Lipless crankbaits

[Brian_Reeves]

Ok, I've tried a few brands out there, but like jigs, I'm looking for the perfect one.  I'd like to think that I don't end up making lipless crankbaits like I did with jigs though lol.

Anyway, I've used the Bill Lewis, Rapala, and Cotton Cordell.  I got about 2 dozen casts in with the red eye shad from strike king, but not enough to really get a feel for it.

What is the best lipless in your opinion?  I'm talking about fish catching ability, finishes, hooks, ability to come through grass, and ability to be fished through cover.  I know they all look alike, but some have to be better than others.  What's your favorite and why?  I think I need to do more lipless fishing...either that or the bait monkey is being more subtle than usual. ;D

[FishingMastah1]

I caught this guy on a 1/2 oz Bill Lewis Chrome and Blue back Rat-L-Trap, really those things tear it up and they have great hooks I think.

[Rob.Atl]

There are plenty of great lipless cranks out there and it certainly is tough to find the right one basically i will break it down for you a bit

-most of the ones you will buy the hooks arent that great, so you may want to replace them

-the chrome and blue or chrome and blue and black rat l traps work very well if you want to find fish fast

-I really think the best lipless crank i have used is the megabass vibration x ratle, im not going to lie 20 bucks is a LOT for a lure but this thing is magical, in tennesee shad honestly its a beast

-Also if you are looking for a good cheaper one rapala makes one

and just replace the hooks on it and your good to go, i mean this thing is great. I really like the firetiger color. It cost 2.99

Link-http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_2848_100005001_100000000_100005000_100-5-1

So if your looking to find fish fast or powerfish try out these  

[Brian_Reeves]

Yeah I've tried a few of them, but I've noticed that the cotton cordell rips out of grass cleaner and better than the bill lewis.  It also rests on its nose...which might be important somehow to someone... :-?

The rapala seems a bit too small of a profile.  

I'm thinking of trying the diamond shad and red eye shad again...along with the Aruku shad.  Maybe that Yozuri one I've heard people talk about...I dunno.

[FishTank]

I favorite is from Excalabur.  I have tried LCs, Rat-L-Traps, and Rapalas versions but the Excalaburs have produced the best for me.

[booneangler]

i prefer the strike king red eye shad

[BassFishingMachine]

My favorite is a LC Lv-0 Lipless Crank. The reason it is my favorite is because I fish from the bank in small local ponds, the depth im fishing is about 1-3feet, with the deepest part of the lakes being 5-7feet. Now with that being said, all lipless cranks I have tried will collect weeds or collect the crap along the bottom, unless of course I hold my rod up extremely high, and keep the bait going at a steady-fast retrieve.. which alot of the times is not only a pain in the ***, but also the fish tend to want a slower retrieve. I read a description on *** about the Lc Lv-0 being a shallow running lipless crank and that it is perfect for lakes with alot of weeds and shallow waters.

This made me try it, and I was greatly impressed. I can cast this baby in 1 foot of water and somehow it stays in the "middle" level of the water. If I fish it into 4 feet of water it will swim in the 2foot range, if I cast it in 2 feet of water it will swim in the 1foot range. I can retrieve it with a steady/slow retrieve and it will stay in that middle level, allowing me to hold the rod at a more comfortable level instead of as high as I can keep it. Truly incredible bait, it rarely ever picks up any weeds.. and believe me the lakes I fish are weeded/leaf infested, so this is pretty darn impressive. Not only does it perform well, it catches fish, caught a good 2 1/2 and 4lber on it last time I used it, just plain out great bait. I definetly recommend it if the problem your having is weed/leaf related.

[basser89]

One thing that I have found with lipless cranks is that one might out fish another on a certain day. I know, that's probably not what you wanted to hear. I've used several brands myself and each one has it's own unique sound and vibration. I try to carry a handful of colors of different brands and experiment when I find a good lipless crank pattern to see which one produces the best for me that day. RatLTraps, Super Spots, Diamond Shads and Bill Norman's are the ones I currently have but I've been wanting to add Strike King's Red Eye Shad as well.

[Brian_Reeves]

Yeah, I've noticed that with lipless cranks as well.  Sometimes I'll fish the exact same color in my rapalas and rat-l-traps and one will out produce the other.  I'm just looking for something that performs under a wider variety of situations.  Right now Rapalas are my favorite, with spots and rat-l-traps running a close second.  Anyone fish the Yo-Zuri Vibe or the Aruku Shad?

[Rob.Atl]

Yeah I've tried a few of them, but I've noticed that the cotton cordell rips out of grass cleaner and better than the bill lewis. It also rests on its nose...which might be important somehow to someone... :-?

The rapala seems a bit too small of a profile.

I'm thinking of trying the diamond shad and red eye shad again...along with the Aruku shad. Maybe that Yozuri one I've heard people talk about...I dunno.

i guess the 9 lber my friend caught didnt think it was to small of a profile  

[RichardE]

Hey Brian, the next time you are in your favorite tackle shop look at the Excalibur brand in the "One Knocker" series. These have a unique sound produced by one large pellet. They are pretty hot on Guntersville and were kept quiet by pros for a while.

