Over the years I have become totally immersed in crankbait fishing. With hundreds of different shapes, colors, sizes and depths to choose from, a quick run to your favorite tackle store can quickly turn into an expensive shopping trip. Due to my unhealthy cranking obsession, I have realized the difficulty in finding a quality, durable lure that runs true and, most importantly, catches fish. After several years of experimenting with hundreds of different lures, I stumbled across one that represents everything I look for in a crankbait— the Spro Little John MD.
Upon first using this crankbait, the most noticeable trait is its outstanding castability. Weighing in at an impressive 1/2-ounce, the Spro Little John MD features a tungsten weight transfer system that allows it to cast like a rocket. Whether you’re making those difficult casts into the wind or bombing long, stealthy casts in ultra-clear water, the Spro Little John MD allows you to fish in areas that would be impossible with other crankbaits. Whenever I’m fishing windblown points, this bait is always on my front deck.
The Spro Little John MD really shines when the bass are feeding on smaller forage. Measuring 2 3/4-inches long from the tail to the end of the lip, it’s an exceptional imitation of a smaller threadfin shad, which can make a huge difference between a slow day on the water and an awesome day full of bass. We’ve also had great success throwing the Little John MD in very clear water. Often times, clear water bass can become very easily-spooked, but this bait has a very tight, natural and non-threatening wiggle that big bass have a hard time passing up.
Whenever I’m fishing a crankbait, I beat the heck out of it. Because crankbaits are a reaction bait, I like to bang them off of any available cover such as rocks, brush piles and dock posts. The Little John MD holds up to the most brutal punishment—no scratches, gashes or anything of the sort. Spro has added an extremely durable coating to the body of the bait, which preserves the ultra-realistic paint jobs for years. Although it can be pretty cool to show your buddies a scratched up crankbait at the end of a successful fishing day, it doesn’t do much but cost more money in the end. I’ve caught hundreds of bass on my Little John MDs, and you’d never be able to tell. Other than a few small scratches, they look like they just came out of the box. If you’re not too thrilled about constantly replacing busted crankbaits, you need to check out the Little John MDs.
One of my favorite traits of this crankbait—however insignificant it may seem—is the oval split ring on the bill of the lure. It doesn’t get any worse than being in a high-pressure tournament situation and having to worry about a round split ring when tying a new knot. No matter how good of a knot you tie, if it wedges itself in the area where the edges meet, it’s probably going to break. The oval split ring of the Spro Little John MD gives me the confidence to tie a quick knot without having to waste time finding the “sweet spot” of a round line tie. If you’re a tournament angler, these oval split rings will save you a ton of time and frustration. Not to mention, they give the bait a little more added action as well.
Lastly, the Little John MD runs true right out of the box every time. Tuning crankbaits wastes precious fishing time, and even when you finally get them to run straight, they’re still rarely ever 100-percent correct. Although I love to bump the bottom with these crankbaits, they are wonderful in open water. You can chunk these as far as you can without experiencing any roll whatsoever throughout the retrieve. When fish are suspended in open water, the unnatural action of a crankbait is often enough to alert the entire school to your presence. I love throwing these baits because I know I can count on them running straight cast after cast.
If you’re tired of hassling with subpar crankbaits, get your hands on a couple of Spro Little John MD crankbaits. I’ve caught big bass on them all throughout the country, making them a true staple in my arsenal wherever I go. Priced at $10.59 and available in a bunch of really unique, fish-catching colors, you can’t go wrong with an MD.
To check out the entire Little John MD line, please visit TackleWarehouse.com.
