12/22/04

I’ve had many years to experiment and develop confidence in certain crankbaits for certain things. Subsequently, I’ve always used a big variety of  baits to cover all of the different situations I encounter including Norman, Bagley, Storm, Strike King, Timber Tiger, and several others. It would be extremely difficult to have to start from scratch today with all the different shapes, sizes, and colors on the market. I do not envy those just getting into it. It’s not easy, especially when looking at the vast amount of mid- depth selections, or ones that dive to the 5-9 foot range. However, my experience in that particular area may help reduce the initial shock of it all and narrow your selection down a bit.

Diving Into It

I’m not going to lie, I will probably always use a few different brands of crankbaits (that I always have) at specific times, but that mid-depth area always had me struggling, until lately. I want to talk about a bait that has filled a void for me that no other single crankbait could ever do and that not many fishermen are throwing  yet. It’s called the Radar 10. Everyone knows about Luhr-Jensen's Speed Trap and Brush Baby baits. They've been effective in tournaments all over the country for many years. Jason Quinn used a Brush Baby in this year's Bassmasters Classic, where he finished 3rd. John Crews and I both had third place finishes on the FLW Tour because of the Speed Trap in 2003, not to mention Mark Tyler's victory at Clear Lake this past October.

So what about this Radar 10? I'm so excited about it because it has truly made a difference for me over the past two seasons, accounting for over a third of the money I’ve won since turning pro in 2003, including my first FLW Tour win on Old Hickory Lake in March. I was using a color I designed, called Moon Glow (#1155).

Before Luhr-Jensen introduced the Radar early last year, I used three or four other brands that ran about the same depth. I had my shallow crankbaits, my deep divers, and everything else all pretty much figured out, but this 5-9 foot (mid depth) area really got to be confusing at times. I seriously had nine Plano 3700’s jammed full of Bomber 6 and 7A's, Norman little N's, Bandit 200's, and various other mid-depth baits.  Again, I still use some of them on occasion, but the majority have been replaced. Now, I have one box that offers me more than all of those, plus a ton of confidence that I never had before.

Clear Advantages

The first thing I noticed about this bait is that it casts like a rocket. I can throw it further than all of the previous baits I mentioned, which in itself, means a great deal to me. That is always important when picking any crankbait. I use the Radar 10 quite a bit when I'm in search mode. I really like to cover a ton of water, and when you’re on high bypass with a Minn Kota 101 and throwing ahead of the boat, you need a bait that you can cast a good ways. For it's small size, the Radar really gets out there, plus it rarely spins in the air

Speaking of size, It is absolutely perfect for most situations. Sure, there are times when you want a big profile, but most of the time I am fishing for heavily pressured bass and want something a bit more subtle. That's probably the case for most of us most of the time. There are a couple other manufacturers that offer a similar model in body and lip size, but  they loose their depth and casting distance. On a  long cast with 10lb Fluorocarbon, this bait will hit the bottom in 10 feet.

Consistency is also very important when choosing a crankbait brand. I'm sure you've all read at one time or another, some Pro talking about buying several of the same baits, just to get one to act like his good old favorite. When I tie on a Radar 10, I know what it's going to do in the water. I don't even have to change the hooks on it. It's ready to go right out of the package. That's not easily said about most of the others, yet it's so obviously important. The last thing I want in a tournament, is to be scared to death to loose my sentimental bait for fear I may never find another one to replace it. Come on, it's a crankbait, it's not going to be around forever. Besides, there are way too many other things to be worried about.

Lastly, and most importantly, the bait just flat out catches fish everywhere I go. In my opinion, for an all-purpose crankbait, I don't think it can be beat.  In other words, if I could only pick one crankbait to use all the time there's no doubt what it would be. Other than the obvious advantages I've already mentioned, there is just something about the Radar that bass like. Whether it's the unique deep rattle, it's signature tight wobble,  creative color patterns, or simply the fact that the majority of bass in this country haven't seen it yet, I don't know for sure, but I guess you could say, I don't really care. As long as works and I keep winning money on it, I'll always have a box full. By the way, it takes 72 of them to fill a 3700.

Give It A Test Dive

Everyone I know who has tried the Radar 10 crankbait says how easy it is to throw and how well it works on their local lake.  You really have to try it for yourself and experiment with the different colors. I'm confident that it will become one of, if not your favorite, most sentimental bait in your arsenal. And you can go right ahead and break it off, because your second one will work just as well. If your still searching for the perfect mid-depth crankbait, or just getting started and looking for a place to begin your cranking nightmare, I hope this helps. With the price of most  crankbaits on the market these days, it will surely help your wallet.

Note:

Because of the success and effectiveness of the Radar 10 and a little prodding from myself, Dean Rojas and the rest of the pro-staff, Luhr-Jensen is coming out with the Radar 13 this year. I've been lucky enough to try them, and believe me, it's going replace nine more boxes with one as well. So keep your eyes open for those.