Well, I am glad that Bill Wilcox finally answered that question (see the article on the front page) - now we won't have to wonder about that anymore

Here is a link:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/best_lure.html

He may be right. I still am not a fan.

Yep, I'll still take a jig over a crankbait any day.

Interesting article. I love crankbaits, but I fish some waters that are so weed-choked that I can't even think about cranks.

Is Bill Wilcox a name I'm supposed to know?

Im not good with cranks. Once I fished 4 1/2hrs not a bite on cranks switched to senko and caught 4 in 35 minutes. Ill deadstick a senko with one rig and toss a crank on another and get bit on the senko while nothing on the crank.

mine is a day to day basis, and depends on the lake and its structure. but i mainly throw out jigs, spinnerbaits, senkos and crankbaits when possible.

Interesting article. I love crankbaits, but I fish some waters that are so weed-choked that I can't even think about cranks.

Is Bill Wilcox a name I'm supposed to know?

X2, mine are either weed choked ( ponds ) or wood choked ( lakes ). As much as I like to fish cranks I know it´s limitations, if I were to choose only one bait it would be a 5" grub, with all the good assortment of terminal takle available it´s the closest thing to an "all around" bait I can think about.

I'm with Marty and Raul on this.

I love throwing crankbaits and the bites that result, but most waters I fish, I'd spend more time taking weeds off them then fishing them. Ripping a crankbait when it contacts weeds to shed them is not all that effective IMO.

Might depend on type of weed though.

Hmmmm....I fish cranks probably 1/2 the time in tournaments. When I do, I'm generally not looking for the fish that are hunkered down in the weeds. I'm looking for schools of hungry fish, chasing bait in deeper, more open water. It's a percentage game - get a 12-18 lb. limit of schoolies, culling all day or swing for the fence hoping for just five good bites from big weed slobs.

Fishing on a tournament level I would mostly agree with him, but for fishing the area that you get is not so much. I use cranks a lot but this isn't optimal in my area.

Fishing on a tournament level I would mostly agree with him, but for fishing the area that you get is not so much. I use cranks a lot but this isn't optimal in my area.

X2

Not everyone fishes tournaments or lakes that hold bass in open water or have rocky areas, stumpfields, etc. which is where cranks excel. In my area, if you are not fishing in the weeds or at the edge, you're not catching anything. (Docks hold lots of bass also and can be cranked but skipping a bait underneath seems to work better and alot of docks are in the middle of weeds which only makes them better) Very little in the way of deep structure. Bowl shaped natural lakes are the norm. Cranking deep weededges can be productive but your still going to be picking gunk off your bait. A worm or jig is a better choice here IMO unless you are searching for fish and have enough patience to drag in a fouled lure every couple casts.

Once you've found them, switch to a more weedless presentation. If I do find a rip-rap area, I'm all over it with a crank. Everyones favorite bait will most likely vary based on the body of water and how they like to fish. I'd rather fish a frog or Rage Shad on top over the nasty stuff myself but fishing this way works in my area, not to mention it's pretty exciting. For tournament fishing on larger reservoirs, or where you can successfully fish it, a crankbait possibly is the "best" bait.

CWB - sounds to me like you're fishing milfoil, which sticks to cranks like velcro. "Ripping" the bait won't clear it off. However, it works surprisingly well when you're cranking hydrilla. So your definition of "weeds" may be different than another's definition of "weeds".

The Eurasian Milfoil that we have up here requires a crank bait that "backs up and out" of the weeds. This is why a graphite rod is preferred, so you can feel the weeds and stop the bait ASAP. Often you get bit on the reverse rise. Lucky Craft CBD series are VERY good at this.

Good points Glenn and JF.

Milfoil is the prevalent weed around these parts, mixed in with alot of others. Areas where the milfoil transitions into broadleaf cabbage are hotspots. Lots off moss and "scum" that seem to be magnets to whatever you throw too. A worm with a bullet weight won't even make it through that stuff.

Glues itself to the weight and the hook. If I hit a "weed" with a crank, my first reaction is what JF pointed out, try to let it back up out of it. if I start up again and it's fouled (unless a fish grabbed it) I try ripping it free. Most times I just blaze it back in and pull the gunk off and make another cast. A few time of this and I'm using plastics or moving.