what is a Good crank bait

[Bamajoker]

Im not looking to spend a-lot of cash for em but what are good brands.

also what are a couple of must have color right now all i know is sexy shad because thats all i hear about.

Also what sizes should i use.

Like if im fishing in 15ft of water should i get one that runs 15ft ?

[Gamec0cks5]

What's you forage fish in there? Bluegill, shad, shiners? I like the bandit and strike king cranks the most. Can't go wrong with the new DT series from Rapala too.

I like colors that mimic the forage fish, "match the hatch" I also like to have some chartreuse & firetiger colors

[Bamajoker]

What's you forage fish in there? Bluegill, shad, shiners? I like the bandit and strike king cranks the most. Can't go wrong with the new DT series from Rapala too.

I like colors that mimic the forage fish, "match the hatch" I also like to have some chartreuse & firetiger colors

I hear this all the time "Match the Hatch" i have no idea how do i find this out im kinda new to all this.

[burleytog]

Norman, Strike King, Bandit, Bomber

[Nine Miler]

Also what sizes should i use.

Like if im fishing in 15ft of water should i get one that runs 15ft ?

It depends where in the column you want to fish. Fish relate to different depths at different times. Sometimes they will want a shallow crank that runs just under the surface, sometimes they will be suspended.

If you want to fish on the bottom, you will want a crank that runs deeper than the actual depth you are marking especially if the weeds are sparse, and it is rocky. You want that crank digging into and skipping off the bottom causing a commotion.

If you are having a hard time locating the fish, throw a shallow crank, if you get no bites, throw a medium diver, etc. Work your way down until you find 'em.

[DINK WHISPERER]

I like strike King and Excalibur myself.

[tnbassfisher]

I like the Bomber A, Rapala Dt, Strike King, and of course H2o crankbaits if you have an Academy Sports in your area.

[florida strain]

if you want to scratch the bottom and deflect off rocks which can cause a great reaction strike go with a norman dd22, if the lake has weeds at about 12 ft. go with a bandit300, to tick the tops of those weeds, if the bass are suspended at 10ft go with a xcalibur xr-50,  if holding at 6-8ft bomber model a b06a, holding at 5-3 try rapala dt-4.  if just subsurface at 0-3 I'm trowing rapala f-11 or f-13

i would recommend to start with the dd22 first, crank it down to you make contact with the bottom allow it to rise, twitch it along the way up till you find what depth the fish are holding. then you may switch to another bait that works better for the depth range. all these lures are fairly inexpensive. hope this helps ,and good luck.

[whoopbazz]

I like Bandits...but I have a few Strike Kings that I am starting to like.

As as far as colors...you gotta have a Sexy Shad (or whatever it is called by another brand). I'd say a chartruse splatterback in bandit...for muddy water. Any shad patterns seem good.

[LAO162]

For colors, I stay pretty simple for my first few of a new type of crankbait.

- Clear water & sunny days - Silver with a dark back

- Dirtier water & cloudy days - Gold

My variations of these color sometimes depends  upon which colors are on sale or clearance

Once I have a couple each of gold & silver variations, I then experiment with other colors.

Leon

[Javelin200]

I have a mixed collection. My favorite (hands down) is Norman Professional Edge. I've hung more bass on a Deep Little N in Root Beer than all my other cranks combined.

[Blue Streak]

If you are just getting started and price is a consideration then I would say Bandits, Bomber and Norman are also good deals. The best in my opinion are the Rapala DT's

[CJ]

I would subgest reading some of the crankbait articles on this site to learn a good basic knowledge.

Most all of the brands work fine. Some better than others but the ones listed above are fine.

As far as color I keep it pretty simple. I use three primary patterns,

shad or baitfish colors: colors that are primarily white, silver, gold or chrome like sexy shad, Tennessee shad, or blue chrome.

bluegill or perch colors: colors that are primarily yellow, chartuese, or green like fire tiger or chartuese rootbeer

craw colors: colors that are mostly orange or brown.

Then there is the colors that are in between or a mix. These are some of my favorites. Citrus shad, rootbeer, or tablerock shad.

[RoLo]

what is a Good crank bait

Spro Aruku Shad

Colors?

