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Lure Review

 


A Mid-Depth Crank with Built In Erratic Behavior : Spro's Little John Baby DD

 

Date: 9/24/17
Tackle Type: Lure
Manufacturer: Spro
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 7.67 - GOOD

Introduction:
Several years ago, Zander took it upon himself to dissect a new, up and coming bait by Spro, the Little John DD. It's a deep diving crank designed to reach depths of up to twenty feet (20'). A few years after the successful introduction of that bait, the designers at Spro, together with John Crews himself went to work on a smaller, shallower running version of this same bait - the subject of today's review. Here's our look at Spro's John Crews Little John Baby DD.

 

Spro Little John Baby DD Crankbait Specifications

Type Deep Diver
Length 2 1/3"
Weight 5/8 oz
Depth 10-14 feet
Material Hard Plastic
Colors 7
Hooks 2x #3 Gamakatsu
MSRP $10.79

 


Introducing Spro's John Crews Little John Baby DD.

 

Impressions: The Little John Baby DD (also referred to as the Little John DD 60) measures roughly two and a third inches (2 1/3" - or 60mm) in length (minus the bill) and weighs five eighths of an ounce (5/8oz). It comes stock with two #3 Gamakatsu hooks and looks every bit like the smaller sibling of the original Little John DD - a bait that measures two and three quarters of an inch and weighs a full ounce.


The Little John Baby DD has a conventional looking diving bill.

Real World Tests: My combo of choice for the Little John Baby DD was a little unconventional. I chose a 2014 Conquest 101 spooled with 13lb Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon paired with my Megabass Orochi X4 Destruction.


Each bait comes with two #3 sized Gamakatsu treble hooks.

Castability: The Little John Baby DD comes with a weight transfer system that shifts the bait's momentum into the direction of your cast helping you achieve maximum distance. This is achieved by use of a soft rubber coated tungsten ball in the belly of the bait that slides to the back as you swing the bait into your cast. It's a welcome feature on a bait that might otherwise sail off to the side or spin because of its non-aerodynamic flat sides.


Internally, the bait has a rubber coated tungsten ball that moves front to back during a cast, and then, back to the bait's belly again during retrieve.

Dive Time: Once the bait lands in the water and you click your reel over to begin your retrieve, the Little John Baby DD points nose down allowing that internal bearing to slide forward to give the bait proper balance in swimming and diving down. The bait dives at a medium to sharp angle working relatively quickly to get to maximum diving depth.


Detailing at the eye is typical of Spro.

As the Little John Baby DD swims, its body wobbles and tilts with very erratic action causing it to swim off to one side for a little bit, then back to center, maybe off to the other side, etc.. So not only does the bait's body move erratically, but the bait's path back to the boat can be just as erratic providing a much more natural action than swimming in a straight line back to your position. This is especially the case when the bait is deflecting off objects on the bottom.


This color (Citrus Shad) has a very interesting reflective scale pattern.

On the pause, the bait stops, and very slowly begins to float to the surface with a pronounced head down position. In the case of a hang up, it's easier to move the boat over the top of the bait and pull it out backwards in an attempt to free the bait than to wait for it to back out on its own. If you're a shore fisherman, take note to be patient when trying to back the bait out of a tight spot.


There are a total of only 7 colors available.

Design/Ergonomics: The Little John Baby DD is available in only seven different colors. That's quite surprising for a company that has an extensive color palate at its disposal. It comes with the usual, aggressively styled Spro eyes and the afore mentioned Gamakatsu round bend treble hooks (size #3).


The Spro Little John Baby DD retails for $10.79 per bait.

Price & Application: The Little John Baby DD retails for just under eleven dollars at $10.79 and can be found at authorized Spro dealers like TackleWarehouse. It's a good choice in bait if you're trying to get down to roughly twelve or fourteen feet or anything shallower than that. I fished it on thirteen pound test line and was able to get the bait down to approximately ten to twelve feet in running depth with little difficulty.

Ratings:

Spro Little John Baby DD Crankbait Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality Good bait to bait consistency 8
Performance This is one easy crank to cast into the wind 8
Price Good mid-tier pricing 7.5
Features Comes stock with quality hooks 8
Design (Ergonomics) More colors would be nice 7
Application A good choice in a medium running crank 7.5

Total Score

7.67
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
+ Super easy bait to cast thanks to the internal weight transfer system - The bait is slow to back out of hang ups
+ Built in erratic action - Limited color palette
+ Compact, easy to handle size  


If you're looking for a mid-depth crank that's easy to tie on, toss out, and crank back, the Spro Little John Baby DD is worth some serious consideration.

Conclusion: My favorite characteristic of Spro's Little John Baby DD Crankbait is how erratic it swims in the water. At first, I thought the bait was out of tune straight from the package, but when I saw it auto correct course and then repeat this behavior, I knew it was part of the bait's design. Add to that, the super easy casting performance and you have the makings of a bait you can rely upon time and time again. If you're looking for a mid-depth crank that's easy to tie on, toss out, and crank back, the Spro Little John Baby DD is worth some serious consideration.

 

Looking for Spro Little John Baby DD Crankbaits?

Try TackleWarehouse


 

   

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