Wood Crankbaits

[Jrob78]

I've recently started buying some wooden crankbaits. I've got some that are made of cedar and some that are balsa.

I know that Rapala has been making balsa baits for years, I have a bunch of the DT series as well as a few DT Flats and Fats. I recently purchased 2 Zoom WEC balsa baits also. I understand that Bagley has started producing their original line of balsa baits and Bomber offers the Model B balsa crankbait.

There are also companies making cedar baits. I have 2 Cedar baits from a company called Stanford, they are beautiful, handmade baits that have foil finishes and are tank tested and tuned by the maker. Poes also makes Cedar baits. I have been scoring some Poes cedar baits on Ebay.

There are also newer companies like AR Lures, Brians Crankbaits, CP Custom Baits, Stanford Lures and many others who are making top quality wooden crankbaits and top water baits. I was wondering how many of you guys fish wooden crankbaits over plastic baits and what are some of the specific baits you like? When would you fish a wooden bait over a plastic bait? Are there specific times or situations where you feel wood out performs plastic? Are there specific times or situations where you feel cedar out performs balsa or vice versa? I plan to fish these baits more this season to try to answer some of these questions for myself but am interested in your opinions.

Here are a few of the baits I've picked up recently. Some Poes, 1 of the Zoom baits and the 2 Stanford Lures baits.

[Bassboss]

It is to my understanding that wood baits are better in cooler water, and when the bass are less aggressive. And plastic is better suited for warmer water, when bass are more aggressive. Let us know what you find though, I'm interested to see how one benefiting over the other.

[kennethdaysale]

Opinions and personal experience only, but since you asked. I have never been convinced that rattles help much and might even hurt. Until recently most silent cranks were wood. Of the 75-100 cranks I own, all but 10-15 are wood.

Balsa baits give me the feeling that I'm finesse fishing even if I'm burning an SR9. Balsa baits tend to catch the wind and will roll over and throw a hook over the line, so I prefer to throw them on spinning gear if it's windy. Hardwood baits cast well and a mile.

I have no proof of this but I believe that wood baits, especially cedar give off a more natural and appealing sound profile than plastic. I am convinced that a Poe's bait hitting a stump or a rock will trigger a fish better than a Bomber.

Wooden baits have more personality than a plastic bait ever could. Wooden baits are only as good as the wood that individual plug is made of and the results are inconsistant. You may buy 5 wood baits and only 2 will have that magic wiggle. You buy 5 plastic baits and they will all wiggle the same but not a magic one in the bunch.

Finally there's pride of ownership. I have a handful (read box full) of old Poes and Bagleys etc that I intend to will to my children/grandchildren. I can't imagine leaving a plastic inheritance of anything to anybody.

[Tavery5]

Those are some nice baits Joe. I have been collecting some of the old Poes Cedar baits as well, I have found a few at yard sales and every once in a while there will be one on Ebay that no one bids on.

Here is a pic of a few that I have been able to find.

[Jrob78]

Those are cool Tony! The ones I have I got real cheap on Ebay. I will probably use mine some but I do plan to get more. I just think they are cool.

Ken, I totally agree with you. I get excited about new baits anyway but the Zooms and the Stanford baits really felt special. The fact that they were expensive was part of it but there is something cool about a bait that someone took the time to make by hand and pay individual attention in to. I haven't fished any of these baits yet but I definitely intend to.

[crazyju]

Im a little biased because i have been making my own cedar cranks for almost 10 years, but you do get a different action. I also agree that they make a bigger difference in cooler water.

[matt3mckee]

You mentioned CP Baits. Craig is helping me with the store and is an awesome guy and makes a great bait, can flat out paint any plug anything you want too. But we had really good success this winter on CP's flat side. I do like to use them in the shallower water over plastic. I do throw them on spinning equipment for the wind reasons that someone before had mentioned. Once you get to a certain depth though " 10 or 11 ft" balsa baits don't seem to produce as well but up to that depth I love using my CP's

[bamabassman]

crazy ju............how much for one of those EXACT cranks oyu got pictured? i busted mine last year at wheeler (the next week on weiss after wheeler). the bill busted on it. it was that EXACT SAME PATTERN AND COLOR.

[AUFred]

I thoroughly enjoy using Balsa B baits.

[basstech]

I've been throwing crank baits for 44 years. I love wooden cranks with no rattles, balsa, cedar, jellutoung, basswood, and also love my plastic cranks. There are times that one outperforms the other just as there are times rattles will spook the fish and then times that the rattles are a big contributing factor for the fish hitting the bait. I personally don't believe that a generally statement can be made that one material is better than another. Rather it would be more like in this situation these are the properties that is most likely to get a bass to hit, and this particular material and design will have those particular properties needed to trigger a strike. Sometimes hunting is a great property to have in a crank, but not always, and some plastic baits do hunt as well as any wooden bait I've owned, but they are just as hard to find and that still is not something that can be intentionally brought out. No manufacturer has ever figured out the reason why one bait will hunt and the next 50 seemingly identical baits (if not 100) won't. Anyway my point is don't get yourself caught up in limiting beliefs when there is more than enough evidence to support the notion that plastic cranks are just as productive as wooden ones. Just enjoy each tool for what it is, learn it's properties and what conditions it will be most effective at producing results. BTW-when it comes to Poe's, If someone is charging more than a couple of bucks for it, then don't buy, they are near the bottom of the list for "quality", at least the one's made through the nineties, and believe me, your not getting the same product that David Fritz was getting when you purchase one, unless it was personally owned by him.

