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Old 03-08-12, 10:32 AM   #1
IAFrogger
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Default Lipless crankbait... BRANDS??

Any brands and or sizes of lipless crankbaits you guys would recommend? I know the Red-eye shad is a popular one... although seems like a number of people complain of the paint coming off the baits easily.... any other brands a guy should seriously consider?
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Old 03-08-12, 11:03 AM   #2
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I have a feeling that the paint comes off them from being destroyed by fish (well mine anyway).... just sayin'.
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Old 03-08-12, 11:03 AM   #3
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I kinda like when paint comes off a crankbait. They always seem to work better that way.

I like most of the lipless bait's I've used. Red Eye shads are nice, although I probably use the old standard Rat L Trap more than anything. 1/4 and 1/2oz mostly.
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Old 03-08-12, 11:30 AM   #4
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I think the paint comes off alot of them due to alot of times if your waters have rocky or at least weedless bottoms alot of folks literal drag them across the bottoms or at least just above. I do anyways, especially in the spring before weeds get a good start.
I use Rapalas and Spro but have at least a dozen other brands. The first are my go to
brands. And that really has to do with colors then anything else. I do alot of the sweeping technique which similiar to yo-yoing, you actually make alot of bottom contact.
Some fall slower, some say they go through weed better, some say they have a better rattle or tighter wobble or vibration but I think this is one category of lures that most makes are very very similar in action, fall or whatever marketing pitch they are using to make 'US' think ones worth spending more for. This is certainly only my opinion.
Yesterday I was fishing a Rapala and a Spro on two seperate rods specifically to help me tell if there is a dfference. There didn't seem to be but I 'thought' I could feel a different feel while retrieving, Spro seeming to have more vibration. Will try more testing now that I'm thinking of becoming a lipless crank TROUT fisherman.
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Old 03-08-12, 11:45 AM   #5
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I have a mix of brands and sizes in my lipless box and they're all good, but I prefer the Xcaliber's. Regarding the original rattletrap, I suggest upgrading the hooks.
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Old 03-08-12, 11:58 AM   #6
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I fish lipless cranks some, not allot but in the spring and fall, I tend to fish them more than the rest of the year. I have several brands, but have stopped buying anything but the Red Eye Shad. They do something that 90% of the other lipless cranks that I have fished don't. It is a subtle but important feature that makes a real difference in my mind. Next time your fishing and find some nice clear water that you can see down into several feet, try letting a Red Eye Shad fall on a slack line and watch what it does, try the same with a few others and you may be suprised.
Like many others I wish the finish on the R.E.S. was better, but when they are catching fish it is hard to complain.
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Old 03-08-12, 11:58 AM   #7
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I use the 1/2oz Red Eye Shad and the XCalibur XR50 the most. I also use the Lucky Craft LVR D7 some, as well as the H20 Lipless baits. I usually use baits in the 1/2-5/8oz range but will downsize to 1/4-3/8oz when fishing shallow water. If I could only fish one lipless bait, it would be the XCalibur XR series. They have baits ranging from 1/4-1oz, great finishes, decent hooks and come with rattles or a 1 knocker configuration.
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Old 03-08-12, 01:09 PM   #8
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Lucky Craft
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Old 03-08-12, 02:22 PM   #9
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I have tried a lot of different brands of lipless crankbaits, but for some reason I just catch more fish on Rat L Traps. I always change the hooks to KVD Triple Grips.
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Old 03-08-12, 02:57 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T7HeadTurner View Post
Lucky Craft
Come on, you can do better than this. Give us some reasons why LC stands out above the rest of the crowd. Hooks, action, finish, give us the good stuff. Otherwise it just comes off like your brand loyal.
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Old 03-08-12, 03:43 PM   #11
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Lucky Craft - I've used the brand several years. What I like: colors, action, consistancy of product and hooks. What I don't like: price, therefore hanging them up and loosing them. What I've learned: sometimes they produce when other brands do not, other times they are no better than a bait 1/3 their price. Lucky Craft almost always run perfect out of the box, I like that also.

