Your honor, I'd like to plea the 5th.  

5 hours ago, the reel ess said:

If they don't catch fish, they won't remain on the market for very long.

In most cases I'd say yes. But everyone has his own pain threshold. I try not to spend more than $10 on a bait but I've broken that rule when I just HAD to have something. The bulk of my fish are caught on some soft plastic that costs less than $4.50/bag. In the case of the Trick worm that's a bag of 20.

I guess this is why I have so many Bandits and Normans. Those baits have been around as long as I have been Bass fishing and they continue to produce year in and year out for me. No reason to buy a 15 buck squarebill when a 5 buck one is a winner. 

3 minutes ago, cgolf said:

I guess this is why I have so many Bandits and Normans. Those baits have been around as long as I have been Bass fishing and they continue to produce year in and year out for me. No reason to buy a 15 buck squarebill when a 5 buck one is a winner. 

I use those too. My favorite squarebill is the Bandit FlatMaxx.

13 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

I use those too. My favorite squarebill is the Bandit FlatMaxx.

Tried that bait for the first time last year when we had lows in the upper 30's in early July and cleaned up with it, was very impressed with it. First year I ever wore a winter coat fishing in July, the weather was atrocious. Some SK baits are really good too, but not all work for me. I would say 90% of my cranks are Rapala (including all that they bought), Bandit, SK, and Norman. 

I may just not be good enough yet to tell the difference between an LC and say a Bandit lol

21 minutes ago, cgolf said:

 

I may just not be good enough yet to tell the difference between an LC and say a Bandit lol

Those are my top two crankbaits hands down! The LC 1.5 overtook the Bandit 100 in general but the Bandit still rules on the river.

My top 10 cranks (and yes I own most of them) in about the order they work best for me:

1. LC 1.5 Silent

2. Bandit 100 or 200 (depends on depth)

3. Manns Baby 1-

4. Rebel Deep Wee-R

5. LC BDS 1.2

6. SK 5 series (silent)

7. TD shallow crank with titanium bill (forget the actual name but it is discontinued unfortunately)

8. SK 1.5 (I may not give this enough credit and TOW as I have a lot of the RC baits to throw)

9. TD Scouter Crank

10. Jackall Zero Footer

Honorable mention: Bagely Sunfish, Excaliber fat free shad

 

Allen

 

 

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, Munkin said:

Those are my top two crankbaits hands down! The LC 1.5 overtook the Bandit 100 in general but the Bandit still rules on the river.

My top 10 cranks (and yes I own most of them) in about the order they work best for me:

1. LC 1.5 Silent

2. Bandit 100 or 200 (depends on depth)

3. Manns Baby 1-

4. Rebel Deep Wee-R

5. LC BDS 1.2

6. SK 5 series (silent)

7. TD shallow crank with titanium bill (forget the actual name but it is discontinued unfortunately)

8. SK 1.5 (I may not give this enough credit and TOW as I have a lot of the RC baits to throw)

9. TD Scouter Crank

10. Jackall Zero Footer

Honorable mention: Bagely Sunfish, Excaliber fat free shad

 

Allen

 

 

 

 

 

I agree on Bandits on the river, it is a magic bait. I have been trying some upper mid priced SBs on the lakes and haven't seen great results yet, but will keep trying. 

I am sure you have tried them, but the old Xcalibur 200 SB just pushes a ton of water for such a small bait, great for #'s of active fish.  

Totally off topic but I think I remember you from the old RS forum.

9 minutes ago, cgolf said:

 

Totally off topic but I think I remember you from the old RS forum.

I don't get on RS much anymore for some reason?

Allen

Don't get into swimbaits if you think a Livingston crankbait is expensive.

I have dozens of swimbaits, none of them are expensive in the swimbait world. Most I've spent on one was around $80 for a Deps Bullshooter Jr. It doesn't bother me because I'm using heavy gear and heavy line. I've been fishing them for several years now and of all the baits I've owned, I've lost 3, 2 68 Hudds to snags, and a Shine Glide to a fish and a bad knot.

I enjoy fishing them, but I'm more frugal with plastics and cranks that I'm much more likely to lose. Jerkbaits and topwater I have no problem dropping a little more on. I like using them so it's worth it to me.

The thing that always kills me, is the guy that will complain about buying a $20 crankbait or jerkbait that could last for years, even a lifetime (I still own the first LC pointer I bought when I was 16, almost 14 years ago), but then they'll spend hundreds a year on Senkos, Keitechs, or Jackall that they know they're going to use/lose and not bat an eye about it.