Shallow Cranks (0-3Footer)
Surface cranks and shallow diving ones for the warmer days ahead... *brrr*
Also fed up with the current cold, temperatures around 0°C and the omnipresent grey out there? If yes, let’s try to chase away winter depression with doing a quick research for promising shallow diving crankbaits covering depths from 1-3ft. (30-90cm) and put-together a colorful and compelling collection for the coming season.
As usual this blogging is supposed to be a rough overview and is focusing on lures originally manufactured in Japan.
1-3 footer are useful and effective in a variety of fields and are tapping their full potential from April to September in shallow waters or beyond weed banks and heavy cover. There’s a wide product range of crankbaits from numerous manufacturers covering this field and the following line-up is more based on found lure specifications and visual impressions (finish/color palette/…), than physical experiences.
Evergreen Crazycradle RATATAT (color: #327 Hime)
Let’s start with Evergreen’s Crazycradle, a true heavy-weight for it’s size. It’s a super shallow crank and high appeal kicker bait which swims only 10-12cm just under the surface.
Specs: length: 2.2inch (55mm), weight: 5/8oz (17.5g), type: floating
Characteristics: wide wobbling, super noisy rattle sound, fat body and high float
Megabass (Ito) Griffon Zero color: Cicada 2 (Nojiri-SP)
“Griffon Zero is top-water bug bait based on our popular Griffon Series tuned by I.T.O. Compared with Griffon, it has a wider body and the Shaft Balancer built in, and also the Water Intake in its underside. When retrieved with your rod tip high, Zero will dog-walk at high speed somewhat like our X-80 Prop-Darter, with a larger than life water disturbance. Yet, with your rod tip down, it becomes sub-surface crank bait. And thanks to the Water Intake, it will stay under the water surface no matter what. Zero comes equipped with wide gap, super-short shank hooks made especially for Zero.” (source: megabassusa.com)
Specs: length: 1.8inch (45mm), weight: 1/4oz (7.9g), type: floating
Characteristics: wide wobbling, super noisy rattle sound, fat body and high float
Zip Baits B-Switcher 1.0 color palette (excerpt)
B-Switcher 1.0 is a shallow finess crankbait w/ wide wobbling action and comes along in a basic rattle model and the silent model for clear water and highly pressured waters.
Specs: length: 1.7inch (45mm), weight: 1/4oz (7.8g), type: floating
Characteristics: 3 feet diver, tungsten weights, weight moving and holding system, high castability
O.S.P Buzzn’ Crank (color: hot tiger P-14)
O.S.P’s Buzzn’ Crank designed by Toshinari Namiki is a suface crank which dives only 5-7cm and can also be used as a top water bait.
Specs: length: 2.0inch (50mm), weight: 3/8oz (10g), type: floating
Characteristics: 90 degrees wide square rip, real eyes, titanium surface rig (front hook), tungsten weight, rattle sounds
The Cherry is a surface/shallow crank, designed by Seiji Kato and is delivering high castability because it’s reduced size and tungsten weights. Cherry Zero runs just under the surface. The wake it creates, along with the multi-ballbearing rattle and fast wobble, attract fish lurking under pads, around stumps, buried in the grass, and in other shallow cover.
Specs: length: 1.8inch (48mm), weight: 1/4oz (7.6g), type: floating
Characteristics: down sized body, real finish, wide wobbling, loud rattle sound
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To be continued…