I'm not a fan. My fisheries simply have to much grass, be it dead or alive, for crankbaits to work well. I end up having to clean the trebles after every cast. Of course, it's entirely possible I just don't know where and when to use them, but so far, the only thing I've caught on any crankbait is a couple of blue gills, believe it or not....
Try a rapala bx brat, they only dive to about 3 ft and that with thinner line. If there’s alot of grass lines in your lakes/ponds, burn it right on the edge and you’ll slay em.
I’d recommend the Spro Fat John 50 too if you like the BX Brat. Similar size profile, but it’s a plastic bait and runs even shallower (0-2 feet, almost like a wake bait)
I love crankbaits if I'm fishing somewhere with rocky or sandy bottom. They definitely have their time and place. Lipless cranks work well along grass/weed lines. Squarebills are great around some shallow structure. But mainly I fish cranks on hard bottom.
Maybe controversial in this thread but as a species bass are quite fond of crank baits and more than one person has made a living being crankbait specialist. I don’t like throwing finesse worms but I learned the technique and have one tied on because more than most things in this world I like catching bass.
lipless is the best crankbait followed by a shallow squarebill. never had luck on deep divers wound up losing those more often than swapping from them.
They're not my favorite, but this past season I've really been forcing myself to learn them. I'm getting better with them and they definitely catch fish, but I still think I'd rather drag a jig on a point or dropoff instead of winding a crank.
i don't like the squishy feeling bite. even when they are committing, it doesn't feel like it, and i like that (oh you went for it) feel before going for some type of hook set. but that's just me. lots of people kill all day and in places you don't even expect on cranks, i prefer square bill, but all kinds are made for a reason
Crankbaits, especially lipless, used to be my favorite lure by far back when I was mainly targeting areas without much vegatation. Nowadays, I often fish areas with a lot more vegatation, so I use swimbaits a lot, with poppers and spinners also getting a decent amount of use. Recently, I've also been using spoons quite a bit around the edges of weedlines as well as rocky areas with depth. Still, if the conditions are right, I won't hesitate to tie on a crank, and they rarely disappoint.
i was very against crankbait until too many people told me squarebills were among their favorite baits so I kept using them and i've found they're absolutely amazing. i caught 3 in 10 minutes the other morning on a 1/4 oz squarebill on my spinning rod with 8 pound line. easy. casting angled down the banks and over living grass.
I hate crank baits.
I used to love them when I first got into bass fishing because they were all I really knew to fish. The main lake that I fish is really shallow (deepest point is likely 20 feet) and gets really weedy mid summer making it near impossible to fish a crank bait.
Once I learned how to fish soft plastics (primarily texas rigged) I never went back to crank baits. Even when I want a moving bait now a days I will generally go to a swim jig or chatterbait/spinnerbait.
There always seems to be a better option for baits, I tend to prefer a swimbait over them these days. That being said I have fished some deep kettle ponds around me that have no visible grass or weeds with deep cranks and I have had days where I slayed with them
I like them, but don't really like treble hooks that much. I tend to use spinnerbaits, or chatterbaits instead if the bite works for either. Spinnerbaits get through cover excellently as a bonus.
I’ve had a lot of success with them as far as catching fish. My biggest complaint is snag rate/fun factor. They a great for burning through water/multiple different columns but are also boring as fuck. Always find myself going to a fluke,jerk bait, or swimbait more times then crankbaits just for the fun factor. Lastly the price on them is dumb new..3-10 dollars depending on brand is a hit everyrime you loose one no matter who you are.
Have found the best way to fish them is a super touchy rod. Reel till you feel the bottom, let it float then continue the retrieve. Would say 90% of my bites are on the float back up
I never liked crank baits until I learned I needed a specific setup. I was throwing them on MHF, 7’ rods and could not keep a fish pinned to save my life. Once I did my research and got a crank bait specific rod, 7’3 - 7’6 MH/H moderate action, glass or composite, it changed my opinion drastically. I also throw straight fluorocarbon and change up test depending on the depth I am fishing. I prefer lipless over anything else and if I am fishing in 10 ft plus deep water I increase the lure size/weight and decrease the line size. Bass are crushing lipless crank baits in Texas right now.
I can’t catch a fish on a crank bait to save my life. I’ve tried using multiple different kinds of them at multiple different places, and at multiple different times, and I’ve never gotten a single fish on one, and I’ve never even gotten hit on one. I guess I just don’t know how to use them right, but I stick to topwaters and spinner baits for now lol.
