As far as how many crank baits, if I have a hot color I like to keep at least 3 or 4 in the tackle box at all times. If I find crank baits on sale, I'll stock up on a favorite color or two, sometimes as many as 6 to 8. It does get expensive quickly, and I have a tackle box full of nothing but crank baits worth about $500.

You also asked about a sob story while fishing. I was catching crappie pretty good on a purple/chartreuse crank bait and lost on a hang up. This particular crank bait was not easy to find, and the ones I saw online were very pricey. I finally found one at Wally World and took it with me on my next fishing trip. I fished all of about 20 minutes with it, got hung up again, and lost the bait. Another time, I tied on one of my favorite crank baits and when I cast it out the line snapped and the lure sailed off into the lake. It was a suspending model, so it was gone. I checked the line, cut off a couple of feet just to be sure, tied on another crank bait just like the one I lost, and the same thing happened again. Then I checked the rod over real good and discovered one of the rod guides was chipped and had cut my line both times. Those were $7 baits too.