Do You remember Bill Dance's Craw Crank Bait? 2025
eyedabassman reply :
I think years ago Bill Dance had a soft craw crank bait with one treble hook. I still have two of them one is a brown color and the other is a Chart. color. They were about 4 in. or 5 in. long and had a small lip. Do any of you remember them? And does anyone still fish them? Boy, I think they have been off the market for many, years! :-? 
:-/
Mobydick reply :
Wow, yes I remember them! I have one and I know a place that still sells them.
I havent fished mine in years though.
Ian
eyedabassman reply :
Who knows they may be worth something! :-?
PD reply :
Funny you should bring that up. I was just cleaning out my basement last week and went through one of my old tackle boxes from about 20 years ago and inside was none other than that craw crankbait, along with some other old baits. I kept the hardbaits but threw away the Bill Dance craw. hope it wasn't wirth a whole lot!
detroit1 reply :
Killer lure for me. I also had 2- natural and a chartruese, and loved these baits. I still have them although the treble got ripped out. Kind of a slow sinker with a little lip to wiggle it some. Lm,sm,pike, and a 14" rock bass ate that thing. Sure wish i had more....
eyedabassman reply :
I think the brown Craw had tint of blue in the claws too!
zbass reply :
I have one that has never seen the water. Reddish with blue claws.
Blue Streak reply :
I had four and I put them on eBay one at a time. I got over 50 bucks for the first two and less than 15 for the third. I kept the last one. I think two collectors got into a bidding war and I got very lucky.
PD reply :
QuoteI had four and I put them on eBay one at a time. I got over 50 bucks for the first two and less than 15 for the third. I kept the last one. I think two collectors got into a bidding war and I got very lucky.
Dang it > I threw mine away
eyedabassman reply :
Does anyone know what they are really worth? I would be willing to sell them! : MAYBE :-?
eyedabassman reply :
QuoteDoes anyone know what they are really worth? I would be willing to sell them! :MAYBE :-?
What year did they come out?
tallydude reply :
I still have two of them. One is red and the other is grey. For some reason I've always been reluctant to cast them. I think because I've never liked how the treble hook sat right on the bottom. Very nice looking lure, though.
eyedabassman reply :
QuoteI still have two of them. One is red and the other is grey. For some reason I've always been reluctant to cast them. I think because I've never liked how the treble hook sat right on the bottom. Very nice looking lure, though.
I did catch a bass on one. Evan a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while ;D
mrbassky reply :
To me Bill Dance has lost all credibility. He sell more junk than anybody around. Yeah his baits catch fish but not as well as other lures. For every good one he sells there are 3 bad ones. If there has a bigger sellout in the history of bass fishing I cant name him. (Roland Matin tried with the helicopter lure)
tallydude reply :
QuoteTo me Bill Dance has lost all credibility. He sell more junk than anybody around. Yeah his baits catch fish but not as well as other lures. For every good one he sells there are 3 bad ones. If there has a bigger sellout in the history of bass fishing I cant name him. (Roland Matin tried with the helicopter lure)
Horsecrap. I have had the pleasure to meet and speak with Mr. Dance and will not allow someone to attack him like that. The man has done more than almost anyone to popularize fishing and catch and release. He is a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame.
The man is paid to advertise and sell fishing tackle. I'm sorry that's too much for your "fishing integrity" to handle.
NOVA Angler reply :
QuoteQuoteTo me Bill Dance has lost all credibility. He sell more junk than anybody around. Yeah his baits catch fish but not as well as other lures. For every good one he sells there are 3 bad ones. If there has a bigger sellout in the history of bass fishing I cant name him. (Roland Matin tried with the helicopter lure)Horsecrap. I have had the pleasure to meet and speak with Mr. Dance and will not allow someone to attack him like that. The man has done more than almost anyone to popularize fishing and catch and release. He is a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame.
The man is paid to advertise and sell fishing tackle. I'm sorry that's too much for your "fishing integrity" to handle.
So you have no problem being deceived by someone as long as they're being paid for it? I work hard for my money and if someone who is supposed to be respected tells me to buy something and it's junk, why should I respect them, regardless of what he's done for the sport? Roland Martin and Hank Parker are two of the biggest sellouts in my opinion. Bill Dance is teetering on the edge.
