of paint on them and say "Check out my new crankbait!!" ;D

I plan on trying one out as soon as BPS starts stocking them (in store). I'm a big fan of flatsided cranks so I'm anxious to see what Spro came up with. LC stopped making flatsided cranks like this some time ago (the Flat CB SR) - - I'm not exactly sure why - there are times the flatsided baits will murder the fat baits (BDS, RC's, etc..). I actually wish they would have left out the weight transfer, however - - it would have had more buoyancy - I hear it has very little(?)

As mentioned by earlier posters..... The Wiggle Wart is undeniably one of the best spring crankbaits you can throw around here - and is also a crazy wide wobbler. The Shad Rap is the other, and it's very tight - - so there ya go.....just gotta give them what they want. I agree with Raul, however - - other conditions should be considered as much as water temperature.

You just made LC some more money... You are a minion of the bait monkey. Unfortunately, LC discontinued making this crank some time ago - which is a shame....I think it was a very good design.

Indeed it is. 8-)

I tend to think that the hunting phenomenon may be a bit overrated. You can get good cranks to do all sorts of stuff with just minute rod movement - especially with flatsided cranks - - even Pointer-style maneuvers - - in my view that kind of makes a crankbait that kicks out by itself at times "unique"......but more effective? I'm not convinced - - if I can pull off the same moves with my hands, I'm not going to be all that concerned with finding one that does it by itself. BTW......if you want to end your search for a crank that hunts, just track down a Lucky Craft Flat CB SR. I have about a dozen - - every single one of them hunts. And by hunts, I use the definition of a crank that randomly kicks out of its normal action during the retrieve.

If the lipless has a split ring on the line tie, it's fine to die direct....if not, than I would most certainly use a snap - as with almost every other crankbait, tying directly to the line-tie inhibits the action. Using a snap or a split ring will free up the action.

Very nice.......you didn't happen to see that bottom color on a Kaihatsu Chip didja?

Those 10' divers look AWESOME! I think I've seen the color pattern on the bottom crank before.... ....it's a good one! The chart/blue pattern you used on the shallow crank also looks killin! Can't wait to see (and get... ) a few of those deep divers you have coming up this week!!

It's addictive. As far as the balsa vs. plastic issue - - I think more factors come into play than just lure material. Good design = a good crankbait. Buoyancy is part of the design. A Zoom Z-Flat (balsa) has very low buoyancy, while an OSP HPF (plastic) has relatively high buoyancy (just the opposite of what you might expect). It just depends on what you're wanting the bait to do - you don't always want a crankbait that pops up like a cork, and sometimes you do. I'm a huge fan of wooden cranks - one reason is because of the individuality of the baits, and the variety of designs available. Just look at the variety of baits Marty (Big M) kicks out. If he wants to create a new design or try something different to meet a certain customer's needs, he has the freedom to do so. He's made some of the best cranks in my box. ........but I'm also a big fan of plastic......and even foam......If it looks like a fish and has a lip, I'll try it! 8-)

You'll be happy with the LC's - - they flat out work. Jackall MC/60, Imakatsu IK-50, and OSP Blitz are some other good little square billed fat plastic cranks - but if you don't want to track them down, you'll be just as happy with the LC's. For something small and inexpensive, the Bandit 100 is a fine little crank as well.....I like it better than the Bomber Square A. Along the same lines, the little Luhr-Jensen Speed Traps are fish catchers....really tight action, they're good when you need something a little more subtle. The LC RC 1.5 is a staple, no doubt.....it just works and and it's widely available. If I could only have 1 plastic square-billed crank - it would be this one. For muddy water, I prefer the BDS 2 or 3. If you decide to consider trying any more wooden cranks.....this forum's own Big M can hook you up with some killer baits - - you can go to the Tacklemaking section and check out some of his cranks. I've been extremely pleased with every crank I've ever gotten from him. The Spro Little John is more of a flatsided crank, and isn't square-billed.....as well I understand it has a very low buoyancy, making it less suitable for cover crashing endeavors like I assume you want these square billed cranks for. If you want to go the finesse flatsided route (and I highly suggest you give it a try... ), I would definitely go with Marty. He makes some killer balsa flats that have excellent buoyancy and negotiate cover very well.

Feel (e.g. - like a good jig fisherman knows where and what his lure is doing at all times) Casting accuracy and distance Boat positioning Reading electronics Staying away from cover

Big +1 - - - I've shopped with all the stores Raul mentioned, and they are great to deal with! I would also add Kasei, Sanpei, FishingDirectOnline, Samurai Tackle, and Ninja Tackle to the list......always had perfect transactions with every one of them.

I typically fish mine up to around 12' or so....which is actually pretty impressive for a bait this small. I've never spent time determining exact max depth with the lure, but I'm sure low teens and possibly mid-teens could happen given the right line. One thing that helps the depth - they cast a MILE (internal weight transfer).

Didja get any Deep-X's? Probably the best thing I've used from MB.....the 200 is a keeper.

+1.....the Muscle Deep 15+ rocks. The MC/60 is also a good little crank

How is the buoyancy?