Roger

[catchnm]

I hear this all the time "Match the Hatch" i have no idea how do i find this out im kinda new to all this.

What's the primary baitfish in the waters you are fishing? Crankbaits imitate baitfish mostly, some do imitate crawdads and some insects,, but mostly baitfish. Match the colors you use to the natural colors of the baitfish.

It's a good idea to try to match the size of the baitfish also. This is seasonal.....small in the spring.....big in the summer.....medium to big in the fall......small to medium in the winter.

[zbigbadaaron]

rapala shad rap 

[nickw234]

Bomber Fat Free Shad

[zbigbadaaron]

this article list alot also

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/iaconelli_crankbaits.html

[Bamajoker]

how can I find out what the primary bait fish are for my lake?

[Javelin200]

how can I find out what the primary bait fish are for my lake?

Contact your state DNR.

[Crestliner2008]

Bill Norman lures. Get a decent selection of sizes and colors and you'll do just fine.

[Fishes in trees]

What is a good crankbait?  That is a very broad question.  Where were you planning on fishing this crankbait.  Rounded bills fish different than square bills, longer bills fish different than shorter bills.  Rounded baits fish different than flat sided baits.  And we are just getting started on the differences between various types of crakbaits.

On this site, and the *** site and In-Fisherman magazine and lots of other sites there are lots of opinions on what type of crank to fish where.  Start with doing your research and try to tie your local conditions into what you read.  This will take a while.  Good luck with it.

Now, my favorite way to fish crank baits is to throw them into and around bushes and trees and stumps.  In my research, the best tool for this task is a Timber Tiger.

[iceintheveins]

Bomber model A's, Rapala Dives To, Rapala Shad Rap, Rebel Wee R, Bomber Fat A, Excalibur Fat Free Shad, Storm Wiggle Wart, Poe's Cedar Series.

[Clark Stewart]

how can I find out what the primary bait fish are for my lake?

I assume you're probably gonna want to fish Smith, Guntersville and maybe Wilson, Pickwick? There are crappie in all of those lakes, as well as shad, and bluegill. Not to mention craws as well.

Last summer at G'ville I caught over 20 nice bass with an H20 Express deep diving crankbait in the clown color I believe (chartreuse with blue/green top i think) maybe that's called citrus or citrus shad too. Google the colors or get your basspro book out and look at that color range.

The H2o brand from Academy (there's one in Gadsden where I'm at and I know of one in Decatur) I'm sure there's one closer to you, is a great crankbait. As a matter of fact that line of products is excellent for the price so long as you avoid their fishing line - it's crap!

Any crankbait in the shad patter, or gold black back, or craw pattern will get you bit. The other guy's post about depths and specific crankbaits is excellent and I learned a lot from it.

I would recommend finding a color that catches fish in your area then experimenting with the different brands until you find one you like. They are all so similar now as far as quality goes. That's not to say that a spro or rapala is not way better than h20 or bomber, but the state of the art today makes them all pretty competitive, so it's kinda hard to find a true dud these days. They all just work! Just look at the paint scheme for clues as to quality, and of course the hooks used. If you ever need tips on bait for the above mentioned lakes my family fishes tourneys there all year. Matter of fact my wife's uncle quit fishing certain tourneys at smith for several years because a lot of the losers up there started crying when he won every weekend. in his defense he fishes BFL every year.

[SausageFingers23]

I hear this all the time "Match the Hatch" i have no idea how do i find this out im kinda new to all this.

I like Strike King and Rapala, personally. Im just confident in those two brands. It doesn't mean that others aren't equally as productive.

The primary forage for bass in the waters I fish (the northeast) are bluegill, rainbow smelt, and craws. As such, most of my cranks are in colors that match those food sources - bluegill patterns, silvers with subtle accent colors, and orange/reds. I have a few that are patterned after trout for the times I venture north and fish deeper, cooler lakes with good populations of trout.

I have a couple that are designed to run to deeper depths, some for shallow areas that have cover such as downed trees, stumps, weeds, etc., and lipless for covering a wide range of depths.

Also, if you are unfamiliar with what each kind of crankbait looks like (there are many different designs) check out www.***.com.  They do an excellent job of categorizing each type. This will give you a decent idea of the general designs for each style of crank.

Hope this helps.