Best crankbait for fishing lay downs?

[FryDog62]

Looking for crankbait recommendations for throwing in shallow rivers with lots of lay downs... a hard balance to find something that sticks the fish but not all the branches.  

 

Have heard 6th Sense has some good options as well as other brands.  I’ve typically used KVD 1.5’s and DT Flat but my supply is running low.

 

Suggestions??

[jr231]

I use a lucky craft square bill. A local store had them for like 5 dollars so I bought several. They catch fish... 

 

Ever tried the DT fat1 (or3) ? Awesome bait 

 

Super nice bait but I'm not the biggest fan of throwing trebles at trees. Underwater stumps and logs are one thing but fallen over trees I'm smacking with a TRUE Texas rig and fishing right underneath it. 

[Shimano_1]

I'd say what u normally use would be my first choices for such cranking 

[Brett's_daddy]

Movement 80X! Shallow running crank (1 - 3ft.) but has a unique wide wobble and big bill to deflect off brush, rocks etc. It's reasonably priced at $8.99 and the 6th Sense paint jobs are as good as Mega Bass IMO.

[primetime]

My buddy up north who loves to crank lay downs and throw square bills anywhere possible...Would without question suggest the   Worden's Timber Tiger....Been around forever, and is designed to not hang up on wood and has a unique design and action after deflecting....They have some good colors also....They kind of look like a beefed up Speed trap with fins on the sides...Tackle warehouse has them...Think they are $6.99.

 

I believe they have 3 sizes, the biggest one is a good sized crankbait, and I think they are Balsa wood but may be mistaken.

[LonnieP]

The Spro Fat John goes through brush quite well without hanging up. I’ve lost a ton of crankbaits in lay downs but this Spro squareblll comes out most of the time. I caught a 5 pounder with one in a nasty lay down earlier this summer.

[FryDog62]

44 minutes ago, primetime said:

My buddy up north who loves to crank lay downs and throw square bills anywhere possible...Would without question suggest the   Worden's Timber Tiger....Been around forever, and is designed to not hang up on wood and has a unique design and action after deflecting....They have some good colors also....They kind of look like a beefed up Speed trap with fins on the sides...Tackle warehouse has them...Think they are $6.99.

 

I believe they have 3 sizes, the biggest one is a good sized crankbait, and I think they are Balsa wood but may be mistaken.

I have 2 of these somewhere in an old tackle box.  Thx for reminding me, will resurrect them.  

1 hour ago, Brett's_daddy said:

Movement 80X! Shallow running crank (1 - 3ft.) but has a unique wide wobble and big bill to deflect off brush, rocks etc. It's reasonably priced at $8.99 and the 6th Sense paint jobs are as good as Mega Bass IMO.

I’ve heard good things about 6th Sense crankbaits.  With the wider wobble would you say the Movement 80X! would be best in warmer water, and the tighter wobble of the Flat 75 better in cold temps?

[Brett's_daddy]

24 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I have 2 of these somewhere in an old tackle box.  Thx for reminding me, will resurrect them.  

I’ve heard good things about 6th Sense crankbaits.  With the wider wobble would you say the Movement 80X! would be best in warmer water, and the tighter wobble of the Flat 75 better in cold temps?

I think they would both work...the bass will be up shallow gorging before winter so i think the Movement 80x would be killer!

[Fishes in trees]

I'm a big fan of the Timber Tiger.  My first choice when I tie on a square bill.  They very seldom get hung up by the hooks, they very occasionally get wedged, happens when you throw into a V at odd angles.  They come in various sizes.  I'm a big fan of the DC 16 when throwing at trees and you're looking for a major horizontal limb about 10' down.   For throwing at laydowns, I'd start with the DC 8 & 20 lb line, so you're maybe diving 6' max .  These are plastic baits, not balsa.  The DC 8 weighs half an ounce, so it is easy to throw.  You can get a DC5 which is kinda thinner and weighs 3/8 oz, more or less.

[wdp]

@FryDog62 I am a big fan of the 6th sense movement 80x. I’ve been fishing them for 2 seasons and they flat out catch fish, and caught my PB. As mentioned, they have some great color schemes for a reasonable price. Sometimes Academy will have a sale on them too. 

 

They probably have the widest wobble of any crank I’ve ever used. Your rod tip will vibrate almost like throwing a chatterbait. With that said, I’ve never fished them around much timber or laydowns. They def float up slower than balsa, so they may not work best for what you’re looking for. But I have great luck using them in shallow open water or around shallow grass & ditches, etc. They’re killer with a stop & go retrieve. 

