Deciphering Posted Information Can Be Tricky ~

[A-Jay]

In a recent thread a member asked the BR membership their thoughts on Crankbait vs Spinnerbait.  This type of comparison is common here and seems quite popular.  But after reviewing the top 20 response to this one, I had to ask myself why ? 

After reading through each response it’s pretty easy to see just how diverse the answers to this simple (but really not) question can be. Now if I were a novice bass angler posting this, hoping for info that could help lead me to some definitive answer regarding how & perhaps when to use these baits, I’d be hard pressed to decipher the responses. 

Taking one sentence from the first 20 responses of this thread shows the sheer diversity of habitat and bait use loud & clear.

There are no names attached to protect the innocent; you know who you are.

Check it out.

A-Jay

 

I mostly throw spinnerbaits through scattered visible vegetation or over the top of submerged hydrilla and then only after not getting bit on other moving baits. 

I tend to use a spinnerbait when bass are feeding on shad and there is some wind.

Cranks can be anytime I can reach bottom

I treat a spinner bait as a night only lure

I like spinnerbaits better in brushpiles , laydowns , beaver houses and over vegetation 

I hate spinnerbaits, so I would always prefer a crankbait. 

crankbaits i throw anywhere there is hard bottom, mainly rock or a long point

I like Spinners during the day, Cranks in the evening, and surface early morning.

 In all honesty though, there really isn't any general rule of thumb, more often than not you simple have to let the fish tell you what they want.

I throw crank baits more when the water is clean and spinner baits when its more stained.

I also wont throw a spinnerbait in any water over 10

It's more about what cover I'm fishing, and activity level.

if the water is clear and the fish the bass can get a good look at the bait, I'm more inclined to use a crankbait.

I throw crankbaits to start to cover some water. 

Crankbait if I'm banging rocks but I use a Spinnerbait for everything else

In 5-7 ft. of water use a spinner bait in all water..

I’ve had much better results w spinnerbaits over cranks
I will reach for spinnerbaits first when there is a good breeze or during low light and cloudy conditions

The only time I use a spinnerbait over a crankbait is when I am fishing around heavy cover like water willows, or lily pads.

I always choose a spinnerbait over a crank bait, but sometimes fish just don't want to commit to it,

Spinnerbaits for me are routinely fished in the top third of the water column and Crankbaits are used to fish the bottom third; Rarely are either effective in the middle third.  

[frogflogger]

As my old mentor told me when I would pester him about lures "If it has a hook it will catch a fish"

[senile1]

That is one reason why my participation in different threads has drastically decreased over the years and I have not provided a response in that thread.  Not that it is a good thing not to participate, but the choice of baits that are often used in similar situations is very subjective.  In the thread that is referenced, it seems the poster already knows when the baits are used and he recognizes that they are used in similar situations, hence the reason for his question.  Once an angler learns how to use two baits used in similar situations it is up to him or her to determine from usage when and where they like to use that bait.  I guess I could just post that but it seems to be a rather abrupt response.  

 

  

[Deleted account]

16 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

In a recent thread a member asked the BR membership their thoughts on Crankbait vs Spinnerbait.  This type of comparison is common here and seems quite popular.  But after reviewing the top 20 response to this one, I had to ask myself why ? 

After reading through each response it’s pretty easy to see just how diverse the answers to this simple (but really not) question can be. Now if I were a novice bass angler posting this, hoping for info that could help lead me to some definitive answer regarding how & perhaps when to use these baits, I’d be hard pressed to decipher the responses. 

By taking one sentence from the first 20 responses of this thread shows the sheer diversity of habitat and bait use loud & clear.

There are no name attached to protect the innocent; you know who you are.

Check it out.

A-Jay

 

I mostly throw spinnerbaits through scattered visible vegetation or over the top of submerged hydrilla and then only after not getting bit on other moving baits. 

I tend to use a spinnerbait when bass are feeding on shad and there is some wind.

Cranks can be anytime I can reach bottom

I treat a spinner bait as a night only lure

I like spinnerbaits better in brushpiles , laydowns , beaver houses and over vegetation 

I hate spinnerbaits, so I would always prefer a crankbait. 

crankbaits i throw anywhere there is hard bottom, mainly rock or a long point

I like Spinners during the day, Cranks in the evening, and surface early morning.

 In all honesty though, there really isn't any general rule of thumb, more often than not you simple have to let the fish tell you what they want.

I throw crank baits more when the water is clean and spinner baits when its more stained.

I also wont throw a spinnerbait in any water over 10

It's more about what cover I'm fishing, and activity level.

if the water is clear and the fish the bass can get a good look at the bait, I'm more inclined to use a crankbait.

I throw crankbaits to start to cover some water. 

Crankbait if I'm banging rocks but I use a Spinnerbait for everything else

In 5-7 ft. of water use a spinner bait in all water..