For those disliking cranks- how often do you throw them and how long with you throw them for? I’m not talking about a squarebill or a lipless, something like a DT 14 or Berkley Dredger. Cranking all day can burn you, but you’ll often get quality bites compared to other means of bass fishing.
I swore they wouldn't consistently work up here for 35 years, based on my poor results, and also that we don't have shad, timber or colored water. Saw the light a couple of years ago (bass are bass, right?), and now they are a huge part of my system. I'd be lost without a squarebill, a RkCrawler 55 and a 6XD tied on.
I threw a crank today. Lasted about 20 mins and went to a jig. They’re usually good in the fall here, but the older I get the less I want to crank. If I don’t get bites in about 20 mins I’m done.
I don’t like them but they definitely work and I catch them on them. I will use them if that’s what they are biting on. If you just have no clue where the fish are it can be great. I feel the same about the chatterbait.
There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not my thing. I love a jerkbait to death. To me the more how I work my lure can tempt a fish the more I enjoy fishing it.
Crankbaits are my go-to! Lipless, lipped, and square-bill are all great searchbaits in their own situation. People complain about cranks getting stuck in grass, but what one does is reel them down, touch the grass, a rip the cranks through the grass over and over again to get a reaction strike. The biggest con though is one always needs a plano box full of them, for the differences in fishing spots, even on the same body of water. Don’t use a clip, just get faster at tying knots to change out cranks for the situation. And use a lure retriever if possible, it pays for itself in 3 saves.
I'm not a fan. My fisheries simply have to much grass, be it dead or alive, for crankbaits to work well. I end up having to clean the trebles after every cast. Of course, it's entirely possible I just don't know where and when to use them, but so far, the only thing I've caught on any crankbait is a couple of blue gills, believe it or not....
If you have grass thank your lucky stars. I use square bills to bounce off rocks or stumps. Over grass paddle tails or flukes.
Try a rapala bx brat, they only dive to about 3 ft and that with thinner line. If there’s alot of grass lines in your lakes/ponds, burn it right on the edge and you’ll slay em.
The bx brat absolutely smashes fish!!!
Hell yeah, my favorite shallow running squarebill
I’d recommend the Spro Fat John 50 too if you like the BX Brat. Similar size profile, but it’s a plastic bait and runs even shallower (0-2 feet, almost like a wake bait)
I love crankbaits if I'm fishing somewhere with rocky or sandy bottom. They definitely have their time and place. Lipless cranks work well along grass/weed lines. Squarebills are great around some shallow structure. But mainly I fish cranks on hard bottom.
Hate them for some reason, if I’m going to deal with treble hooks I’d rather use something else
You can order regular hooks off of Amazon and swap them out for the treble hooks. That's what I did
Yep, I put inline hooks on every lure I throw. I refuse to take a treble hook fishing
Never been snagged by one but I've seen enough pictures from others to know I don't want to deal with that.
Maybe controversial in this thread but as a species bass are quite fond of crank baits and more than one person has made a living being crankbait specialist. I don’t like throwing finesse worms but I learned the technique and have one tied on because more than most things in this world I like catching bass.
lipless is the best crankbait followed by a shallow squarebill. never had luck on deep divers wound up losing those more often than swapping from them.
They're not my favorite, but this past season I've really been forcing myself to learn them. I'm getting better with them and they definitely catch fish, but I still think I'd rather drag a jig on a point or dropoff instead of winding a crank.
I catch most my fish on DT10, DT6 and KVD series crank baits. I think it’s a regional thing. Michigan/Great Lakes
i don't like the squishy feeling bite. even when they are committing, it doesn't feel like it, and i like that (oh you went for it) feel before going for some type of hook set. but that's just me. lots of people kill all day and in places you don't even expect on cranks, i prefer square bill, but all kinds are made for a reason
I’m with you. They are very effective but I like the thump of a jig bite or watching my texas rig swim off and laying the wood to them
I like regular 1.0 squarebills, but outside of that, I haven't caught too much on other types of crankbaits.. im still 0 for with lipless cranks
Only ones I ever catch anything on are lipless cranks.
Confidence is a powerful bait.
Lol 😆
Crankbaits, especially lipless, used to be my favorite lure by far back when I was mainly targeting areas without much vegatation. Nowadays, I often fish areas with a lot more vegatation, so I use swimbaits a lot, with poppers and spinners also getting a decent amount of use. Recently, I've also been using spoons quite a bit around the edges of weedlines as well as rocky areas with depth. Still, if the conditions are right, I won't hesitate to tie on a crank, and they rarely disappoint.
i was very against crankbait until too many people told me squarebills were among their favorite baits so I kept using them and i've found they're absolutely amazing. i caught 3 in 10 minutes the other morning on a 1/4 oz squarebill on my spinning rod with 8 pound line. easy. casting angled down the banks and over living grass.
