He had the first RC series with Poe's crankbaits if I recall right. Different design but same name. No way BPS stops selling the RC. Way too many get sold. I would bet money its the best selling sqaurebill of all time.

+1

That's why the BPS Rick Clunn Lucky Craft crankbaits are on clearance on basspro.com

Had the same thing happen in a cafe in Jasper when he was fishing a BASS event. Just sat in the corner by himself and didn't speak to anyone. Denny and Chad came by our table and were very friendly.

I always thought Rick Clunn was "crankey" too.

I think what alot of you guys are talking about is just him being himeself and quiet. There are quite a few guys that dont just openly talk to everyone they pass by in the world.

Some guys are just quiet and keep to themselves. Clunn is a different character, but I wouldn't call it unfriendly.


I had a great uncle that never spoke, but I guarentee when he did people listened.

Just because you're reserved doesn't mean you're unfriendly. I have friends that talked to him for hours at two different sport shows. Try doing that with an NFL or NBA star.

I also think the Poes were the first "RC" baits

I am more curious to hear about his other sponsors. Nitro, BPS Rods and Reels.....

i would assume if he's no longer sponsored by bass pro then he lost all of those too. Doesn't bass pro own Nitro?

Only some of the older models! Geez!

I remember their being some controversy around the RC crankbait when it first came out. Swindell and Stone said that it was their design, but BPS wanted a bigger name on it so they gave it to Clunn. Swindell and Stone seemed a bit put off by it after Clunn used it for a top 5 finish at Wylie or Norman or someplace in NC. I always liked Clunn, but he is a different beast. Some of his ideas are way out their.

Here is what I read. The tournament was back in March 2005 at Lake Norman. This is from Bass Fan in an article about Marty Stone:

Stone cranked at Norman. "I was running back in the creeks, trying to find stained or mixing water," he said. "I was throwing a Lucky Craft Big Daddy Strike 1.5."






Photo: Doug Cox
Stone said he's calling it the Big Daddy Strike 1.5 � "That's what it is."


Yes, he was throwing the same bait as Rick Clunn (who finished 3rd), and yes, Stone calls it by a different name. "It's a bait that Lucky Craft makes and Bass Pro (Shops) sells. Skeet Reese, Gerald Swindle, Mike Auten and myself, about 4 or 5 years ago, asked for a square-bill crank family.

"Lucky Craft came out with the Big Daddy Strike 3 and 4. They're great baits � better than any balsa baits ever built, and they run true right out of the package. We were going to do a family � from 1 all the way to 4.

"Well, Bass Pro � since they're a great customer of Lucky Craft, or Lucky Craft's a great customer of Bass Pro, whichever way it works � they needed a crankbait for Rick Clunn.

"(Bass Pro) ended up getting the in-between size we already designed (the 1.5), and he (Clunn) put his signature on it. It's our design, his bait. And that's fine � it's still in the Lucky Craft family. It catches a lot of fish, and I caught the majority of my (Norman) fish on that bait."

So will he call it the RC (Rick Clunn) 1.5? Nope. "It's the Big Daddy Strike 1.5," he said.

(Editor's note: BassFan spoke with Rick Clunn, who said he had a hand in designing the bait, and that RC 2.5 and 3.5 models are in the works.)

The Stone article:

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=1284

The Clunn article on the event:

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=1283


Doesn't really matter to me who designed it, solid bait for sure. I don't see BPS dropping it anytime soon. They sell the heck out of them.

I have talked to him in person. He is not unfriendly like you think! He is a Great guy and he will talk to you if you talk to him.