Any favorites? Never really have them much thought but now I see the need

I use 6th Sense.  I have much better success with them than Whopper Ploppers.  

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

I use 6th Sense.  I have much better success with them than Whopper Ploppers.  

 

I don’t think that a whopper plopper is a wake crank bait. It’s a plopping style topwater lure.

 

I used to use the storm subwart but they stopped making them. I have found that the bass pro xps shallow crank is a suitable replacement.

1 hour ago, DitchPanda said:

Any favorites? Never really have them much thought but now I see the need

Deps Buzzjet is a good one

The deps look awesome but $30 for a crankbait? I'll pass. If my old lady found out id sleep on the couch for a month

Berkeley wake bull is a great bait.

41 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

I don’t think that a whopper plopper is a wake crank bait. It’s a plopping style topwater lure.

 

I used to use the storm subwart but they stopped making them. I have found that the bass pro xps shallow crank is a suitable replacement.

I wasn't clear.  I wasn't saying it was.  What I was trying to say is I use the wake bait where others may use a Whopper Plopper and have better success with it. It's a bit more subtle.  

26 minutes ago, Beeno said:

Berkeley wake bull is a great bait.

What colors do you reccomend?

I just bought my first wake baits.  A Spro Bbz-1 40 and a Manns  1- minus in the largest size.  I'm going to try them both out this Saturday.  I sure hope the Manns works better than the Spro Rat.  The Spro is the most expensive bass lure I have ever bought.  I'm a little scared to start down that road.  

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

I sure hope the Manns works better than the Spro Rat.

 

   I've been using the Mann's 1 minus for years, and it's worked very well. Well enough that I don't look for other wake baits, that is. I always had better luck with the fat guppy-body wake baits over the long slim minnow-style wake baits, but then again I was fishing the rivers and not the lakes.         jj

I use the LC Classical Leader crankbaits in the 3/8 oz shallow version.  They work well when the fish are in ultra-shallow water.

Fairly cheap place to start is the kvd wake 2.5.  I like them.  I also like the Ima.  I do alot of wake baits

Redfin, Berkley Surge Shad, 6th sense speed shad and the discontinued strike king wake shad.

I really like wake cranks and I have a bunch but there is 1 that is the best of all. The discontinued Mann's Waker Elite, it is big and loud and you can burn it and not only doesn't it blow out but it wakes. Most wake cranks will dive 1' to 2' deep on a fast retrieve or they blow out, the Mann's will dive 3" and that is it. I like the Storm Arashi wake crank but it needs to be reeled slow and the Yo-Zuri 3DB is really good but it will dive too deep. The Deps Buzzjet is the same way, too fast and it will be too deep to wake. For fishing slow I really like the Rapala DT Fat 1, that has good action and produces fish when reeled at slow speeds. I use wake cranks when the fish are swirling at topwaters but won't commit, funny how they just look at a bait on top but 3" under the water and they smoke it!!

11 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

What colors do you reccomend?

Whatever colors best Imitate the bait fish in your lakes and ponds.

Count me among those who have never used a wake bait. I use lots of Whopper Ploppers, lots of walking baits, and lots of shallow running squarebills. Does a wake bait fit in between those (between a topwater and a squarebill)? What situations would you typically use a wake bait for?

3 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

For fishing slow I really like the Rapala DT Fat 1, that has good action and produces fish when reeled at slow speeds. I use wake cranks when the fish are swirling at topwaters but won't commit, funny how they just look at a bait on top but 3" under the water and they smoke it!!

Thanks for injecting this bit of education into this thread Smalljaw.  I’ve had a lot of this lately and while senko and fluke follow ups sometimes get them that doesn’t fix the need to still cover water and get em on the first try.  Dusting off my DT-1s this weekend.

I’ve been slaying bass on wake cranks for decades now. Actually caught a slew just the other evening on a strike king. I have one Mann’s that has accounted for well over 100 bass and a finger. Bomber used to make one that was really fat and was killer some days. I haven’t bought one in years so idk what the current market looks like

I used to think that the Mann's Minus 1 were the best pond crank ever.  Might still be, I haven't fished a pond in years so I wouldn't know.  What I do know is that there is a time & place to use wake baits on reservoirs & lakes and I wish I was better at knowing when that was.

What I do know is that wake baits are another rabbit hole that you can go down collecting wise, just like jerk baits or deep divers, or poppers.  I've chosen to stop at half a dozen or so.  I've got some Minus 1's in various sizes.  The discontinued Timber Tiger series included a wake bait model, and a couple of other one-of baits that their names escape me right now.  Don't forget the old trick of taking a jointed red-fin and using a lighter to bend the bill straight down and make a wake bait out of that.  That bait works good if you get the bill bent correctly.

Berkley also has the surge and jointed surge.  Really good action

Berkley wake bull is good

Meant to add that for pond bass I’ve done well with the Bomber shallow A and square A.  Hooks are not awesome but price is right.

I have a couple of wake crankbaits that I don't think have ever been in the water. 

Berkley jointed surge shad has been good for me. Liking the Strike King 2.5 wake too. It stays on the surface easily and has a nice knock to it.

15 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

I have a couple of wake crankbaits that I don't think have ever been in the water. 

You are missing out then