Strike King Gravel Dawg Crankbait Review
First Impression
We love a good crankbait bite, and knowing that Strike King is a legendary name in the crankbait game, we were excited to thoroughly inspect and test the Strike King Gravel Dawg series firsthand! Upon receiving our samples, we instantly noted the rounded bills were noticeably wide and set at a steep angle. Intrigued by this design feature, we were curious to witness the bait’s action and ability to hunt and deflect during real life testing on our local lakes.
The Strike King Gravel Dawg comes in many attractive and undoubtedly productive color schemes, and while we would have liked to see a couple more translucent or natural colors, the selection was spot on for this style of crank. Although the quality of the available colors impressed us, a reviewer did note excess glue and paint overspray on the bill of one crankbait. Each crankbait is also equipped with louder-than-expected rattles and short-shank black-nickel treble hooks that seemed to be of about average quality.
The Strike King Gravel Dawg compares favorably with popular “crawler style” crankbaits, including the Storm Original Wiggle Wart and SPRO RkCrawler 50, but offers a slightly larger-than-average 2.5” profile that helps contribute to its increased presence in dirty water. Overall, our initial impressions of the crankbait were largely in line with what we expected at this price point, as they came off as good, practical workhorses we’d tie on when water clarity becomes a challenge; but just how would the Gravel Dawg actually perform on the water against other baits of this style?
- Designed by pro anglers
- Impressive paint schemes
- Decent stock hooks
- Competitive price
- Inconsistent quality control
- Lack of diversity in colors
Final Verdict
Breakdown
Performance: 7.25
Designed by Strike King pros Todd Castledine and Kevin VanDam, the Strike King Gravel Dawg crankbaits are medium-divers tuned for fishing through rocks and wood. Available in a size 8 that dives 5–7 feet and a size 10 that dives 7–10 feet, these crankbaits measure 2.5” long and weigh ½ ounce.
Performance-wise, the Strike King Gravel Dawg mostly hit the mark for us, and the rated diving depths seemed very accurate. We all noted the crankbaits exhibited a hard-thumping and very wide wobbling action during retrieval, with one reviewer stating the bait offered a more pronounced “thump” than a Wiggle Wart or RkCrawler, thus reinforcing the Gravel Dawg’s effectiveness in dirty water.
When fished around rocks and wood, the Gravel Dawg’s performance was on par with various other similar crankbaits we’ve been throwing for years. We were not only very pleased with how the bait hunted and deflected through hard cover, but also with its effectiveness around vegetation. The internal rattles are quite loud and add a touch of weight to the bait. At ½ ounce, the Gravel Dawg is heavier than similar baits, making for easy casting at close quarters or long distances.
“The big bill and wide wobble is going to make it perfect for cranking banks with lots of laydowns, dock pilings, stumps, etc., or for fishing offshore pieces of structure where you can't get a squarebill down to.”
Durability: 7.75
Crankbaits often take a pretty harsh beating since they typically bounce and deflect off hard objects like sharp rocks and wood. If a crankbait has a delicate structure or inferior finish, its weaknesses will often show rather quickly. However, when it comes to the Strike King Gravel Dawg, no major durability issues were immediately observed.
After several sessions of testing, the bait’s bill and hard ABS plastic body endured some pretty solid abuse, only exhibiting the typical minor blemishes and paint rash one would expect after fishing any crankbait around hard cover. One reviewer commented how easy it was to bend the hook hangers and line tie, bringing into question durability and how well the baits would stay in tune, but this didn’t result in any problems during testing. All in all, the Gravel Dawg seems up to the task of being fished the way it should be.
“After fishing these cranks over a few fishing sessions they were rashed, but no more than you would expect from regular use, and the paint finishes remained intact without cracking.”
Value: 8
It doesn’t matter how “weedless” or “snag-free” a crankbait is advertised to be; if you’re fishing it in the midst of cover, snagging and breaking off is always a possibility. Everyone appreciates a good value when making any type of purchase, but value can really come into focus when anglers are purchasing baits they have a heightened risk of losing.
The Strike King Gravel Dawg represents a decent value in its particular class of crankbaits, sitting well below premium cranks and in the midst of other widely used, less expensive offerings. Some of these other baits with similar purposes include the Rapala DT 8, SPRO RkCrawler, Storm Original Wiggle Wart, and Jackall MC 60 MR.
“The Gravel Dawg is an affordable alternative to the Storm Wiggle Wart or Spro RkCrawler with a much harder thump on the retrieve.”
Utility: 6.75
As a specialized medium-diving crankbait, the Strike King Gravel Dawg obviously won’t have as much versatility as something like a lipless crankbait that can be fished shallow or deep and in open water or around cover. However, thanks to its aggressive action and loud rattles, we view this crankbait as an excellent niche performer when fishing cover in stained or dirty water, especially in water too deep for a squarebill. Although it loves to be fished through gnarly cover, anglers shouldn’t overlook the Gravel Dawg for also quickly and effectively covering banks with only sparse features.
“I throw crankbaits religiously for pre-spawn fish and I will definitely be utilizing the Gravel Dawgs during that time. With the loud rattle inside, I will most likely be picking this up on those days just after a rain when the water has a little stain.”
Final Thoughts: 7
Casting a lure with two treble hooks into a fallen tree and around other similarly snaggy obstacles may seem totally crazy to some anglers, but the fact of the matter is that fishing crankbaits in areas like these can be outrageously productive at times. While not all crankbaits on the market are cut out for such bold duties, the Strike King Gravel Dawg proved to us that it has the capability and strength to be effectively fished through “high risk” zones where big bass often lurk.
While not perfect in all regards, the Gravel Dawg is a competitively priced and very compelling option to traditional “crawler” crankbaits when fishing around mixed types of cover. The bait performs favorably against its rivals, but thanks to the larger size, aggressive action, and loud noise it produces, the Gravel Dawg truly stands out when water clarity deteriorates.
Breakdown Summary
| Performance | 7.25 |
| Durability | 7.75 |
| Value | 8 |
| Utility | 6.75 |
| Final Thoughts | 7 |
Final Verdict |
7.35 |