Spro Little John MD Cranks Through Laydowns

Reviewed by Jonathan Manteuffel

Last year Spro gave Virginia Bassmaster Elite Series pro and crankbait fanatic John Crews the chance to design his own best-ever shallow crankbait. What resulted was the Little John, a small bait with big power to trigger scary strikes from shallow bass.

The lure has a micarta (circuit board material) bill that is nearly indestructible and causes the lure to spring off objects like rocks and docks, creating erratic actions that move bass to attack. Yet the lure runs true in open water, even at fast retrieves.

This fall, Spro has expanded the line with the Little John MD, a medium-diving crank that runs 7-9 feet deep. The body is the same as the original Little John, but the dive bill is plastic, longer, and at a different, downward angle. Crews wanted the line tie in the bill for the MD, so the material had to be able to handle that.