Cold Water Crankbaits

[everythingthatswims]

I was wondering what sort of crankbaits you guys like to throw in cold water. The only baits I have done much with are a 1/4oz redeye Shad fished as slow as it will run, and last year I got into some fish in mid February on the el cheapo rebel wee-r squarebill when nothing else would produce.

With cold water cranks ranging from the little tight wobbling lightweight balsa Shad raps all the way to the other end of the spectrum with a wide wobbling, lead rattle wiggle wart, it seems as though it may be more about a bait that just has "it" and doesn't necessarily follow a specific trend for cold water baits.

What baits do you guys throw? What do you throw them on? Water temps, areas to throw them, etc....?

[scaleface]

Over the years Ive caught about six    cold water lunkers  on Arbogast Mudbugs. Ice out conditions on steep sunny banks in mid afternoon. 

[smalljaw67]

The old reliable #5 shad rap, if there are fish in the area you are cranking, they will hit it. I'm trying the #7 and 8 in some different areas this year but the #5 on 45 degree banks is a killer presentation, either shad or crawdad pattern and you'll be set. For my water  I've caught fish on the shad rap from 48 degrees to 52, when the water gets into the mid 50s I like using square bills more.

[fishballer06]

How cold are we talking? Are we talking like 35-40* cold? Or are we talking 50-60* cold water? 

[ww2farmer]

I keep it simple. In water less than 50 degrees I throw two hardbaits, a 1/2 oz. lipless (I prefer the SK Red Eye Shad) and a suspending jerkbait. Once in a great while I will throw a flat sided diving bait like a KVD 1.5 flat, or go 180 the other way and toss a wide wobbling smaller diving bait like a SK series 3/3xd. But honestly after many years of trying stuff in cold water the lipless crankbait/suspending jerkbait is hard to beat where I fish.

[everythingthatswims]

How cold are we talking? Are we talking like 35-40* cold? Or are we talking 50-60* cold water?

I consider cold around here to below 50. But I'm open to hearing anything, this post is mainly out of curiosity because we are almost out of the cold water period unless a cold front comes rolling through

[Grizzn N Bassin]

I throw rat-L traps , jerkbaits and I have luck with square bills  once the water hits about 45+

[BassObsessed]

The water temp in the ponds in my home state have been 48-52 the last week or so and Iv'e been catching alot of fish on red lipless cranks but not near as many as on the small rig walker swimbait. They are nailing it bigtime.

[Dogmatic]

+1 SK KVD flat, plus a few others mentioned. Depending on where the fish are holding.

[everythingthatswims]

The water temp in the ponds in my home state have been 48-52 the last week or so and Iv'e been catching alot of fish on red lipless cranks but not near as many as on the small rig walker swimbait. They are nailing it bigtime.

Home state?

[BassObsessed]

I live in Delaware.

[wytstang]

Rapalas DT Fat cranked slow has a nice wide rolling wobble that has triggered 4-6 lbs to strike.

[papajoe222]

For cold water cranking, I like two types of lipped cranks. A thin bodied balsa crank and a suspending fat body bait.  The first is fished just fast enough that it maintains it's depth and makes occasional contact with something. The second is cranked to depth paused, cranked, paused. Occasionally, I'll work it like a jerk bait after it reaches depth.

[F14A-B]

Shad Raps in balsa.. Pick your size, Squarebills &

As always Rattlebaits, pick your size..

[A KGB Operative]

Do you reel in these lipless crankbaits super slow?

[primetime]

shad raps, glass shad raps suspending, and DT Flat 3 and 7 for my areas as the lip on the DT's is not the best so don't bang them on the water, but the Rapala balsa action is great in cold water, as stated the #5 shad rap is a great bait to throw, it is light so spinning gear is best but the suspending glass shad raps are heavier and so are the jointed versions but I never seem to do well with the Jointed shad raps.

 

Bomber makes the Flat A which I like in the crawfish pattern and I like a silent lipless crank at times as well....The Small Cheapo Rebel Wake R and old school wee R are good little cranks, sometimes small is key...Subwarts, small Flat rap minnow baits, Rapala is my confidence in cold and I think sound matters a lot in cold water as does line size and type.

[Megastink]

I just got my first bass of the year right after ice out on a Bagley Killer B square bill. 2ft of water, 38*F

[Mainebass1984]

KVD 2.5s and 1.5s squarebills. Find some off shore wood and bump the stump with these crankbaits and it will produce.

 

Live target craw squarebill.  I have had some unbelievable success fishing this crankbait in colder water, around 45 degrees. The key though is to find a clay bank or flat where crawfish are emerging from there winter burrows.

 

When I see water temps around 45 degrees I will be fishing a jig, one of the mentioned crankbaits, a jerkbait, silver buddy and a weightless wacky rigged senko. Fishing when the water is cold, spring or fall, is a great opportunity to catch a fish of a lifetime. I

[rmcguirk]

In cold water (if we ever get any instead of frozen water), I generally stick with lipless (red works best around here) and suspending jerk baits.  I catch the overwhelming majority of my "moving" bait fish with one of those two.  I'll chuck a flat sided crank to mix it up occasionally, but with much less success.

 

As to how to work the lipless, as with anything, let the fish tell you what they want -- steady retrieve, stop and go, slow, fast, yo-yo, etc.  But, once the water gets up to about 50, they really seem to like it being ripped out of whatever leftover vegetation there is in the shallows.  Let it tick the top, pull up hard, let it flutter back down, and often it gets hammered. 

[kcdinkerz]

Man's thin man

[Charlie515]

I caught my pb smallmouth last year on a rapala dt10 in around 48* water.