Favorite & Least Favorite Bandits, Reef Runners...

Like most of you, me and my fishing buddies are dreaming of open water and a great bite. While having a few adult beverage we recently got on the topic of Bandit Walleye Deep and Reef Runner 800 cranks... which colors work well and which ones don't. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to start a negative post, I love Bandits and Reef Runners. They flat out catch fish. But some colors just don't seem to work as well as others. My favs are chartreuse blue back and Eriedescent, respectively. I can't catch a cold with parakeet or hot tamale, respectively. What's your experience?

I would have to say Spro pink lightning or bandit chrome black back for favorites. Don’t have any that don’t work yet. I’m sure the fish Gods will change that sometime…

Back when we started trolling 15yrs ago we mostly ran reefrunners.Bandits had not been made yet.Our favorite colors were eriedescent,grape ape and green flash.I did my best to try and get those reefrunners to run straight.Being a novice,i'm sure they were not running ideally. But we caught fish with them.Last month when organizing my gear,i took the last of the reefrunners out.Had not used one in years.Now,Bandits dominate the number of cranks i take with us.Hands down,the #1 bandit color is stock color Blue Chrome.Whenever we start fishing,we will almost always have at least one Blue Chrome Bandit out.Other favorite bandit colors are Pooh bear purple,humble bee,RC crush,Huff Daddy and IB frozen.But buying more cranks never end.

I firmly believe that the one who dies with the most lures wins…

I too have good luck with those colors Bob. Humble bee with stripes boated a bunch last year as did huff daddy. I do think black chrome caught a few more than blue chrome but both have teeth marks in them so who’s complaining.

i hate blue chrome only been a few times it's worked very well for me...most times it's a one hit wonder...i allways put it out in the begining to see if it goes, most times it catches one fish and then nothing...i've wasted many hours running so it's not like i don't give it a chance...in fact it's a running joke on the boat now that once it gets one fish just take it off and put something else on.

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Originally Posted by fisherman 2

i hate blue chrome only been a few times it's worked very well for me...most times it's a one hit wonder...i allways put it out in the begining to see if it goes, most times it catches one fish and then nothing...i've wasted many hours running so it's not like i don't give it a chance...in fact it's a running joke on the boat now that once it gets one fish just take it off and put something else on.

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I seem to remember that we too struggled to initially catch fish with the Blue Chrome bandits once they came out.I would read the fishing reports of others doing well with them,but when we used them would only catch one or two or nothin.But we also were not the best catching with cranks either back then.I actually had to buy a third blu chrome last year,due to how scratched up the other two had become from teeth marks.The cranks shine in the early spring when water temps are under 50 degrees.But we have also been doing well with them in the summer in deeper water.The past 3 years,we have been running the bandits off our inline boards east of Kellies with weight and long leads.My favorite, is a blu chrome bandit 50ft/2oz weight/then 100ft more going 2.5mph.That settup has caught alot of fish for us.
One thing you can do to improve your crank success is to make sure they are tuned properly.One of the great advantages of bandits is they run pretty darn straight right out of the package.But,i check all the cranks when i put out to make sure they are tuned.Even our bandits.A great tool to tune your cranks is a product offshore makes that is a small metal piece with a slot in it and can put around your neck.To tune,put out crank 20ft back behind boat in the least turbulent water back there and watch to see if the lure is running straight.Then point rod tip right at lure and reel it in.If it runs straight in,it goes out and on a board.If it comes in off to one side or other i use the tool to bend the eye on the lip.You can use pliers,but the plier are harder to bend the small amount needed.You bend the eye the opposite direction the lure is running to get it to run straight.So,if reeling in it is moving to your right.Get crank out of water facing you and bend that eye slightly to the left.Put back out 20ft again and reel it in.Keep adjusting till its running straight.May seem like extra work,but is worth the few minutes tuning compared to the hours that crank is running off your boards.The cranks can even become untuned when netting a bigger fish too.
Getting close to early fishing.Good luck.

Nice posts.

