Which crankbait do you use that is especially good at shedding nuisance light/moderate weeds, so you don’t have to “rip” it free quite as often? 

If the weeds aren't too tall, I typically select whatever will just go over the top of them and not get down in there.  So what I use changes depending on the depth.  I've not had much luck with any crankbaits coming through weeds without getting immediately fouled up, including lipless.  That might be due to the type of weeds we have around here.  Ripping a bait free to generate a strike has always seemed like an urban legend to me.  

 

But if the weeds are high and thick, I'll typically opt for a single hook bait, like a soft swimbait, swim jig, or chatterbait.  Something with a protected hook.

1/4-3/8 oz lipless retrieved with a high rod and pumped back to me.

 

I like ones with lots of lift for over vegetation personally so I gotta give it to the Red Eye Shad on this one.

what pat said.  The original rattletrap seems to come through cleaner than a red eye shad for me but both will do.  And ripping through weeds is a good thing.

 

I tried the hybrid hunter last year and maybe the weeds were just too thick but it didn't come through clean.  A DT Fat squarebill with single hooks came through alright.

For *real and healthy grass* rat l trap all day especially kinda deeper grass but for mucky - just off the bottom - very shallow weeds where I'm hovering the trap above them, RES gets the call 😎

24 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

what pat said.  The original rattletrap seems to come through cleaner than a red eye shad for me but both will do.  And ripping through weeds is a good thing.

 

I tried the hybrid hunter last year and maybe the weeds were just too thick but it didn't come through clean.  A DT Fat squarebill with single hooks came through alright.

Good to know, I was going to try a Hybrid Hunter jr. But will likely stay with a lipless. 

I like a Wakebait better than the HH for grass.

Any squarebills you guys like? 

in grass?  None that I've found yet.  I'll reach for a lipless in grass before I reach for a SB.

Scrounger or Chatter baits.

Tom

Like Tom,, i would use something else, but i have pulled thru sparse weedgrowth with a Bandit flat maxx and  rapala shad raps. Tight wobble and thin lips.

I've switched over to a 1/4 ounce lipless or a swim jig since the shallow running crankbaits have become hard to find.  

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Scrounger or Chatter baits.

Tom

This is my usual solution also. When the grass is thick enough that a lipless is fouling every other cast and I’m picking grass off the hooks I’ll swap to a chatterbait. 

Swim Jig

A-Jay

3 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I like a Wakebait better than the HH for grass.

I switch to a different bait, before I fight to many weeds, shallow crank or a wakebait. I know I probably miss out on of fish, but I imagine them hiding and waiting to ambush the bait from below. Then I don’t have to clean off the lure every cast.

So many great suggestions here - lipless, swimjig it a chatterbait is my go to.

6th Sense Movement 80X

19 minutes ago, Catt said:

6th Sense Movement 80X

You know, I think that’s the one I was trying to remember that is fairly decent cutting through light/moderate grass… 

 

How about “Cajun Gill” color !?!

Square bill pick up too many weeds. Hybrid Hunter is the only crank I use, and it’s incredible at bouncing through weeds and wood.

Mann's Baby 1 minus. sometimes better than a Trap

A square bill in grass? I would punt and use a lipless but I have had success with three smaller square bills in grass, the Megabass Griffon MRX BFS, the Shimano Tiny Macbeth, and the Megabass Super Z-2. These bait still pick up grass but they don't get hung up as much.  Another that use to be good is the Lucky Craft Flatside Mini. 

If a lipped crank is the way you want to go, pick one that doesn't have a wide wobble (that eliminates square bills).  A Bomber Model A is what I reach for in that situation.

FYI:

The 6th Sense Movement 80X Crankbaits are designed for crashing through thick shallow cover, ripping out of grass, cranking rocks, or wood.

On 2/26/2024 at 8:13 PM, FryDog62 said:

How about “Cajun Gill” color !?!

During Bluegill spawn & Shad Drone during shad spawn.

I’ve heard very good things about the Bill Lewis ATV crankbait as far as being the best squarebill to come through all sorts of cover without getting hung up all the time that I bought some at the end of last year but haven’t got a chance to use them yet as we still have hard water where I live 😆.

I like both sizes of the ATV. I also like both sizes of the original Hybrid Hunter (don't have any of the 'shallow' versions). Was playing today with an OG Deep Tiny 7 in the Green Gizzard, was easy to pull free of grass - looked great in the water too, but no takers!