If you could only use 3 crankbaits to fish with for the entire year?

Question

No soft plastics, jigs, spinners, buzzers.....only hard plastics, what would you choose and why?

George, Bandit has you hooked! Nice choices.

Adam, just one? You have lots of confidence in that Yo-Zuri. There would definetly be a Yo-Zuri in my choice as well but a topwater model.

OKAY you guys are all off the hook! Fortunately we live in a free society and NO ONE is going to tell us that we can only use three different baits. Ima gonna fish my rubba wums instead! You all have great answers so I can't choose what's best...and yes Pheasant Tail this is payback! but a Flatfish???!!!!??? I haven't seen anyone use those since back in the 60's! Hey, whatever works!

Fine fishin' friends!

Answer 1

Bandit Lures,mfg in the 100 series for shallow water use,in the 200 series for medium depths and the 300 for the rest of the water.Choose white with chartruse belly...These are consitant fish producing lures.....George

Answer 2

I'm way out of my league here.................crank baits don't work to well with a fly rod, but here's what I always take when fishing for Smallies and Walleye:

Rapala original floating in blue/silver
Rebel Crayfish
Original fllatfish w/ red head/white body

I've had very good sucess in the Susquehanna River w/ the rebel crayfish on smallmouth, both smallies and walleye
are seduced by a slow trolled flatfish and lake fishing @ night throwing that Rapala toward shore from a boat has caught
a lot of bass and walleye for me.

A little payback for the 3 flies question ?? LOL excellent question

Yakima Bait Company makes the original flatfish nowadays, but I still have some originals left - truly a classic lure

Answer 3

Bomber Fat A
Bandit Fat Maxx Crank
Nitro Deep Crank

I love everything about crankbaits. Crankbaits are probably the easies deep running lure that I have ever fished with also, besides a jig. To where I can get down there and bump off of this and that and get down in the big boys terriorty, weather they bite or not is a different story, lol. But overall, a crankbait is probably my 2nd or 3rd favorite lure. Topwater lures are my favorite, I love watching a bass come up out of the water or just sucking down the lure.

Answer 4

I bought a fish for our four year old and I am the only one in the house that will clean the tank (this was 3 years ago). It's a relatively easy pet and cheap if you don't mind being the sole caretaker. Goldfish are AWFUL and very dirty (lots of poop, pee and ammonia from the pee) so stay away. Get a beta, they are the easiest. We have 1 algae eater now and he is really easy, too. The guppies died in a week. Stick to a 1 or 2 gallon tank. A 10 gallon is way too big.

Answer 5

Spro brand crank bait, runs to 8' deep in white and great little lure you can catch Black Bass to Hybrid Bass on.

Lucky Craft Rick Clunn Special in splatter back white, runs down to 4' and can easily change the depth it runs by line size, great wide wobble.
Very similar to there LC FAT CB - 115

Lucky Crafts LC FAT CB - 117 in chartreuse shad, dives to 12' any deeper than that and I get the jig or C rig out.

Hmm now I do not have room for a rattle trap type bait, oh well to late in the year for them around here any way.

Bandit used to make a good lure, until the operation was moved over seas, now your lucky if you get one that is worth a dam out of the box with out having to spend time tuning them, just my experience with them, but I do have a whole box of the old ones, I still use. Lose it and I do not replace it, with another Bandit.

I like Spro, Lucky Craft, Reaction Innovations, Norman, and last but not lest Rapala when I am fishing clear water lakes.

Answer 6

Lord have mercy Goldenfeather them dang Lucky Craft Lures are like 20 bucks a pop! (lol)
Them Bass your catching have expensive taste! It's like casting Filet Mignon on a hook ! ('teasin ya!).

1. Rapala "Shad Rap" in "Holo Shiner"

2. Yozuri suspending "Crystal Minnow" in "Tennessee Shad"

3. Cotton Cordell "C.C. Shad" in "Silver Shiner"

WHY?

1.Shad Rap's cover the 1-3 Ft water column well.

2. Suspending Crystal Minnows are excellent "Search Bait's" and they have a wider "wobble" than a Rapala.

3.Cotton Cordell "C.C. Shad's" have a depth reach of 8-10 FT on 8-10 LB mono, excellent action, and BOY! Are they loud!

(I have never been one of those guys who cranks deeper than 10-15 FT. If the Bass are that deep I'm gonna "swim a jig" or deep worm.)

(Ingun, I agree with your Manns 1- theory! I thought seriously about putting the 1-, but I don't live near saltwater anymore! lol)

Answer 7

White 1/4oz Rat-L-Trap (can be worked at all depths, and has a very enticing ratling sound when worked right), green Rapala X-10 X-rap (has a very realistic look, and very nice action at a medium depth) , and a Heddon swayback spook for topwater action, (way easier to use than the regular sooper spook and it still has that wonderful fish catching action)

Answer 8

Rapala original floater in firetiger!
Rat l trap blue/chrome!
Manns Minus 1 in firetiger!

#1- I can use this lure many ways casted,trolled,weighted for neutral!
#2- These lures do it all in fresh and saltwater!
#3- I can use it as a topwater bait slow moving lure or even weighted to rip tops of weeds with and a dang good trout and reds bait too!

Answer 9

I think i would just use 1. The Yo-Zuri crystal minnow-blue/silver. I have landed all kinds of fish on it. From Bass to Snook and everything in between.

Answer 10

i have this one crankbait that i dont know the name of, it has no brand name or anything, but its like a shad colored crankbait with crawfish markings, and i do good on it.

i also like my Rapala DT Sure Set Flat Series in the Olive Shiner pattern.

lastly id use my shad colored Rat L Trap.