I have read both the use of a tight wobble crank and a wide wobble crank are good in the spring.  Which do you guys prefer (pre-spawn with water temp 46 - 52F).  I would think a slow retreive with a wide wobble at these conditions.  Having said that, what are some good wide wobbling crankbaits.  Thanks

I would suggest a flat sided bait with a tight wiggle for the cold water.  

I do better with the big wobbling baits after the water warms up.

I've always heard, read, seen to throw tight wobbling cranks in the early spring.  Having said that, pretty much the only crank I throw in the early spring is a crawdad patterned wiggle wart (which have about the widest wobble you can get).  

That is always in the rocky, ozark lakes though.  It is pretty much a standard bait for most anglers on Lake of the Ozarks.

I have read both the use of a tight wobble crank and a wide wobble crank are good in the spring. Which do you guys prefer (pre-spawn with water temp 46 - 52F). I would think a slow retreive with a wide wobble at these conditions. Having said that, what are some good wide wobbling crankbaits. Thanks

Throw what's working...I like the Mann's brand baits for the wide wobble. Ghost white I think is the color. I'm sure there are others, but that is all I have.

It not only depends on the water temperature, it also depends on the water clarity and if the bait has rattle or not.

Shad Rap in cold murky/muddy water ----> I don 't think so

Shad Rap RS or Glass Shad Rap in cold murky/muddy water ----> more likely

I will go out in the spring with a trap on one rod, a flat side tight wiggle crank (LC Flat Mini, DT Flat, Flat Maxx) on another and a Storm Wiggle Wart on one. Some days you can catch on all 3, sometimes just one....the wiggle wart produces the best overall for me.

My most productive crankbaits in the spring are, Shad Raps and Rattlin Rapalas. Both pretty tight wiggle.

Falcon

As mentioned by earlier posters.....

The Wiggle Wart is undeniably one of the best spring crankbaits you can throw around here - and is also a crazy wide wobbler.  

The Shad Rap is the other, and it's very tight - - so there ya go.....just gotta give them what they want.  

I agree with Raul, however - - other conditions should be considered as much as water temperature.  

during spawn/prespawn i like a wild wide wobble. bandit footloose is one of my favorites.

I also like tight-wobblers when the water is cold and clear, (shad raps, Crankbait corps. "fingerling", or any Non-Rattling cranks. I'll switch to wides & rattles if i'm not getting bit though.  :-/

Can someone list some common crankbaits (Make and Model) that have a wide wobble and some that have a tight wobble?  I'm not sure I know which ones are tight and which ones are wide.  

I usually just use a crank that will get to the desired depths in a pattern/color that is appropriate for water conditions.  I've only recently became semi-successful on a semi-regular basis with crankbaits.  So this is all very interesting to me.  

So would a Jerkbait like the X-Rap produce in the early spring?

Can someone list some common crankbaits (Make and Model) that have a wide wobble and some that have a tight wobble? I'm not sure I know which ones are tight and which ones are wide.

I usually just use a crank that will get to the desired depths in a pattern/color that is appropriate for water conditions. I've only recently became semi-successful on a semi-regular basis with crankbaits. So this is all very interesting to me.

Wide:

Rapala DT fat 3

LC RC series

Storm wiggle wart

LC BDS series

Rebel Crawfish

Tight:

Bomber Model A

Rapala shad rap

LC Flat CB

So would a Jerkbait like the X-Rap produce in the early spring?

Suspending jerkbaits are usually great producers in the early spring.

This subject is very interesting. I just finished a book on bass fishing and in it the auther states to use wide in spring and tighter wiggle in summer. One of the reasons for the skinny bait in the summer was you could crank it in faster. I ussually just throw what I think(wide vs tight) will work and go from there.

Paul

dt flat bandit flatmaxx littlejohn in cold water bandit dt fatt  n warmer water

This subject is very interesting. I just finished a book on bass fishing and in it the auther states to use wide in spring and tighter wiggle in summer. One of the reasons for the skinny bait in the summer was you could crank it in faster. I ussually just throw what I think(wide vs tight) will work and go from there.

Paul

It depends on the conditions of water clarity.

Imagine you are Mr Bass, it 's been raining cats and dogs for the past two weeks or the snow has been melting for the past two weeks, silt, mud, sand has been entering your home for two weeks, the water visbility is so poor because all of that silt, mud & sand that has entered the lake that you can 't see your fin in front of your face, you gotta eat, if you can 't see how are you going to find your meal ?

Sight ain 't good to locate your meal so what do you use ?

Hearing

Smell and

Your lateral line

The wider the wobble the more vibration you can feel, the fatter the body the larger the hydrodinamic signature you can locate.

It 's easier for a bass to locate a noisy, fat wider wobbling bait than it is to locate a less noisy ( or silent ), tight wiggling bait in murky/muddy water.

Down here in my neck of the woods the water in most lakes turns into pea soup, not only the heat but also the increase in nutrients washed into the lake and the longer days create algae blooms, when that begins to happen baits like the Wiggle Wart, Thundercrank, Fat Rap or the DT ( to mention some ) reign supreme over baits which reigned supreme like the Shad Rap when the water was clearer.