To look at it, this lure seems like an ordinary crank bait, yet alot of pro's are winning money with it.

I know some of y'all out there are using it.

What applications are best suited for it?

why do you think it works so well?

Is there a preferred color?

thanks    

After a decade of using it I got mine snagged and lost it.  Unfortunately I hit something then stopped reeling, and shortly after I started reeling, well the beak was not there to shield the hooks and I couldn't set it loose.  I bought the Excalibur one with the Bill Dance sig on it with a blue green top.  It was the number one lure for me that caught the most fish, only because there wasn't as much skill to fishing it like you would with a bass jig initially.  I caught most of my bass on it, my first pike, and my first musky.

I always fished it this way:

reel slowly (I never fish this thing fast), stop shortly (w/o letting it rise), let it float a bit, let it hit ground, avoid hitting ground,

I take those and create any combination I feel like doing.  I'm not a crankbait expert, but I'd use this with any crankbait.

EDIT:  I'm not sure why it worked so well for the pros or even me, but I  thought the realistic look as opposed to the crazy color and cartoony eyes was more attractive.  That's just me.  I always prefered the natural looking texture or paintjob.

Hey Avid,

This crankbait is really productive for me.  I use it in white most often.  I have fished it in running water and calm water.  I have fished it in stained water to clearer water.  I have fished it fast and slow.  I've used pauses during cranking.  I've had a few fish hit it as soon as it touched the water.  I can't think of a wrong way to fish this guy.  I'm catching fish on it and believe me, I'm no great fisherman.

I think it works well because it runs true.  I think color has less to do with it.  

Cheers.

Fat free? Hmm, does the bass knows that? Are bass concern about their weight like us humans are?

Avid, you bought up good point lot of pros are winning with it, I saw timmy horton use it up on lake chaplain. I'm pick up a couple and use it like I use my DD22.

Throw it around ledges, off shore structures, around rocky points, etc.

They are nice because there are several different depth ranges and sizs and all seem to react relatively the same when they are in the water. I do find that when there tend to be more weeds they aren't my first choice. For me atleast, they just don't come through as easily. Sparse weeds are ok too. However, when I am around hard cover/structure they seem to work very well. Color wise I just use what ever I normally would or as close it as possible.

I have a few Fat Frees and they work fine, but so do many other brands and styles of crankbaits. I would be skeptical about these being any better or worse over the long run than other brands of a similar style. Perhaps it's true that pros are winning good money on them, but I can't dismiss the possibility that at least one of the reasons is that Pradco is more aggressive with sponsorships than some other brands.