Megabass S-Crank Square Bill Crankbaig Product Review

Lure Review

Tie One On, Toss It Out and S-Crank It Up!

Date:	1/20/16
Tackle Type:	Lure
Manufacturer:	Megabass of America
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.09 -EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD!

Introduction: Every once in a while we're made aware of a product during prototyping stages, but are sworn to secrecy over its existence until such time the manufacturer is ready to release the product. Sometimes, we'd prefer to not discuss the product after the embargo date has passed. Enter this next little bait introduced by Megabass of America early in 2015 - the S-Crank is a bait developed through the manufacturer's STW initiative and a bait we tried to keep under wraps, but our collective conscience has finally gotten the better of us. Here now are our findings on this exciting new square bill crank from Megabass of America.

Introducing Megabass's new S-Crank square bill crankbait.

Megabass S-Crank Specifications
Type	Shallow Crank
Length	2-1/4", 2-1/2", 3"
Weight	3/8oz, 1/2oz, 1oz
Depth	4ft, 5ft, 6.5ft
Material	Plastic
Colors	10
MSRP	$18.99 - $22.99 depending on size

Quality/Construction: Megabass's S-Crank is quite typical of the manufacturer's bait products - exquisite. It features a squeezed in face that you'd think would make it more difficult to detail and paint, but Megabass, of course, executes this bait with little difficulty. The finishes are all top notch and the detailing within the finishes is superb. Hardware for these baits is relatively standard fair, but craftsmanship is, again, upper echelon.

The S-Crank is available in 3 sizes, but the 1.2 is our favorite.

Quality Ratings for Megabass S-Crank
Finish (1-5)	Detailing (1-5)	Hardware (1-5)	Craftsmanship (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	5	3	5	18	20	9.0

Performance: Megabass recommends a 7.4:1 retrieve ratio reel for this bait, so for the majority of my testing, that's exactly what I used in the form of a Shimano Chronarch D. Naturally I did experiment with other ratios as well. I mostly fished the smallest, 1.2 size and really enjoyed this bait paired with Megabass's own Orochi XX SwingFire cranking stick.

Casting is easy with this bait.

Castability: The S-Crank is built to mimic the action of those old hand carved wooden cranks. Of course, unlike those baits, the S-Crank is made of plastic, but unlike other plastic cranks, the S-Crank does not have a moving balancer inside to aid in casting. As such, while the bait does cast very well, it's also fairly easy to make the bait tumble when casting so be aware of this when you have one tied to the end of your line.

So is catching!

Dive Time: This bait gets down to business as soon as you begin your retrieve diving somewhere between two to four feet for the 1.2 and at least five feet down for the 2.0. We did not fish the 1.5 to test its running depth.

Size difference between the 1.2 (left) and 2.0 (right).

Retrieve: Depending on how you tie this bait to your line, whether that be with a snap, tied to the line tie split ring, or even directly to the line tie itself, the bait's action at high speeds will be affected. For best results use either a rounded bend snap or a split ring. The 1.2 sized bait can be burned back relatively quickly on a 7.4:1 retrieve ratio reel, but be mindful that's not really what this bait is designed to do.

The S-Crank 2.0 is a full three inches in length and weighs 1 oz.

Remember, it's designed to behave like those hand crafted balsa baits - the big bodied ones that you'd retrieve mostly on a slow to medium rate back to your position. It's an active bait that you can really feel at the end of your line.

And yes, it catches fish in this size too!

Deflection: The S-Crank is good at bouncing off rocks and other obstructions, but where its true strengths lie is when fished in open water above weedlines or other structure. This is because the bait has an erratic behavior all to its own without the added assistance of bouncing and deflecting off obstacles. Thanks to that unique head design, the S-Crank will break off that straight line retrieve, flash, and reacquire all on its own triggering strikes at any time.

Performance Ratings for Megabass S-Crank
Castability (1-5)	Dive Time(1-5)	Slow Speed (1-5)	High Speed (1-5)	Deflection (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4	5	5	3	4	21	25	8.4

Not all fish are big with the smaller sized baits.

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