J Francho reply :
Just so you all realize, these guys didn't make nearly the money that even a mediocre pro level angler does now. So what if they hawk weird junk. Modern bass fishing was built upon their early success. Street cred doesn't put dinner on the table. If someone said to me right now they'd pay me $100 to promote some goofy item, I'd do it. Sell out? Yeah. Sell out = money in. Hell, even KVD hawks Quantum, LOL.
Muddy reply :
What do you expect, he's a trout guy to heart!
J Francho reply :
It really cracks me up when someone says they were deceived by Bill Dance, LOL. Really? You call yourself a bass fisherman, and yet you didn't see the inherent weaknesses in these baits? And how many other baits have you tried that didn't work? Did you blackball their sponsored pros? Its silly. Not even anything I'd be worried about.
Muddy reply :
Hey John, Just messing with you. I agree wholehartdly with you. Just look at the Resume forum here, any one of these guys may well put a patch on their shirts or a decal on their boat for sponsorship.
J Francho reply :
I know you're messin' Just laughing right along with you. last I hear, old Rolly and Billy were laughin' too.
tallydude reply :
QuoteQuoteQuoteTo me Bill Dance has lost all credibility. He sell more junk than anybody around. Yeah his baits catch fish but not as well as other lures. For every good one he sells there are 3 bad ones. If there has a bigger sellout in the history of bass fishing I cant name him. (Roland Matin tried with the helicopter lure)Horsecrap. I have had the pleasure to meet and speak with Mr. Dance and will not allow someone to attack him like that. The man has done more than almost anyone to popularize fishing and catch and release. He is a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame.
The man is paid to advertise and sell fishing tackle. I'm sorry that's too much for your "fishing integrity" to handle.
So you have no problem being deceived by someone as long as they're being paid for it? I work hard for my money and if someone who is supposed to be respected tells me to buy something and it's junk, why should I respect them, regardless of what he's done for the sport? Roland Martin and Hank Parker are two of the biggest sellouts in my opinion. Bill Dance is teetering on the edge.
Being deceived? I've never been deceived by these guys- I understand that in return for the enjoyment of watching their fishing shows, they will advertise for their sponsors. If something is interesting to me, perhaps I'll buy it. If I buy it and I don't like it, it's not because I was deceived, it's because I made a purchase of an item that was well advertised, not because I was deceived.
Please continue to preach on about the purity of fishing and how Mr. Dance has damned himself forever because you spent $4.79 on a lure you didn't like. I'm loving your snap judgments of a person's character based upon his profession.
Sounds like the only person deceiving you is yourself.
Muddy reply :
Hey Nova: Since you are not old enough to remember all of this here is this Hall Of Fame Fisherman's Life time Achievments
His Record:
Tournament Information
23 National Bass Titles; Bassmaster Classic Qualifier 8 out of 9 years and finished 2nd in 1973. Three time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year 1970, 1974 & 1977. Of 78 total B.A.S.S. entries, finished 64 times in the money. 7 wins, 8 times runner up, 6 third place, 40 top ten finishes (51% of tournaments entered) and 51 top 20 finishes (65%). In first 11 tournaments, was only out of the top 7 once. Won 7 of the first 17 events entered (41%).
Retired from competition in 1980 at the age of 39.
Credited with catching the first bass in B.A.S.S. history. 1967
Credited with popularizing the Carolina Rig.
skunked_again reply :
QuoteHey Nova: Since you are not old enough to remember all of this here is this Hall Of Fame Fisherman's Life time AchievmentsHis Record:
Tournament Information
23 National Bass Titles; Bassmaster Classic Qualifier 8 out of 9 years and finished 2nd in 1973. Three time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year 1970, 1974 & 1977. Of 78 total B.A.S.S. entries, finished 64 times in the money. 7 wins, 8 times runner up, 6 third place, 40 top ten finishes (51% of tournaments entered) and 51 top 20 finishes (65%). In first 11 tournaments, was only out of the top 7 once. Won 7 of the first 17 events entered (41%).
Retired from competition in 1980 at the age of 39.
