Stringjam

LC Pointer 100 Storm WiggleWart #7 Shad Rap Poe's RC3 1/2 oz double willow white bladed spinnerbait Homeade Eakins-style jig Gambler 5" Hibdon Flipping Tube ..........hmmmm....hard not to keep going - so many things work really well this time of year

I prefer a high quality snap (like a size 1 Berkley CrossLock). I can't with my naked eye discern any difference between the action of a bait tied to the o-ring, and the action when the o-ring is removed and a snap is used in it's place. Some lures (like a Wiggle Wart) actually work better with a snap because the line tie is too shallow to accomodate a split-ring - - which, if used, tends to bind in the eye. Master crankbait designer Tom Seward prefers snaps - - and if you'll notice, the baits designed by him (Poe's Competition Cedars, Luhr-Jensen Speed Traps, Hot Lips) all come with snaps. Perhaps on an ultra-light crankbait where added weight to the nose would degrade the action, a lightweight o-ring would work better......but a size 1 CrossLock is pretty darn small and light.

I resisted the LC charm for a few years - until fate intervened. My Fat Free Shad snagged some poor soul's Pointer 100 that was snapped off on some brush......of course I had to try it, and the rest is history. They have their act together for sure.....their reflective finishes seem to be pretty fragile, however.

I've got one of these in the mail (along with a Tiemco Mad Pepper Mag) - - how do you like it? What kind of action does it have?

I'll echo what the 2 posters above have said - - as I use both (plastic, Balsa, Jelutong, Redwood, and Cedar...there's a lot of wood crank options available). Proper design is #1 to me, and the ability of a crankbait to maintain its action even at low speeds. Another plus to plastic is they don't have to be maintained like wood. You need to keep wooden cranks sealed (I use Devcon 2-ton epoxy) - chips, etc...and pay careful attention to the lip joint area.....otherwise they will absorb water - especially Balsa. Even with all that, I still love wooden cranks.........I don't think I'll ever get rid of my California Poe's 300 and 400's even if I ever happen to find something better. FWIW, even "quiet" rattle-less crankbaits are quite noisy underwater. Get in a swimming pool sometime and have somebody reel a silent wooden bait by you - - the hardware clicks quite loudly. The Bagley B3 is a great dirty water crank, and it has no rattle.

Worden's Comp Cedars 4500 hits closer to that mark in the real world than any other crank I've tried, plus it gets down there very easily and has a killer action and "kick" to boot.....I can feel every wobble no matter how deep it gets. Next up is the Lee Sisson P-20 ....a little harder to cast (balsa as opposed to the heavier cedar) - has a tighter, faster kick than the Worden's. Killer bait for deep brush. The Mann's 30+, Luhr-Jensen 3/4 oz. HotLips, and the 1/2 oz. Luhr-Jensen Deep Secret will all get there but IMO are a pain in the wrist to do so, and the HotLips just doesn't have that much action to me. (BTW.......Tom Seward designed the above mentioned Comp Cedars bait, and also designed the HotLips series for Jensen - - he says it will get as deep as the 3/4 Hottie, which is capable of 22' on a 100 ft. cast/10 lb. line.) Norman DD22's and Rapala DT16's are good baits, but I don't care to try to get them past 15'. There's guys that can, but I'd rather use the above lures as they do it far more easily. As soon as I can possibly get out (darn freezing weather) I'm going to try out the Catching Concepts XDC3, which is a FLAT SIDED cedar crank that supposedly will hit the upper teens to 20 mark. I'll report as soon as I find out. I'm also going to try the LuckyCraft CB D20 - - if it's anything at all like the CB D12 I'm sure it will be a winner. I hope it does well - as plastic baits don't require the maintenance of the wooden lures. You mentioned getting deeper than 20 ft.......perhaps using some of the above lures on some very fine diameter line (8 lb.) and making a VERY VERY long cast, or casting and trolling out some line will make that possible, but for the most part it is quite hard just to get to a true 20 ft in the first place. Deep cranking is in my opinion one of the most specialized of bass fishing techniques, and it takes some time to get the hang and the feel of it - - but it can really pay off. Last year the local tournament scene was dominated by the deep crankers from the post-spawn through the summer. This technique can haul in some killer strings (David Fritts has done pretty well for himself). Don't be afraid to to fish these things anywhere - -just get a telescoping retrieval pole and you won't lose many baits. I hardly EVER lose one - - the cost of some of these cranks is great motivation to learn how to get them unhung.

Welcome, guys - - from one newbie to another. BTW.....those are some VERY BIG bass. Most of the United States contains Northern strain largemouths and a much smaller southern area contains the "giant" Florida strain fish I believe you are referring to - - so be proud and post away with those beautiful specimens!

