Several months ago, I came across an excellent article at In-Fisherman, speaking volumes about “Might Mini Cranks.” The author discussed a wide range of tips, tactics and lures to use for ultralite anglers wanting to throw tiny cranks and jerkbaits. Since then, I've built up an ever-expanding collection of ultralite fishing lures and I wanted to take this opportunity to share with everyone what I have found.
Jet Tackle Lures is one of the best sources I have found of ultra cheap fishing lures in the United States. They also happen to offer a fantastic line of micro lures, perfect for ultralite anglers on a budget. While I love my expensive Yo-Zuri micros, I also maintain a collection of cheap small lures that I’m not afraid to cast near heavier cover or other snag-prone areas. Here’s their page of micro lures (web link-view ALL micro lures from Jet Tackle here) and following are profiles of several of these lures.
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| S3-Jetx (bottom 3) vs S4-LKA039 |
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| Catches trout too! |
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| Tiny |
Jet Tackle’s S3-JETX0002 is pretty solid little lure. Actually, it’s one of my favorite micro lures they offer, coming in at a tiny 1.2 inches (3cm). I’ve nailed a load of different sized green sunfish and other panfish on this tiny micro lure. I’ve also caught several wild rainbow trout on it from different secret SoCal creeks, thus showing off its versatility. It’s probably closest in shape to a mini Rapala, although considerably lighter. It has a fairly slow sink rate and a nice wobble on retrieve. They offer the S3-JETX0002 in 8 different colors, each for the stellar price of just $1.27. Try and beat that when you are looking for decent micro lures! It’s definitely one of the best micro lures offered by Jet Tackle and one I would urge any ultralite angler to purchase. ★★★★★
The S4-LKA039 is another tiny (1.6 inch) lure from Jet Tackle, in a mini jerkbait shape. It’s also one of the most detailed micro lures they offer and comes in a wide array of enticing colors. I have several of them in my ultralite box. It has an excellent side to side wobble, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sink fast enough to be of as much use to me as the S3-JetX. I still like it and adding a snap swivel to the front does help, but it’s mostly shallow water bait. It’s available for $1.27 as well. ★★★★
The tiniest true crankbait offered by Jet Tackle is the S4-LKA046. It’s definitely a solid shallow water crankbait, with an excellent wobble, even on faster retrieves and required little to no tuning. However, I wish it could dive a little deeper, as it is probably limited to 6 inches or less of diving depth. It’s still not a bad lure for $1.27 but it won’t replace my trusty Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow crankbait. ★★
One of the neatest tiny topwaters offered by Jet Tackle is the S5-FLA031. It’s a typical topwater popper and looks great in the water. The S5-FLA031 comes in at a true 2 inches and pops like a pro on retrieve. I’m not worried about casting it near thick cover for bass or sunfish on my urban creek fishing trips, because at $1.27 it doesn’t hurt to lose it (well, not too much at least). Definitely one I would recommend picking up for topwater ultralite fans, one of the better lures offered by Jet Tackle. Get it! ★★★★★
The S4-LKA039 is another tiny (1.6 inch) lure from Jet Tackle, in a mini jerkbait shape. It’s also one of the most detailed micro lures they offer and comes in a wide array of enticing colors. I have several of them in my ultralite box. It has an excellent side to side wobble, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sink fast enough to be of as much use to me as the S3-JetX. I still like it and adding a snap swivel to the front does help, but it’s mostly shallow water bait. It’s available for $1.27 as well. ★★★★
The tiniest true crankbait offered by Jet Tackle is the S4-LKA046. It’s definitely a solid shallow water crankbait, with an excellent wobble, even on faster retrieves and required little to no tuning. However, I wish it could dive a little deeper, as it is probably limited to 6 inches or less of diving depth. It’s still not a bad lure for $1.27 but it won’t replace my trusty Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow crankbait. ★★
One of the neatest tiny topwaters offered by Jet Tackle is the S5-FLA031. It’s a typical topwater popper and looks great in the water. The S5-FLA031 comes in at a true 2 inches and pops like a pro on retrieve. I’m not worried about casting it near thick cover for bass or sunfish on my urban creek fishing trips, because at $1.27 it doesn’t hurt to lose it (well, not too much at least). Definitely one I would recommend picking up for topwater ultralite fans, one of the better lures offered by Jet Tackle. Get it! ★★★★★
( more after the jump)
The S6-FLA076is another tiny jerkbait, although not as small as many of the other lures profiled here (2’’). It looks really good, nice details and all, and is also super cheap ($1.27). It’s decent on retrieve but feels a little too lightweight to be of much use. I think a slightly heavier model would be better, as it would offer better balance and diving ability. I’ll keep it as backup but not as a primary lure at all. ★★
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| Jet Tackle Micro Crankbaits |
Sadly, the S7-FLA040line of 2.8’’ jerkbaits look amazing but do not perform well, in my opinion. They simply don’t have much action in the water, unless violently jerked (much harder than many Rapalas or XPS jerkbaits requires). A steady retrieve makes these look like a knife cutting through water, with little or no action. I was really disappointed by these as I had high hopes for them with their excellent appearance and price. ★
Lastly, the TinyBomber range of crankbaits are a little chubbier and longer than most covered here (2.4’’ long) but they look great in the water! They have an excellent wobble, dive well and come in 5 different colors. $1.39 is a terrific bargain for these too! I liked them so much I put in a second order for them, definitely worth a shot. I think they are a little too “fat” for most panfish, but will work great for city park pond and urban creek largemouth bass fishing. ★★★★
Overall, I’m really pleased with the line of small Jet Tackle Lures. While you can purchase a few of their lures from other websites or eBay for cheaper on occasion, only Jet Tackle ships from inside the United States. Their customer service and shipping times are excellent; shipping costs are very low as well.
Other Micro lures:
Conquer Outdoors
Imagine my surprise when I walked across a new stand of lures in the fishing section at WalMart, complete with micro crankbaits for just $1! Sold under the name Conquer Outdoors, these “Crappie Lures” were incredibly cheap and came in several different colors. They are just a little larger than a Bitsy Pond Minnow but have a similar action in the water. Not only do they work fairly well on both slow and fast retrieves, but they catch fish too! I was super excited to find these and have to admit that I may have cleaned out one WalMart’s stock of these lures, sorry! Unfortunately, when I returned, they stopped carrying the smaller ones and only carry bass-sized jerkbaits, cranks and spinnerbaits now. These are also very cheap ($2 or so) and I’ve picked up a few of them as well. I’ve seen the little cardboard stand holding these lures at several WalMarts now but haven’t seen the crappie crankbaits previously sold at any of the stands. Keep your eyes open and maybe you’ll find them at your local branch.
wLure
Both wLure (C146) and Jet Tackle (S4-LKA046) carry a nice selection of chubby micro crankbaits. They don't have a very deep diving depth (6-10 ''?) but they have a solid wobble and definitely catch fish.I've caught a lot of green sunfish on these, as you can see in the photos.
Yo-Zuri
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| Yo-Zuri Goby |
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| Yo-Zuri Aile Kilifish |
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| Top and Bottom-Tsunami MicroCranks Middle-YoZuri Snap Bean |
Rebel
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| Rebel Jerkbait |
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| BPS MicroMinnow |
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| BPS MicroCrankbait |
Ladybug (generic) Lure
This little lure pops up on eBay from time to time and always interested me. I finally picked one up and was rather disappointed by it. It’s small, but is also quite wide-not the micro lure I was looking for. It also struggles to dive on retrieve, although it has a decent wobble. Stay clear of this one.
