Anybody else like the bomber fat free crank baits? Is there anything better?

Before they got bought up by Pradco they made some great baits. These days, Just buy 6th sense , lucky craft, Spro ect. ect.

I like the 5/8 oz “Junior”. Hard to beat for the price point, but usually take some effort/tuning to get one to run straight. They do seem to handle submerged brush better than a 5XD.

At $5 a pop, they’re a nice addition to the arsenal.

I love em! All the Bomber stuff works great- just gotta keep the hooks sharp and occasionally tune the line tie! Big fan of the Cordell stuff also.

I bank fish snaggy ponds a lot and I love casting crankbaits into precarious places and burning them through with reckless abandon - I can do this with zero fear or regret with the Bomber and Cordell stuff!

Now when I’m on the lake I have a lot more confidence fishing my nicer baits with more reckless abandon from the confidence my inexpensive bank lures have given me.

I only have a Fat Free Fingerling and dont use it much. Dont throw cranks much anymore period because the lakes I fish have so much scum in them. I did catch one of my largest bass ever on it. I like the bait. It runs straight with a tight action.

My favorite flat sided crankbait is the Rapala OG slim. Comes in OG Tiny(4 feet), Slim 6, and the OG Deep Tiny 7. They are balsa baits which are almost a must have for the pressured water I fish.

Thanks for sharing everyone.

What does balsa crankbaits have to do with pressured water?

I love the fat free fingerling, it hooked what was likely my pb, I also hate it as several seconds later it lost my pb, in one glorious high flying acrobatic somersaulting leap the roughly 7lb largemouth ejected it into the horizon and I swear it belly laughed and winked at me mid-air... I'll be back, gonna go cry a bit.

Heres the bass I caught on the Fat Free Fingerling thats hanging out of her mouth.

Caught quite a few bass on the Bill Dance signature Fat Free over the years, haven't thrown them much in the last few years. Still have several in the fingerling and regular size.

Does anyone have firsthand experience with the old ones and the new ones and can say that the old ones are much better, or the new ones are just as good?

What is the closest competitor? I really like the size and shape I like the shape of the bill too.

6 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Thanks for sharing everyone.

What does balsa crankbaits have to do with pressured water?

Balsa cranks are quiet and have a tighter/more subtle action. With pressured/paranoid fish, it can make a big difference.

Balsa cranks are also more buoyant and float up faster - can help a lot with snags.

7 hours ago, Bazoo said:

What does balsa crankbaits have to do with pressured water?

They don't have rattles. I've found, especially in super clear water, I get significantly more bites using cranks without rattles. I've even glued the rattles on some plastic cranks to make them silent.