Wiggle Wart Hey, it's plastic... As far as soft plastic: MadMan Craw Worm or GuidoBug in any green or brown for TX rigging. I'll use either for a jig trailer, but most of the time I use a double tail grub from Yamamoto or Bobby Garland.

1. Zoom Mag II 2. Gambler Hibdon Flippin' Tube 3. Homemade Jig (Eakins style) 4. Lightning Plastics 6" Straight Tail worm 5. Garland or Yamamoto DT Hula Grub

I remember a friend giving me a container of processed fermented shad one time, and I thought "Hey, I'll bet this would work great for a scent!." So I take it to the lake on a nice sizzling August afternoon and fish for awhile. Remembering that I had a wonderful new scent to use, I grabbed the lid and started to turn....... SPLOP!!!!! Pressure + fermented shad + 100 degrees = an odor so heinous and foul that every dog within 50 miles cried out for mercy. It was HORRIBLE and I was COVERED in it! Soooooo, I'm not much into stinky scents anymore.

LURE: probably specialist.....I love to throw cranks and will whenever the opportunity presents itself (and sometimes when it doesn't). I'm definitely not a "master" of any of it, however. WATER: Generalist ANGLER: Like a couple of other anglers said....power/finesse. Most people wouldn't think a 1 oz. crankbait with a giant lip is a finesse lure - - but my twisted mind thinks it's a great one.

I believe the use of scents may help a fish take a bait if he's right up on it, or hold on longer, but scientific experiments have proven that bass cannot locate prey by scent. Personally, my most productive soft plastics (Bobby Garland stuff, Gambler flipping tubes, Zoom Mag II, many handpoured finesse worms) have no salt and some have no scent. Bobby Garland didn't impregnate his lures with a bunch of salt because he said it inhibited the action, which is believable considering his Hyper-Tail Hula Grubs make Yamamoto Hula Grubs look as stiff as a pencil. These things don't have an ounce of scent or salt and I've never had a bass spit one out before I've had a chance to set the hook. Same thing with the (non-salt impregnated) Hibdon Flipping Tubes from Gambler......put one in the water and drop down another flipping tube beside it that has a bunch of salt in it - - the Gambler breathes, flows, and looks alive with the tentacles waving around in a fluid motion. The other tube will not react the same way. This is just what works for me, though. A lure's visual appeal gives me the most confidence in using it, and if having a salt impregnated lure gives another angler confidence in that approach, then that is probably what he should use. (BTW....I realize some soft plastics (e.g.Senko) actually rely on salt for their particular action)

I have a half dozen or so of them (big and small). Can't say that I've used them that much....maybe I'll tie one on next time.

I wouldn't trip over it........some of my most productive soft plastics have no scent and no salt ( I do NOT like salt in my plastics) - - they do have ACTION which I believe is far more important.

Anything down to around 11-14 feet I'll have on a Poe's Comp Cedars 4400 (based on the old 400 Plus). It's capable of more depth if you wanna try (Fritts can get them to 20.......I'm not Fritts.. ) The Fat Free Shad and DD22 are also good picks for this range - - but the 4400 is my confidence bait. The Lee Sisson P-20 is a bait I didn't have a lot of time to spend with last year but I definitely liked what little time I had. No trouble getting this one to 17'......Great deep crank for digging through heavy brush.....nice hard kicking action that you can feel all the way down (miles better than the DB3 Mags that were supposedly Bagley's best deep divers). Catching Concepts XDC3 is another bait that I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with, but I was impressed with......going to spend a lot of time with this one this summer. Flat sided and a completely different profile and vibe than any other 15+ diver I've used. Reviews to follow... The best diver I've ever used for getting around the 16-19' mark is hands down a Poe's Comp Cedars 4500 Long Reach. Casts like a rocket and dives like a sub, and without half as much strain as something like a Luhr-Jenson 3/4 Hot Lips, which is about the only bait I can get as deep. Feels a lot like a DD22, only it dives much deeper. As with most wooden baits though, these things have to be maintained --- get some Devcon 2-Ton Epoxy from Wal-Mart and seal up any chips that occur.

Agreed (and the 100)! I don't have any colors I haven't caught fish on......Aurora Black, Nishiki, Table Rock Shad, etc...if I had a confidence color it would probably have to be Aurora Black, however.

Get a telescoping lure retriever and you won't lose very many baits. Is a $15 or $20 crankbait expensive? In my opinion - - no. I can buy a $20 crankbait and fish with it all year for $20......I can get on a soft plastics bite and run through that much money in a couple of weekends (especially with Yamamoto's @ $5+ a bag). IMO, tuning is a not a big deal. Every bait requires tuning at some point, no matter how expensive.....a battle with a nice fish can easily bend the soft brass line ties many of the cranks have - - no biggie, a pair of pliars and little practice is all you need.

What kind of depth do you get from that crank? (BTW...checked out your website, looks like some nice stuff).