Everbody talks about how good these things are. I have never caught a fish on one, but i have two. I know some great spots for them, or so it seems. We catch lots of bass in the keeper range on these weedy 3-5' flats, which seems perfect for a shallow runner. Not a lot (if any) timber in my home lakes. So any suggestions where to fish these.

With out a lot of timber (exactly like my pond), what i like to do is to retrieve it along the edge of visible vegetation that is sticking out of the water or growing up to the surface.  

Jason

Anywhere you would fish  a spinnerbait, try a baby 1-.

If you haven't caught fish on them your not useing them enough. they work

I admit i havent used them all too much. Actually, hardly at all. Now i never fished those shallow weedy flats im talking about with a manns 1-. I have had success on them with tubes, t-rigged plastics, and spinnerbaits. Now do you fish these really slow so they make a wake on the surface, or just let them dive and fish it like any other crank?

Try them both ways.

see what the fish want.

I try to keep them just below the surface  ( not making a wake)

I've never used any size other than the Baby 1- and I consider it an excellent lure. I use them over shallow vegetation. One problem is that the hooks often tangle. I've been experimenting with using these with just one hook, but the results are not in yet. It works fine with pike, but I haven't hooked enough bass on the one hook yet to conclude anything.

The Baby1- is a great bait. I use them mostley in ponds. I have cought a lot of bass on the gray and white one. Just keep throwing them and you will catch some bass!!

It is a great bait.  Check out the new Elite -1, better schemes

The Mann's -1 is a great lure.  I like the Baby Bass pattern.  Works great in late spring,early summer.  I use it in shallow water around 4 feet deep close to shore.

I retrieve mine either over the tops of barely submerged weeds and have done pretty well. I also have had luck tossing it under trees that over hang the shallows in my lake and just twitching it.

Everbody talks about how good these things are. I have never caught a fish on one,

I'm in the same group

Alright, i have always been convinced that these HAVE to catch bass, and i noticed you said use them where i would use a spinnerbait. Now that is great advice that makes tons of sense. Now should i use the same colors i use on a spinnerbait, which is usually a chartruese color. Of course i know that is really up to the fish. Also, what sizes do you have the most success with?

I like them in the early morning when they wont hit a topwater bait and also around laydowns.

Alright, i have always been convinced that these HAVE to catch bass, and i noticed you said use them where i would use a spinnerbait. Now that is great advice that makes tons of sense. Now should i use the same colors i use on a spinnerbait, which is usually a chartruese color. Of course i know that is really up to the fish. Also, what sizes do you have the most success with?

Try to fish them exactly like you fish a spinnerbait. Run em' into stumps, logs, pad stems, sparse weeds, once they hit, pause a little to allow them to float up a little, continue reeling.

As far as colors, my best are shad colored, white, chartreuse, craw.

I am not a crankbait kind of guy but, the baby 1 in firetiger or shad is one of my best baits over shallow submerged grass when a buzzbait is too much noise for them.