Crankbait Supplier Comparison: Bandit vs Arkie vs Pico vs Jenko

I have used 3 out of the 4 of these manufacturer crankbaits, and have caught fish on all of them, but consistently caught on 2 of the 3.
So, leaving personal feelings out of this discussion, relationships, prostaff positions, and the list goes on, let's get down to the brass tacks of why one performs better than the other. Day in and day out, which is the best performing crankbait?
Again, performance and catching fish is all that we are after. Crappie could care less who makes them!
Let the selling begin.....



Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Well which two?

I've only used bandits. They do ok. Certain colors seem to out perform others though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bandchaser,

Which two are the most consistent for you? I'm playing with Arkies and Bandits right now, got a couple of Jenkos and zero Pico's.

I want to see what other comments are brought up before I state my reasons.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

My personal feeling is its all about what the fish want. I have arkie's bandit's and some strike kings and for me it seems to be day to day on what the fish want. I have had days that I only catch fish on arkie's then other days only bandit's. Its all about what the fish want for me!

Good answer Erin....and also fish in different lakes seem to prefer some over others.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by "G"

Good answer Erin....and also fish in different lakes seem to prefer some over others.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

"G" ,
Can you back that up, or is that a nice, warm, and fuzzy answer?? Lol

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bandchaser

"G" ,
Can you back that up, or is that a nice, warm, and fuzzy answer?? Lol

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Well a good example is the week of crankfest.... I had been fishing grenada all summer cathing most of my fish on arkies, when i got to enid I only caught fish on bandits. Coulda been the lake or just the day but bandits were the only bait they wanted! And a orange bandit at that!

I fish em all, with that said I sold 98% of amy Bandits last week and do not regret it. I have and use Arkie's, Pico's and Jenko's. I start off with a mix of Arkie's and Pico's and if need be I throw in some Jenko's. Arkie's the most simply because of color selection but as Erin said at Enid during CrankFest there were a couple days that I could only catch them on Jenko's, did not try Bandits.

i agree its all about what the fish want ,from day to day it can change, and from lake to lake as well,each one has a little different wabble and sound so try em all and let the fish tell whats on the menu for the day[emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I fish with Arkies and C55's 95% of the time, some days they just prefer bandits. I try to mix it up and let them tell me what they like that day. Plan on getting some Picos and maybe some Jenkos next year to add to my arsenal. Can't ever have too many crank baits, but Arkies and the C55's are my go to baits, they rarely ever let me down.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bandchaser

"G" ,
Can you back that up, or is that a nice, warm, and fuzzy answer?? Lol

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Its the truth nothing warm and fuzzy about it.....i have a bunch of a brand that was not mentioned here and have had them several years and have only caught crappie on one lake with them. Thinking water clarity might play a big role on that one plus those cranks have a different profile that might match the baitfish better on that one. Lots of good crankbaits out there and many differences....wiggle...dive difference...rattle sounds...vibration etc. A lot of the differences are things inside of the bait that you cannot not see such as the knocker and the knocker chamber....the rattles....some have 2...some have 3....some have 5. Then you have all the different color patterns and combinations so some days you just got to let the fish tell you what they want.....and even that changes day to day.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I have fished them all. And caught fish on all of them. The Pico is brand new so kind of behind the curve on usage. I have been a Bass fisherman all my life. Fished my first crank baits with a old single action bait caster. For you young pup's that one the handle turns backward when you cast it and drag was your thumb. I have fished almost every style and brand of bait made up until the late 90's when quit altogether and just concentrated on crappie since. I have sat and played with cranks in a pool to see how they ran, how deep, what different line did to the action. Then tried my best to translate that into bites. What I have found with bass and crappie yes color is a factor on certain days but my experience tells me each bait has a distinct wobble, vibration, roll what ever term you chose to use. I don't care how close two different baits look to each other being from different brands they act enough different that fish want one and not the other on any given day. My opinion is that there is no one magic bait. That's the reason most of us have boxes full of different baits. I will say this because I realize a lot of people can't afford to run out and spend hundreds of dollars on baits. My suggestion to some one starting out, buy maybe 4 of the most used color's and buy those 4 in bandit, arkie, peco, and C55's from ScottV. Fish those baits in combinations until you determine for yourself which 2 brands are the most productive where you fish not where anyone else fishes. After that you have a good basis for adding to your stash. As much as anything having confidence in what your using ranks way up on the catching scale.

