I'm getting into crankbait fishing and i need to know when to use a lipless crank rather than a regular crank.

What time of the year is the best, what kind of conditions, where to fish, how to fish. Everything i need to know.

Each has their place.

Read the articles above: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing-lures-articles/

I use the Rat-L-Trap type cranks all year with the emphasis on the winter and spring months.

I use the billed cranks all year, be they skinny or fat, depending on the water temperature.

Personal preference to see what the bass want.

I've caught quite a few the past couple of weeks on a Rat-L-Trap

Kevin VanDam discusses crankbaits in his books in addition to a 34-minute video by Bomber called Catching with Crankbaits.

Easy to understand presentations on crankbaits that hits the major factors.

Bomber Lure Company

3601 Jenny Lind Road

Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901

www.bomberlures.com

Try to locate this video or DVD.

There are other crankbait DVDs you may want to purchase that go into depth about crankbaits.

For now, take it slow and throw those suckers all the time.

P.S. Lipless cranks are great over and through grass.

If I'm fishing from the bank, I use lipless cranks nearly exclusively (rather than lipped cranks). Three primary reasons: 1) usually farther casting distances, 2) you can count them down to depth, then vary depth on the retrieve to match the bottom contour, then bring the bait back up to the surface when you get it back close to the bank, and 3) you can burn it near the surface if you think the fish are up and active in the water column. Lipped cranks (usually) can't get the same casting distance, and once they hit the water, they dive to their design depth and stay there until they hit the bottom as it rises up towards the bank - and often get fouled in the weedline near the bank.

From the boat, I use lipless cranks when I've got shallower water or I have reason to think the fish are high in the water column, or when I want to search for fish across a flat or other area of water. I use lipped cranks when I want to work slower, at a certain depth, and bounce off wood or structure. You could count the lipless crank down to a certain depth but that takes time and it seems more efficient to use a lipped crank to get the depth you want. Also, the lipless crank, not having the diving lip to protect the hooks, is prone to hang-up more often on wood or structure.

On seasons, I tend to use lipless cranks year-round. I usually end up using lipped cranks more in post-spawn through the summer to the fall.

I use lipless cranks when fishing deeper water, in the spring, and when lipped cranks aren't producing as much. It's easier to count down a lipless crank to the right depth than dredge a deep diving crank. Great bait to use when in doubt or to cover water. Only a spinnerbait is more versatile as a power fishing bait IMO.

I for one appreciate the suggestions made in this thread. Thanks.

I throw a lipless crankbait from late fall through the spawn. Between the post-spawn and fall, I almost exclusivly throw a lipped crankbait. Reason being, late fall through the spawn, it seems the fish hang around grass more often than not and the lipless is king around grass. Let the bait tick the top of the top of the grass and rip it free to get reaction strikes. Once the spawn is over, fish tend to move deep, looking for breaklines rather than cover. I feel a lipped crankait dredging straight down cover these structures better because if Im working a ledge from 10 feet dropping to 20 feet, a lipped crankbait (6XD) will dredge in 10 feet and once it goes over the ledge, it immediately dives down the ledge, whereas a lipless will continue to pull at 10 feet unless you make it fall.