Crankbait Fishing

[Smallieslayer2234]

Is throwing a strike king 1.0 crankbait in sexy shad color a good idea if I'm trying to find shallower fish...if so when is the best time of year...I'm open to a 1.5 if that size is better...I just like shallow water

[Shewillbemine]

You can catch fish on any given day with any given bait, but there are probabilities you're going up against depending on weather, time of year, temperature, structure, cover, lake personality, etc...

 

The bass will begin coming up to shallow water as we enter pre-spawn. My suggestion is to throw that crankbait, work it and see if you get bites.

 

Don't get too caught up [yet] in bait size/color--there are countless examples of people catching bass on something that "wasn't supposed to work". Use your on-the-water experiences to see what works for you. 

 

Be on the lookout for bass and baitfish in your shallow water to see if there are fish in the area you're fishing. Good luck!

[iabass8]

First try to match the size of the bait to the forage. On the river i frequent in the fall the 1.0 worked exceptionally well with the abundence of small baitfish in shallow rock during low water.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I just started bass fishing at the end of the summer.  Started out fishing mostly plastic worms and got skunked a lot.  Eventually started fishing shallow cranks and started catching fish.  I like the KVD 1.5's but the 1.0's should work just fine.  As for when it's best to fish them, Im not too sure since I kinda just started but the majority of my fish caught between September and late November were on shallow cranks.  Not sure where your located but the waters pretty cold in most of the country right now so it may not be a good time for crankbait fishing.  As for color, you can try and match the bait fish in your lakes but Ive caught fish on all sorts of colors.  Red, purple, green, black, gold, and more.  Sexy shad should be just fine once the shallow crank bite picks up.  I have a SK 6XD in sexy shad that someone gave me but I don't have any water near me deep enough to fish it.  Its a good looking color though.

[tbone1993]

I like to throw the 1.5 into cover and bounce it off logs and such. The square bills work much better when you deflect them off of something. You might want to try deeper water and crank baits this time of the year .

[Bluebasser86]

The 1.0 is a great bait in clear water, with finicky fish, or when the baitfish are small. 

[Smallieslayer2234]

Is it good for a public lake with lots of pressure??

[Teal]

Generally they are good everywhere. But it would serve you well to try to color and size match with the local forage. As for pressured lakes = possibly finiky fish, smaller cranks on lighter line are a good way to make them hit.

[Silas]

I like to throw the 1.5 into cover and bounce it off logs and such. The square bills work much better when you deflect them off of something. You might want to try deeper water and crank baits this time of the year .

That's exactly how I fish cranks down here in La.  I've found if I get the crank to run just a tad deeper than the water is (when it's shallow....about 4-6 feet) and ram it into the bottom, pause and let it float up about a foot, then ram it down again, I get lots of bites.  And the part about deflecting them off something seems to be the key lots of times.

    Sometimes, even an oversize squarebill crank, gets more bites.....favorite color here is dark green back, chartreuse side, and orange belly.

Deeper water here is the 8-10 foot depth.

[tbone1993]

That's exactly how I fish cranks down here in La.  I've found if I get the crank to run just a tad deeper than the water is (when it's shallow....about 4-6 feet) and ram it into the bottom, pause and let it float up about a foot, then ram it down again, I get lots of bites.  And the part about deflecting them off something seems to be the key lots of times.

    Sometimes, even an oversize squarebill crank, gets more bites.....favorite color here is dark green back, chartreuse side, and orange belly.

Deeper water here is the 8-10 foot depth.

The best way to get a bite around here in small ponds is to throw a 6xd or a similar diver so it runs along the bottom.

[Sam]

Please consider the following:

1. You may want your crankbait to drag the shallow bottom, stirring up mud. If so, throw a crank with a running depth a little lower than where you are fishing.

2. You may want the crankbait to run along without hitting the shallow bottom. Once again, know the water depth and select your 1.0, 1.5, 100 or 200, etc. size crankbaits.

3. Water clarity will determine the colors you throw along with the forage. If the water is stained always have some yellow or orange in your crankbaits. The pros will add these colors to the bottom and sides of a crankbait. I do it too but with orange nail polish covered with clear nail polish. Just an orange circle or a line on the crank's bottom can attract strikes.

4. You throw a flat sided crankbait in cold water. Less wobble.

5. You want to bounce the crankbait off anything you can or rip it out of the grass in shallow water. Make the bass hear, feel and see the crankbait.

6. Some cranks have rattles and others don't. You have to experiment.

7. Throw the crankbait onto the bank and then pull it into the water. You will cover a lot of shallow water this way and attract strikes. I have caught nice bass along the shoreline in less than a foot of water.

8. Fish the shallow water parallel to the bank. Try to get as close to the shore as you can for starters and then bring the crankbait farther out with each progressive cast. You will find the fish holding tight or a few feet off the bank. You will them know the depth they are holding.

9. Always be on the lookout for the bass in the water. You can see them sunning themselves. Try your crankbait and then throw a Senko or other plastic at them. In shallow water your plastics may work better if you can flip or pitch to the bass you see. Just remember, if you can see them they can see you. So be very quiet and wear dark clothes.

10. Look for changes in structure along the bank and out a few feet. Grass to a different grass. Wood in the water. Big rocks to little rocks. Sand to mud. Stickups. Pilings. Points. Stumps. Little rocks to big rocks. The base of trees. Under overhanging trees and bushes. Minnows swimming around. Birds along the bank looking for a nice meal along the bank. Anything in shallow water that a bass can relate to.

I do a lot of shallow water fishing with crankbaits and they are very productive. From the small shallow running cranks to the #5 Shad Raps to the larger Bandit 200 size that drags the bottom you can catch anything that is in the water. I have caught bowfin, catfish and bluegills on shallow running crankbaits.

And don't forget your topwaters, too, in shallow water.

Let us know how you do learning this technique. Post pics.