....on how you like the Spro MD and 50 crankbaits I ordered me 10 of them for this upcoming year and wondering how you all liked them and fished them in any type fashion.
Why I'm at it how about the Rapala Brats crankbaits, I got me about 10 of them also.
This year I think I am going back to my roots of fishing, crankbaits and thrown in the shakyhead and of course I have to use my go to bait, the Ned Rig.
I have fished the Little John MD and caught fish on it. I fish it on Table Rock and Beaver usually on steep, rocky banks making contact with the rocks. I like it as a cool water bait, fall and pre-spawn. Of course when they are biting that bait, there are others that will work too. So many crankbaits out there. I view it as a deep diving squarebill, and it casts pretty well for a relatively small bait.
The Brat is a very good squarebill
1988 Ranger 364V
150HP Merc Black Max
I hate the Brat, but that's also because the vast majority of my fishing is around grass and they foul up way too easily in grass...it's shape of the bait in conjunction with the gap between the line tie and the bill. In my opinion, what guys who fish squarebills around rocks and wood like in a squarebill is very different than what guys who fish around grass like in a squarebill. The Megabass S-crank is another that fits that description, I think;' I tried one, hated it as it fouls up way too easy. Lots of guys love them fishing around rocks and wood, though!
I've not fished the Spro crankbaits you mention. I have thrown the regular Little John a bit and have liked it, but not enough to give a good report.
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
I generally do not care much for flat-sided crankbaits, but I do like the Spro MD a lot. I've had really good luck on the Clear Chartreuse in clearer water and the Chartreuse/Black back in stained water. It has a somewhat unique sound to it because of the tungsten weight inside. I don't know how to explain it other than to say that the weight almost feels "soft" knocking around inside the bait. It's a bit of a muted sound and for me it works well. It's also a smaller crankbait, but casts really well. I think you'll be happy with them. I do own one of the Brat crankbaits too, but haven't used it much to give a review on it. The one I got is the 3' diver and even though it's listed at 2" long, it seems really small to me.
Love the Brat, I fish it just over the top of weed beds. Set up and depth range is key with this bait. You want to be just ticking the grass every few seconds. No crankbait is designed to fish through the weeds. Unless your talking a lipless ripping it through the weeds.
While you might be right that no crankbait is "designed" to be fished through weeds, we'll have to agree to disagree about only wanting to be ticking the tops of them. Fritts blew the lid off of that one many years back.Originally Posted by bgibson
There are quite a few cranks out there that work really well for ripping through grass, and it's mind blowing how many more bites you can get when you force them to react by going in after them. Choose a bait that runs down a foot or two deeper than the tops of the weeds, and when you run into the weeds do the opposite of what you've trained yourself to do - don't pause and let it float up, instead lean into it like it's a bite. Try it with a Lucky Craft or SK 1.5 sometime, you'll be surprised how often they come back clean and how many fish you catch!
2011 Skeeter ZX225
225 Yamaha HPDI Series 2
Minn Kota Ultrex 112 52"
Console: HDS 16 Carbon
Bow: HDS 12 Carbon, Solix 12 G2, Mega 360, Garmin 106 SV, LVS 34
Me and a co-worker went fishing a couple of days ago at a private pond. He was throwing a Brat that ran 3 foot. He absolutely wore me out with it!! Lol
I can say without a doubt that the Little John is my absolute favorite “medium” crankbait. Hez introduced me to them and they catch fish every season here in Florida! They cast well, durable, run true, and flat out produce!
I don’t own another crank that’s watermelon colored and that watermelon/red flake is my go to! It is always on its rod.
They don’t run through weeds or timber well but that lure has caught so many fish for me it deserves to be retired.
2006 Triton SP-185, 2006 Evinrude Etec 90, PowerTech NRS3, Garmin Echomap Plus 73CV & 93SV
Thanks to all for the information. I have a few in the red crawfish color which should be a good color for our first tournament next week.
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