cm10lber Posted March 26, 2015 Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 Just starting out, in fact Im just ordering all I need to get started, I would like to know if all crankbait blanks are the same? I see alot of imports from China that are generic. Is there a place to purchase any name brand blanks or are they all pretty much the same? I see the list of suppliers on the forums but when I look at all they offer they all look the same except for the prices of course. Any insight on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw Posted March 26, 2015 Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 No they are not all the same you get good and bad with everything. I use dakota lakes if I want to buy blank body's I've had good luck with his stuff but I can't comment on the rest because his are the only ones I've tried. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedyarb Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Im happy with dakota, unpainted, bustin, and predators. Ive bought the straight from china blanks and they were horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin h Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Hey i'm new to the site also but no they are not the same. I got some from china and they are not as good as the ones I got from predator. So far Predator bass baits are top quality. You can't go wrong. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's like a lot of things - there are very good unpainted baits (KO's), some not so good, and some are terrible. You just have to try some and pick out the ones that work for you. Sellers like Predator, Bustin Bass Baits, and Dakota Tackle work to acquire better baits from overseas suppliers and the general quality of KO's has gotten better in the last few years. But if you want an actual unpainted version of a popular bait like a Megabass Ito Vision 110, you won't find one anywhere. Megabass Japan doesn't sell unpainted baits. The KO may be a good bait in its own right, but it won't be a Megabass. So if you want to paint a bait that's a "real whatever" you'll have to buy a real whatever and repaint it. A lot of guys on TU repaint KO's and if you have a specific lure type in mind, you can ask in the forum for advice and will probably receive good guidance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venutian_Lures Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 As has been said, I like Predator Bass Baits blanks. Recently he has switched over a few "KO's" and had molds made from actual Lucky Craft baits. As far as getting blanks from the companies themselves (megabass, rapala, strike king etc) you won't get anywhere. They won't sell their blanks to anyone unless you plan on dropping $3,000 in one order. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Lure Prats Online have unpainted lures and some are made in the USA worth taking a look. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm10lber Posted March 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Thanks all for replying.. just those few replies have helped me understand the blank lures tremendously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bois d'Arc Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 (edited) Buying blanks is a job in itself. I've never found any of the major factory lures in unpainted blanks. In order to find several different styles of KO's that are in stock, and decent quality, it's often necessary to make purchases from more than one vendor. The resellers mentioned in earlier posts are all good resources and worth looking at. From time to time you'll get a bad batch.....most of the better resellers will take returns. Find a vendor (or vendors) that carry lures you like to paint and start with them whenever you need blanks. Edited March 27, 2015 by boisarc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Seems like I remember reading somewhere (maybe here at TU) that Mann's bait company sold unpainted bodies. Might be worth checking out. Ben 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Jay Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 You could always start with a carving knife and a piece of balsa, bass or cedar. Pick a lure design you like to use and carve one yourself. www.lurepartsonline.com has all the belly weights, lips, screw eyes and everything else you will need to make your own. Good Luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthus Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 River2Sea sells their S-wavers blank but they're 45$ a piece Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DingerBaits Posted March 28, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 As a supplier of blanks, I can't say anything bad about any of the guys that sell unpainted cranks as I have ordered from just about all of them and have had great experiences. The only suggestion I can give is don't go through wLure. All of their baits are KO's of KO's and the quality isn't there. You really can't go wrong with ordering from any of the guys on here. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedbump Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 Like Dinger said try to stick with what everyone else has said and also give Dingerbaits.com a try. He's got a growing list of products and top notch service. You can't beat it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joetheplumber Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I'm partial to Dingerbaits.com myself but the others have certain baits that I still purchase from them as well because he doesn't have those particular models. Several of those guys listed above have good quality products and you would be fine to order from them with no worries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Just a further note on knock-off baits. It's easy for an Asian company to get an original, make a mold, and turn out KO's for pennies on the dollar of an original bait. But what is almost always missing is the internal structure of the original, its ballasting scheme, and often the type of plastic and wall thickness of the original. No knockoff I've ever tried has been exactly the same as the original bait from which it is derived. That said, there are good performing KO's that are worth buying, painting, and fishing. You just have to try some and decide for yourself if a particular model meets your expectations. It's hit or miss in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aulrich Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 It sort of depends, wLure may be the low quality supplier, but they have more than bass baits. The higher end suppliers will have a crossover bait or two but other than that nothing really but bass baits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 (edited) Predator Bass Baits hit it on the nose with their original Wiggle Wart knockoffs. Edited October 30, 2015 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm10lber Posted October 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 not to sound ignorant but who is WLure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DingerBaits Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 Wlure is a manufacturer in China. They have a very large selection of lures in painted and unpainted. But you get what you pay for. Cheaper plastic, some crack when heated while painting. But they are good for honing your skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougarftd Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 ...any of the powers that be...my post was deleted...did I break a rule? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBehr Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I have purchased from all of the vendors listed in this post (that sell small quantities) and I am very happy with the performance of all the baits. I have bought a few times off ebay....and I was not near as happy. In my opinion, if you stick with any of the vendors listed, you will be happy. They do all the homework that you and I can't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedbump Posted November 6, 2015 Report Share Posted November 6, 2015 Hey Cougar could you email me the link to your site. Speedbump_21@yahoo.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougarftd Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 Sent Speedbump...thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Centigrade Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Cougar could I also have your shop link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
