Best Crankbait Patterns For Northern Fisherman

[GrifGod]

I fish in the northern states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Was wondering what crankbait patterns match the hatch in the northern states. I've had some success on baby bass color, but that has to be a universal color. Looking for other patterns that might work. Thanks!

[TorqueConverter]

Bluegill, yellow perch, and brown/rusty crawfish are common crank colors that match the hatch. 

[smalljaw67]

I live in the Northeast but the forage should be similar, TorqueConverter already gave you bluegill and perch along with crawfish of some sort. Remember, most lakes in the country will have things like bluegill and perch, then you have other things like crappie, and shad, so you will have universal colors no matter what and you always should have some bright patterns like fire tiger and chartreuse black back. Another thing is to check out the waters you fish on the states fish and game website, there should be some information on which forage species live in the waters you fish and it will help you pick out patterns which will match the hatch.

[TourPT]

Have not fished Mich much but have lived in Northern IL my whole life, 49 years and do fish Wis waters a lot also. For me the darker craw patterns, chartreuse's and chromes colors seem to work best. 

 

Square Bill = Craw, shad or Char Black Back. Wis I add perch patterns

 

Traps = Chrome Blue Back works about everywhere. Char Black Back in stained water or any water that also has big Small Mouths and Shush on this one LOL on cloudy rainy days Tequila Sunrise is killer for large mouths

 

Med divers I like the shad or craw patterns, Char colors in stained water, a color Bomber calls Silver Shad I believe its the 6a model I use most, works great in clear water but you may have to do some work to find that color for I do not think they make it in that color anymore. Basically its a shad color with a pink line down the side instead of the char you see in sexy shad patterns. I have 5 left and they only come out during tourney time.

 

Deep Divers, pretty much the same as above but will add solid white or bone org belly and char blue back. Mann's 15 plus in the bone org belly, char, brown crawfish and firetiger have produced many bass for me.

 

Another great lure, The Original Rapala Countdown Minnow in the Silver Color or Perch if fishing Wis. Absolutely deadly. Have not tried the new Scatter Model yet

 

As you can see I am old school when it comes to crankbaits. Bomber, Mann's, Big O, Rattle Trap, Bagley,  Poes on occasion, older Rapala's and so forth. If it anent broke don't fix it. I do change the hooks out on all of them though.

[A-Jay]

This Bluegill pattern as been a solid producer here in Northern Michigan

 

A-Jay

 

 

[Raul]

If you are into the match the hatch nonsense then the best pattern for everywhere is the kind of forage that's always present: Baby Bass. Babby bass is always present where there is bass and baby bass is bass food.

[deep]

Yes, except that what appears to us to be a very realistic paintjob might not look the same to the bass. I like certain colors* on my hardbaits- I'm not picky about "how" those colors are painted on to represent a certain forage. Also like the firetiger/ chartreuse blue color, for clear water. I do not like chrome/ reflective anything (prefer solid/ dull/ muted colors). That has turned out to be poor producer in my reservoirs.

 

* white belly, dark top, a little yellow/ chartreuse, a little purple/ blue, a little pink/ red/ orange.

[Fishes in trees]

I live a little south of you, but I think that the crank bait color dilemma is pretty similar everywhere.  I own a bunch of different colors of cranks.  Over the past couple of years, if I don't have a good reason for throwing a particular color (i.e. someone told me it was a good color on the particular body of water I'm fishing) I generally start with something vaguely shad colored.  I want a bait with some white, something shiny and something grey in it.  Maybe or maybe not a spot of red on the throat, I'm not married to the idea that a crank has to have a spot of red on the throat.  Maybe or maybe not a darker shade on the back.   Currently the bait that meets these color schemes for me, in a diving crank, is a Timber Tiger DC 13 or  DC16 in their Texas Shad color.

 

Please not that if I'm on Table Rock or Bull Shoals (which happens every other year or so)  I have a box of Table Rock/Bull Shoals colors.   Original Wiggle Warts in a translucent brown and translucent green, a grayish green translucent shade,  some with tiny orange spots, black spots  and some without.  For waters with a slight stain to them, Table Rock Shad is a good color.  

