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Spro’s Little John
MD is one mean little crankbait
| Date: |
4/25/10 |
| Tackle type: |
Lure |
| Manufacturer: |
Spro |
| Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.08 -
GREAT
Introduction:
John Crews may have
flipped most of his fish at the Elite Series Duel at the Delta but he got
started by cranking up his first fish with his signature Little John Crankbait.
Spro has updated the original series with the new MD which is designed to dive
deeper than the original armed with a longer plastic lip.
|
Spro Little
John MD Crankbait Specifications |
| Type |
Crankbait |
|
Class |
Moderate diving crank |
| Material |
Plastic |
| Colors/Patterns |
10+ |
|
Weight |
1/2oz |
| Size |
2.10" |
|
Diving Depth |
7'-9' |
| MSRP |
$10.99 |
The Spro Little John MD is
slightly larger than the original and features a plastic lip versus the computer
board lip found on the original
Impressions:
John Crews from Salem, VA took home top prize at the Duel of the Delta in a nail
biter of a finish with just .1oz. over Skeet Reese with a total weight of
72.6oz. John Crews is known for his shallow water cranking prowess and has a
complete line of crankbaits under the Spro brand called the “Little John”
series. The original Little John crankbaits were very shallow runners and dove
down only 3-5 feet with their thin computer board lip. They are called the
“Little John” because these small crankbaits are 50mm in length and weigh in at
only 1/2oz.
We were on hand for John Crew's
victory at the Elite Series Duel on the Delta. His very first fish came on a
Spro Little John and he flipped his way to victory after that
The new Little John MD
(medium diver) is slightly longer at 53mm but weighs in exactly the same at
1/2oz. per bait. These new lures can get down significantly deeper to a max
depth of 9 feet. The company has also introduced a larger deep diver aptly named
the Little John DD (deep diver) which is 70mm in length, weighs 1oz. and dives
up to 20 feet down when paired with lighter lines.
One of the reasons for a plastic
lip was to bring the line tie forward for proper action
The LJMD (Little John MD)
is a flat crankbait and has an aggressive look and feel from the short rounded
back to the lure’s angry eyes. The lure just looks mean, and if you stare at the
bait head on it really looks like it is ready to get in the ring and slug it out
with a largemouth.
This is one "mean" looking little
bait
There is a wide
assortment of colors/patterns available, many of which are designed to imitate
local forage. Spro offers these baits in both solid and translucent patterns and
a number of them use foils to create mire flash in the water like the Chrome
Olive and Old Glory patterns. Each bait comes armed with two Gamakatsu size five
treble hooks.
A look at the original, notice the
line tie right at the front of the lure above the computer board lip
Real World Tests:
To test the Little John MD we head to the same body of water where John Crews
claimed victory, the California Delta, where we cranked the river channels and
docks. We also took the LJMD to Falcon Lake Texas where we fished submerged
creek beds and ran the lure in between the flooded treetops to rouse bites.
The Little John MD is a flat
crankbait
Casting:
Though small in overall size the Spro LJMD casts quite well, the secret is a
small ball in the belly of the lure that looks like it is made out of rubber but
is actually infused with tungsten. This tungsten weight transfer system drops
into the tail section during casts helping this small bait sail through the air
a good distance. The lure is so easy to cast that it is easy to place the bait
right up against structure, something I did a lot of at the Delta where I wanted
to get the bait right up against the drop offs and at Lake Falcon where I
constantly lob cast the bait right into the top of submerged timber.
I used the Little John MD
crankbait to work submerged timber at Lake Falcon, Texas
Next Section: Catching fish of all sizes
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