Could you only fish crankbaits year round forever?

[DINK WHISPERER]

No way.... NEVER!!! I don't use them much at all here in Florida. But even if I lived somewhere where they were more effective I still couldn't do it. 

[WRB]

Jigs,

Ned jig

Dart jig

Wacky jig

Scrounger jig

Chatter jig

Swim jig

100’s of jigs with 100’s of trailers could keep you busy a lifetime?

Tom

 

[Chris Catignani]

No...I like flippin and pitchin as technique for wood and other cover....and then we have night fishing.

Never did really great with a crankbait at night.

[Bird]

Crankbaits would be last choice to throw all the time. I like throwing to cover and vegetation.

[Bankc]

I'd rather fish a crankbait all year long than any other category of lures.  They're my most productive lure in all seasons.  

 

But that would be a tough road to hoe.  Some of the lakes around me, it wouldn't be so bad.  They're drinking water reservoirs that are loaded with enough herbicides to kill off any and all vegetation from taking hold.  In others, it would make the lake nigh unfishable 1/2 the year or more, as they often get overrun with vegetation.  Still, usually if I can throw a crankbait, I will.  Which means more often than not, I am.  

[fin]

I could do it, but we'd need to talk about salary and benefits first.

[Deephaven]

Be sort of tough here under the ice.

 

...and be sort of pointless when the ice is gone.  If you removed jerkbaits from your exclusions it'd be a complete no.  The jerkbait is one of those baits that I can almost use anytime however and be productive.  Deep cranking is right up there with drop shotting as about the last things I ever want to do.  The POS quantum KVD cranking rod I have doesn't help that though either.

[DitchPanda]

Oh yeah for sure...where I live I could easily get by only throwing cranks...well as long as I didnt care about catching fish.

[Aaron_H]

I could get away with only fishing lipless cranks and jerkbaits year round. I wouldn't be happy about it and I'd be passing over a lot of fish, but I would still have a pretty good year on just those two even in the summer I'd bet.

[Bruce424]

i think i could? as long as you let me sling a buzzbait too. ??

[rtwvumtneer6]

No.  If I can't fish around, over and through the veggies, count me out.

[Mobasser]

No. I could never do this.

[imarazorbackfan]

Here in Northwest Arkansas our lakes have minimal vegetation, decent amount of standing timber, rock/dirt bottoms. Its definitely possible, though i would never try it, most of my success is on more finesse techniques.

[Koz]

No. I'm just not a crankbait fan. I have them in my arsenal, but they are not even in the top 4 or 5 of baits that I would tie on when fishing is slow. 

 

But there are some days I head out and say, "Hey! I'm going to start of with a crankbait today!"

 

Twenty minutes later I have a spinnerbait or chatterbait tied on.

[J._Bricker]

Ah, not a chance on only throwing crank baits all year long…might knock the dust off my golf clubs and even start watching it on tv

[Bird]

Now if we could rephrase this to WHAT steady retrieve baits do you throw the most ?

I've got enough miles on a Spinnerbait to require an oil change. Lol

[Skunkmaster-k]

Nope 

[Deleted account]

I could, but why would I want to? I'd be reducing my efficiency, and would have to fish different bodies of water, and different locations than I would prefer, no thanks.

[RB 77]

NO! No worm, no jig, no frog, no dice!

[steve-pierce]

I do fish mostly cranks year around. Just have to move out off the bank. I'm pretty hyperactive so I can't take alot of worm dragging before I'm bored

[WRB]

You shouldn’t get bored when catching bass, you odds improve fishing slower. If casting crank baits makes you happy, then cast away.

Looking back at the Flea Market I sold over a  hundred crankbaits and like to fish them. 

also sold a hundred pounds of jigs and catch more bass per hour fished using jigs.

Tom

[casts_by_fly]

Wow, I sense a lot of ‘like’ but not ‘love’ for crank baits here. No David Fritts on the board!

 

Full disclosure, I’m not a finesse guy or a slow guy. Anything I have to let sit for more than a half second is too much. For me, a jig, Tokyo rig, or similar gets pitched, sink to the bottom, enough time to sigh that a fish didn’t eat it, and repeat. Wacky rigs, shaky heads, etc just don’t factor in. I’ll work on that, but that’s working on my patience more than my ability.  I much prefer a moving bait and for the lakes here, a chatterbait or spinnerbait is a good shout. Crankbaits feature well when grass doesn’t interfere.

 

My thought initially was that in non grass lakes you might actually be able to throw just cranks year round. Maybe there would be some days when not, but generally you could year round. I thought it would be an interesting exercise in gear/rod management. Something specific for small square bills and dt-4/6, a bit more for mid cranks, one for deep cranks, another yet for lipless.  Then of course one for jerkbaits. 
 

amazing how much the bait monkey emphasizes crank baits when so few of you would commit to the number the bait monkey says…

8 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

This post is what happens when a northerner is stuck indoors all winter.

Yeah that. 

[Columbia Craw]

I love me some crankbaits. I’d give it a go.

[Catt]

Could you only fish crankbaits year round forever?

 

Yes

 

Would I fish only crankbaits year round forever!

 

Uhh that's a no!

[JohnFromLisbon]

I have! That's how I fished after I graduated from the old original floating Rapalas. My first bass baits were the DT4 and 6, and my first higher end rod was a Loomis 783 CBR. I didn't start fishing soft plastics until like 2010. I had a lot of fun at the time but I wouldn't go back to just fishing crankbaits, now that I know what I was missing out on.