Cranka Crab Review: Unboxing, Price, And Top Pros & Cons
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
One of my favorite ways to catch sheepshead is with artificial crab lures.
And since last winter, I’ve been on a mission to find out which one is best.
I’ve had a lot of success with the Savage Gear Crab and the Chasebaits Crusty Crab, but one lure that kept getting mentioned in the comments was the Cranka Crab.
I just picked one up since sheepshead season is around the corner and in this video, I’m going to share my initial thoughts on it.
There’s one huge factor that I believe will have a big impact on how well it performs on the water that you’ll definitely want to know about before you buy it.
Let’s dive in!
Cranka Crab Review [VIDEO]
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Other crab lure reviews:
- SAVAGE GEAR CRAB REVIEW (PROS, CONS, RETRIEVE TIPS)
- CRAB LURE FOR SHEEPSHEAD REVIEW [CRUSTY CRAB BY CHASEBAITS]
Sheepshead love crab lures (you can see how effective they are in this video), and I love catching them on crab lures.
But not all crab lures are created equally.
Some are good for dropping along pilings, while others are better for dragging on sandy bottom near structure.
Before I test this Cranka Crab on the water and see how it does, I wanted to share my initial thoughts about it.
Here are the top pros and cons:
Cranka Crab Pros:
- Shell and legs are made of hard plastic so they won’t get torn up
- Looks very lifelike
Cranka Crab Cons:
- Has two treble hooks, which make it likely you’ll get snagged because sheepshead fishing is usually done near structure
- Price is $12-14 (much more expensive than the other two popular crab lures)
- Legs don’t flutter as much as the others
Crab Lure Pricing:
- Cranka Crab: $12-14 for one (Get it on Amazon here)
- Savage Gear Crab: $5.99 for a pack of two (Get it from our shop here)
- Chasebaits Crusty Crab: $11.99 for a pack of two (Get it from our shop here)
Conclusion
I’m excited to see how this Cranka Crab performs on the water, but I am nervous to throw such an expensive lure down under a dock with treble hooks on it.
Have you used this lure before?
What did you think?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who’s considering buying this lure, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Related articles:
- HOW TO CATCH SHEEPSHEAD WITHOUT LIVE BAIT (LIVE VIDEO)
- HOW TO CATCH SHEEPSHEAD (PLUS PDF CHEAT SHEET & CATCH CARD)
- HOW TO COOK SHEEPSHEAD (THE SIMPLE & DELICIOUS WAY)
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Luke, have you done a review on the Gulp crab and compared it to the Savage and Chasebaits crab? If so what is the best way to rig? I have thought about using them to fish for Permit. Small live crabs lately have been going for $4 to $4.50 each…ouch!
I have not tried any crabs for permit, so I’m not sure how they’ll do. They are picky eaters, so the crab will need to look real and have a good drift in the water to work.
You addressed my very first question. Won’t this be prone to snagging? So I’m looking forward to seeing the test results. Does it look like you could maybe switch out a treble and replace with a single? Maybe shrink up the split ring too? Lots of mods for high dollar lure though….Thanks Luke!
Since the claws are affixed to the treble hooks, it would be a burden to try to move them to some single hooks.
Given how tough the legs are, they’ll likely help keep the trebles away from the snags as mentioned by an earlier comment shown below.
I have bought several. My only criticism is they can smash and break if cast against very hard structure, like rocks or a seawall: the same places I look for sheeps. When they do smash, the apron (where the weight is located), and legs come off, and they become unfishable. Supposedly, there are kits for replacement legs and weight, but I have not found any for sale.
The good part is the legs prevent the trebles from catching moderate to thin grasses, and prevent many snags on hard structure. Also, having watched sheepshead feed on crabs both in an aquarium and while diving, I can see they will often hit the claws first, to disarm the crabs. Of course, bigger ones don’t care, and chomp the whole thing at once. These are deceptively very strong hooks. I wish I knew where to buy them for kingfish stinger rigs.
Make sure you watch the action of this underwater. You will see the lure action depends a lot more on resting than movement. A good point bait, instead of a retrieval based action. Way too expensive to arbitrarily throw at snaggy mangroves, but works on docks and seawalls.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment Ephraim!
Sounds good
I use this is Australia best crab Lure going round by far I have caught bream Mangrove Jack and flat head when you use this you will be taken back by it.
Thanks for making time to leave the helpful comment Peter!
My good friend and I. have used the cranka a bit and definitely caught fish on it here in St Pete. He actually caught a monster snook on it too so it is more versatile than just sheepshead.
Cool! Thanks for sharing your results from using this cranka crab lure.