I’ve had much better results w spinnerbaits over cranks
I will reach for spinnerbaits first when there is a good breeze or during low light and cloudy conditions

The only time I use a spinnerbait over a crankbait is when I am fishing around heavy cover like water willows, or lily pads.

I always choose a spinnerbait over a crank bait, but sometimes fish just don't want to commit to it,

Spinnerbaits for me are routinely fished in the top third of the water column and Crankbaits are used to fish the bottom third; Rarely are either effective in the middle third.  

That's universal to any subject, those with knowledge and experience will be able to filter out what is more likely to be accurate and relevant, where as the inexperienced  novices will either get utterly confused, or latch onto things that may not be helpful. 

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, senile1 said:

That is one reason why my participation in different threads has drastically decreased over the years and I have not provided a response in that thread.  Not that it is a good thing not to participate, but the choice of baits that are often used in similar situations is very subjective.  In the thread that is referenced, it seems the poster already knows when the baits are used and he recognizes that they are used in similar situations, hence the reason for his question.  Once an angler learns how to use two baits used in similar situations it is up to him or her to determine from usage when and where they like to use that bait.  I guess I could just post that but it seems to be a rather abrupt response.  

 

  

I hear ya ~  I'm not making any claims good, bad or indifferent.

I often totally agree with (and disagree) with many of the response here as well in other threads; I think we all do. 

Taking our responses out of context seemed interesting to me.  

A-Jay

[senile1]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

I hear ya ~  I'm not making any claims good, bad or indifferent.

I often totally agree with (and disagree) with many of the response here as well in other threads; I think we all do. 

Taking our responses out of context seemed interesting to me.  

Same here.  I'm not recommending that everyone just stop responding or we would not have a forum.  LOL.  

 

[bobbyg]

Being new to the forums and someone who has fished a lot, but not with any type of direction or true knowledge of best practices, I think it is good when a thread gets a bunch of somewhat convoluted thoughts. I like everyone's perspective. I have always been more of the school of thought that if you want to catch anything it starts with holding your mouth right! For me it always comes down to confidence in what and how you are doing.

[A-Jay]

2 minutes ago, bobbyg said:

Being new to the forums and someone who has fished a lot, but not with any type of direction or true knowledge of best practices, I think it is good when a thread gets a bunch of somewhat convoluted thoughts. I like everyone's perspective. I have always been more of the school of thought that if you want to catch anything it starts with holding your mouth right! For me it always comes down to confidence in what and how you are doing.

Perfect ~  

I agree with you.

And I'm very willing to admit that there have been many a bass smashing, money & time saving nuggets of knowledge mined out of threads over the years for this guy  . . . 

A-Jay

[Scarborough817]

it is definitely interesting to see the responses like this. I do agree that it can be quite difficult to understand most of what we say. what i have found to be helpful which is not always an option, is once you read something go test it. In saying that I think we should spend more time teaching anglers about the where rather than what lure to use. if they understand more of where the fish are they can understand how to properly present a lure in that situation. 

 

i think i've been reading spoonplugging too much 

[J Francho]

Almost always, what's missed is the problem solving part tying a particular bait on achieves.  I'm fishing eel grass, so am I gonna tie on a squarebill?  No, a bullet head spinnerbait will come through better.  Do I care what the wind is doing, water clarity, or barometric pressure?  None of those is gonna help my crank bait get through the eel grass.

[Scarborough817]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Almost always, what's missed is the problem solving part tying a particular bait on achieves.  I'm fishing eel grass, so am I gonna tie on a squarebill?  No, a bullet head spinnerbait will come through better.  Do I care what the wind is doing, water clarity, or barometric pressure?  None of those is gonna help my crank bait get through the eel grass.

i think we are all guilty of this in some way. we look more so at the bait and not take the time to ask about what situation the angler is fishing

[J Francho]

Magic Bullet Syndrome.

[Spankey]

The questions are vague and can be interpreted differently. 

 

Everyones fishing conditions differ. 

 

There is no right or wrong answer. Confidence level is probably the right answer. 

 

Is the question any different than a person asking wether to throw a T-rig or a Carolina Rig? 

 

 

 

 

[scaleface]

When you have interchangeable lures in a lot of situations people are going to rely on their personal experience . My lure preference right now is a lot different than ten years ago .

[senile1]

40 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Almost always, what's missed is the problem solving part tying a particular bait on achieves.  I'm fishing eel grass, so am I gonna tie on a squarebill?  No, a bullet head spinnerbait will come through better.  Do I care what the wind is doing, water clarity, or barometric pressure?  None of those is gonna help my crank bait get through the eel grass.

 

I did notice that your response in that thread did address the fact that a spinnerbait is better in situations where hangups are more likely.  We just need to think through the poster's question more thoroughly to determine what would constitute the most helpful response.  I am as guilty as anyone of posting quickly without thinking it through, especially when time is of the essence like at work.  

