Survey of favorite crankbait

[ScottL]

Okay cabin fever has set in, I was "trolling" the crankbait section at a Mills Fleet Farm yesterday, doing the normal looking for new colors and searching for spares of my favorite models, and I came up with this question for the board. What is your most productive crankbait, it's size and color? Mine would be Rapala's shallow shad rap #5 fire tiger(old color scheme)

Thanks in advance for participating in this survey.

Time to start planning,
the Minnesota opener is less than 60 days away.

Scott Lee

[perchjerker]

Everybody talks about Reef Runners, Raps, Wally Divers, Hot n Tots, all great ones.

Years ago, I used to just slam them on a Magnet. It looked like a backward crayfish with a big lip. The last few years they dont seem to work that good. Maybe the fish wized up? MAybe it has something to do with the clearer water in Erie these days. Could never figure it out.

[tshot]

Different conditions require a variety baits, so there is no "best" one. If, however, I was required to have only one bait in the boat I would opt for the deep diving Reef Runner in perch.

[SUPERTROLLER]

1/4 oz. Hot-n-Tot in Metallic Green w/black specks. Firetiger a close 2nd.

[Gilligan]

Renosky.. 5" shallow runners, that may change when I get ahold of some of the deep divers and glows
1 Wonderbread
2 Emerald Shiner
3 Rainbow
4 Purple/Pink
5 Perch

Can't go with just 1 color :)

[Amdahl]

Just as a follow up....I have tried hot-n-tots all over central MN. Zero luck whatsoever. It's gotta be me because everyone else seems to have success. Suggestions with hot-n-tots in natural lakes? Anyone? Please?

Amdahl

[whitetips]

They call it sunfish
in 1/4 oz . To me its small natural perch. leadcore them on steep breaks.

[jimbo2]

I hvae to say that there are 3 baits tied for first in my book.
1.OLD storm deep thunderstick in rainbow or green, 2. OLD Storm Hot-n-tot in anything,
3. Rebel crayfish, deep or shallow, natural colors.
As you can see, I'm really stuck on the OLD Storm lures. The new ones are transforming in to Rapala look alikes.

[Lund AnglerMJ]

On these Pa. lake's and river's,the bait I can't leave the dock without is Rapala's. Period. They catch it all,either Shad Rap's or the rod is waiting for the next spot.Wally Diver's are a close second,but someone tell me,What's up with Thunder Crank's? I heard they were a good bait,so I'm loading up on them.

[cno]

Had great luck with thundercranks last summer and fall, the deep diving model, in bone and perch.

[FJH1]

Original Storm Baby Thunderstick XJ139 and #7 Shad Rap in original chartreuse color. My all time favorites.

Best Regards,

FJH

[CarpetBagger]

Power Dive Minnow or Deep Jr. Thunderstick

CB

[instigator]

Reef runner deep lil ripper and jr.thundersticks so many colors have worked for me jus cant narrow it down..Fish on.....Instiagtor#735

[RICH]

GILLIGAN I NEED SOME HELP WHAT IN NATURE SWIMS AND GLOWS LIKE THESE LURES YOUR WAITING FOR NOT A THING. GARY GRAY GOT ALL U GUYS HOOKED, REMEMBER THESE LURES ARE MADE TO CATCH FISHERMAN FIRST THEN MAY A FISH,STICK WITH WHAT U HAVE THEY WORK.

[Chad]

#7 Firetiger Shad Rap RS.

These babies are hot!

[marcbodi]

Hi,
Bomber 24a (blue&silver)
!/4 oz Hot n Tot (perch)
Rattle Tot ( firetiger)
Bomber 8a
Reefrunners
Most of my fishing is done in the Western Basin in the Central my #1 would be reefruners.

[snappin]

aj in gold glitter and hot-n-tot gold with black back!!!! gold is my favorite color!!!!! can't you tell????

[Gilligan]

SO EXACTLY what has your goat that you need to shout???

"I have never seen one lure dominate a water as the Renosky" was what Mike McClelland said of this lure.

Tell me what does the wonderbread pattern in the Renosky look like or imitate? NOTHING. Dirty Jonny Charters put Sluggo and myself onto this pattern, he has lures that look like they are 20 years old after a half of a season with 2/3's of the paint gone. Go check ANY charter on Erie east basin and see what hangs on the end of the rods, what keeps customers happy and puts their fish in the box.

Did I EVER say that the glow was my favorite???? No. I said the proven shallow runner is but I would be trying the others.

If you have a vision problem that you need your caps locked then qualify that in your post otherwise I ASSUME you are shouting. Nothing like someone with no email and registered name showing up to bash.

