Need some help. I usually use the Lucky Craft Flat CB20's but would like to try some new deep cranks this season .I'd like to know if the Norman DD22's are good cranks. I'm thinking of buying some and would like recommendations on whether they are good cranks. What are your favorite colors and what colors would be good for fishing deep clear lakes?

I aint no crank bait fisherman but every spring on the big pond DD22's kill the big bass, the top colors are Crawfish and Tennessee Shad.

In my opinion,the DD22 is probably the best deep crank on the market as far as catching fish goes. There are better deep cranks as far as paint jobs,hardware and durability,but for simply putting fish in the boat.....the DD22 is by far my favorite. Once summer hits and the fish go deep,they really like that wide wobbling 22 bouncing around.....at least where I'm at. The DT16 and the LC CBD20 both have a tighter wiggle.

I am not a big crankin guy but, a DD22 has always put fish in the boat for me as well over the years when they are deep and want a crank. I use them in the shad color and also have some older ones in the rainbow trout color. Although they are not the most comfortable lure to fish because of the resistance when you reel them, they work.

Right at the top of the deep divers for bass catching and way out in front in value, great baits.

DD22's,along with the Rapala DT series, are the best imo.Take a shad pattern,a crawfish pattern,and a loud color for off colored water such as Chartreuse w/blue back shad pattern.

In my opinion,the DD22 is probably the best deep crank on the market as far as catching fish goes. There are better deep cranks as far as paint jobs,hardware and durability,but for simply putting fish in the boat.....the DD22 is by far my favorite. Once summer hits and the fish go deep,they really like that wide wobbling 22 bouncing around.....at least where I'm at.

Same here.

fivebasslimit, whittler & others what colors do you suggest for clear water lakes?

White or white & silver, but there are lots of  other choices and they are all on sale at BPS:

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=420&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

Norman cranks are some of the best of the less expensive baits on the market. Good choice. WHen they are on sale, like they are now, for $3 apiece, they are hard to pass up. I ordered a bunch. The only knock I'll give "em is they will not run to 22 feet. Not even close. I fish a small pond in my area a lot. Max depth is 16 feet. For me to get the DD22 to hit the bottom, I have to make a very long cast, with 8lb test, and get the retrieve speed just exactly right.

To answer your original question, for really clear water, chrome is hard to beat.

Cheers,

GK

When it comes to color I am not the person to ask. For me its basic, if I have something light(white/shad), dark(black/purple) or the middle of the spectrum(green/brown) I'm happy. Yes I paint a lot of colors and some quite wild but if I have white, black and green/brown I do not feel out-gunned. Its my personal opinion that way to much is put on color on crankbaits.

I really like the DD22's as well.

Lavender Shad is by far the best Norman color made IMO.

Brad

I'm a deep crank nut!  

Norman DD22's are a standard - - great value and they flat work.    

There are others, many of which I prefer for many situations:

Competition Cedars 4500 Long Reach:  will easily dive 5' deeper than a DD22....you CAN get this bait to 20' and it has a killer action.   If you like DD22's but want something that goes deeper......here it is....it even looks like a DD22, but with a noticeably longer bill, and less buoyancy.  

Competition Cedars 4400:  this is an improved Poe's 400 Plus - - my absolute favorite go-to deep crank (10-15')

Lee Sisson P-20 (balsa):  another crank that will break into the upper teens - - really cool hard kicking, snapping action and possibly the best deep heavy cover crank I've ever thrown.  

Rapala Deep Down Fat Rap (discontinued):   works into the low-mid teens, and does some really cool things.  When you quickly slow down the retrieve, the lure sways out into a few really wide wobbles.....really cool!  I've never seen another deep crank with the same behavior as this bait.  

Bomber 3/4 Fat Free Shad:  underrated.....it's good at finding kickers for me

Luhr-Jensen 3/4 Hot Lips Express:  another crank that will hit 20', but it feels like reeling in an anchor.  

I've got about 4 more that I'm going to run through the paces this summer (a few lesser knowns and Japanese deep divers), so reports to follow.  

Great bait in my opinion. Very seldom out of tune straight out of the box.

Lavender Shad and Chart / Blue back are my standard colors.

Fish it on 10lb line to get max depth.

Norman cranks are some of the best of the less expensive baits on the market. Good choice. WHen they are on sale, like they are now, for $3 apiece, they are hard to pass up. I ordered a bunch. The only knock I'll give "em is they will not run to 22 feet. Not even close. I fish a small pond in my area a lot. Max depth is 16 feet. For me to get the DD22 to hit the bottom, I have to make a very long cast, with 8lb test, and get the retrieve speed just exactly right.

To answer your original question, for really clear water, chrome is hard to beat.

Cheers,

GK

It's not supposed to reach 22 feet deep, they don't even say it will reach 22. They say the deepest depth is 18'

Around here where we have lots of clear water, when the fish start going deep in the summer there are two colors of DD22 that the tackle shops just can't keep in stock:  pearl w/ lavender back and chartreuse w/ blue back.  For night fishing, I also have a black/red DD22 that works very well.

I know you asked about D22 but this is another very good deep crank.

Imakatsu IK-400R.

Here's another Imakatsu IK-400R and the good ol' Rapala DownDeep for comparison.

So where is the best place to buy the DD22's online? Who offers the most color selections online?

BassProShop has a good selection.

Do y'all think it's the DD22's depth that make it good or its action?

I think its both.  Its got great action and I like to get them down in the rocks bumping across a point or creek channel.  The only thing I dont like about them is its like hauling a boot through the water.

I am new to this crankin thing, so when you fish a DD22 do they hit the bait hard or is it a soft bite? :

both....sometimes they smack it, sometimes you just feel the wobble stop or pressure on the rod

I have been using them for quite a while,   but im trolling them for muskie.   Caught probably 30 muskies on the dd22,   and a few bass while fishing for muskies