Credited with catching the first bass in B.A.S.S. history. 1967
Credited with popularizing the Carolina Rig.
and rumor is hes quite the catfisherman.
roadwarrior reply :
Bill Dance fishes here in Memphis on the Mississippi with
a partner, James "Big Catfish" Patterson. They have won
a couple of events on the catfish tour.
I run into him at the local BPS and he fishes the Tennessee
River. I posted a cute story a few weeks ago about Bill Dance
borrowing a throw net from my partner. From what I've seen,
his real life personality is very much like his TV persona. I think
he is a great guy and one of the top three bass fishermen of
all time.
If you want to protect your fishing money, don't buy anything
that isn't highly recommended by someone you know or trust
on this forum. As someone else noted a few days ago, "Our
guys buy tackle because it works, not because someone paid
them to use it."
8-)
mrbassky reply :
QuoteQuoteTo me Bill Dance has lost all credibility. He sell more junk than anybody around. Yeah his baits catch fish but not as well as other lures. For every good one he sells there are 3 bad ones. If there has a bigger sellout in the history of bass fishing I cant name him. (Roland Matin tried with the helicopter lure)Horsecrap. I have had the pleasure to meet and speak with Mr. Dance and will not allow someone to attack him like that. The man has done more than almost anyone to popularize fishing and catch and release. He is a member of the IGFA Hall of Fame.
The man is paid to advertise and sell fishing tackle. I'm sorry that's too much for your "fishing integrity" to handle.
It is not an "attack" on him. Hes just getting paid. Alot of my favorite bands sold out and I still like them. I am sure he is a nice guy but face the facts. His shows arent about learning anymore they are about him fishing a stocked pond full of big dumb bass (no offense to him I will be fishing there as well if I could) and selling a new lure every week. Some of his lures would get you laughed out of the bass club. His shows arent fishing shows they are half hour infomercials. And thats OK I would do the same thing for that kind of cash. Yeah hes an alltime great fisherman no doubt. Other than being a Tennessee fan I am sure hes a great guy. Many of the lures he sells are low quality baits. I know I used to buy them all. Most last a year or less and never are heard from again. But he basically sells every strike king or Booyah product so he sells some good ones as well. I may have been harsh about 1in5 he sells are junk but no self respecting pro would sell something they dont believe in. Maybe Bill just gets caught up in the hype and thinks this might work like some of us. But my guess is he would try and sell anything and say it is a great lure and you need to get one. But I dont hold against him I just wont buy anything because he says its good.
NOVA Angler reply :
QuoteHey Nova: Since you are not old enough to remember all of this here is this Hall Of Fame Fisherman's Life time AchievmentsHis Record:
Tournament Information
23 National Bass Titles; Bassmaster Classic Qualifier 8 out of 9 years and finished 2nd in 1973. Three time B.A.S.S. Angler of the Year 1970, 1974 & 1977. Of 78 total B.A.S.S. entries, finished 64 times in the money. 7 wins, 8 times runner up, 6 third place, 40 top ten finishes (51% of tournaments entered) and 51 top 20 finishes (65%). In first 11 tournaments, was only out of the top 7 once. Won 7 of the first 17 events entered (41%).
Retired from competition in 1980 at the age of 39.
Credited with catching the first bass in B.A.S.S. history. 1967
Credited with popularizing the Carolina Rig.
Just my opinion man. Please don't get bent out of shape about it. You're probably right that he's done more than anyone to advance fishing. I understand and agree with that. Hell, I watch his show almost every weekend. I guess that's enough for you to accept the phony promotions. For me it's not. Why not promote products that actually work? Not enough money? Is it really advancing the sport of fishing for the average "Ugly Stick Fisherman" to watch his show and see him catch fish after fish after fish on a lure that you and I know is garbage? With that said, he's definetly not as bad a some of the others. BTW...I only purchase my fishing and hunting equipment based on the experience of people on this and other boards. For the most part you get objective and very helpful information.
You can have the last word.
Muddy reply :
I still watch him when i get the chance. He still does the same, he explains what hes using, why he is using it and how to use it
I do not care where he is fishing, he gives complete info and watching him catch those fish helps the newbee ( as I once was) get the itch.
Not to mention those bloopers!
It is a TV fishing show, and he has sponsors, so does CSI!That's TV, he does however remain a teacher.
roadwarrior reply :
And that will do it...
Goodnight Irene
-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior
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