Cray buddy. I'm not a young pup nor an old dog, so this aging hound was started out on that reel. Us kids were given what our dads and grandads started with. They knew better than to give us their new sruff. nonono

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by crp4570

Cray buddy. I'm not a young pup nor an old dog, so this aging hound was started out on that reel. Us kids were given what our dads and grandads started with. They knew better than to give us their new sruff. nonono

---

:Rofl:Rofl:Rofl sure didn't mean to offend anyone. I knew there would be a few that had the same experience I did with them.

No offense taken Cray buddy. Appreciate your post cause it brought back fond memories. That one of the reasons I like and respect old farts because they bring the memories to the present and they have lived in this world long enough to earn my respect. Just how I was raised. :biggrin

I think Cray pretty much just made us all smarter. Id take that advice! I hate pulling cranks but if I had to choose 1 bait it wouldn't be the new kids on the block. Bandit crank baits have been filling summer time fishermens freezers around here for a long long time.

Some sage advice so far. I am surprised that nobody has said anything about the other details like fishing line size or type, boat speed, amount of line out, or more on series difference like 250's and 350's.

Keep it coming...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I prefer 10# mono, but am really going to try to like braid next year after losing a planer board a few weeks back to a line break. Preferred speed 1.6 - 1.8, some days 2 - 2.2 mph. If I have to get my bait deeper then say 10 foot then I'm using in line trolling weights. I can't stand pulling more than 60 - 70 foot of line behind the boat. I use 300 & 350 series (long lipped / deep diving) cranks 98% of the time. I pull 100's, 200's, 250's usually in post spawn when the fish have not setup in their summer pattern yet and can still be found in relatively shallower water.

I'm shocked that nobody has mentioned Flicker Shad, Storm, Rapala, Wiggle Warts, Smash Shad, Strike King, or any of the other 100 baits that catch crappie. The Flicker Shad has caught about as many fish as any on the market. Most of what we hear is about the Sponsors Baits. Ever notice how the favorite brand of some changes ALL the time??? Gotta plug them freebies!! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji33]

To fish deep you can use an inline weight, a drop weight or I prefer the Offshore Tadpole to keep your line out to a minimum.

If you over think this, you'll never want to do it. Just use what you have and HAVE FUN. It would take forever to figure out what the fish wanted on a slow day if you had every bait out there that catches fish. There is NO magic bullet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I believe that they all catch fish. My crankbait box is built on nothing more than what baits had the best prices at the time. This is my first year pulling cranks and the Arkie 220 has been the consistent ticket on Ross Barnett for me. But, given the conditions I have been able to fish, the crappie were all suspended very shallow over deep water(I.e. Not more than 5' deep over 30' of water). Since I pull with my big motor right now, the 220 allows me to still target that 4-6' depth zone while getting my bait farther back and away from the engine noise. However, the last time I was out I spoke to a man at the ramp, we both fished the same area and we both had a box full of fish. Me with the 220's and him pulling bandits close behind the boat with his trolling motor. I couldn't get a bite on the same baits that he loaded the boat with.

On Grenada a few months back, it was Arkie 350s and bandit 300s. That same trip Snubbys and I boated some beautiful slabs on the C55s.

I have a few Lindy river rockers and Wally demons and they catch these southern slabs, too. I have never seen one post mentioning these baits and only got them as a birthday present from some of my Yankee family but they flat out produce.


Sent from my iPhone using Crappie.com

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bandchaser

Some sage advice so far. I am surprised that nobody has said anything about the other details like fishing line size or type, boat speed, amount of line out, or more on series difference like 250's and 350's.

Keep it coming...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Because that's not what you asked about.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

I'm shocked that nobody has mentioned Flicker Shad, Storm, Rapala, Wiggle Warts, Smash Shad, Strike King, or any of the other 100 baits that catch crappie. The Flicker Shad has caught about as many fish as any on the market. Most of what we hear is about the Sponsors Baits. Ever notice how the favorite brand of some changes ALL the time??? Gotta plug them freebies!! [emoji23][emoji23][emoji33]

To fish deep you can use an inline weight, a drop weight or I prefer the Offshore Tadpole to keep your line out to a minimum.

