The BassFan staff finally had a chance to lay hands on two highly anticipated baits from Spro. The first is the Little John flat crank, developed by John Crews. The other is the K-Finesse jig developed by Gary Klein.
About the Little John, Crews had a free hand to put everything into the crank that he wanted. It has a circuit-board lip – a feature usually found on $20.00 custom-made baits. That makes the lip virtually indestructible, and Spro said it dives more quickly too. The rear hook-eye is horizontal, rather than vertical, so the hooks tangle less on the cast. And it uses a soft-tungsten, internal weight-transfer system. That means two things. One, it casts like a rocket. Two, the soft tungsten makes a more subdued sound on the retrieve, compared to traditional rattles.
The K-Finesse, as noted, is the long-awaited jig from Klein. The premise here is that, because of the relationship between Spro and Gamakatsu, Klein was able to design the jig in reverse. He developed a new hook, which he thinks is perfect, then built the jig around it. Traditionally, the method has been to develop a jig, then find an existing hook to match it. The K-Finesse is available in a dressed version, or plain.
