Spro John Crews Little John 50 Flat Sided Crankbait Product Review

Lure Review

Crank It Up : Spro's John Crews Little John 50

Date:	4/16/17
Tackle Type:	Lure
Manufacturer:	Spro
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.00 - EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD!

Introduction: If there's one genre of crankbait I like to throw the most, it has to be a shallow runner like the squarebill or flat sided crank. Running the banks, firing at visible targets and cranking in shallow water is therapy for those of us with short attention spans. Thankfully, there is no shortage of shallow water crankbait options to feed that short attention span. Today, we take a look at a staple within the Spro lineup designed by none other than John Crews. Here's our look at his Little John 50 shallow water crank.

Spro Little John 50 Specifications
Type	Shallow Water Crank
Length	2 5/8" with bill, 2" body only
Weight	1/2oz (0.380 on our digital scale)
Depth	3 - 5 feet
Material	Plastic
Colors	26
Hooks	2x #6 Gamakatsu
MSRP	$10.59

Introducing Spro's Little John 50.

Impressions: Spro's Little John 50 is a flat sided, shallow crankbait measuring about two and five eighths inches (2 5/8") with the bill or an even two inches (2") without the bill. The bait is rated at half an ounce in weight, but our baits weighed in on average at about 0.380 ounces - roughly three eighths of an ounce (3/8oz). Why the discrepancies we don't really know.

This shallow running crank has a circuit board diving lip.

The bait comes with a circuit board lip found on a lot of shallow water cranks these days, but the lip is not squared off. Rather it has a nice, rounded off edge to it like most flat sided cranks.

The Spro Little John 50 is a shallow running, flat sided crank.

Real World Tests: Flat sided cranks are traditionally fished more slowly than square bills, but when it comes to throwing a crank, if given a choice (meaning if I'm not reviewing a specific reel), my default is always one of my round reels. There's something about using a round reel and throwing cranks that go hand in hand for me. My combo of choice for the Little John 50 was my 2014 Conquest 101 spooled with 13lb Sunline Sniper Fluorocarbon paired with my Megabass Orochi X4 Destruction.

Most flat sided cranks have a rounded off bill.

Castability: Any chance I get to fish the Destruction between reviewing other rods, I take full advantage and given the Little John's half ounce rating, I figured it'd be a no brainer on this stick. Thing is, as I mentioned above, the Little John 50 is actually more like 3/8oz in weight. Just the same thanks to it's compact frame, and an internal, coated, tungsten weight that moves from front to back during the cast, the bait is really easy to cast both for distance and on target.

Of course, for me, with baits like this, it's all about the craw patterns.

Next Section: A shallow dive...