New to Crankbaits

[Buffdaddy54]

This is going to sound weird but I have never fished a Crankbait before. I primarily fish soft plastics and I also fish from the bank. Is a crankbait a good option and if so what would you guys recommend? I don't want to break the bank here, I'm thinking 2 or 3 to start. What is the least expensive and good quality that you guys recommend?

[scaleface]

I dont use  crankbaits much from the  bank . I recommend the least expensive lipless bait you can find . I like to fish them on ripprap dams letting them sink to the bottom then try to  hug  the bottom on the whole retrieve , hopping it or using a steady retrieve with pauses to get it back down  . Its a good way to pick up fish but its a good way to lose lures too .

[burrows]

 You will catch fish with theses from the bank and you can find them at Walmart not this color but green copper shad is usually at Walmart inexpensive and is a fish catcher!  

 

[Sam]

Bandit used to be the most competitively priced crankbait in the marketplace so please check them out.

 

Shad colors, like Sexy Shad, along with Firetiger and a yellow with a blue back can be good colors to start. It really depends on the water color you are fishing.

 

You can't go wrong with a Sexy Shad. On a sunny day throw the yellow with a blue back. In stained water go with the Sexy Shad or Firetiger. In all water conditions throw the Sexy Shad.

 

Crankbait fishing is a lot of fun. Just understand that you will get hung up and you will lose some baits. It comes with the territority.

 

And one more suggestion: when setting the hook just swing your rod waist high from the left to the right or the right to the left. This is the best method to allow the treble hooks to set themselves.

 

Also, no slack in the line. Any slack in the line at any time your are playing the fish means the fish has a high probability of throwing your bait.

 

If you need to have a refresher on how to avoid or reduce baitcaster backlashes please let us know and we will share the secrets with you.

 

Now go out there and have some fun.

 

 

[CTBassin860]

Least favorite bait for me. I have a dedicated crank rig and a ton of cranks that get used maybe 5 times a year. It's also my cheapest setup. I'd rather go wacky worming.

But I'm throwing KVD 1.5's when I do.

[ww2farmer]

Strike King and Berkley both offer a very good line of quality baits at prices everyone can afford.

 

From the bank, start off simple. A 1.5 sized square bill crankbait, in a bluegill or shad color will catch bass in every body of water than has bass in it.

[Riazuli]

Bass pro shops currently has a sale running on KVD crankbaits and others.  Red eye shads (lipless) and squarebills are going for ~$5 which is about 2 dollars less than usual.  I've caught plenty of bass on the red eye shad and it's a popular lure in general.  Some good colors to go for are: sexy shad, orange/red varieties, chrome, firetiger, and chartreuse varieties (switch up depending on water clarity and cloud conditions).  Chrome and sexy shad will work well in clear water and sunny days (might also consider other natural colors depending on your local forage, like bluegill).  For stained and cloudy days water I would go with the brighter colors.  Those are general guidelines - you can get more specific depending on the particular combo of water clarity and cloud cover.  You can check out guides for crankbait or lipless crankbait colors on google for that, and just go with what works for you in the places you fish at. 

[SWVABass]

Lots of options out there. The type of crankbait you want will vary on how deep you plan to fish it. If you have water in that 6-8’ range the square bills will work well. Deep than that I’d look at series 3 or 3xd from strike king as well. That should help you cover most depths. Sexy Shad is a good all around color, but I’d throw in a bluegill pattern and craw of some sort. I love to fish cranks from the bank and you can be very successful at it when your timing is right. Good luck man.

[Czorn]

Lipless crank for sure. Cotton cordels super spots are like 3$ at Wal-Mart. They look like a rat-l-trap. Chrome/black is my go to. 

[burrows]

6 minutes ago, Czorn said:

Lipless crank for sure. Cotton cordels super spots are like 3$ at Wal-Mart. They look like a rat-l-trap. Chrome/black is my go to. 

 

One of my favorites I like them better than ratl traps

[Czorn]

I have a separate box full of them. They are awesome for burning through stick ups. I use them anytime I think I might snag up on something. If you have a academy sports and outdoors around try the H2O cranks, they are cheep and come with vmc hooks.

[Paul Roberts]

Gosh, they're all good. You don't need to break the bank. If I were to pick just two, it would be a shallow running squarebill type, and a 1/4oz lipless. If you have deep steep water you could go with a deeper diver and heavier lipless. The trick? Fish the heck out of them. And, don't think you have to "crank" them. I do a lot of crawling of floating/diving cranks -fishing them like a jig or soft plastic. Bass eat them.

[TnRiver46]

Another vote for H2O express crankbaits. Most of them are $3 and catch fish. I troll them with the gas motor though 

[Tlauz]

I have shore fished some rocky areas in the past.  After losing too many baits, I now only use shallow running crankbaits  that rise when you stop reeling.  My favorites are KVD 1.5 and Mann's Mid-1 Minus. 

[CTBassin860]

We could ice out by this weekend. I'll be throwing lipless and jerks Friday if I get the chance

[Buffdaddy54]

While I'm at it, what is the difference between a crankbait and a lipless crankbait? What are the applications?

[burrows]

Differences between them are that one is a sinking lure with no lip and usually is a rattling or one knocker bait the other is floating with a lip and is either silent or rattling both work in warm or cold conditions depending on what the bait is designed for.

[LAO162]

If you fish a lot of very shallow areas, Mann's Baby minus one and the Rebel Footloose may help prevent you from loosing a lot of baits on the bottom (0 to 1 ft deep).  Bandit 100's work well to cover the 2 to 4 ft deep range.

[BrackishBassin]

8 hours ago, MassBassin508 said:

We could ice out by this weekend. I'll be throwing lipless and jerks Friday if I get the chance

Are lipless a good bait when the water is that cold? 

[The Short Fisherman]

The kvd squarebill is a good choice. Its cheap, and the bass love them! If you get them at bass pro theyre on sale for 4 bucks right now.

[NYWayfarer]

Go lipless, Strike King Red Eye Shad. Certain colors are on sale at Walmart right now $5

 

or go with a square Bill. They bounce off everything much harder to lose one

[CTBassin860]

2 hours ago, BrackishBassin said:

Are lipless a good bait when the water is that cold? 

Yes sir. Lots of thump. Throw them deep and yo-yo them back.

[Bankbeater]

In deep water I like Cordell spots in copper craw for muddy water, and chrome blue back for everything else.  In shallow water I'd go with a Mann's 1 minus.  Gray ghost in clear water and fire shad in stained water.

[burrows]

Mann’s baby - 1 is such a staple and a great bait flat out just catches fish you can fish shallow or fish it in the middle of summer  ticking it over vegetation or waking  it. Also it’s inexpensive.

          The super spot is lipless with a rattle that is less likely to spook fish and it’s cheap. The red eye Shad also a staple nothing shimmy’s down on the drop like a red eye Shad also a fairy inexpensive bait. 

     The kvd 1.5 also the Rc 2 both inexpensive staples that catch fish.

     Finally the Shad rap a must have catches them in cold water catches them in warm water a staple definitely. Also inexpensive must have crank bait. 

        This is my list of the best inexpensive must have crankbaits in my opinion hope that helps.