Lucky Craft Lipless Baits
By Chip Pillow, Lucky Craft Regional Pro Staff

Most of us have seen, or read, reports from the recent BassMaster Classic. If you haven’t, let me give you a brief recap. The water was considerably cold for this time of year. Of the anglers that finished in the Top 6, five used lipless crankbaits as one of their main baits. Yet, these anglers used many different makes and models in order to catch fish. What are the differences? What makes these baits so effective for the pre-spawn to post-spawn season? In the following article, I'd like to take my favorite make of lipless bait, Lucky Craft, and try and add some clarity to these questions.

As with all Lucky Craft baits, each model is a specific tool that is designed for a specific purpose. Knowing these purposes will give the conscientious angler a definite edge; an edge that leads to the experience of success, which in turn makes us better anglers.

I never cease to be amazed at the quality of the finishes in Lucky Craft's lures. Now some of you might be thinking, "Yeah right pro staff boy...most pretty baits are designed to catch fishermen, not fish." As a pessimist myself, this is a fair comment (and one I've heard quite often). However, finishes are a very important part of making a bait move from "eye catcher" to fish catcher. Yes many hard-bodied baits do have the capacity to look good in the package. However, Lucky Craft finishes are not solely eye-candy. They also provide incredible realism in the water. Let me demonstrate. Please look at the following web address: http://www.luckycraft.com/luckycrafthome/Products/crankbait/lv500max.htm. Now, scroll down to the bottom of the page and look at the finishes. Pretty cool looking stuff right? Ok, now move back up to the middle of the page and click on the YouTube video link on the right. Pay particular attention to the way the iridescent finish makes the bait flash and change shades as it moves through the water. This is the type of realism that generates strikes. High grade finishes do matter.

"It is important to remember that the rattle bait is the most versatile crank-bait in the arsenal. You can make it do a lot of things in different depths of water and at different speeds” states longtime Guntersville guide Troy Jens (www.anglingalabama.com ). While Lucky Craft lipless baits are versatile, each is designed for a specific purpose. Let's look at the two different series of lipless cranks in the Lucky Craft line and unpack the purpose of each bait.

LV Series: LV stands for Lucky Vibration. While each of these baits look fairly similar, they are all designed totally different, thus providing the angler with a multitude of weapons.

LV-0 - While the idea of a "billed-lipless bait" might sound like an oxymoron (come to think of it, it is an oxymoron) don't laugh quite yet. This 2-3/4 inch bait weighs 1/2 ounce and is equipped with brass and glass rattles. The LV 0 is a super-shallow running bait that was designed to be fished over the surface of heavy vegetation. Here's the really cool thing about this bait: the tight wiggle and nose down angle of the bait offers the advantage of a traditional lipless bait, while the bill offers specific depth control which is an advantage of traditional billed baits. The LV 0 can be fished where other lipless and traditional baits would get entangled. Additionally, holding your rod tip high can even allow the bait to skim the surface of the water. A "top water lipless bait" if you will.

LV-100 - The 2-1/2 inch, 7/16th ounce LV 100 is one of my favorite lipless bait. With its dorsal fin, it definitely provides a different appearance than other lipless baits. Furthermore, the brass and glass rattles provide a unique busy sound that's not over-powering. Finally, the diminutive size of this bait, without sacrificing weight, offers another advantage. The size, sight, and sound of this unique lipless bait are what make it one of my favorites, as well as what make it produce so well. These characteristics make this bait ideal for early pre-spawn fish that have just moved up into the "ready-go" position and are extremely spooky. For instance, I will take the LV 100 and begin working the first major depth change outside of spawning areas. So if I'm fishing outside of a spawning flat that is 3 feet deep, I'm going to move out until I find a depth change; say for instance where the depth changes from 3 to 5 feet. I will follow the break, making long, and I mean as long as I can make, 45 degree angle casts that bring the LV 100 through the depth change. On grass lakes, I want to pay particular attention to where there might be new, emerging grass along this depth change. This grass will not be visible on the surface. However, grass holds heat and bait, two things that are vital for pre-spawn fishing. If there are additional objects that might increase the presence of fish (e.g. stumps, muscles, etc), that is all the better.

LV-200 - This is Lucky Craft's version of the old "one-knocker" type baits. While the bait looks very similar to others in the LV line up, the 3 inch, 5/8th ounce LV 200 is equipped with a single ball striking against a knocker plate. Instead of the traditional "rattle" sound that most lipless baits emit, the LV 200 has a single, deep, "thump, thump, thump" noise when retrieved. Think bass drum. This bait tends to shine when a "trap bite" is on, but the fish have seen every lipless bait in the three counties. For example, during the pre-spawn on many grass lakes the trap bite will get red hot. However, these fish will also receive an enormous amount of pressure. So if you are fishing a grass flat and there are 20 other boats out there throwing lipless baits, this is a great time to reach for the LV 200 in order to give the fish a totally different sound.

