School me on lipless cranks

[Obi_Wan]

I have only fished a lipless crank once and didn’t catch any fish.  I need some learning.  When, how, etc…

[BrianMDTX]

I’ve fished them many times. My number of bass is equal to yours lol. 

[Kirtley Howe]

A lipless crankbait is one of the most versatile lures you can use. They can be fished fast in cold water to get a reaction strike. They can be fished with a yo-yo retrieve if fish want a different look. They can be fished slow and deep, kind of like slow-rolling a spinner bait. They can be fished over/thru weeds...when they get hung up, ripping them free can trigger a massive strike. They excel at being bounced off wood and rocks. Since they come in sinking, suspending and floating models, and in many sizes and weights, it is easy to find one that will work in almost any situation. You can find them in any price range you are comfortable with from 99 cents to big dollar amounts....and they ALL work.

[MediumMouthBass]

Bought a bunch of these lures to use for pre spawn this spring, many different brands and weights etc... Didnt catch any bass on them, but then i started throwing a Berkley Warpig 1/2oz, when i started using it i wasnt really sure how to fish it, i would just cast as far as i could and let it fall to just above the grass on the bottom of the lake and then use the rod to lift up, pause, let it fall, lift up, repeat. Doing this caught a couple really nice bass, so i started to use the warpig almost every time i went to this lake, and it became and is now my favorite lure, even over the ned rig. Over and over again this lure kept achieving PB bass after PB bass. Some days it took awhile to get a bass to bite but either lifting up and letting it fall or just reeling it in really fast worked great. Finished the prespawn period on that lake with a 7lb largemouth and several more 4, 5, and 6lbs.

[Pat Brown]

Caught me an almost 9 lb largemouth that had just laid it's eggs (would have been my double digit unicorn 2 weeks prior) on a red 6th sense quake back in March.  The post is in the latest catch thread somewhere back there if you wanna go digging.  I can't seem to find it easily on my phone.

 

I'm a firm believer in lipless crankbaits and I like throwing them when I'm after a giant.  Shad colors seem to be best for numbers but I like throwing red for a big fish.

[BigAngus752]

One of my top confidence baits.  Shad color when it's cloudy/dirty and chrome when it's sunny.  Works best on windy banks and when you bang it off of stuff.  Always on deck unless it's dead calm/high skies and I'm only throwing bottom contact. 

[Lmbasshunter]

Deadly bait around here late winter/spring, especially around grass. I like the original bill lewis rat-l-trap 

[LrgmouthShad]

Kinda a funky bait. Lot of different ways to retrieve them and they all work. Experimenting with depth and speed is important. Yo-yoing them does work and gets big fish but it isn't magic. They are great around, in, and skimming grass.

[Glenn]

For your "education"

 

 

[scaleface]

Some people bounce them off wood . I hang them in wood. My favorite way of throwing them is on points by bouncing them off the bottom . When it works , it works good . The Red Eye Shad excels at that.

[Darth-Baiter]

It was an awesome bait for my much younger self. Now?  Very lukewarm. However, I think that’s because I’m exploring ripping them thru grass.  This takes understanding the tactile feedback of the rod, and I’m fuzzy on interpreting the lure. One time I thought I got it, and a bass did slam the bait. 
 

it was a LV500. 

[Aaron_H]

12 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Kinda a funky bait. Lot of different ways to retrieve them and they all work. Experimenting with depth and speed is important. Yo-yoing them does work and gets big fish but it isn't magic. They are great around, in, and skimming grass.

 

 

[a1712]

I throw Lipless till about 60°,then put them away till 80°. In the cold jigging, slow rolling. In the heat it's a perfect open water Spinnerbait. I probably catch 50%+ of my fish on a Lipless. My favorites are Yo-Zuri Rattlevibe, Jackall TN60-70, Berkley Warpig, Daiwa Game Vibe, and IMA. Brian. 

[Dwight Hottle]

I throw them just about anytime. I like to cast them out & let them settle to the depth I want to target. Then I rip them hard to the side to make them jump & vibrate. I continue to crank them usually slowly then rip again & repeat. I like to fish from deep to shallow as I retreive. They are great baits to cast on points & other structure. You can also fish them fast over grass tops ripping them when they touch. As someone mention you can slow roll them on the bottom like a spinner bait but I still add in the rips to make them jump. These are my two best on a lipless crank. 

[JoePhish]

Last year I killed it throwing a Lucky Craft Hagane 70PS at schools of shad that bass were busting on.  It’s 3/4 oz yet only 2.8 inches so it’s dense and can really be casted far. 
 

I like running them along rip rap or a ledge too with various retrieves from burning it to yo-yoing to slow roll.
 

Strangest lipless pattern I ever caught them on was dead sticking it on the bottom just twitching it slightly.  

[DaubsNU1]

I like them and have probably 10 in my tacklebox. Blue chrome Rattle-Trap is favorite, but I do have a few others. 

 

Pike seem to like them as well, and I do remember catching a Musky on a Rattle-Trap back in the day. 

[Bankbeater]

I like fishing them in weed covered flats.  Running them next to the weed edge and across the top of submerged weeds.

[Texas Flood]

I never threw lipless for a long time because I didn’t know the best ways to fish them. Now I use it all the time and I would say it’s my most confident bait. 
 

I love to throw it around docks, weed lines and riprap. 
 

My favorite colors are purple/bluegill, chrome, gold and perch. 

[Koz]

Chuck. Crank. Catch. Repeat.

 

They are a great tool when you need to cover water, especially from the bank because you can cast them a mile.