We run Bandits and Spros over 90% of the time.
I have a box of Reef Runners (too many to count) but seldom run them anymore. I always struggle to keep them tuned and they don't seem to play nice with the Bandits and Spros.

The reason I think is the same reason I can't quite pitch them - I think they have a wider wobble. There are times when the Reef Runner just hammers the fish when the others won't. It is rare but it does happen.

As for the Blue Chrome Bandits, I always have several handy. I have found they are best on sunny days and clear water. I seldom pull them on cloudy days.

Most of my best Bandits have been mentioned. As for Reef Runners, they stay at home. They are a PITA to tune and keep tuned.

Given that this is a thread about favorite (or least favorite) Bandit patterns, etc. I thought I would see if I could get your input on the latest patterns that I painted and see if I should add them to the catalog or ditch them. They still need clear-coat, but otherwise they are done.

After painting the first one, the first thing that came to mind was that it looked like it has dice on each side. So, I am thinking of calling it "Pair-a-dice".

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My first attempt at the one below had clear in the middle, with dots, and someone on the MI forum suggested that I call it "Fermi-Nuff", which I thought was hilarious, so I am planning on sticking with that name. I really like this one so, unless everyone else hates it, I am planning on adding it to the catalog.

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I am thinking both would be good in stained water due to the sharp contrast and bright colors. Thanks in advance for your input!

Won't be long now and we will be out there trying them out.

Deuces wild

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Originally Posted by cohoho

Deuces wild

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That's good too. I like it.

Hey Slimshady. I’ll take two of each posted plus 2 of your fav. Spring colors and another of your choice for the freebie. Hook me up buddy

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Originally Posted by cohoho

Hey Slimshady. I’ll take two of each posted plus 2 of your fav. Spring colors and another of your choice for the freebie. Hook me up buddy

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You got it. I added both of them to my catalog and plan on making more of each pattern tonight. You can order them directly from the store, or email me with your payment info and I can place the order for you.

As for my other favorite spring patterns, it kind of depends on the conditions. However, all things considered, I would say my top 5 are as follows:

Smokeshow Shad
Nuclear Perch
Psycho Killer (was awesome in the fall, haven't tried it yet in the spring)
Glow Wonderbread (Same)
Grave Digger (Same)

That said, I do have another new one you may want to consider: "Pink Holographic"

Just added that one to the catalog today as well.

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Can’t find fermi-nuff

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Originally Posted by cohoho

Can’t find fermi-nuff

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Sorry, when I added it, I forgot to turn it to active. It is there now. Please try it again.

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Originally Posted by slimshady

You got it. I added both of them to my catalog and plan on making more of each pattern tonight. You can order them directly from the store, or email me with your payment info and I can place the order for you.

As for my other favorite spring patterns, it kind of depends on the conditions. However, all things considered, I would say my top 5 are as follows:

Smokeshow Shad
Nuclear Perch
Psycho Killer (was awesome in the fall, haven't tried it yet in the spring)
Glow Wonderbread (Same)
Grave Digger (Same)

That said, I do have another new one you may want to consider: "Pink Holographic"

Just added that one to the catalog today as well.

Attachment 7603

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Don't see a grave digger i do see a gold digger that the same

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Originally Posted by Buckeye Bob

Don't see a grave digger i do see a gold digger that the same

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Nope, I have both, but I am out of the "Gold Diggers" at the moment. Waiting for my chrome blanks to show up. Here's the link to "Grave Digger"

Grave Digger
– Slimshady Customs

It looks like this:

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Originally Posted by J Hook

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Very nice, but which one is your favorite? I like that last one, personally. That is sweet.

BTW, I received a shipment of 2000 chrome blanks, so some of the patterns that I have been out of, I will be replenishing shortly. I also added the chrome blanks to my catalog, so if anyone wants to paint some of their own, I have them.

Here's a link to the item in the catalog: Chrome "Bandit Style" Blanks- unpainted (6-Pack, blanks only, no hardw
– Slimshady Customs

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Yes that is a good one .. Plus the Mountain Dew colors are always a good color to use .. I also use one that is purple on one side and pink on the other .. Honestly I have no favorites