ravenlures Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 What would your top ten questions be when asking someone to test your lure. (Crankbaits) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleriver Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 One I always ask, "is there anything you would change about the bait ?" and "Why?". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Did you catch any fish, would be number one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 (edited) First, could you tune the bait to run straight? How did it cast? Did it dive to the expected depth? How would you describe the action, given the type of crankbait? Enough, not enough. or too much? Regular thump or not? Was the thump sharp or muted (compared to other baits you like) ? Did the bait plane off, spin, hunt, or do anything unexpected at different retrieve speeds? Different style baits have different "desirable qualities". A fat body square bill should be buoyant and come through wood cover without snagging. A deep diver should cast well, dive to the design depth, and run straight enough to hit submerged targets. So you need to ask questions tailored to the bait. I'm not asking questions about the paint scheme or catch rates, just about the performance characteristics. Likes/dislikes about paint and fishing results are so variable that the answers aren't of much use to me - although I like to hear good reports just like everyone! Edited September 22, 2012 by BobP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Moreau Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Bob you are a god! I cannot add anything to your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassguy Posted September 22, 2012 Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 (edited) Everything Bob said! Edited September 22, 2012 by bassguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted September 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2012 Thanks to all. Great advice. I will post when I have the 10 questions. I don't want a guy to spend all day doing a questioneer. "KISS" method will work best, just have to be the right questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 You are right about Bob. The guy is really outstanding. After all of the years I have spent on this site I have argued and dissagreed with just about everyone except Bob. He is usually right and is just trashing my reputation on this site. I would not ask them anything. It is for you as a baitmaker to know what works. If you do not know then you are not the expert and in my opinion are showing that you have not put in the time making and fishing the lure that you are trying to sell. You need to KNOW that it works and relay that confidence to the customer. It is fine to ask questions on the site about materials and metheods. But YOU should know what works as far as the end product. Many years ago I took some of my baits to David Fritts and offered them to him. He just lives a few miles from me. He looked at them and asked me if they cartwheel when you throw them. I answered him honestly and said that yes, sometimes they will. He handed them back to me and said that he was not interested. I was crushed. Hours of work for nothing. But... I knew better. I knew that was an unacceptable property. So,back to the drawing board I went. I fixed the problem. But I also understand that there is a skill in throwing a crankbait. I have a TON of confidence in my crankbaits. Now I know that the bait is right. So now if some pro asks me that question I tell them, "Not if you know how to throw it). YOU need to know that your bait is done right. Don't depend on others to tell you. Skeeter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 Ain't nobody right all the time. Certainly not me! Even Skeeter may have been wrong at least one time No two builders ever build crankbaits exactly alike and we have different outlooks about whether, and if so, how much weight to put on the opinions of guys who fish our crankbaits. I'm grateful for feedback but not many fishermen, even tournament anglers, are really tuned in about how crankbaits work and how to make them work better, so you have to put any opinion into the right context. As a hobby builder, I've given hundreds of crankbaits to a wide array of fishermen but I've gotten the most useful feedback from other builders with whom I've traded baits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 @*^&$....... He did it again!! Skeeter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted October 11, 2012 Report Share Posted October 11, 2012 @*^&$....... He did it again!! Skeeter LMAO.......Thanks Skeeter. I needed a good chuckle. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shade_skyhi Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 how about water temperature, weather (windy cast into the wind away from the wind) what size line used any swivels or way it was retrieved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted October 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 The purpose of this questionnaire would be for people testing out the lure, not customers. Customers will either buy and try and come back or not. But when testing sometimes testers just don't get back to you with the info you are looking for. I find it better to get advice on a lure that will make it a better lure. While I go out testing I am always looking for a different thought from someone other than myself. While I think it is great another person will have some sort of like or dislike. It all helps in my mind anyway. But thanks for your input I am still testing this lure out. Wayne And then my wife jumped on me about spelling questioneer to questionnaire, see two heads are better than one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted October 24, 2012 Report Share Posted October 24, 2012 Would you buy another one? And, would you recommend the lure to a friend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 I'm grateful for feedback but not many fishermen, even tournamentanglers, are really tuned in about how crankbaits work and how to makethem work better, so you have to put any opinion into the right context. I agree. If you fish and build baits, you've spend far more time analyzing what works and what does not than most fisherman. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted April 22, 2013 Report Share Posted April 22, 2013 Skeeter brought up a good point. Castability. I throw cranks a lot and it's a PITA to throw one that cartwheels! You can't hit a target with it consistently and you will get the line tangled in the trebles more often during the cast. When a fouled cast spooks the fish, you just missed your only chance to get that bite. If you look at the most popular commercial baits, you can see that there are some practical qualities that make a difference to anglers. A lot of it revolves around fishing efficiency. Castability is one. Another I've noticed is a bias toward 3 hooks on jerkbaits because anglers feel they will hook-up better/more often. Baits that have the hooks spaced so there is no chance of the trebles tangling with each other or with the lip is a definite plus, too. Most guys are gonna fish a crankbait for 10-15 mins and decide whether it's a winner or one that will never go in their "go box" again. I confess I'm one of them. Not all my crankbaits perform well in all practical categories. Some flat sided shallow baits only cast well at short to medium range. But I accept that limitation because a light weight is critical to their performance and I decided to favor a quiet splash-down and better action over castability on those baits. I also build some 20+ ft deep divers. I've learned how to cast them so they won't cartwheel but a lot of guys would have trouble with them. It's frustrating because I'd like my baits to be easy to fish, even if only friends and relatives ever use them. I'll keep working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
