when to use lipless vs. when to use cranks

[sean0920]

just wandering what your opinions are

[KevO]

I throw lipless cranks more when it's windy or when bass are schooling up on baitfish.  Also I use them more in the spring to early summer.  Lipped crankbaits are a summer and fall bait for me.  And occasionally in the winter too.

[Calcutta]

The only time I use lipless is for stripers. Ive never caught a bass on a lipless .

[NYfishwow]

Sean0902 i think lipless crankbait for striper is good lure, never caught one on it though.

[MitchIsFishin]

I throw 'em all the time.

[frogtog]

I also throw them a lot, It's my number 1 bait. If your not throwing a rattle trap you or missing a lot of fish.

[5bass]

I generally will throw a lipless bait through an area to pick off the most aggressive fish. Then I will follow up in the area with a billed crank to knock around whatever is down there and try to get the non-aggressive fish to hit on reaction.

[hawgchaser]

Lipless excels for me on flats. I also use them in shallow water or on top of grass and for schooling fish.

Cranks for deepwater and dropoffs.

Some of my best fish have come from traps in Feb and early March.

[Fish MD]

I like to throw lipless about 3 foot off of the weed bed edge.  Close enough to be seen but loud enough to be heard from deep inside the weeds.

I always throw them parallel to the weed edge.  To thick to see through the weed bed so I hope that the sound will bring em out.  I've only had luck with the stop and jerk method with the lipless.

[ChiCityBasser]

I pretty much use them during the late spring and all summer info the fall. I've had success mainly with the Strike King Red Eye lipless in a number of colors.

[farmpond1]

I like fishing lipless baits in flats and where the bottom is weedy/grassy.  That way I can keep the bait just above the crud and still in the zone.  Of course, shallow cranks will work there too so there is some cross-over.

I like diving cranks when heavy bottom vegitation isn't an issue or where you want the bait to dig in the bottom like a crawfish, etc.

[guitarkid]

I will be honest, I hate lipless cranks. All they do for me is get hung up in brush. Just go for a lipped lure anytime you need to get down to the bottom.

                        -gk

[SkilletSizeBass.]

I've done best on a lipless in early spring, and throw them over weedy flats, most of the time I burn them because the lakes I fish are too weedy to yank em off the bottom.The one I've done best on is the Rattlin Rapala in a red/chart., or fire craw color.

Crankbaits I fish all year.

[OkobojiEagle]

Some of my best fish have come from traps in Feb and early March.

What speed is your retrieve with traps in early spring? (I assume it is pre-spawn during this time in Arkansas?)

[Chris at Tech]

Don't ask me -- I can't catch a cold on these things (and it ticks me off )

[RobbyZ5001]

Some of my best fish have come from traps in Feb and early March.

What speed is your retrieve with traps in early spring? (I assume it is pre-spawn during this time in Arkansas?)

Vary it, and let the fish tell you.

I do very well on traps reeling them slow in the weeds then ripping them hard out and when it falls back down. BAM

[mrbassky]

Easy. Lipless are great around grass first off. Lipless baits work best on flatter lakes without alot of contour changes. They are great on the more southern lakes that are flatland lakes. On rocks and wood cranks work better for the most part. There are no rules but these are good guidelines. Most lakes are good lipless crankbait lakes or they arent. There are exeptions but for the most part regular cranks are more versatile and lipless baits excel around grass and flat areas. David Fritts maybe the best crankbait fisherman never used lipless baits for years and now he does but he only uses lipless baits around grass where he says they outproduce other crankbaits-for what thats worth.

Examples:

Great lipless crankbait lakes-grass, shallower and flatter

most texas lakes

Guntersville

Kentucky Lake

Cal Delta

Florida lakes

Natural lakes

Not great-deeper clearer lakes

There are spots and times on any lake the work but for the most part they are better in certain situations.

[hawgchaser]

Some of my best fish have come from traps in Feb and early March.

What speed is your retrieve with traps in early spring? (I assume it is pre-spawn during this time in Arkansas?)

When the water temp is still under 50, I throw XR75s and fish them slow.  As the fish get more aggressive with warmer water, I prefer the smaller XR50 and fish it faster. I concentrate on shallow points with deep creeks running into them.

Typically I work this area over slow with a jerk bait then come back down it with a trap. The bigger fish almost always hit the lipless. I've had the same results on Lake Fork and Monticello as well.

Disclaimer: I haven't been able to buy a fish for the last 2 weeks!

[OkobojiEagle]

hawgchaser... I find it interesting that you throw a trap AFTER working an area with a slower jerkbait?  I use a trap as a search bait (natural lakes) and then slow down with jerkbaits and plastic after the bass show themselves.  I can't admit to catching my bigger bass with a trap though.

[rickster]

I use a lip-less crank bait such as a rattle trap style lure, something with a narrow profile, but large vertical body, in medium to heavy river current as it gets down deep quick. On the other hand if the river is shallow a floating lipped crank bait seems to stay just under the top of the water right where I like. Never tried the lip less cranks in a lake...

[hawgchaser]

hawgchaser... I find it interesting that you throw a trap AFTER working an area with a slower jerkbait? I use a trap as a search bait (natural lakes) and then slow down with jerkbaits and plastic after the bass show themselves. I can't admit to catching my bigger bass with a trap though.

Traps are great search baits! However, I typically throw what I think the best techniques are first. In cold water, that's usually jerkbaits and jigs for me. Whether I catch fish or not, I'll come back with a trap. I am just hoping to pick up a reaction strike with this technique. When it's cold, I fish a larger trap slowly. I have caught more 4-7lb fish doing this. The bigger fish are usually caught on something else.

When the water warms up, I'll lead with a lighter faster presentation. During this time, I tend to catch the aggressive fish that want it faster.

Basically I use it in cold water for reaction bites and warm water for aggressive fish.

[Nitro 882]

Some of my best fish have come from traps in Feb and early March.

What speed is your retrieve with traps in early spring? (I assume it is pre-spawn during this time in Arkansas?)

You can't reel them fast enough, in my experience.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I throw lipped, and lipless crankbaits all season with equal success.

Falcon

[Izzy3374]

I like the lipped cranks all year round especially in the spring and fall.  But in the summer when the cranks wont do it, the lipless seem to work well.

A lake I fish, has more pressure then any other lake I've seen.  And during the summer, your lucky to pull out a bass.  But this summer I decided to try a lipless there and starting catching fish like no one has seen from that lake.  I caught 8 or 9 fish in a couple hours!!  Unheard of at that lake.

Hopefully I can get the same action this summer!!

Good Fishing Everyone!! 8-)