Once again, the weatherman completely missed the forecast... not a cloud in the sky and without a breath of wind. So much for this morning’s forecast of heavy rain today, some local down pours could cause possible local flooding. Fishing in these conditions, bluebird sky and no wind during the summertime, usually sends anglers packing till the sun goes down. However, I have a new plan of attack to catch these bass, one which has been around since anglers began fishing for bass.

My first cast with my secret lure lands quietly, sending out a small ripple on the lakes surface. I am bursting with confidence that my secret lure will catch bass, even in these conditions.   Unlike thousands of copycat lures that try to impersonate its action, this lures the real deal. I begin reeling in the lure.  I can feel the lure pulsate my rod tip. Halfway back to the boat my mind drifts off. I hear weatherman Brad Wiegmann’s forecast for today: “It may rain today depending on if there are any clouds, if it does, put on your raincoat and bibs. Otherwise, if there are no clouds in the sky, I predict it will be sunny, wear a hat. ”

Suddenly, I feel a tugging sensation on my lure. Quickly, I set the hook on a keeper bass. As it dances around next to the boat, I see my secret lure attached inside his large mouth. It’s a balsa, handcrafted, tournament-tested and proven crankbait.  I had predicted that a bass would hit it, since under tough conditions like bluebird skies and calm water a flat-sided, custom-made balsa crankbait always seem to catch fish.
Crankbaits today come made out of plastic or wood. Plastic crankbaits can be found in tackle shops everywhere; each one exactly alike and usually trying to imitate wooden crankbaits.  However, having a large number of manufacturers producing plastic crankbaits allows for an overabundant number of baits with identical actions and standard  quality.  Now compare this to a handcrafted balsa wood crankbait that comes pre-painted with a custom paint or angler-request color pattern. One family-owned business in Knoxville, Tennesse, specializes in custom, handmade crankbaits and custom paint jobs. The owner, Brian K. Moore, has been selling BassHunters Custom Crankbaits (www.bassHunterscustomcrankbaits.com) to lucky anglers for more than five years.  Each handmade flat or round sided Basshunters Custom Crankbait comes with a pre-selected color or is custom painted to an angler-specified color design.

Try finding an individual who still makes handcrafted, wooden baits proved to be more difficult than you would think. Only a select number of individuals still handcraft lures that anglers can buy.  I found out that Moore has been handcrafting lures to sell for more than five years and can do custom paint jobs that anglers request on new or old worn-out baits. Each BassHunters Custom Crankbait Moore builds has circuit chipboard bills, stainless steel hangers, epoxy-injected building process, VMC Barbarian hooks and goes through a 10-step painting process before being sold. Anglers also have an option of coffin, round, or square for the bill shape.

Every one of his lures look like a work of art but catches fish. I questioned Moore on what the differences between plastic and wooden crankbait was.  “The major differences are balsawood crankbaits have an enticing movement backing up when paused,” Moore continued, “their bounce causes them to run completely differently, which cause bass to strike them”.  Balsawood baits come in two shapes, either flat or round sided. I quizzed Moore about when anglers should use either flat or round sided.  “The flat side excels in conditions like bluebird days, calm wind, and lakes which receive heavy fishing pressure,” he said. That sounds like Beaver Lake in Arkansas to me.  “While round-sided crankbaits do extremely well in heavy wooded cover, bouncing around erratically off wood, both of these movements cannot be replicated by plastic crankbaits,” said Moore.

In the end, the choice between either a round sided or flat sided, hand crafted, custom crankbait will come down to what action you are looking for on that body of water.  Now if I could only choose my own forecast for the day.