Do you prefer different crankbaits when fishing lakes than when fishing rivers/streams?  Other than the obvious depth range differences, what differences are you looking for in cranks being used in these differing environments?  Care to offer some examples? (stream -- Wiggle Warts; lake -- Shad Raps)

 

 

oe

i've personally found the forage here in our great state of IA much smaller in streams than that of in lakes or the larger river systems. i've had luck fishing your "standard" 1.5 or dt3/6 size baits but the shad rap #5/7 seems to just outproduce the larger wide wobble cranks. I think that's mainly because in our smallmouth streams the water is much more clear and the wider body rc 1.5s just offer too much unnecessary wobble that may or may not turn the smallmouth/walleye off.

Lakes = silver and shad colors

Rivers = Firetiger and darker colors

River fishing and lake fishing to me I fish totally different. Rivers I do try to use colors that stand out more due to rivers usually murky, but also remember that fish position upstream and I have way more luck casting up stream with smaller or bigger baits. If they wanna ambush, they by all means will.

River fishing and lake fishing to me I fish totally different. Rivers I do try to use colors that stand out more due to rivers usually murky, but also remember that fish position upstream and I have way more luck casting up stream with smaller or bigger baits. If they wanna ambush, they by all means will.

X2 on the note about the fish facing the current. Not that I havent caught em casting the otherway, but when fishing rivers I usually cast upstream, so I like a hard diving lip on my bait.

 

Other than that I think that all these other water body specific attributes people are mentioning need to be considered. For instance, the river I fish is clear as glass right now but Young Guns is muddy...