Stringjam

Oh great, I can see it now..... "Honey, what on earth did you process in my Cuisinart - and why is there dirt all over the floor?"

I've personally never noticed a difference between using scent and not using it. I'm sure it can't hurt, but I'm more likely to believe that its best use is as an incentive to keep the bait in their mouth longer - or maybe to encourage a strike if the bass is right up on a bait in a negative mood. I went through a phase where I had to buy every scent out there and do "custom" scents and spray stuff all over my lures every 5 casts, but I just never noticed any appreciable difference in my catch rates.......and I went home smelling like a crawfish that had just eaten a dead shad made at an Italian restaurant. Now I just have a can of BANG anise in the boat for those times when I feel the need to use it - - mainly because anise actually smells good so I don't mind getting it on myself.

That's an interesting idea, Jasone - - I'm going to give it a try. I would imagine this would work best with a shallow diving bait (?)

ghoti - You might take a look at article 164 at the BassFishingHomePage He believes he can make baits hunt by tuning them as perfectly as possible......just another theory behind the hunting phenomena. I think there is a difference between a crankbait that really hunts, and one that is tuned to be squirrelly. A well tuned crank that hunts is far more valuable to me - as an ill-tuned crank will not achieve nearly as much depth or accuracy. If I want to go by an object in 15' of water that is no bigger than the front seat of my boat, a bait that isn't tuned correctly is not going to cut it. I can see various theories on this working. One of my best hunting baits (a Bagley KB2) I have tuned absolutely perfect and the thing will spontaneously drop it's action and kick out to the side.

Ooops...hit the wrong button - - yes - that is an accurate description.

Search baits refers to lures you fish quickly in order to find fish. "Hunting" is a term used to describe a crankbait that will intermittently err off-course and then correct itself.

Lucky Craft just happens to be a premium manufacturer that has marketed and distributed itself really well. They make some killer lures that are superbly designed. The Pointers, Sammys and RC cranks have proven themselves. It's pretty obvious to me why Pointers and Sammy's work so well (the action). The RC 1.5 has an action VERY similar to a Bagley KBII, one of the best crankbaits of all time, so of course it is going to catch fish. I've noticed that it rolls over a little farther in its action than the Bagley. I don't mind paying $15 for a bait that I know will perform. I'm more amazed at the high price of soft plastics (which are disposable) than crankbaits, which can literally be used for years.

The Poe's RC1 never went out of production that I know of - - the earliest ones (made in California) started about the late 80's and they have (as far as I know) always been made of cedar. The most valuable and highest quality baits from Poe's were from the late 80's California period -- in the early 90's they were bought out and production was shipped to Mexico. I wouldn't be able to tell you if what you have is one of those baits or not (I've seen the same colors from the CA period as in the Mexico period, and brass line ties for both.....I'm sure an expert might know). At any rate, these baits can still be had fairly reasonably on EBay - - Poe's lures in the fish-shaped packages and the small carboard rectangular boxes are the California baits - - they generally go for less than $10 each. They are supurb cranks - - but be prepared for maintenance if you want to fish with them a lot - - the finish cracks and and they are fragile. I'm still looking for a more durable lure to replace my Poe's RC3's (I think I may have found one) - - they are a killer coffin bill bait.

This isn't true. There was a guy who took 100 crankbaits from various manufacturers and tested them all with 100' of retrieve and 10 lb. line - - in his findings he noted that reeling the lures faster did not get the baits any deeper than using a medium retrieve speed. Listening to crankbait designers, they seem to have the same theory - - once a bait reaches it's maximum depth, reeling faster will not get it any deeper.

I do remove the split rings and use a #1 Berkley Cross-Lok. A snap provides the smallest, slickest contact survace for the eyelet of the crankbait to swivel against - - does it allow significantly more action than a small split ring? I don't know - but I dig em'.

When you look at line recovery rates instead of just gear ratio, it becomes interesting - - for example: David Fritts' signature reel with a 4.7:1 gear ratio is rated at 21" IPT The Curado with the 5.1:1 ratio is also rated at 21" IPT So one should keep that in mind when looking for reels with a certain "speed"

Berkley Cross-Lok - you could pull your boat to the lake with em'.

Yup..one of the best crankbait designs ever made - and one of the most erratic plastic cranks I've ever used. Aaron Martens is snagging the pre-Rapala Warts off of ebay if that is any indication. I also have some deep diving Lightnin' Shads from Storm (discontinued) that are a solid flat-sided plastic crank - especially for the price they were. I also like Bombers - - I generally prefer the 3/4 and 1/2 oz. Fat Free Shads over Norman's DLN and DD22's...they kick harder and I've generally caught bigger fish on both of them. I also think the Flat A and diving Flat A are the closest a low-cost production lure has ever gotten to the action of custom hand carved flat-sided baits. If I had to pick a brand that I just don't care for, it would probably be Strike King.

