Bagley’s Balsa B

It was in the early ’70s that Jim Bagley had the idea to hire crankbait pioneer Lee Sisson to create a shallow running crankbait to compete with Cotton Cordell‘s Big O. In 1973 his Big B wins 3 national tournaments and in November it was renamed the Balsa B.

The balance of the bait was accomplished with lead balls and the lip is referred to as the wedgebill. I’ve caught many bass on this lure. Fishing around the boat docks at Lake Lanier caused damage to many lures due to my miss-casts.

I loved to throw it out, let it rest on top until there was no more ripple, and then start to reel. The majority of my bites would come while it was sitting still or the second I started it moving. One of my favorite crankbaits of all time.