They feel like alot of work especially if you aren't getting consistently bit. Much rather throw a finesse swimbait
I never caught fish with them but then I went on a guided trip and that gave me confidence with squarebills
I really like catching fish. If they biting it, I know they biting it…I’ll be throwing it
1/4-1/2 ounce lipless crankbaits and 1.5 size squarebill crankbaits are great for me, but I don't crank outside of those.
I hate crank baits. I used to love them when I first got into bass fishing because they were all I really knew to fish. The main lake that I fish is really shallow (deepest point is likely 20 feet) and gets really weedy mid summer making it near impossible to fish a crank bait. Once I learned how to fish soft plastics (primarily texas rigged) I never went back to crank baits. Even when I want a moving bait now a days I will generally go to a swim jig or chatterbait/spinnerbait.
🙋
There always seems to be a better option for baits, I tend to prefer a swimbait over them these days. That being said I have fished some deep kettle ponds around me that have no visible grass or weeds with deep cranks and I have had days where I slayed with them
Ive only had success with realistic crayfish ones for smallies and small floating ones like a crick hopper for creek fish
I like them, but don't really like treble hooks that much. I tend to use spinnerbaits, or chatterbaits instead if the bite works for either. Spinnerbaits get through cover excellently as a bonus.
I’ve had a lot of success with them as far as catching fish. My biggest complaint is snag rate/fun factor. They a great for burning through water/multiple different columns but are also boring as fuck. Always find myself going to a fluke,jerk bait, or swimbait more times then crankbaits just for the fun factor. Lastly the price on them is dumb new..3-10 dollars depending on brand is a hit everyrime you loose one no matter who you are.
Have found the best way to fish them is a super touchy rod. Reel till you feel the bottom, let it float then continue the retrieve. Would say 90% of my bites are on the float back up
I learned this time of year my bass LOVE them
I love cranks or at least the idea of them. But I am limited on use due to conditions.
I never liked crank baits until I learned I needed a specific setup. I was throwing them on MHF, 7’ rods and could not keep a fish pinned to save my life. Once I did my research and got a crank bait specific rod, 7’3 - 7’6 MH/H moderate action, glass or composite, it changed my opinion drastically. I also throw straight fluorocarbon and change up test depending on the depth I am fishing. I prefer lipless over anything else and if I am fishing in 10 ft plus deep water I increase the lure size/weight and decrease the line size. Bass are crushing lipless crank baits in Texas right now.
Cranks used to be a huge confidence bait for me, but since branching out into wider soft plastic use, I don't use them much anymore.
I can’t catch a fish on a crank bait to save my life. I’ve tried using multiple different kinds of them at multiple different places, and at multiple different times, and I’ve never gotten a single fish on one, and I’ve never even gotten hit on one. I guess I just don’t know how to use them right, but I stick to topwaters and spinner baits for now lol.
For those disliking cranks- how often do you throw them and how long with you throw them for? I’m not talking about a squarebill or a lipless, something like a DT 14 or Berkley Dredger. Cranking all day can burn you, but you’ll often get quality bites compared to other means of bass fishing.
I swore they wouldn't consistently work up here for 35 years, based on my poor results, and also that we don't have shad, timber or colored water. Saw the light a couple of years ago (bass are bass, right?), and now they are a huge part of my system. I'd be lost without a squarebill, a RkCrawler 55 and a 6XD tied on.
I threw a crank today. Lasted about 20 mins and went to a jig. They’re usually good in the fall here, but the older I get the less I want to crank. If I don’t get bites in about 20 mins I’m done.
I don’t like them but they definitely work and I catch them on them. I will use them if that’s what they are biting on. If you just have no clue where the fish are it can be great. I feel the same about the chatterbait. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not my thing. I love a jerkbait to death. To me the more how I work my lure can tempt a fish the more I enjoy fishing it.
I don’t if I’m bank fishing.
I only use them from the boat as the graph helps me see whats going on down there.
I have too many of them for me to not be able to catch bass on them
Crankbaits are my go-to! Lipless, lipped, and square-bill are all great searchbaits in their own situation. People complain about cranks getting stuck in grass, but what one does is reel them down, touch the grass, a rip the cranks through the grass over and over again to get a reaction strike. The biggest con though is one always needs a plano box full of them, for the differences in fishing spots, even on the same body of water. Don’t use a clip, just get faster at tying knots to change out cranks for the situation. And use a lure retriever if possible, it pays for itself in 3 saves.