Fivebasslimit told me about these deep cranks on another topic, and I was just wondering if anyone else throws em? I am going to buy some and was just wondering what everyone else thinks of them

thanks

Matt Strykul

I can 't comment on the PLUS series as you find them from the counter right now, however I can comment on the series as they were back in the late 80 's when I purchased many of the 10+, 15+,20+ & 30+, I see no changes in the design but I can 't judge them by sight through an on-line catalog, it 's been more than a decade that I purchased a lure from that series.

They were good ( mine still are   ) baits specially because back then right at the dawn of the age of the dinosaurs when I bought mine no other manufacturer offered bait that could dive at those depths, they are very convinient for me since most of the lakes I fish on a regular basis are built on steep sloping canyons where the lakes can reach 300 ft in depth with very few areas that you could call "shallows" and filled with very clear water where you can see down 20-30 ft. In order to reach those depths ( or if you want them to do the "stretch" ) you need to fish them with thin line 10 lb test or less. Excellent bottom bumping baits, got a 8 ft deep target ? grab a 10+ and slam it with the bait, scratch the bottom and lift some silt.

They are extremely durable ( mine have taken quite a beating through the years ), the bill is made with a very tough plastic that takes the punishment without having to worry that it may break ( like the Rapala DT ) shaped like a spoon, the bait is made of tough plastic and has 2-3 chambers ( depending upon the size ) with 2-3 large steel balls inside ( 1 per chamber ) that give out a very audible clacking noise. Opposed to other baits where the overall size of the bait body is large in this ones it 's not, the bait is as large as the bill. The hooks on mine were good quality although they needed a little honing to make them razor sharp. They are not the most wrist friendly crankbait around, they dive steeply and have a great deal of water resistance so they need a low speed reel to crank them in otherwise they feel like reeling in a bucket.

I have some that I purchased years ago when I was doing alot of trolling for walleye on the Columbia River in Oregon since I have used them on some of the lakes here in the Ozarks and have done pretty well with them. I might also suggest looking into the Luhr Jensen line of deep divers. I often do deep water cranking with the Power dive minnow as well as the Hot lips and the Baby Hot lips.

I fish them, too. However, they are too big and heavy to cast for an extended period of time. I troll with them and use them mostly for striper fishing when we can't find live bait. They are VERY effective, but definately NOT user friendly.

Matt, as RW said, the Mann's 20+ baits are not user friendly but they are very effective when you need to crank deep. I suggest a crankin' reel in the 4.?:1 range and a long fiberglass or composite crankin' rod. The slow ratio reel will help tremendously if you crank deep for any length of time. I use a Lew's BB1 and also a Fritts 4.7:1....both are great crankin' reels.

Another deep crank you should consider is the Lucky Craft CBD-20....it's becoming one of my go to deep cranks along side the DD22 (which in my opinion is THE best deep crank ever made, just wish I could get a few feet deeper with it)

Just be sure when you're crankin' deep to try to make contact with whatever you can, even if you're just bouncing along the bottom.

the DD22 (which in my opinion is THE best deep crank ever made, just wish I could get a few feet deeper with it)

Competition Cedars 4500 LR - - problem solved.  You'll get about 4' deeper than the average DD22 with a bit harder tail kick and roll, and it's actually EASY to get down there and fish all day.   My favorite TRUE 20' diver in life.  

The Mann's 20' will not approach 20' - - you'll need the 30' for that, and IMO there are much easier baits to achieve those depths with and not have to get carpal tunnel surgery.  

Try a Jackall Muscle Deep 15+ or a Competition Cedars 4400 for the mid-teens zone (that's where the Mann's 20+ gets).

Not that there's anything wrong with the Mann's, but there's no need to work that hard anymore.  

i found a few of the manns 20+ in the gander bargin bin 2 bucks a pop .... i picked up 3 ,,, olny threw these baits a few times .... the few times i did throw these baits i did have follow ups .....  i was also throwing them on 10lb p-line cx and these where running deep ..... deeper than the fat free shads i was tossin that same day ......