+1 on Mukin's recommendation - - drop the swivel, you only need a snap.....and I would only use that on hardbaits (crankbaits, jerkbaits, etc...). I would tie directly to the hook or line-tie on soft plastics hooks or spinnerbaits. As far as the line recommendation - yes, you can use heavier line. The rating you listed is merely for line capacity - you can use as heavy or light of line as you want......that will depend on what kind of conditions you fish most. If you're fishing around a lot of brush and snags - go with at least 14 lb. If it is relatively open water - 10 lb. will work fine. This is a broad generalization but it is a decent starting point.

I doubt there is anything I can add, if this is the case - - with all the good articles out there I'm sure you have a good understanding of lure selection and techniques. Now that you have that, becoming proficient with them (and in turn becoming confident) will be a matter of practice.....and more practice, and then more.... The all-important aspects of "feel" will only come with time. Of all the techniques I've tried to learn, I feel that crankbaiting is among the most specialized. Obviously there are times and waters where other techniques will work better, but there are times when crankbaits will dominate - and those who are proficient with them will bring in the big sacks.

For finer diameter lines (up to ~14 lb. test), the best knot I've used to date is the Double-Line Clinch Knot. First double the line and pass it through the eyelet - then tie a normal clinch knot (do not pass back through the loop). You'll want to pinch the end of your loop to a point to make it easier to to pass through the loop at the eyelet. It has been tested on Berkley machines as a 100% knot. For larger diameter monos, I still prefer a Palomar. For tying to small, very light crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwaters where any added hardware to the nose is a detriment to the action, I tie the Rapala knot. I typically would rather use a high-quality snap (like a Berkley CrossLock) on larger crankbaits and jerkbaits......not because it makes it easier to change baits, but because the snap enhances the action, and I have more confidence in the strength of the above-listed knots tied to the snap than the Rapala Knot for moving bass out of heavy cover (the best place to throw crankbaits... ) For tying a small diameter mono leader (~14 lb test mono) to braid, I use a Blood Knot. For larger diameter monos to braid, I tie an Albright. This is one area where I still don't have 100% confidence in knot slippage. There are a few other knots I'm going to try and I'll report as soon as I test them enough.

My favorite topwater is a buzzbait - - I prefer a fairly light one with a large enough prop that it can be crawled - and has a very prominent "squeak." After that - Storm Chug Bug, a good Frog, walking baits already mentioned, etc.... One tip on the Torpedo - try tying some feathers on the rear hook. After all these years they are still killer baits, and also the topwater I hooked (and lost :-[) the biggest bass of my life on.

The only cranks I have from Jackall are the RS-150 and RS-225 I haven't spent enough time with them to form an opinion yet - - they are pretty lively little lures, especially the 225 - I can see certain situations where I think they're going to get a lot of bites - time will tell.

;D ;D ;D How true! I might ad - if you're just starting jigs....you might try using an Eakins or Eakins-style jig, as they will typically get more bites and help you gain confidence more quickly. However, they have no problem catching big fish as well.

I don't have the study - I read about the study in a response when the same question was posed to In-Fisherman contributor Ralph Manns. I can pm you his email addy if you would like to inquire about the experiment.

There was a scientific study that PROVED bass develop avoidance behaviors to seeing line....... and the line used in the study was 8 lb. test of various colors. Bottom line - bass have to survive, and they will learn to avoid things that they experience as a threat - that includes seeing line. I think many times we try to relate to bass by giving them "human reasoning" - remember, they aren't humans, they are predators of a completely different medium, and they have been given the tools to survive there. Even without the study, I've proved to myself the theory by sitting on top of schools of fish and using braid vs. braid with a leader. The results were obvious, especially in the clear conditions I commonly fish in - the fish had no problem seeing and avoiding the braid.

Yes - - in certain conditions it will decrease your bites. I've been using braid for over a decade, and I use it on every rod I own and every technique - however - I almost always use a mono leader. I vary the leader diameter based on the conditions and presentation - - - I still get the sensitivity of braid, but also the stealth of mono. As mentioned before - - braid will make a difference on the lure presentation, but I have always found it to be a positive one. I can work topwaters and jerkbaits with more precision and less rod movement, I can feel every rock and stick and wobble of my crankbaits, and it keeps you in better touch with your soft plastics. Bottom line - - for me, braid is IT, however, it isn't for everyone - just like so many things.

Black or red shad -- even in water with up to 15' visibility, the dark colors seem to be the most consistent for me.....YMMV and so on...

~10-15 ft: Catching Concepts DC2 Competition Cedars 4400 (Poe's 400 Plus copy) Poe's 400 Lucky Craft Flat CB-D12 Bomber 3/4 oz. Fat Free Shad Norman's DD22 15+ ft: Competition Cedars 4500 Long Reach Lee Sisson P-20 Catching Concepts XDC3 (just getting into this lure - but I really like what I see so far)

Kelly is on the tackleunderground.com forum as well as several other guys with impressive lure making / painting skills. Check out the gallery if you stop by.