[Bubba_Bruiser]

Those are some nice looking cranks. I wish ebay had a customer appreciation discount.

[rippinlips2win]

First, let me qualify my statements by saying that I am an AVID wooden/handmade crankbait user that has been doing so for many years. I have modified, abused, reconstructed, custom painted many of them over the years. The most common baits are Balsa, basswood, and cedar.

There is very few times on the water when a plastic crankbait will outperform a wooden crankbait, period. Fish do not need rattles to hear a crankbait coming through the water, the vibration is much more realistic than a loud ticking sound flying by. Now that I have said that, the three most common types of wooden crankbaits all have certain attributes that set them apart. Let’s start with Balsa...it is a soft material that floats high and backs up quickly when stopped. It has to be weighted more than the others to maintain the correct attitude in the water. If you get a crack in the finish they will quickly absorb water, but they do have a good action that is very productive. They run true if tuned and weighted correctly, but they can get out of tune quickly as well if you hit anything with them. Basswood is another that floats high and is a little soft. It has many of the characteristics of Balsa, most people cannot even tell the difference between the two. Cedar baits are in a class by themselves, they are harder wood, more dense, and have more of their own personality. Being more dense they do not back up as quickly, and portray a more natural presentation as they move off of a stump or any other cover. A well tuned one like a Stanford Cedar crankbait (perfectly tuned before packaged) has a great "hunting" action because of the density of the wood and how they are weighted. (You can email me if you want to know what "hunting" action is) This same density creates a more natural and tighter movement in the water, giving the bass a more natural sound as the bait approaches. In my opinion Cedar out performs every other crankbait on the market most of the time due to these special attributes. Also, I prefer Stanford for my Cedar baits, they have the process down to a science and you can see it in your hand when holding one and in the livewell when you are using one.

On a side note, The topwater Turbo Shad that Stanford makes sits perfectly in the water and once again it is due to the Cedar that they use.

Sorry for the long post, it had to be said!

[bamabassman]

thanks rippin, good infomation there bud.

[rippinlips2win]

Bama, you are near Weiss, right? You need to try the Medium Razor Shad up the river...they love it up there!

[bamabassman]

thanks rippin....and yes i am right by weiss. lol. the dead sea as i call it. everyone tells me to go up river...but i launch at leeesburg. i PLAN on going up river some as soon as i can though.

[rippinlips2win]

If you teach me that end of the lake I will take you up river...deal?

[bamabassman]

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....teach you the "dead sea" end of the lake.....BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. rippin....have oyu not read aobut me buddy?


sorry...i can't type for laughing so hard......



ok,ok...settle down john (me).


rippin, i put in at leesburg launch. then i go towards the dam. there are lots of rock on the dam. BUT if there is a bass there, he is so wedged in i couldn't get him out with a jar of nitro. there is a couple of spots i go to and SOMETIMES (mostly when lisa is with me) catch a few DINKS. yes i am SERIOUS! dinks man. then i load up the boat, talk to some fellers as they are loading up. ask how did they do....then i CRY, BAWL LIKE A LITTLE KID. they catch some 3-4-5 pounders. but won't tell me a dang THING on how.

i have a buddy, CHRIS YOUNGBLOOD, who won't EVEN go south of the channel. and he only goes there IF they are pulling water. never makes it past the first dam. and again, ONLY IF THEY ARE PULLING WATER. shaky head on the point. load the boat with DINKS.

i ain't given up. lisa has caught a 3 pounder above the highway bridge. ZOOKER did too on his next to last fishing trip. but me.....agian i have to stop typing cause i am laughing. i try rippin...but i am about to give up. save my gas money for guntersville. not that it does me any more good there this year, but i feel better about myself. lol!!

pm me and i will send oyu my cell number.

[Stooks]

Just to add something to what Rippin said because I agree with what he said in his post I feel he left something out. He left out casting distance. The wood density of balsa and basswood make them very light and hard to throw. Cedar being denser flies much better especially when trying to fish into the wind. Stanford Lures makes the best cedar crankbaits I own.

[mike234]

I agree the Stanford and Poe cranks work better than plastic in colder water but I feel they out perform most of the other plastics also in warm water. Can't wait to try out the new Bagleys. They are balsa wood but the old ones would catch fish!

[Jrob78]

On the topic of wooden crankbaits, do you guys have any small companies you like to buy baits from? I have found several companies with baits, mostly balsa, ranging from $12 all the way to $50. I have Stanford's, Zoom's, Poe's, Bagley's, Lee Sisson's and a couple of no names. What baits do you guys like that I've probably never heard of?