When it comes to fishing crankbaits,
there are always a million questions, with just about as many answers. Some
of the common questions of what kind, what colors, when and where to use
them, are going to be answered in this guide. There will always be new products
and new ideas that may or may not work, but hopefully the following guide
will give you the answers to most of the questions that are constantly being
asked by the beginner to the advanced angler.
"WHAT ARE CRANKBAITS?"
There are as many manufacturers of crankbaits as there are colors. Some
of the more popular makers of crankbaits are Luhr Jensen, Mann's, Bomber,
Storm, Berkley, Bill Lewis, Rapala, and Rebel. There are of course, many
more, including hundreds of custom made crankbaits by individuals and smaller
companies. Crankbaits are minnow imitating lures, that float and/or suspend
in the water column, have different sized lips and body shapes, and some
have no lips at all. They come in a variety of sizes, colors, shapes, and
weights, all of which are designed for a particular action and depth, to
closely simulate a fleeing or injured baitfish or Crawfish. First we will
start with the floating and suspending variety of fat and slim bodied crankbaits.
"BODY SHAPES"
The different body shapes that are offered all have distinct advantages
over each other at different times of the year, depending mostly on water
temperature, and the size of the baitfish available in that particular body
of water. There are always exceptions to the rules, but basically the slimmer,
flat sided crankbaits, that float, and/or suspend, are better early and late
in the year, when the water temperatures are below 60 degrees. The flat sided
crankbaits will mimic a fleeing crawfish early in the year, and the best
colors at that time are shades of red or brown.
The proper depth is very important,
as you want the bait as close to the bottom as possible to simulate a feeding
or fleeing crawfish. The lures with the flat sides have a neutral buoyancy,
which is very important in making the lure perform like a real crawfish.
I like to use a bait that has a bill made to bump against rocks and other
cover to achieve this result without getting hung up or breaking. The flat
sided crankbaits help me do this. The Bomber Flat A is also a good choice
for this, and catch a lot of pre-spawn bass with this bait, using a slow
steady retrieve. In the fall, I use different shad patterns like Pearl, or
Chrome, for bass that are suspending this time of year. I use a steady, slow
to medium retrieve for this, sometimes bumping into objects, but most of
the time a steady retrieve has worked best at this time of year. In a tournament
in the fall, I boated a 14 pound stringer, using this method, to win the
tournament and take big bass with a 4 pounder. I like to target the shores
that are windblown first, when working these baits, and a lot of the time,
in some of the New York and New Jersey Lakes that have clay or tapering gravel
banks, I throw these flat sided crankbaits, because I can catch fish in
areas where there is little cover and most people don't fish! The flat sided
crankbaits are more for bass that are holding in water that is about 3-8
feet deep. Most of the flat sided crankbaits don't work properly any deeper
than 7 or 8 feet. Most of the time I don't fish these flat sides in heavy
cover, but there is one made by Poe's, that is called an RC3. that seems
to produce well in heavier cover. In open water, I usually use a Shad Rap,
made by Rapala, because I found that it produces some good bass in relatively
open water.
I use spinning gear most of the
time to throe these baits, like the Shad Rap, and I use 8-10 pound test line,
with a Shimano reel. I do use a baitcaster in 7 foot, with a medium-action
rod, like a lew's or G.Loomis, with a Lew's reel or Shimano geared down lower.
I don't really fool around with these baits as they are mostly made of wood,
and they all have their own "personality" anyway. Sometimes I go through
10 or 15 crankbaits before finding 2 or 3 with just the right action. In
the colder water I like the Shad Rap and I also like the Bomber Flat A best.
When the water temperature is in the 40's and 50's. I like it to wiggle a
little tighter, and these baits achieve this action well.
Baitfish are the main forage
of bass in cold water, so I always try to match the bait with the prey. The
Flat A seems to look like a Shad or maybe a Bulbul, which is the main forage
in a lot of the lakes I fish, and it works well in the lakes that have clearer
water. I have used this bait with success over the tops of the Hydrilla beds
in some Florida Lakes, as it doesn't pick up much grass because of the real
tight wiggle. I caught several nice bass from Stick Marsh and Walk-In-Water
on this bait before. It also produced good in Lake Jackson. I always try
to use 8 pound test whenever I can, as it usually allows the crankbaits to
achieve their maximum depth, and action.
"FAT BODIED CRANKBAITS"
I like a lot of the fat bodied crankbaits when working shallow or brushy
cover, as I believe they come through it better, and have a wider wobble,
which at times is just what the bass want. I use these more in the stained
or muddier Rivers and Lakes, and I also like them for running over the weedbeds
when the top of the weeds come to about a foot of the surface. Mann's 1-Minus,
and Baby 1 Minus are my favorites for this style of shallow running crankbait.