[BlackSilver]

"Mystic Walleye Diver" 4" size in gold for some water, and in "shad" for some other water.

SET the hook!!!

Hans/MN

[Youngeye]

Shallow 5 shad rap with BANDIT crankbaits a close second.

[rich]

gilligan no goat. i been using these lures for about 3 yrs, and yes out of dunkirk n. y. way before these pros even heard of these lures. you missed my point theres nothing that glows down there, i hope they work ill need it for nite fishing on chautaqua in may. see you down there i believe rich.

[haugboss]

hot-n-tot yellow belly orange back
walmart ran all their old style for $1.50
of course they were all gone when i got there
as usual i should have been there yesterday

[TK_551]

#5 Wally Divers in Black/Gold.
#5 Shad Raps in Black/Gold which I don't think they're making anymore.

Tom
#551

[Spongebob]

#8 chartruse shad rap(deep diver-old style) Anyone with extras????? I might even trade for purple prism t-sticks that I have hidden in my secret box. good luck!!
Sponge

[WAeyes]

I like the shallow ones.

If it had to be just one, I would say a #12 silver/black Husky Jerk. Just catches more fish most of the time for me.

[Gilligan]

Rich..Don't think I missed your point. No there is nothing down there that glows(unless it's one of those bottom feeding slimy lakers) but there isn't a bait fish down there with rattles in them either but they work in the lures. Nothing looks like the wonderbread colored Renosky but the eyes eat them. You mention Chautauqua.. I havent seen anything in the water that resembles those odd colored got-chas that we catch tons of walleye on when the fish are piled in at Mission Meadows and Long Point.

I don't know with the clear waters of the east basin of Erie whether my lure of choice would ever be a glow, but in stained or discolored water I expect they will do fine.

[woodsdweller]

I did real well last summer on #8 shad raps, metallic gold w/black back. Got em in the ristorap discount bin at BPS for $1.99. Wish I'd bought more. It was my hottest shad rap!!

[gpbrown]

I'd have to say Wiggle-Warts, fire tiger and chrome green. A close second would be clown colored husky jerk.

[Gary Gray]

Rich:

First of all, I did not try to get anyone hooked, you guy's from Erie, got me hooked. I haven't even got to try the New Glow's yet! I did use the Blue/Glow and the perch last Year at Dunkirk,NY. Those were my 2 baits of choice when I was there. Gilligan, actually got me hooked on them, before I got to Dunkirk. Gilligan told me 2 months before I got there, that I needed to pick up these lures, and that he would pick them up for me, and make sure I had the right color's. The new FireGlows, are so bright, and glow for over 2 hrs, that they just give the fish a better opportunity to see them. If you have ever fished salmon, you will understand, the early morning bite, that happened with the old glow "J" plugs. If you didn't have them, you weren't catching fish. There are so many different lures out there, sometimes, something different is the key, and this just might be it.

The thing I did encourage, was the deep divers, I designed it, and believe they will work. Renosky lures only had shallow divers, which worked great, but deep divers have a different wobble to them. Again, it's something different.

If it wasn't for different types of lures, we would all be running the same, and what fun would that be. I guess then, I would only need 2-3 hundred, instead of having 15-16 thousand crankbaits, which most are Thundersticks(old style). Someday, I will just put them all on Ebay, and retire! LOL.

Hope this clears this up,
Gary Gray

[Atomic Eye]

1/4 oz gold, metallic-perch, Wally Diver.

Helloooo, how do you contact an eye? Drop him a line.

Atomic Eye (New Mexico) -- "Gone Fission!" ~~~<}}}:>

[daren thorsell]

number 7 shadrap in perch.

[walieyewill]

Early when water is still cool thunder stick deep jr. then reef runners deep lil rippers, when water is warm old hot n tots in about 25 colors all day long gets me limits.

[Dman142]

Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue--Perch color scheme. Both the 3.5 inch and 5 inch work excellent for all species.

[iamwalleye1]

#9 shad rap in perch!

[canadian boy]

here in canada my buddy and i have boated lots of 9to14pound eyes on#12 rapala husky jerk in perch or shad color

[Ross]

Are the Shad Raps you guys use the regular raps with the big lip or the shallow one with the funny looking lip. Fairly new to casting, and trolling for eyes. Have mainly drifted with jigs. Thanks

[Eyez]

Generally by shad rap, most people mean the standard deep runner, the one with the stepped lip is called a shallow shad rap.


Eyez

[rabble rouser]

My favorite crankbait would have to be a "rabble rouser" in the color"bone" or "bubble gum".