I rarely fish crankbaits, so I need some suggestions from you crankers...

I need some crankbaits that have a real tight wobble and get through brush/cedar/timber better than most. (yes I know I'll hang up occasionally but some lip designs are said to be better in brush)

What brands and models are going to best fit that description? Or separately which ones have the tight wobble and what type lips do better in the trees?

Thanks!

Keith,

I dont have specific brands in mind, but generalities that you can fit to your needs.

Flat sided will have a tighter wiggle, fatter will swing wider.

Square bills will come through cover better with more deflection off branches, etc.

The RC Lucky's are awesome, the WEC cranks (second hand knowledge, I have none) are supposedly very high quality baits, SPRO Little Johns are nice as well.

Someone with more specifics will eventually be along, I'm sure.

The spro little johns get through cover really well. I'm not sure what type of wobble the shallow runner( square bill) is, I would think pretty tight, but the med. diver has a wider wobble than what I think you are looking for. The lucky craft rc 2.5 comes through good as well and have a tight wobble.

Just thought of another one:

Luhr Jensen Speed Trap for shallow weed and wood cranking.

Timber Tigers.

I use mainly handmade balsa lures for all of my shallow cranking. Lots of makers out there but Big M (a board member here) makes my favorites. As for plastic lures, I like the speed trap a lot.

One thing that you will read about and hear about from a lot of people is that you'll want a square lip. Rick Clunn is responsible for that theology. However, I think if you try baits with a thumbnail or round lip you will find they deflect much more erratically. Don't get me wrong, square bills do come through cover really well but I don't think it's the only option.

Handmade balsas as mentioned and RC 1.5s have been the best from my personal experience.

One bait that you can get cheaply that will need to be finessed through cover, but has a tight action is the Bomber Flat A.

Timber Tigers.

X2.

I use a Bandit 200 here on Lake Waco.  I haven't had any trouble getting it through the timber, and it is pretty thick on this lake.  The fish here love the pearl/chart back coor.

Normans Little N's have a tight wobble....They have plenty of colors and most of them work great!

Speed Trap for sure !  Norman's Thin N but the bill may not be as good for wood.

I think it is tough to beat Timber Tigers for fishing around brush and wood.

Almost everything people have suggested has a wide wobble. Why are you needing it to have a tight wobble in wood cover? your bites in wood are most often from the deflection not the wobble. My vote is the Lucky Craft RC 1.5, or 2.5

I know it's getting repititive but I like the Lucky Craft RC 1.5 & 2.5 as well. Some of the handmade Balsa baits are no doubt great choices  but you'll likely pay more in most cases and they are not as durable. However Balsa baits are very bouyant which is a great benefit when you are trying to worm your way through cover.

Why are you needing it to have a tight wobble in wood cover?

All the baits that work consistently well on this particular body of water have a tight wobble.  Anything with a wide wobble has been mediocre at best.... even when bouncing off the timber.  I wish I knew why.

Thanks for the suggestions, I have some research to do now.

Fletch, I fish mostly nothing but flooded timber most of the time and I have great success with these, they deflect really well.

http://www.buckeyelures.com/circuit_breaker_crankbait.shtml

Bagley G Force B Flat II 

I've heard some of the custom builders say they think the small round lip baits come thru timber better. I would check with some of them, Stringjam, Big M, or Jawjacker.

Bagley G Force B Flat II

These are very good - - quality is a little questionable though, unfortunately. Have caught a lot of fish on that bait!

Tight wiggle is a relative term....a lot of baits mentioned in this thread are not what I consider tight - certainly not RC 1.5's.

Speed Traps are also great.

I pay little attention to lip shape - - I fish square and round both in the heaviest cover I can find, and they'll both come through if you fish them correctly.

If you want to go the custom balsa route, the suggestions are endless, but I will give a here to the Big M "Marty's Charlie."

It's based on the old Charlie O design (one of the few rounded cranks that has a TRUE tight action). If you can find an original, they're equally as awesome, but they're very difficult to find. I sent an original to Marty, and his bait does a fantastic job at reproducing the action.

Bagley G Force B Flat II

These are very good - - quality is a little questionable though, unfortunately. Have caught a lot of fish on that bait!

Tight wiggle is a relative term....a lot of baits mentioned in this thread are not what I consider tight - certainly not RC 1.5's.

Speed Traps are also great.

I pay little attention to lip shape - - I fish square and round both in the heaviest cover I can find, and they'll both come through if you fish them correctly.

If you want to go the custom balsa route, the suggestions are endless, but I will give a here to the Big M "Marty's Charlie."

It's based on the old Charlie O design (one of the few rounded cranks that has a TRUE tight action). If you can find an original, they're equally as awesome, but they're very difficult to find. I sent an original to Marty, and his bait does a fantastic job at reproducing the action.

Stringjam, is this the Charlie O that Big M makes your talking about? This crank is awesome looking. I'm going to talk to Marty about one of these soon.

Doesn't anybody down size their hook's any more?I do not care about Bill shape or size.I pic-em, use them and adjust accordingly for what's needed to catch the fish I'm targeting.Learn what you buy, and then apply.

Stringjam, is this the Charlie O that Big M makes your talking about? This crank is awesome looking. I'm going to talk to Marty about one of these soon.

Yes - - those are actually my cranks, too - among the first of Big M's "Charlies."

I'm a big fan of tight action....and not just tight, but "lively" action. Think high-frequency wiggles. When I'm fishing in cover (and in general), these characteristics give the bait a quick start-up.....in other words, more wiggles per distance pulled.

It's the action I find most consistent, whether the water is clear or not.

I was working on a few designs to try to nail the action I was looking for (just for personal fun) last year. I'm pretty happy with the results, but I never really got them totally past the prototype phase.

Making your own cranks is fun, but really time consuming. I haven't messed around with it since I started going back to school, but I want to get back around to it again one day.

Some crankbaits come through wood better than others, but remember to use your rod to bring it through, not your reel. When you feel your line coming over a limb or other cover, stop reeling and using your rod to "finesse" it through. It will reduce your hang-ups.

The Spro Little John is a baaaaaaaad little bait for shallow cranking.  The wiggle is tight and it comes right through cover.  It really shines for me coming through the grass.

Sometimes if I want a little bit of a bigger profile I will use the Timber Tiger.  That thing comes through wood like nothing else.