Microcrankbaits for Panfish

Have you guys ever used any microcrankbaits for panfish? I recently came across the Yo-Zuri Snap Bean which looks interesting as well as the knock off Amazon version of the lure. While the Snap Bean has more eye appeal and looks to be a better quality, I always wondered how these name brand lures do when put up against the knock off ones. I decided to try both out and can't say I was too surprised with the results. Ended up with a handful of nice panfish and a beautiful largemouth bass.
https://youtu.be/AzfSXt__N14

Caught a few late last year with the Snap Bean. Been meaning to give it another try.

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Originally Posted by Fishfishwish

Caught a few late last year with the Snap Bean. Been meaning to give it another try.

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I also have it another try a few weeks later. It did better this time. Caught a handful of really nice bluegills before I got broken off by a cichlid.

I have tried them and they work in creeks anyway. I have caught green sunfish, longest, and bluegill with them.


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I have some cranks out of Japan.....several kinds but will just talk about the Lucky Craft Cra-Pea with single hooks. I also ordered some knock offs out of China from AliExpress. First thing you notice is the hooks. The name brand hooks are as sharp as a hypodermic needle....the knock offs not so sharp. Then the wobble is slightly different. The Lucky Craft catch fish...the knockoffs not so much. I have several other Japanese lures I have done the same with...get the real deal...then try out the Chinese knock offs. So far I have not found the knock offs to be even close to production as the name brands. I must admit because I am successful using Trout Magnets I don’t use the cranks as much as I should. In my experience with this I have found that lure design out of Japan is not just an afterthought. They put a lot of thought and testing into a lure design. Of course they do not design lures for crappie and bluegill. One area where true lure design stands out with them is in trout fishing. A small Rapala minnow is a very good lure...and you can catch trout on it. But trout specific designed minnows out of Japan will catch you more trout than the Rapala minnow. I tried out an UL blade bait out of Japan designed for trout and catch rate was fantastic. The knock off blade out of China caught me nothing. So if I’m going to use UL cranks I’m going to get the real deal.

Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com

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Originally Posted by Alphahawk

I have some cranks out of Japan.....several kinds but will just talk about the Lucky Craft Cra-Pea with single hooks. I also ordered some knock offs out of China from AliExpress. First thing you notice is the hooks. The name brand hooks are as sharp as a hypodermic needle....the knock offs not so sharp. Then the wobble is slightly different. The Lucky Craft catch fish...the knockoffs not so much. I have several other Japanese lures I have done the same with...get the real deal...then try out the Chinese knock offs. So far I have not found the knock offs to be even close to production as the name brands. I must admit because I am successful using Trout Magnets I don’t use the cranks as much as I should. In my experience with this I have found that lure design out of Japan is not just an afterthought. They put a lot of thought and testing into a lure design. Of course they do not design lures for crappie and bluegill. One area where true lure design stands out with them is in trout fishing. A small Rapala minnow is a very good lure...and you can catch trout on it. But trout specific designed minnows out of Japan will catch you more trout than the Rapala minnow. I tried out an UL blade bait out of Japan designed for trout and catch rate was fantastic. The knock off blade out of China caught me nothing. So if I’m going to use UL cranks I’m going to get the real deal.

Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com

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Thanks for the info. I guess it depends a lot of specific situations.

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Originally Posted by Alphahawk

I have some cranks out of Japan.....several kinds but will just talk about the Lucky Craft Cra-Pea with single hooks. I also ordered some knock offs out of China from AliExpress. First thing you notice is the hooks. The name brand hooks are as sharp as a hypodermic needle....the knock offs not so sharp. Then the wobble is slightly different. The Lucky Craft catch fish...the knockoffs not so much. I have several other Japanese lures I have done the same with...get the real deal...then try out the Chinese knock offs. So far I have not found the knock offs to be even close to production as the name brands. I must admit because I am successful using Trout Magnets I don’t use the cranks as much as I should. In my experience with this I have found that lure design out of Japan is not just an afterthought. They put a lot of thought and testing into a lure design. Of course they do not design lures for crappie and bluegill. One area where true lure design stands out with them is in trout fishing. A small Rapala minnow is a very good lure...and you can catch trout on it. But trout specific designed minnows out of Japan will catch you more trout than the Rapala minnow. I tried out an UL blade bait out of Japan designed for trout and catch rate was fantastic. The knock off blade out of China caught me nothing. So if I’m going to use UL cranks I’m going to get the real deal.

Regards


Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com

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Lucky Craft has an almost cult following in Southern California, and for a good reason – they catch a lot of fish. This is mostly in reference to their surf minnows, as I personally do not know a lot about their smaller lures. I am not surprised to read that they do very well in that department.

In open water they work fine but in mossy lakes any trash on the hook causes them to spin like a top . Talk about line twist .

You might want to try the micro cranks from Eurotackle. I've had some fun with the Z-Viber 1/16th oz (micro rattle trap) this spring too.

Z-Viber 1/16oz - Yellow Perch | eurotackle

My friend gave me the lures from china( $4.50 US/10) They had good action and did catch fish.
The paint did not hold up well and I had bare spots on the lure. I now give the lures a coat of UV Blast.
I also replaced the treble with a single hook(Less ware & tare on released fish) <BTW> You must twist the
screw eye 90 degrees or use two split rings. After twisting I add a small amount of cement to the screw eye
for reinforcement.

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Originally Posted by Fishfishwish

You might want to try the micro cranks from Eurotackle. I've had some fun with the Z-Viber 1/16th oz (micro rattle trap) this spring too.

Z-Viber 1/16oz - Yellow Perch | eurotackle

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I actually have used that before. Wasn't a fan. It worked decently, but for the price of it I just don't think it's worth it. I understand it works better if used vertically so maybe from shore I just didn't get the action others get.

I already had it in the tackle box so I decided to throw the Yo-Zuri Snap Bean out there again. Had better results this time compared the last time. Ended up catching a handful of panfish with some of the bluegill being a really exceptional size. One of them might've been my PB. I ended up getting broken off at the end so I'm not sure if I'll buy another one any time soon, but it is a pretty good lure.

https://youtu.be/4YWszJ9Hx4Q

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Originally Posted by ArthurLK11

Have you guys ever used any microcrankbaits for panfish? I recently came across the Yo-Zuri Snap Bean which looks interesting as well as the knock off Amazon version of the lure. While the Snap Bean has more eye appeal and looks to be a better quality, I always wondered how these name brand lures do when put up against the knock off ones. I decided to try both out and can't say I was too surprised with the results. Ended up with a handful of nice panfish and a beautiful largemouth bass.
https://youtu.be/AzfSXt__N14

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I use Snap Beans and the knock offs and do well with both. Some of the knock offs are better quality than others. Some days they crush them and other days they are looking for something else.Attachment 383258Attachment 383259Attachment 383260

Nice. Those are some good looking bluegill.