I would like some suggestions on 5 good crankbaits to buy and colors/sizes

5 for what?  Deep, shallow, lippless, squarebill, wake?  Give a bit more info on your needs or what you're looking to use them and it would be easier to give you 5 good ones.  Right now I could include a 3XD and 5XD but you may not be fishing in water deeper then 5ft where you're looking to fish which then they wouldn't be the right crank for that.  Just asking for more details and we can give you a better answer.

More specific ok I fish water that varies from 4 to 10 feet that has quite ages drop offs. I'm not necessarily looking for lipless cranks mostly shallow to medium divers.

Spro Little John MD has worked best for me.

If you're going to shop 5 different medium divers you might well just get a bunch so you can find out what works for you. Won't be cheap..

rapala DT, spro little john, strike king 5xd

that's the 3 i throw the most

Any suggestions on colors that are fairly versatile?

Rapala shad raps and dts in black and silver , bandit 100 and 200 series in Louisiana shad color,3 and 5 strike king xds in Tennessee shad and chartreuse perch and rootbeer, are the 3 manufactures I use the most. I have higher end cranks but tend to use these more. Don't forget strike king 1.5s as well

I'd say SK Series 3, 3XD, 5XD.  Then a Spro Rockcrawler or you can go with the newer Wigglewarts.  And then I would add a Rapala Shad Rap in the 07 size. 

 

Bait colors, don't go crazy, keep it simple.  Get a couple baitfish colors, a red and a red/chartruese color craw pattern,  and just because it works almost everywhere, a chartuese perch color.  You get too far in colors you're going to spin yourself out.  Keep it basic until you figure out what colors work best and then you can adjust accordingly and expand your colors.

 

Also seeing where you're at, find something close to a blueback herring color in your baitfish and a shad color variation.  

Edited December 16, 201510 yr by gulfcaptain

Bomber model A size 05 red apple craw

Bomber model A size 05 green craw

Bomber model a size 05 brown craw

Bomber model A size 05 citrus

Bomber model A size 05 fire craw

Get some Bagleys...Chart/Back back in stained/muddy water is fantastic

The Storm Arashi crankbaits have been a huge hit for me. Love their color schemes, and the circuit board lip is very durable (not to mention they have an auto-adjust system so the crank always runs true)! 

 

If you're interested in the crank, I can suggest the Parrot color, and the Hot Blue Shad color has been my biggest producer this year (even though there are no shad in my lake!)

 

 

PennBass

OK - I'll play

 

5 crankbaits & colors

 

1)  SK Red Eye Shad ~ Sexy Shad

2)  6th Sense Crush Flat 75X Crankbait ~ Bluegill

3)  Lucky Craft LC Silent 2.5 Squarebill Crankbait ~ BE Gill

4)  Bill Norman DD 22 HD Crankbait ~ Chart - Blue

5)  Spro "Mike McClelland" RkCrawler 55 Crankbait ~ Phantom Brown

 

A-Jay

SK 1.5 square bill in bluegill

Rapala shadrap 7 in olive shad

Little john MD in cellmate

Little john MD in chartreuse black back

Sk 5xd in bluegill

Rapala  DT series in "Old School" color will cover it all!

Norman Deep Little N 

Norman Middle N  

Bomber 5A

Bomber 6A

Luck E Strike Rick Clunn square bill 

 

colors bluegill/yellow  and shad 

 

with the money you save then add a couple of lipless cranks .

Xcalibur XCS 100 (if you can find one) in sexy shad

Luck E Strike RC2 in sunfish

Rapala DT10 in purple craw

Rapala DT10 in yellow perch

Bomber Fat Free Fingerling in Dance's Crawfish

 

It's really tough to narrow it down to only 5 without knowing water clarity. 

Any suggestions on colors that are fairly versatile?

 

i used to live near you in Charlotte and fished Norman and the area a good bit.  My most productive colors were chartreuse with black back when the water is stained and olive shad other times.

Strike King 1.5, 1.5 flat, 3 and 3xd

 

As for colors

Clearwater Minnow

Green Gizzard Shad

Sexy Shad

Chart Perch

Black Back/Chart

 

FWIW ... the order is from clear water to stained for me.  Good luck.