 

With the aggressive wide wobble, might not be best choice for cold water applications. Flat sided would prob be be suited. But I’ve never tried them in really cold water. They work great in spring when water temps 1st start warming tho. Hope this helps. 

[Harold Scoggins]

I like using cranks made of wood when fishing laydowns, mainly because they rise quickly after making contact.

[Smalls]

6th Sense are definitely a good choice. They come stock with some good short shank EWG’s too, so no need to swap em out. 

 

If you haven't, I’d swap the hooks on whatever other baits you’re using to short shanks, too. You’ll get hung up a lot less.

 

If I know I’m gonna be around a lot of wood, I’ll take a couple of my daughter’s pony tail rubber bands and put it arothe squarebill so that it holds the front hook against the body. Still get great hook ups, but that hooks not dangling and swaying around to get hung up. 

[Bluebasser86]

Black Market Balsa/Dave's Customs. Only thing that comes through a tree better is a squirrel. Being that you're likely dealing with potential toothy fish too though, they may be more than you want to spend on a bait. By far the largest bass I've caught on a crankbait this year fell for a chartreuse black back one I was cranking laydowns in a river with about a month ago. 

[Catt]

6th Sense Movement 80X  ?

 

Deflects off of cover of any kind!

[scaleface]

I fish a variety of square bills in old timber and stumps but when it comes to new laydowns with a lot of small limbs , I have a hack for that ,it requires a knife or clippers . Cut the line and tie on a spinnerbait .   

[FryDog62]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Black Market Balsa/Dave's Customs. Only thing that comes through a tree better is a squirrel. Being that you're likely dealing with potential toothy fish too though, they may be more than you want to spend on a bait. By far the largest bass I've caught on a crankbait this year fell for a chartreuse black back one I was cranking laydowns in a river with about a month ago. 

With the Black Market Balsa, and also  6th Sense Movement 80X - is it a tight enough wobble to work effectively when water temps get into the 40’s-50’s (in a couple weeks here)? 

8 hours ago, Catt said:

6th Sense Movement 80X  ?

 

Deflects off of cover of any kind!

Same

[Harold Scoggins]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Black Market Balsa

X2

[FryDog62]

5 minutes ago, Harold Scoggins said:

X2

Couldn’t tell price from the site.  110’s are $20, same for the Balsa squarebills?

[J Francho]

Any balsa square bill will work well.  It's more about learning to finesse the crank through the cover, and knowing what the bait will do when you kill it.  You want one that backs up after the pause.  Most have the right angle bill for that.

[Dens228]

8 hours ago, Catt said:

6th Sense Movement 80X  ?

 

Deflects off of cover of any kind!

Currently my favorite lure.  Mainly because I've been kicking bass with it the last three times out until the sun gets a bit over the trees.  I've used it in a foot of water all the way up to 8 feet over receding weeds as well as along the edge of steep drop offs.  It's rattles so loud and creates such a wake that the bass can't seem to resist it right now. 

[Catt]

23 minutes ago, J Francho said:

It's more about learning to finesse the crank through the cover, and knowing what the bait will do when you kill it.

 

This should be everyone's thoughts regardless of lure!

 

A good crankbait helps but in my opinion it's got a lot to do with angler. 

[J Francho]

30 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

This should be everyone's thoughts regardless of lure!

 

A good crankbait helps but in my opinion it's got a lot to do with angler. 

There's a lot of truth to that.  I also think it helps to stick with the same bait, instead of having 10 different square bills.  They all seem to act a little different.

[Brett's_daddy]

4 hours ago, J Francho said:

I also think it helps to stick with the same bait, instead of having 10 different square bills.

What's the fun in that? I think you are bait monkey prejudice!!!

 

 

[Harold Scoggins]

5 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Couldn’t tell price from the site.  110’s are $20, same for the Balsa squarebills?

I actually misread his reply, I thought he was speaking of another brand with "black" in the name. Regardless, if you were to see the work that some of these folks put into making these wood baits, you'd understand the price. The time that goes into one of these baits blows my mind sometimes. Knowing the work and quality that goes into some of these squarebills, I've paid up to $50 for some of them. That's not to say you can't find a good balsa bait commercially produced that are cheaper, there are many out there.

That being said, I have too many cranks, both plastic and wood, that I call my favorites. However, when it comes to cranking through the laydowns, I don't believe one can dismiss the value of a crank bait that quickly rises/backs out upon making contact with the wood. That is one attribute where a wood (balsa) crank really dominates other baits.

[Brett's_daddy]

Another good one would be the Booyah Flex 2. It's made with an injected foam process that makes it super tough and it has the buoyancy of a balsa bait so it should be fast on the rise after deflecting off obstacles which I think would be handy in timber.