Again, I always try to match the forage of the lake, at the particular time
of year I am fishing. Also, many days when you couldn't get a bass to come
up out of the Hydrilla for a topwater, such as a buzzbait, or a Zara Spook,
you could catch a limit by running these baits just under the surface creating
a wake over the grass and Hydrilla beds. Bomber makes a bait called the Shallow
A, which is also good for this type of cover. Another method I use to replace
a spinnerbait is a Cotton Cordell Big O, the one I like best runs about 3
or 4 feet deep. It creates a good wake when I reel it slowly, or if I want
to burn it, it will run just under the surface and serve as a search bait,
covering a lot of water quickly. I like to throw this bait around the edges
of the thick weeds in New Jersey's Union Lake, and others that are similar
to it. It really works well there. If I want to make an even heavier wake
than normal, I just go to heavier line for the crankbaits, say 20-25 pound
test. The thicker line helps keep the bait running on top. I always like
to throw these baits to visible structure such as grass and docks, and most
importantly later in the year, SHADE! In lakes that are really clear, and
have little cover, the bass will relate to a shade line. This is also true
in Table Rock Lake in certain areas, although Table Rock does have a variety
of structure, but little to no vegetation. When I fish the shade line, I
usually burn the bait. The most active fish will always be on the shady side
of whatever structure there is. I cast beyond the structure, and burn the
bait through the shade as close to the structure as possible. If you fish
a lot of lakes that receive heavy pressure from water skiers, and jet skies,
and pleasure boaters, it generally creates a "Mud-line." Bass will relate
to this very often. It generally is in the upper 3 feet of water, so bass
will hold along the mud line so they can see what's swimming by. I cast
parallel to the muddy water and burn the bait back to the boat. I usually
use a white or Pearl color for this. I have used this method with success
at Lake Hopetcong in the summer months. All these shallow running baits of
this type produce bass well in the spring in California and Florida.
Many times a crankbait will run
deeper or shallower than it is supposed to according to the manufacturer.
The Suspending crankbaits seem to run a little deeper than the floating ones,
I suspect because they are a little heavier. The other places to target for
bass with crankbaits in Rivers, is the creek channels or bends. River bends
collect structure such as fallen trees and brush, which in turn, creates
a great spot in slower current where the largemouth lay in wait of the prey.
Differences in materials should also be considered when selecting the crankbaits
to use. For example, plastic lures can be abused a little more than some
wood lures, but wooden baits have better flotation and action many times.
There are differences in the way they have to manufacture plastic baits and
wooden baits, and both have their advantages and disadvantages in each situation.
Trial and error, experience, and time, are the best teachers in these matters.
You can read all you want, but
there is nothing like time and hands on experience to learn what works best
and when. One thing I do with most crankbaits though, is change their hooks.
I only use premium hooks on baits such as Gamakatsu or VMC, or other quality
hooks. I replace them after a couple of months or sooner, depending on the
use, and the number of fish caught on them. You really need to understand
and have good electronics also, to find the right cover, and select the correct
depth. Many times anglers are either fishing above or below the fish. It
is very important to have and know how to use a wide variety of crankbaits
to cover the proper depth. I never stick my rod in the water to make the
lure run deeper, as it causes you to loose contact with the bait. If you
are after fish that are deeper, it is better to make a longer cast beyond
them, and reel the bait to them. The longer the cast, the better, if you
are trying to achieve maximum depth, as it takes a while for the lure to
go down. When fishing for deeper bass there are better choices than some
of the crankbaits I've mentioned above.
"LIPLESS CRANKBAITS"
Many times when searching for deep bass lipless crankbaits are better. Some
of the better lipless crankbaits for searching and catching bass in deep
water are a 1-ounce Cordell Rattlin Spot, a Rattlin' Rapala in 1/2 ounce,
or Little George's. These baits proved to be a life saver on day on Table
Rock Lake, when the bass wouldn't cooperate on the other crankbaits. Many
times in Delaware Lakes and ponds, I have used similar baits in cold water
very early in the year with success. These will also work in the deeper,
colder areas of the Nanticoke and Sassafras rivers early and late in the
year. I usually stick with the Shad patterns for these baits, or solid chrome.
Sometimes it is just a matter of presentation of the bait that needs to
be changed, and not the lure or color. Before changing the lure or color,
I always cover the area at various angles at different retrieve speeds. As
you can see, there is a lot to know about using the correct crankbait, and
I have just touched on the tip of the iceberg. There are other subtle variations
in all of the above lures and presentations that can effect how a bait catches
bass. After many years of trial and error, I am still learning new ways to
catch more and bigger bass on crankbaits. And isn't that the way it should
be? The experimentation, and anticipation of every cast is what keeps it
exciting and fun.
More
Articles Steve vonBrandt
Delaware
Bass Fishing