In the brand I've use the lipless, shallow to mid-range cranks, the RC Wake Bait (great bait) and the Staysee.
As for each tiype I have experience with -

Lipless: I don't think they produce better than any other lipless on any given day. I probably have bought my last one. Better values do exist.

Cranks: The shallow to medium divers (particularly the discontinued Rick Clunn's) I like and throw often. Colors are good and hold up fairly well, hooks are top notch, they run great. I don't throw deep divers very often, so I haven't thrown money into them.

RC Wake Bait - I really like this lure. Smallies crush it when they're feeding on top. Pike eat it as well as the largemouth. As with the cranks, the good points are the same, and I prefer the larger 2.5" and 3" models over the small ones, they create more surface disturbance. Sadly it has been discontinued (at least in the RC line)

Staysee - A cross between a jerkbait and crank. They suspend well, and all the good things apply to this bait as the others. If I find a stick up, I'll throw this bait. Probably the one LC lure I haven't found a comparable lure I like nearly as much.

Those are the Lucky Craft baits I use, there are several others that I do not use. Either I don't fish the style for which they are intended or I think another brand is a better value. Are they worth the money? For the ones I use I think so, or I wouldn't buy them. As I said, the lipless have lost favor with me, I don't think they perform better than less expensive brands so I don't think I'll buy more. The cranks I use, that's more difficult as I like them and will continue buying them but there are others, again less expensive, that produce as well on any given day. So that one is marginal as to their being worth the extra expense but I still give the nod to yes. The wake baits and Staysee, definitely worth the expense to me. I bought a dozen of the RC wake baits when they were being discontinued, I like them so I stocked up. The Staysee is one of my favorite LC lures because I haven't found a similiar brand that compares. It's a go to bait around isolated stick ups, so it's a must have on my boat.

Last edited by bassboogieman; 03-08-12 at 03:57 PM.
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Old 03-08-12, 03:51 PM   #12
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This last fall I was throwing a Lucky Craft LVR D-7, my dad was fishing his old stand by the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap, and the Bill Lewis totally out fished the Lucky Craft. He caught 5 to my 1 and I switched out. He was using Blue/chrome, I was using American Shad, so don't think color was an issue. I did start to pick up more fish when I switched. I do think the Rat-L-Trap was louder, and that might of made a difference. Maybe I should pick up some of the LV which I think are suppose to be louder than the LVR, but I probably will just stick to the cheaper Rat-L-Trap, although I may need to pick up some of the red eye shad and give them a try, since they are priced pretty good and come recommended by many.
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Old 03-08-12, 07:05 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tavery5 View Post
Come on, you can do better than this. Give us some reasons why LC stands out above the rest of the crowd. Hooks, action, finish, give us the good stuff. Otherwise it just comes off like your brand loyal.
What this guy said.....
Also The paint hold really well.
"Lucky Craft - I've used the brand several years. What I like: colors, action, consistancy of product and hooks. What I don't like: price, therefore hanging them up and loosing them. What I've learned: sometimes they produce when other brands do not, other times they are no better than a bait 1/3 their price. Lucky Craft almost always run perfect out of the box, I like that also."

Spro makes a nice one aswell but they do chip.
I have caught many fish on the old Chrome Sexy Shad aswell, always have that in the box.
(You pay for what you get)
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Old 03-08-12, 07:18 PM   #14
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I still love Bill Lewis Rattletraps and have literally about 100 of them. I have the Xcalipers and Red Eye Shads and even a few Jackal TN series, but my go to especially on guntersville and the Texas lakes for this time of year is the Rattletrap in Red Shad. I have some that catch fish year after year, and I seldom change hooks, instead I throw mine on braid. Hookups? Not a problem!
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Old 03-09-12, 09:35 PM   #15
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Luhr Jensen Sugar Shad
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Old 03-09-12, 09:37 PM   #16
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Quote:
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Luhr Jensen Sugar Shad
Dave, I have never fished one, can you help me understand what makes it a good bait.
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Old 03-09-12, 10:44 PM   #17
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Hows this?


