This unique soft plastic minnow creates a rolling action that drives bass crazy
As a seasoned, successful and confident pro bass fisherman on the oldest circuit in the country, John Crews has his finger on the pulse of what bass want to eat even if they don’t want to eat.
The 47-year-old Salem, Va., outdoorsman has proven it during his 20 years with B.A.S.S., including from 2006 to present day with the Bassmaster Elite Series. He has 29 Top 10 finishes.
Crews started Missile Baits, artificial lures Made in the USA, in 2012. Right off the bat he had a winner in the oh-so popular Missile Baits D Bomb.
His latest creation, the Freedom Flyer, is a soft plastic “minnow” that consistently has triggered strikes for bass anglers since its release in early December 2025. It’s all about the roll.
Rolling action
Freedom Flyers, the 4.25-inch models, hit the market in early December, just in time for Christmas. The 6-inch models, for those who prefer a larger profile when the time is right, are scheduled to be introduced in March, according to Crews.
“The minnow market has quickly gotten flooded,” he said. “Everybody’s searching for a minnow that rolls easily. We think our Freedom Flyer is the easiest jig to roll.”
There’s an extra oomph to the roll that separates it from the others, he claimed, so much so “it must look like a baitfish in distress, something like that.”
What separates the Freedom Flyer from other minnow-type baits on the shelves and racks?
“I would say the biggest thing is the easy rolling action when you compare it to anything else on the market,” Crews said. “It rolls so much easier than any other minnow. All you have to do is thread it on and it comes to life.”
One of the most creative minds in the artificial lure manufacturing business came up with the idea to build an “up pitch elevator” near the tail end of the soft plastic. That feature causes it to roll and dart, Crews said, as he planned. However, it was easier said than done, as it took nearly a year to get the distinguishing feature perfect. It was a challenge to Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines that make things out of plastics, metals, aluminum, wood and many hard materials.
It was a “wild process,” all right, he confided, one in which the mold maker got exasperated only to be encouraged by Crews, who simply said, “You can do it.”
The second prototype was spot on and the rest is history.
How to fish it
When Crews rigs a Freedom Flyer on a ⅜-ounce Missile Baits Eye Roll Jighead, which has a 3/0 hook, he ties it to a 2-foot long, 12- or 14-pound test Sunline Fluorocarbon leader tied to 16- to 20-pound Sunline Almight braided fishing line. Eye Roll Jighead weights go from ⅛ to ⅜ ounces. Which leadhead to use depends on how deep you want to fish, with the lightest weight covering fishing shallow and the heaviest weight to probe deeper.
Crews’ buddy Matt Harmon appreciates the Freedom Flyer. Since he got his hands on them, those new Missile Baits soft plastics on an Eye Roll Jighead have accounted for many 5- and 6-pounders at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, which happens to be Crews’ home lake.
The Freedom Flyer’s effectiveness won’t be confined to being stuck on a jighead. Its design is perfect for use as a soft plastic jerkbait and as a deadly soft plastic trailer for spinnerbaits and bladed jigs such as Chatterbaits.
“It does especially well on a Chatterbait,” Crews said. “It’s not really what it was designed for but with the shape of its body it does really well.”
For more information on the Missile Baits Freedom Flyer and other Missile Baits products, call (855) 466-5738 or go to missilebaits.com.