LV-300S - At 3 inches and 3/4 ounces, the LV 300 doesn't look that different, or special, from other 3/4 ounce lipless baits. In this case, what makes the bait different is what it doesn't do: make noise. That's right. It's totally silent. Now you might be thinking, "Why a silent lipless bait? It's a reaction bite anyway." Ok, fair question. But remember, I said it was silent. I didn't say it didn't call fish. The slightly thicker body and the wider wobble allow the LV 300 to displace more water than most lipless baits. Remember, Lucky Craft is all about designing high quality baits that fit a specific pupose. Given this, I think the LV 300 (like the LV 200) can shine with highly pressured fish that tend to see a lot of lipless baits because it provides them a different look. Another situation in which the LV 300 is deadly is on gin-clear lakes, using "lift and drop" retrieve. This provides a much more "natural" presentation than noisy lipless baits are capable of.

LV-Max500 - Lucky Craft Prostaff member and BassMaster Open angler Rex Chambers (http://www.smithlakebass.com/) says he prefers the LV 500 for the pre and post spawn periods on Lake Guntersville. The Alabama big stick will take the 3 inch, 3/4 ounce bait and look for grass on humps in which he can use a steady retrieve to tip the top of the grass. When the bait does inevitably hang up, Chambers will rip it free, allowing the brass and glass rattles to do there thing.

FLW tour pro Hector De La Garza also prefers the LV 500 on grass lakes as he believes it comes through the grass much more effectively than other lipless baits. Hector told me he likes to make long casts and use a pumping retrieve to bring the bait back through the grass. The pumping retrieve takes advantage of the baits unique ability to fall nose down.

My favorite characteristic about the LV 500 is that it is sized more like a 1/2 ounce bait than a 3/4 one. I love this bait because of its smaller profile, and yet it has the weight to keep it down in the strike zone. Given these characteristics, the 500 is my go-to bait when I have to trolling motor down and I am covering water. I am going to make extremely long casts and vary my retrieve until the fish tell me what mood they are in that day.

My other favorite way to fish the LV 500 occurs during post-frontal conditions. I'll make extremely long casts and fish the bait back to the boat like I would a plastic worm. By lifting the bait and allowing it to swim back to the bottom, I am able to take advantage of the baits unique sound and action.

LVR Series The LV Revolution. The LV series of lipless baits is a family of baits in which each model looks, acts, and sounds very different. The LVR series, on the other hand, is a family of baits that look and fish the same. These baits are differentiated by size and weight. So in this section I'm going to describe the LVR series and offer some technique specific applications at which these baits excel.

The LVR series comes in 4 sizes; the Mini (2-1/4 in. 1/4 oz.), the D-7 (2-3/4 in. 1/2 oz), the D 10 (3-1/8 in.3/4 oz) and the D-15 (3-3/4 in. 1 oz). The LVR series has two different rattle chambers, each housing a different size ball (or BB). This allows the LVR to emit a very different sound than other rattle baits. In my opinion, the rattle is much more subtle than standard lipless baits, but not a deep and "throaty" as one-knocker style baits (E.G. LV 200). Additionally, the LVR series tends to project a larger profile than equivalently weighted baits. Therefore, I tend to throw the LVR series when I need to upgrade my limit or when I'm just fun fishing for bigger fish.

I'm not the only one that has specific uses for the LVR series. FLW pro Hector De La Garza explained that he prefers the LVR in lakes that don't have an abundance of grass. The Texan told me that he believes the larger profile makes it easier for fish to locate the bait in an open water situation. Therefore Hector will take advantage of the LVR series on long tapering points or flats just outside of spawning areas.

Lake Fork guide and FLW Tour Pro Tom Redington (http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/) really likes the LVR series in high pressure-post frontal conditions that usually plague spring anglers. Tom is able to put his clients on big Lake Fork bass even when others are struggling during these "bluebird" days. While he prefers to buzz the LVR D-7 over the top of grass on most days, Tom opts for a different retrieve when things get tough. During these times, the Lucky Craft Pro likes a lift and fall retrieve which allows the LVR to drop into holes is the grass. After the fall, he will rip the D-7 out of the grass, triggering post-frontal fish to react.

Another Lucky Craft pro trick is to add a feathered treble hook to the back of the LVR series. In doing so, the bait can project a larger profile without adding weight. For instance, when big females have moved up onto a shallow spawning flat early in the year they often prefer a big bait. There are times when a D-7 will work fine. However, there are also times when the 1/2 bait moves to fast and a slower presentation is required. These are the situations in which I will grab an LVR Mini and replace the standard rear treble with a #4 feathered treble hook. This allows me to work the lipless bait at a much slower speed while also presenting a bait with a large profile.

Spring time is a prime time for the lipless crankbait. So the next time you are at your local tackle shop, pick up several different models of Lucky Craft lipless baits and start covering water. By having all the different models of Lucky Craft baits, you will be able to match specific situations with specific baits. These seemingly small adjustments will make you a better angler, and put more fish in your boat.