http://landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=503

I've never used them but after reading this, if only a 1/4 of it is true, it should make for a good try anyway.
Biggest question I have is why aren't they made any more if they were so successfull. Think it was stopped in like 1996 or something. Still can buy them on E-bay for like $4.
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Old 03-10-12, 07:43 AM   #18
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I love to fish them!!!! My favorite is the Strike King Red Eyed Shad... correct the paint is cheap it will come off when baits are riding in your tackle box from tthe hooks rubbing... however they catch fish...I have caught 6 fish over 5#s this spring so far and 4 of them
have come off this bait... I have other brands as well... xcaliberetc.. I caught a nice 3.5 on the crawdad colored xcal.xr75 or something like that??
I have some Bill Lewis ones and throw them once in a while... I used to throw a cordell hot spot w/ good success.. I do not have any of the high $$$ lucky craft,strike ones...I'm sure they work
My son wore me out on the red eyed shad last summer he caught over 20 on it burning it over grass beds.... I used a bass pro version with similar color and the same reel line and rod and never got a bite.
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Old 03-10-12, 09:34 AM   #19
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I like the KVD Strike King RedEye Shad as well as the Cotton Cordell Super Spots. I don't have a problem with the paint peeling since most of the bottoms I fish are fairly sandy and soft.
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Old 03-10-12, 10:21 AM   #20
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I have a variety of different ones. Rat L traps are usually used first but have had days when other produced better. Also, had bite to stop only to restart when I changed brands.
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Old 03-10-12, 06:02 PM   #21
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I've outfished a Red Eye with a Yo-zuri Hardcore Drum on the river but the Red Eye seems to work better on our local lake. I do like the LC baits too but are very expensive and traps do hang up easily. I've lost a couple high $ baits in one day and it hurts the wallet.

I've thrown the Sugar shad and hung them up very quickly. But I can get them for cheap if anyone likes them and would like some. They have a very unique shape to them and don't have flat sides like RTTraps.

For the money Red Eyes would be my first choice in the category. The Cotton Cordell firetiger would be second choice. RTTrap my third if I wanted a custom color since they still take cuatom orders....if you know who to ask.
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Old 03-10-12, 07:32 PM   #22
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All of them!

While most appear basically the same, they don't all act the same in the water.

For example a Strike King Red-eye Shad has a nose down sink, a seems to almost "swims" towards the bottom. And a Bills Lewis Rattle Trap has more of a side ways fall. KVD will tell you the Red Eye Shad is better, but it's just marketing. Sometime the fish might want one action or fall over the other.

They all have different rattles too, and they my want a different pitch and loudness on any given day. For example, the Cotton Cordell has a very loud, high pitchh rattle, and an Xcalibur lipless crank has a quitter lower pitch rattle.

Buy a few different ones try em to see when they each work best. You can also throw two different baits in sequence. When they stop hitting one brand, throw out another and see if that starts producing. Often times a very subtle change is better then an extreme change.

Hope this helps!
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Old 03-10-12, 10:05 PM   #23
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I dont care if its an 18 dollar craft lucky or a 2 dollar walley world trap,have some 18 dollar ones that wont and some a few bucks that will,and vice versa.
So dont matter so long as its one the ones that will catch fish.
Oh yeah a bubblegum pink one in the pads and under the bridges.
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Old 03-11-12, 04:51 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lilmule View Post
I dont care if its an 18 dollar craft lucky or a 2 dollar walley world trap,have some 18 dollar ones that wont and some a few bucks that will,and vice versa.
So dont matter so long as its one the ones that will catch fish.
Oh yeah a bubblegum pink one in the pads and under the bridges.
This is right on, IMO.
Although I'm still working on the pink angle.
I suggest start cheap and move up after you get a better feel about which and why works in your area. I'm feeling your just kind of feeling the waters for maybe new 'monkey try outs'
Boy do I know that feeling!
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Old 03-11-12, 11:15 AM   #25
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I really havn't noticed any one brand out producing another. I've had equal success with Strike King Red Eye Shads, Yo-zrui, Xcaliber, ect. I've only been using these baits for the past couple years with any success. I threw them for many years without catching a darn thing on them. Suddenly, last year I started catching fish with them. Why I didn't before I have no idea. But they produce for me know. The 1/2 oz. size is my primary choice although I am going to start working the larger 3/4 oz baits and see how they go.
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