Building a brush pile and then catching a bass off of it later is a cool deal. Seeing a youngster get fired up about fishing after a fishing trip is another. Seeing a newly designed bait come from an idea to a big time fish catcher has to be on top of the list too.
Many times the finished lure never lives up to the hype that was created for the launch but when they do, manufacturers cannot build enough of them.
Fishing lures are tools. Much like a crescent wrench or a pair of pliers is to a mechanic, specific baits do specific things and are designed for specific conditions and for specific times of the year. We like to see companies build a family of lures and give us those tools to fish the entire water column.
Bandit is one of those companies. They are Snap-On Tools to crankbaits and have a family of crankbaits that can be worked shallow to deep, with great colors and an attractive price point that allows the angler the versatility in a product line that gives them a comfort level no matter where the fish are positioned.
The Series 200 is a staple crankbait and just about every angler worth their salt has a few of them in their box. Designed to dive 4-8 feet, based on line size and retrieve speed, the diminutive diver can be fished in and around wood, over grass and on shallow flats. The Series 200 can be fished like a spinnerbait and when bass are shallow and on cover, look out. Bass will attack this bait as it glances off a stump or a blow down tree or fished over a hole in the grass. Its size imitates young baitfish and the rattle ignites the bite.
The Series 300 is a larger model and dives 8-12 feet fished on 12 pound test fluorocarbon and a slow retrieve reel. It dives quicker, runs true out of the box and can be fished on ledges points and into deeper cover. Even though it is a plastic bait it pops up quickly when run into a stump or rock pile. The nose down wobble hunts on the bottom and we like the fact it kicks out subtly when hitting an object.
Both baits fill a desired niche but Bandit and their pro anglers believed something was missing. They needed a beefier bait with a larger and wider profile with a tight wobble that was between the two aforementioned models. This is where the Bandit 250 Ledge was born.
We have gotten the opportunity to throw the Bandit 250 from prototype to finished product and recently had the chance to fish it a lot as fish move from the shallows to their summertime deep water haunts. We have been fishing it with Sunline’s new Reaction FC 12 pound test on an Abu Garcia Revo STX 6.4:1 reel and a 7-foot, 3-inch medium-heavy power Halo Rod. This set-up has been the perfect combination for this bait.
Diving to depths of 15 to 16 feet, designed to dive 12 to 14 feet, the Bandit 250 is a grinder. The 250 dives quickly due to a thinly shaped paddle and weighted chambers and stays at depth for the length of the cast, glancing along the bottom.
We name our good baits with pet names, not to attract attention by other anglers, and I call the Bandit 250 Ledge “Crash” due to its ability to crash into cover and get through it. I really like to fish it on points with large chunk rock and parallel along rip-rap banks with a steep taper. A stop and go retrieve with the rod at the 1 o’clock position allows the bait to dig on a steady retrieve and float when paused triggering some great reaction bites. It too is a fast floater and backs away from snags when paused.
The Bandit 250 Ledge fishes easy and runs true right out of the package.
The Bandit 250 comes in 12 colors and retails for a very affordable $5.69. We recommend you get a couple different colors for the arsenal.