In my opinion they come through the grass pretty well. We added them to our site once we saw how well they fished.

Hope this helps.

Richard

[Stringjam]

I've been through a lot of different vibes trying to figure that out.  

I don't have any grass where I fish, however - so I fish vibes in different ways than a lot of people who fish them in grass.  

I fish baits around a lot of rocks and stuff, so baits that stand on their nose (as you noted with the Spot) have a HUGE advantage in that situation.  

My favorite vibes are:

Cordell Spot

Jackall TN/70

Air Viper Risebacker (silent version)

BPS Rattlin' Shad

One of the main reasons I like the above baits, is because they work AT ANY SPEED.  A lot of vibes don't.....like the XCalibur baits and the Rapala, which seem to just drop their action when you slow them down.  Both baits also just flop over on their side if you drop them to the bottom (may or may not be important to you).

The Spot, I believe, is still the most versatile - all around performer I've used.  It does everything well.  

The Jackall is a super-cool bait.....it has a quicker rate of fall than the Spot, so I don't like it so much for shallow flats fishing - but any time I'm around deeper water, I love this bait.   It has this high-frequency wiggle that starts up at even the slowest crawl.  Drop the bait to the bottom and it sticks up on it's nose like a champ.   Jackall really did a good job with this design!  

The silent Risebacker is my "finesse" vibe......it falls very slowly, doesn't rattle, and has an action similar (a bit tighter) to the Spot.  One of my favorite clear-water vibes.  

The BPS has a really aggressive kind of action......good all-around bait, but won't nose-stand.        

If you're looking for a vibe with a completely different kind of action - check out a Shimano Complex Undulator.

   

[Brian_Reeves]

Yeah I've tried a few of them, but I've noticed that the cotton cordell rips out of grass cleaner and better than the bill lewis. It also rests on its nose...which might be important somehow to someone... :-?

The rapala seems a bit too small of a profile.

I'm thinking of trying the diamond shad and red eye shad again...along with the Aruku shad. Maybe that Yozuri one I've heard people talk about...I dunno.

i guess the 9 lber my friend caught didnt think it was to small of a profile

It happens lol.  My second largest fish, which was right over 9lbs came off of a finesse worm on an exposed hook jighead.   ;D  

But generally, I like larger profile lures.  The Rapalas are probably my favorite, but I think that there are better traps out there.

Stringjam, I didn't know there was a silent trap.  I'm going to have to try out that risebacker.  That sounds really interesting since most of my fishing is done in super clear, extremely grassy water.

[budhastalin]

Just my .02, I have fished the yo-zuri, the lucky craft, the rapala, the berkely one, and the kinami.  The yo-zuri lipless crank bait has a great finish, but got scraped up easily.  It seems to run extra extra "noisy" but has failed to produce like I hoped it would.  The Kinami lipless baits I have been suprised by.  Inexpensive, durable, great action and they catch fish!  And of course the Lucky Craft is truly a sight to behold.

[warmer]

yozuri is my favorite around grass.

red eye if you want to keep them hooked up.

and rat-l-trap if you expect to catch a lot of gar and chain pickerel, because who cares if the finish is gone in two casts on a rat-l-trap, it wasnt going to take long anyway.

[rfrazier]

Viper Design risebackers are sweet.

[jdw174]

This year it's been the Red Eye Shad all the way!!!  

[Stringjam]

Stringjam, I didn't know there was a silent trap.  I'm going to have to try out that risebacker.  That sounds really interesting since most of my fishing is done in super clear, extremely grassy water.

Keep an eye on eBay - - you can usually pick them up for less than $10.  

There are 3 levels of sound.....sound-lo, sound-hi, and sound-less.  

[redskinsfan360]

I love the silver and blue rat-l-traps.  They get through rocks and make a noise that seems to turn the fish on.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I like several but my best producer is the XCalibur Xr50, blue chrome/ orange:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_74299_100005001_100000000_100005000_100-5-1

8-)

[Cephkiller]

The Yo-Zuri has been my fave for years but the XCalibur is coming on strong this year.

[fishfordollars]

I fish the traps 90% of the time and I do not qualify to make a comparison as I change out all the stock hooks before I fish one, so I cannot make a correct comparrison.

[zbigbadaaron]

can't go wrong with the classic rat l trap

[mi_basser]

I personally will no longer buy a lipless crank that has hook placement like the Bill Lewis Rattle-trap. I am a firm believer that the hook placement on these(rear hook that is)is too far forward and I miss a lot of strikes and even after hooking the fish, he has too much bait to work against to unhook himself.  My favorites by far right now for action, hooking ability, fishing ability, and just overall performance is the Excalibur Xr75.  It is a 3/4 oz. which is a little bigger profile and you can cast them a mile.

[Tin]

I think it is just like jigs Mr. Reeves, you might have to start making your own. I have not found one that is best for everything.

Hookups: Rapala

Grass: Red Eye

Finish: Excalibur