 

Also please note that in the Mid-Mo, Western MO and Eastern Kansas area there are some strip pits with very clear water.  The Table Rock/Bull Shoals colors work good in these waters as well.

 

Basically, I think that crank color is tied to water color.  Very dingy water calls for brighter baits, also baits that you can smack into stuff because by and large I've found that the fish stick closer to cover in dingy water.  To me, dingy water is a secchi disc reading of 2, + or -  little bit.    As water clears up, I go with more bait fish or craw fish imitating colors, also I think that fish are more likely to chase stuff in clearer water.

 

Please be mindful that this is just my current thinking on crank colors, these opinions are very much subject to change depending on future experience/experiments.

[desmobob]

I'm up in the northeast.  I fish very muddy/green water, so I usually go with a pattern that has some chartreuse.  I generally throw a firetiger sort of pattern first, but I also have very good luck on Norman's "Bull Bream" pattern and bluegill patterns.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Gone_Phishin]

Bluegill, yellow perch, and brown/rusty crawfish are common crank colors that match the hatch.

Yup yup. In the far North I will also throw a walleye pattern.

[boostr]

Up here I only have success with Bluegill, Perch, and Baby Bass colors. I do carry a Firetiger and a Shad color just to have something different just in case, but don't realy use them.

[ChrisWi]

Bluegill pattern is all you need!(;

[5fishlimit]

Crawfish, perch, Bluegill, shad. Rinse, and repeat.

[Bruce424]

weirdly enough I was looking for a thread like this earlier today. glad I found it! now I have a lot of success with square bills and I paint my own. I usually paint chartreuse and black, or white with a green or grey back. simple patterns and I know all of those colors work. have painted some bluegill patterns and they work too. 

[fishballer06]

The bluegill and perch DT's are some of my best producers here in PA.

[lmbfisherman]

Seems like everyone has covered it, but one CB color I find that worked no matter what water I went to was Cht with a black top.  Don't know what it is, but it is a main staple color for all  CBs I have now.

[Scott F]

I fish in the northern states of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Was wondering what crankbait patterns match the hatch in the northern states. I've had some success on baby bass color, but that has to be a universal color. Looking for other patterns that might work. Thanks!

I seldom "match the hatch". Match the hatch is a hold over from trout fishermen. There are times, when fish are feeding heavily on a school of bait where I found it important, but a lot of the time, I do well on colors that are almost the opposite of the hatch. For example, I fish mostly clear northern lakes and bright orange baits and clown colored baits are two of my most productive.

[ColdSVT]

My fav flavors are pretty simple

Clear or stained water i like Tennessee shad or gizzard shad

Darker or muddy and i like citrus shad or chart black back

In between i usually go with green tomato ( A craw pattern with some yellow)

Color helps but how much water the bait moves and how wide it wiggles is more important to me

[Angry John]

I have fished the far east CT and now live in the far west WA.  I have not fished your waters but i have seen a huge diffrence between coasts and what has worked for me might not be great for you.  That being said i will speak to some lures that have worked for me as paint can be diffrent on the same paturn.  The kvd 1.5 square bill in bluegill has worked both places very well.  I have bagged a brown trout in CT at five pounds and many bass.  It works here in WA as well when most other solid lures have not.  That brings me to clear lures that work here in the gin clear WA waters.  Clear water minnow in the silent version of the same squarebill works great for bass and trout(1.0 size).

http://www.***.com/Strike_King_KVD_HC_Square_Bill_Silent_Crankbait/descpage-SKKVDHC.html

The spro little john MD in Chartreuse Black Back has had a few biters.

The pike minow is very active here and any other bait that is clear with vertical strips works good as well.

[scaleface]

I fish in Northern missouri where the water is always stained to muddy. Bluegill patterns have been my most effective color for the past three years. Old Rapala Fat Raps in perch and gold foil have been consistent catchers in the 6 to 8 foot range . The 6 to 8 foot range , it appears to me , is a comfort zone for bass in the lakes I frequent .