[RPreeb]

It's not only a case of which do you prefer in a given type of water, but time of day, time of year, weather, and just the sometimes notional nature of fishing - they all impact choice, and even when that's all sorted out, preferences still differ from one person to another.  I watch MLF and see 6 guys fishing 6 different lures and all catching fish.  Tends to tip the scales toward presentation being the key - putting the bait in the right place with the right look - even more important than the specific bait used.  Most of the comparison threads I've read here seem to run a similar course. 

 

As someone who is relatively new to the technical aspects of modern bass fishing (much of my bass fishing experience is 50 years out of date), it can be confusing, but I feel that I've gotten better at sifting out what seems more relevant to me and my preferences.  I'm still taking baby steps at the moment, so I'm focusing on a few general ideas and saving the details for when I actually have more experience.

[J Francho]

I generally try to think about WHY a person is asking.  The whole desert island bring only 3 lures just screams "what should my favorite bait be."  A picture and a "How would you fish this?"  I wouldn't, unless I have a map.  Show me the map, or at least describe it with a little detail, and I'll answer.  "Best" rod for $150?  Pretty much any of them.  $25 for a lure is ridiculous.  Is it?  Those are the same people that blow through $8 bags of senkos like they're candy.  Speaking of, "What's your favorite color ______?"  "I don't catch fish on jigs.  I don't fish them hardly at all, because they don't work for me.  Any tips?"  Yeah, fish it more.  These are all questions that point to not enough time on the water, and not realizing, while there are certainly some good shortcuts to getting started catching bass, nothing can replace time on the water.  So, many of my answers will be targeted at trying to get that person on the water to answer the question his/herself.

[Choporoz]

@J Francho, I agree, that more context and background to any question in an open forum such as this is beneficial.    It took me a little while to understand that here.  What took me longer was how much context and background might be missing to the replies.  It takes a while on here, but after a few months, we start to have an idea of what fish, waters and conditions a person is using as their baseline to answer.  @A-Jay , @Catt and @Bluebasser86 might post seemingly conflicting answers to the same question -- if a reader doesn't yet know that the conditions each of you is facing might be entirely different.  I'd go out and try something that A-Jay threw successfully last week with no success .....never realizing that he'd been bagging huge pre-spawn smallies in deep, cold, clear water, while I was targeting LMB in warm, post-spawn muddy tidal waters

[TnRiver46]

I have fished pretty solid for 30+ years and I still can't catch fish with a spinner bait or a crank bait. I don't think I can bring myself to fish these baits anymore than I already have

[mattkenzer]

25 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I have fished pretty solid for 30+ years and I still can't catch fish with a spinner bait or a crank bait. I don't think I can bring myself to fish these baits anymore than I already have

At 50 years old, I have a similar history.

Primary target over those years has been smallmouth, and if i exclude lipless crankbaits and jerkbaits, my spinner bait and lipped crankbait smallmouth numbers are extremely low and not by lack of trying in the early years. Did i fish them too fast? too slow? too shallow? too deep? Your guess is as good and probably better than mine.

One thing i know for certain, my level of success is well below freezing.

 

[J Francho]

55 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I agree, that more context and background to any question in an open forum such as this is beneficial.

I also admit to having a bit of extra info: location.  I can get a location by clicking a link, and a map pops up.  It's part of our admin tools.  I often use to get a little more insight about the member.  Location can really help.

[12poundbass]

We live in a world where the answer you're looking for is right at your finger tips. It may not be the correct answer but the answer YOU are looking for is quickly found. Admittedly I sometimes fall victim to that. 

 

I have so many unanswered questions, but I will usually find them on here or by reading. I prefer to take the "why did this work" or "what is he doing differently" approach. This winter I've picked up a book and trying to expand my knowledge that way. 

 

 

[J Francho]

9 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

We live in a world where the answer you're looking for is right at your finger tips. It may not be the correct answer but the answer YOU are looking for is quickly found. Admittedly I sometimes fall victim to that. 

Interesting point.  I've come across a few threads where several good solutions are offered, and the person asking will make excuses for why that solution won't work.  It's like they only wanted to hear one thing, and that is the wrong answer.

[WRB]

Ask 10 different bass anglers a question and you get 12 different answers.

If replies reflect the experience of the angler answering simply take that into account.

What may seem absurd to one angler answers the question for another. Bass fishing there isn't one answer or solution to catching bass on any given day.

I try to make an effort to determine where the angler asking a question or recommendation is located, what specie of "bass" the angler is targeting and what type of of tackle is being used to focus on a appropriate reply. We all tend to fall back on our personal preferences and experiences that bias our responses.

Tom

[J Francho]

There isn't one right solution, but there might be a few wrong ones.  You can usually narrow it down.