If You're Looking for Custom Crankbaits...

I would at least encourage you to take a
look at the work of Richard Prager,
pictured here with a 6.5-lb. bass he caught July 3, 2010, in the Florida Everglades. Richard is the man behind 152nd Street Baits. 

For five years, until February 2010, Richard had poured all kinds of soft-plastic baits. Then he was diagnosed with emphysema and had to give up that line of work. Shortly thereafter, though, he bought an airbrush and learned that he could paint and has been turning out all kinds of quality crankbaits ever since.

Richard paints almost daily and then puts his work on ebay for bid/sale. He used to take custom-paint orders, but with his health problems and other issues, has found he can't operate that way any longer. "It just doesn't work for me anymore," he says.







Richard is a family man. Pictured here is his wife, Naomi, with their daughter, Hannah (left), and son, Zachary (right).

This June 16, 2012 photo shows Richard in his mom's swimming pool with Zachary and Hannah.








Those "other issues" mentioned above start with the fact that Richard's wife is in college. And as you've just seen, he has two children who need his attention. So, there just isn't time to meet the deadlines involved with running an order-taking business and take care of his family matters, too.

What follows is but a mere sampling of Richard's work. To get the full scope, I urge you to check out his Facebook link at https://www.facebook.com/152ndStreetBaits. You also can check out what he has posted for bid/sale at any given moment by going to http://stores.ebay.com/152nd-Street-Baits.

(Left) Rocket 2.5
(Right) 2.5 Wake Bait

(Left) Prop Buzzin' Wake Bait Jr.
(Right) Combat Flat Side

(Left) Sambo Walker 100
(Right) Jackerbait 70

(Left) Pointer 100 Jerk
(Right) Strike King Red Eye Shad

(Left) MRx
(Right) Combat Flat Side

(Left) 2.5 Wake Bait Rodent
(Right) Jerk 110 Slow Floater

(Left) Jackerbait TN 70
(Right) SRx

(Left) RC 1.5 DD
(Right) FX 130 Walker

(Left) Griff DD
(Right) LVR 500

(Left) RC 1.5
(Right) 2.5 Wake Bait

(Left) Popper
(Right) Bill Lewis Rattle Trap

I personally own and fish the Jerk 110 Slow Floater, Prop Buzzin' Wake Bait Jr., Rocket 2.5, and the 2.5 Wake Bait Rodent and have found that they all perform superbly right out of the packaging. "How's the finish on them?" you may be asking. I sum it up as "eye popping." And, if you're wondering how the prices compare to what you'll find for name-brand versions on commercial-store shelves, consider this. The going price in most online stores for a Deps Buzzjet Jr. is about $25. If you buy the same thing from Richard--called a Prop Buzzin' Wake Bait Jr.--the standard price is $12.99 to "buy it now" on ebay. Or, you always can join the bidding and perhaps get it for less. Any way you slice it, that's a pretty hefty savings, if my math is correct.

Richard jokes that he paints better than he fishes. However, I find that hard to believe, given the fish he's holding at the start of this story, then checking out this 7.4-pounder, his 3rd personal best, which he caught Oct. 15, 2006. His 2nd best was a 7.5-pounder he caught while flipping a frog in the Glades. His best to date, a 7.8-pounder, came on a Rattlin' Rogue while fishing Lake Okeechobee. It would seem to me that he does a pretty fair job at both painting and fishing.

For all your custom crankbait needs, especially if you're looking for some colors you likely won't find in brand-name lines, remember this name: 152nd Street Baits. And refer back to the links provided above often.