Hey guys!

 

just got back from fishing and actually caught my first fish on a crankbait and the strike was so vicious i think i could be addicted now!

 

Anyway, i was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on the best colors, when and where to fish them effectively, rattling vs silent, small or big etc...

 

Thank you for any tips!

I've been fishing crankbaits for 40+ years and don't have answers. All colors catch fish. I normally carry a maximum of two colors of any given bait. Usually one muted color, such as shad or bluegill and one bright color, such as firetiger.

 

Conventional wisdom on rattles says no rattles in clear water and rattles in murky water. But I've seen so many exceptions I don't even know if the conventional wisdom means anything.

 

I'll use them anytime that I can, i.e., where weeds won't interfere with them, spring through fall.

 

Beware, many crankbaits come with poor hooks, so make sure you sharpen them or if they can't be sharpened, replace them.

 

I believe crankbaits are outstanding fish attractors. Just get used to the fact that you will lose fish on these baits. It seems like it shouldn't happen with six hook points, but it does.

For a person just starting out with crankbaits I would sugest that you get probabily a minimum of six baits. Two different colors would work well. I like the bluegill color but any natural forage color will do for one of them, the other would be a shiny reflective color like blue and silver or some other flashy combo ( i like citris shad). I would get one of each color in a shallow square bill (i like the KVD), then some kind of mid range crank 6-10 ft (rapala DT or fat free shad) then a deeper bait 14-20 ft. (SK XD series or Rapala DT). these six combinations should set you up for most situations. this is scratching the surface of cranks but it is a start. good luck.

 

Mitch

I mainly fish with crankbaits and for me the best has been a shallow diving firetiger.I have caught fish on several others but the firetiger seems to catch them when others don't.

When just starting out, don't get caught up in all the little nuances of silent vs. rattling, lip materials, all the different and varied wiggles, etc......get some time on the water with the basics, but a few fish in the boat, and learn and understand why and how you are catchng them..........and sometime just as, if not more important, why you didn't catch anything with them.

 

Pick a decent mid priced brand, they pretty much all work. I favor Strike King, but to each his own on brand preference. Regardless of brand, you would be well served with starting out with the following:

 

1/2 oz. lipless crank (SK RES, Rat-l-trap, CC spot, etc....)

 

a mid size shallow diver (KVD 1.5, Lucky Strike Series 2, Excaliber XCS200 etc.....)

 

a smaller mid depth crank (Bandit 200, Wiggle wart, SK series 3/3xd etc...)

 

and a mid sized deep diver (SK 5xd, Norman DD14, BDS6 size Fat Free Shad, etc....)

 

Color is another one of those things to fine tune once you get rolling. To start, pick one that matches the conditions you fish. You can't go wrong with good old chrome/blue back and/or red craw in a lipless bait. And a basic shad or bluegill pattern for the rest. All those baits can be thrown on standard casting gear, no technique specific stuff required, like I mentioned before, you can fine tune your gear to the baits later. Just get out and start using them.

Thanks guys! and also i forgot to add that the lakes i fish are filled with weeds, so mostly i would be running the crankbait right over the weeds.

Thanks guys! and also i forgot to add that the lakes i fish are filled with weeds, so mostly i would be running the crankbait right over the weeds.

One thing I have noticed that helps when fishing on top of weeds is to remove one point on the front treble. If you lay the hook down on the body of the bait you will notice there is one hook that sticks out. I have cut these off and not had any difference in fish catching but I have noticed a whole lot less grass snagging.

Mann's 1-minus for buzzing weeds. I like the brown craw, or the gray ghost color.

when would you guys recommend a chartreuse bait over a white or natural colored bait (if it helps the main forages in my lake are yellow perch and bluegill)

Don't be afraid of weeds. Bass use 'em and crankbaits work great in and around them:

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