Crankbait trolling

[SpeckWick]

Have any of you guys and gals ever used the Cabelas brand crankbaits for trolling crappie? I was on their site looking around and saw the Fishermen series Rad Shad that look a bit like the Grappler Shad that I have used with some sucess. They are about a dollar cheaper each, which really would make it hurt a little less than losing a $4.50 Bandit every time I snag up. If not, any suggestions on what works best besides Bandits and G.Shads?

[notime]

I really like the Jointed Grappler Shads and also the solid ones, I think any of the shad baits will catch crappie as long as it is at the right depth.

[possum1]

My favorite is the Norman series, I use the middle n mostly but that is because the depth is right for my fishing area. All the Norman lures work well, also rebel,Cotton Cordell, even shad raps work well. With the price of gas getting so high I am trolling cranks less and less, but they will catch a lot of fish and some of the biggest crappie you ever caught. possum1

[J White]

Sometimes I find some Rebel Deep Wee R's cheap at Wally World -
they're good.

[SteveJ]

I have and use these with good luck. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...gger&noImage=0 Plus WM in Meridian has a lot of Bandits on sale for $2 on the end caps, they are NOT the 200 and 300 series tho, some other types and I have not used them. I like the Grave Diggers. Jeff, have you started to pull Bandits yet?

[J White]

No Sir, but I've got 'em rigged up and ready - the way they've been
hammering fast-pulled jigs lately, I'm getting anxious to try :D

[Kansasoutdoorsman]

I love Cotton Cordell divers that run 7 to 12 feet deep. We tie a three way swivel on and use a crank bait and a jig. I use a 3 foot leader on the bottom with the crank to get down to desired dept so you don't have to let as much line out (20 to 25 yds) and then a 2 foot leader on the top with a jig or spinner of some type. In-line spinners are perfect for this. Although some days it's hard to keep your bait in the water. We find in produces a lot better quality of fish.

[prchjerker]

In my honest opinion as long as it resembles a bait fish and you put it infront of a feeding fish at the RIGHT depth they'll hit it.I personally think running at the right depth is the most critical part in pulling cranks.I know this concept is new to the crappie world, but us diehard walleye guys have been using cranks for years and depth is always key.With that point said if it looks like a shad they'll hit it.Ive even caught crappie on #9 shad raps (thats a bug bait).Color will vary from day to day, but my go to is a Glass Shad Rap followed by a jointed shad rap.Those just happen to be my confidence bait.PJ

[SpeckWick]

Thanks everybody. Hey SteveJ, do the Gravediggers have about the same action as bandits. They look somewhat similar, but at a much better price. How deep does the deep run? Medium? Gonna have to try them. Then maybe I can buy the gas to pull them with the money I save.

[SteveJ]

Seem pretty close to the Bandits, maybe a little shallower. Take a little more tuning tho, plus the color selection is not as great.