Sticker shock. Guaranteed every time you walk through the tackle aisles at your favorite store.
It is getting harder and harder to find good crankbaits that retail under $10. But as you go cheaper, the hooks get worse, and the lures will not run true.
Have you ever wondered then, what the most expensive crankbait is? Just how high can we go? We sifted through the most popular online tackle retailers to find the 10 highest-priced crankbaits money can buy.
Most Expensive Crankbait Brands
The top half of the list is packed with JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) brands. The Japanese bait makers are known for high-quality lures with excellent action and intricately detailed finishes.
Megabass, Evergreen, and Lucky Craft are some of the first brands that come to mind when talking about expensive lures.
The refined aspects of these baits come at a price. These cranks are not mass produced and must be imported to North America, impacting the price.
Few North American brands venture above $15 a bait, but there are some in the Top 10.
1. River2Sea Tactical DD Crankbait ($15.99)
The Tactical DD is a collaboration between River2Sea and the famous Tactical Bassin YouTubers Matt Allen and Tim Little. Matt and Tim are known for fanatical attention to detail and for catching monster bass in Clear Lake, CA (and across the country).
- MSRP: $15.99
- Type: Deep Diver
- Length: 3”
- Weight: ¾ oz
- Depth: 18ft
The Tactical DD is known for a tighter action and realistic colors that you can’t get on other types of crankbaits. It is a deep-diving crankbait that performs best being burned in or with an aggressive stop-and-go retrieve to trigger big bass.
2. Duel Hardcore Bullet Crank 7+ ($15.99)
The Bullet Crank is the first JDM crankbait on the list, but certainly not the last. The price and specs are comparable to a Strike King 10XD, but what sets it apart is the castability and color patterns.
- MSRP: $15.99
- Type: Extra Deep Diver
- Length: 4”
- Weight: 2oz
- Depth: 20-27ft
The Bullet Crank has a unique “Bullet” magnetic weight transfer system that slides to the back on the cast, and back to the front on the retrieve. There are fewer colors but are a good mix of bright and natural patterns.
3. Jackall Chubble Crankbait ($15.99)
The Jackall Chubble has all the good attributes of a squarebill, a wide swimming action, and a stubby bill that bounces off cover. What makes it different is that the longer, slender baitfish body shows fish something they haven’t seen before.
- MSRP: $15.99
- Type: Shallow Diver
- Length: 3.1”
- Weight: 1/2oz
- Depth: 2-4ft
It might seem like a high price for a smaller lure, but the Chubble is quality from end to end. Like other Japanese lures, it features a magnetic weight transfer system for easy casting. Featuring mostly natural colors, and 3D eyes, the Chubble is a great shallow bait for cranking enthusiasts.
4. Duo Realis G87 20A ($15.99)
The Duo G87 20A deep diving crank is well-known in the cranking community. It weighs less than comparable lures but dives just as deep. Combined with the engineered shape, you have an easy to fish lure that easily reaches the 20+ foot depths.
- MSRP: $15.99
- Type: Deep Diving
- Length: 3-1/3”
- Weight: 1-1/4oz
- Depth: 19-21ft
This bait runs true out of the box and features excellent stock hooks. The Neodymium magnetic weight system balances the bait between long casts and easy retrieves. The G87 20A comes in proven colors like Blue Back Chart, Pumpkin Craw, and Ghost Minnow.
5. Evergreen CR Crank 16 ($17.99)
The CR Crank 16 is the biggest in the CR family, at 3 inches long and weighing just under an ounce. The CR has a beefy profile you don’t see in many medium-deep diving crankbaits, but it results in a wide swooping action.
- MSRP: $17.99
- Type: Medium-Deep Diving
- Length: 3”
- Weight: 15/16oz
- Depth: 14-16ft
Inside the CR 16 are a mag weight transfer and a single ball that puts out an awesome single knock rattle. Give the CR Crank 16 a run at night sometime and hang on, the fish love it. Some people say the hooks run small and you should upsize the stock trebles.
6. Lucky Craft LC DRS Squarebill ($18.99)
Lucky Craft has many crankbaits at this price point, but the LC DRS squarebill is on of the most popular. It’s a lot of money to pay for a squarebill that is going to be fished in gnarly cover, but it is such a great bait for it.
- MSRP: $18.99
- Type: Squarebill
- Length: 2-1/8” to 3-1/2”
- Weight: 1/3 to 1-3/8oz
- Depth: 2-5ft
The LC DRS comes in 6 sizes and 16 colors, but they all fish in the 2 to 5 ft zone. The rattle system creates a distinct clicking sound that is unlike the shushing sound made by traditional BB rattles. Clicking sounds a lot like baitfish and just seems to get bit.
7. Shimano World Crank 73F ($19.99)
Shimano is a newcomer to the hard bait world, and if their lures are anything like their reels and rods, the lures should be fantastic. At $20 a pop, it had better be!
- MSRP: $19.99
- Type: Medium Diving
- Length: 2-7/8”
- Weight: 5/8oz
- Depth: 10-12ft
The World Crank 73F is a medium diver with a slender body shape and color schemes that are unlike most others. All the crank colors are transparent to highlight the internal “Flash Boost” tech that has internal foil placed on mini springs. The result is a shimmering, quivering reflection of light for a realistic presentation.
8. Livingston Howeller Dream Master Classic Deep ($20.99)
This is the deep-diving version of the crankbait Randy Howell used to win the 2014 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Guntersville. Randy cranked the Dream Master under bridges and along the riprap in Spring Creek targeting big prespawn bass.
- MSRP: $20.99
- Type: Extra Deep Diving
- Length: 4-1/4”
- Weight: 1-7/8oz
- Depth: 30ft+
This is a big lure, but what justifies the high price? Per Livingston, the Howeller DMC Deep is equipped with their patented Electronic Baitfish Sound technology. You might need that as this bait runs exceptionally deep to 30 feet.
9. Greenfish Tackle Big G Flat Smiley ($21.99)
The Greenfish Big G Flat Smiley is the lone handmade crankbait in the top 10. The design and name are based on the old David “Smiley” Wright WEC crankbaits from the 1990s.
Each Big G Smiley is handmade from balsa wood and boasts a custom airbrushed paint finish. The other cool feature is the unique coffin-shaped circuit board bill. This gives the lure a subtle and tight swimming action that is killer in cold water.
- MSRP: $21.99
- Type: Medium Diving
- Length: 3”
- Weight: 1/2oz
- Depth: 8-10ft
10. Megabass Big M 7.5 ($29.99)
The Megabass Big M 7.5 is a large premium Japanese deep diving crankbait that should appeal to the most detail-obsessed crankbait anglers. Leave it to Megabass, the creator of the $25 jerkbait, to also have the most expensive crankbaits in the world.
- MSRP: $29.99
- Type: Deep Diving
- Length: 4-1/2”
- Weight: 2-1/8oz
- Depth: 24ft
For $30 you could get several Rapala DT 20s or Strike King 8XDs, so is it really that good? That is a matter of opinion, but the Big M 7.5 has a lot of good stuff going for it.
The profile is big, with flatter sides, which makes winding this thing a bit easier on the arms and hands. The internal “triple moving balance system” helps balance the lure on long casts and to reach depth quickly.
Finally, the finishes are impeccable, with lifelike 3D shad and bluegill patterns, as well as bright Chartreuse and Silver solid colors.
Add comment