Crankbaits - What's the deal?

[joshmb1999]

I've never had much luck with crankbaits - but i keep reading about pro's using this or that crankbait and tons of people on this forum seem to love them...i guess my question is what are some good ones to start trying and what should i be doing with them?  Right now i fish cover (trees, stumps, etc) much more than structure (points, ledges, etc) and i mostly throw soft plastics, jig & pig, and spinnerbaits.  I have heard people say to throw cranks into laydowns and bump them off the wood, but is there more to it than that???

I want to catch more fish and am willing to learn new techniques.  Can you all help?  

[Tin]

For bumping laydowns just stick to a square billed crank and you will be fine. And seeing as it is getting cold out, try a good old bagley balsa be, it has a great wobble for the cold water.

[detroit1]

Hey J. - the lakes i fish are clear and i've seen maybe 2 trees in the water (storm), in over 35 yrs. of fishing- and i love cranks. Weedlines, dropoffs, flats, anywhere you throw your other lures. You don't need trees to fish a crank.

[Sam]

A crankbait is a "search" bait to locate the bass.

It is fun to fish and you must always be ready for a strike, even next to the boat or bank.

Read, read and read some more regarding crankbaits.

There are fat ones, skinny ones, deep running ones, shallow ones, and many inbetween.

Usually a crank with some chartruse in it does well, like a shad/chartruse.

I do well with the Firetigers and the blue and yellow Bandit 100s and 200s.  The Mann's Minus One's are also a killer in the summer.

Throw them all over the place and don't be afraid to have them get stuck in a branch or tree.  You will be surprised how they bounce off the wood when you think you will get snagged.

You may need to throw the crank at the same target 15 to 25 times and from different angles and speeds to entice the bass to strike the lure.

There are some great articles on crankbait presentations in the bass magazines and other publications.  Go get some bass fishing books or videos that include suggestions on cranking and experiment with them all year.

Have fun and let us know of your success.

[Sam]

One word of caution.

Be very careful when removing the treble hooks.

If the bass shakes violently you can have one of the treble hooks get imbeded in your fingers.

I use a special gadget to hold the bass by the lip and then remove the hooks with a pliers.

I had a treble hook removed from my finger surgically when I became laxidasical when removing the hooks.  That will NEVER happen again.  I am now parinoid when removing those crankbait treble hooks.

Crankbait fishing is a lot of fun.  Give it a try.

[RobbyZ5001]

I agree with Sam 100%

The rapala line has a great selection of crankbaits. I also use cotten cordell Big o. I suggest Kevin Van Dam books he is WELL known for his crankbaiting skills and tactics and he writes about it in his books. Good luck I also am working on my crankbaiting skills!

[Avalonjohn44]

Josh, I prefer crankbait fishing above all other forms, and believe me when I say you can't go wrong with a Bandit if you are just starting out.

Bandit 100s and 200s are some of the most productive and inexpensive cranks out there.  My favorite colors are Taco Salad, Splatterback, Chartreuse/Pearl, and Rootbeer.  They are $4 apiece.

After those, try Rapala DT 6s and 10s.  I love the realistic bluegill pattern, but firetiger is a solid color, as is their purple/yellow color.

After that, the bait monkey will probably be telling you to get some Lucky Crafts, try Rick Clunns 1.5s.  Again Splatterback really produces for me here.  So does the Blue Back/Chartreuse.  Ghost Shad is another great one...

Any Bagley model in just about any color is a super choice, I will save the bait monkey a post and say just buy one in every color, maybe two in every color (my favorite color for bagleys are 09 - Black Chartreuse and 79G - Blue Back Chartreuse).

After that, your only option is going full bore into the Megabass Type X frogs (viper red), Cyclones and Griffons.

Good luck, and get ready to cash in your 401K...

Seriously though, Grab some Bandits.  The other stuff is great, but the Bandits are what'll get you the most I think.

[Guest avid]

Crankbaits be much fun.

I always suggest people start with 1/2 oz silver/chrome rattltrap.  It's easy to fish,  will catch bass anywhere, and will give you a feel for crankbait fishing.

good luck and have fun.