If you over think this, you'll never want to do it. Just use what you have and HAVE FUN. It would take forever to figure out what the fish wanted on a slow day if you had every bait out there that catches fish. There is NO magic bullet.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

Yes Bill you are correct. Each and every one of these baits catch a lot of fish in the realm they were designed for and the markets they are sold for. I have a few of almost all them. But and this is a big but, the Bandit bait has been catching crappie a lot longer and more consistently than any other bait out there bar none. Now if you want to use this kind of comparison the a few of us gezzers will tell you that the go to bait when we first fished cranks and before bandit was really on the market. We used Bagley balsa B's. That's was the the bait everyone who knew crappie would hit a crank fished in the day. Buy I sure would hate to have to fill a box with them today. You also left out another great bait for down here that you can't get anymore. The old Rebel Crappie crankR. Almost as good as the bandit.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cray

Yes Bill you are correct. Each and every one of these baits catch a lot of fish in the realm they were designed for and the markets they are sold for. I have a few of almost all them. But and this is a big but, the Bandit bait has been catching crappie a lot longer and more consistently than any other bait out there bar none. Now if you want to use this kind of comparison the a few of us gezzers will tell you that the go to bait when we first fished cranks and before bandit was really on the market. We used Bagley balsa B's. That's was the the bait everyone who knew crappie would hit a crank fished in the day. Buy I sure would hate to have to fill a box with them today. You also left out another great bait for down here that you can't get anymore. The old Rebel Crappie crankR. Almost as good as the bandit.

---

I remember everyone used to use the Bombers. Didn't ever bass fish and didn't crank for crappie back then. Al I ever heard was pulling Bombers tho.

The Rebel Crank R is also a good one I left out. Guess I covered that one in the "100 other" statement. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got a box around here somewhere full of new in the pack Balsa Bs

Sent from my SM-G935V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rees Guide

I got a box around here somewhere full of new in the pack Balsa Bs

Sent from my SM-G935V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

Before you post them for sale, call me. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rees Guide

I got a box around here somewhere full of new in the pack Balsa Bs

Sent from my SM-G935V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

---

I caught a ton of green carp on those in my previous life. Just gotta keep from banging them off something hard like a rock or your buddy's head. Paint would shatter.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cray

Yes Bill you are correct. Each and every one of these baits catch a lot of fish in the realm they were designed for and the markets they are sold for. I have a few of almost all them. But and this is a big but, the Bandit bait has been catching crappie a lot longer and more consistently than any other bait out there bar none. Now if you want to use this kind of comparison the a few of us gezzers will tell you that the go to bait when we first fished cranks and before bandit was really on the market. We used Bagley balsa B's. That's was the the bait everyone who knew crappie would hit a crank fished in the day. Buy I sure would hate to have to fill a box with them today. You also left out another great bait for down here that you can't get anymore. The old Rebel Crappie crankR. Almost as good as the bandit.

---

Come on, Cray. You can do better than that. I know you got a year or two on me and I started out pulling the original Bombers, Hellbenders, then the Rebel Wee-Mini-Maxi Rs. My Dad had (and still has) some old Heddons that we were banned from using to troll with.

grampa used "hell benders " if memory is correct . Big black bait with white markings . This was used after minnows would not get it done and just before crushed walnuts .

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by eagle 1

grampa used "hell benders " if memory is correct . Big black bait with white markings . This was used after minnows would not get it done and just before crushed walnuts .

---

The walnuts really catch fish They Say!! [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine

The walnuts really catch fish They Say!! [emoji23]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

---

I would have figured the southern slabs prefer " p-cans ". [emoji12]

Sent from my SM-G900V using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

Lots of options as others have mentioned. Shad Raps, Hot N Tots, Salmo Hornets and Worden Fat Fish are a few others that have not been mentioned. Fat Fish have been good on tough bite days for us when you can't buy a bite on others. Aggressive swim action and rattle, but some days they won't hit them period, Shad Raps are the same way, some days they eat them up others they won't hit them, also an aggressive swim action and loud rattle. Rat-l-Trap used with a tadpole weight or a pushing weight works well.

Lots of really good options with different swim patterns and noise to trigger the bite. Great to have different options to use where fish are seeing the same actions and rattle day after day.

Friend of mine who is a dentist here in batesville has caught a ton of fish on toothbrushes believe it or not. They would put some treble hooks on it and and drill a hole in the top to tie your line too. I'm being serious, I will get him to send me a pic

I would love to see the toothbrush bait. If you had a fishing buddy and pulled that out of the box and catch a fish on it would be something.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bird down

Friend of mine who is a dentist here in batesville has caught a ton of fish on toothbrushes believe it or not. They would put some treble hooks on it and and drill a hole in the top to tie your line too. I'm being serious, I will get him to send me a pic

---

Are his initials M M ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by USMA65

Are his initials M M ?

---

No, it's stephen Sullivan. He fishes magnolia and will be at Sardis this wkd fishing the tournament. If any y'all at the weigh in ask him about it. I'm sure he will get a kick out of it.

Tons of fish have been caught on a McDonald's straw