There are a few basic things to consider when choosing to fish with crank bait: Wobble, Depth, and Cover. Yes, trying to match color to bait fish, pan fish is important, but those are more advanced steps and will be covered in my next article.
Lure Wobble:
Matching the wobble of your crankbaits to the water is one of the most important things you need to consider when fishing. When fishing dirty or stained water you need to think about a wide wobble bait like a series 4S square bill by strike king (2'-5'), series 4 wide wobble (5'-8') or a Bomber Fat A (4'-10'). The more wobble, the more vibration, allowing the bass to track the lure. Another factor you can apply to increase your chances is to throw a crank bait with a rattle, giving more vibration and noise.
When fishing clear water, a crankbait with a tighter wobble and no rattle seems to be a better choice. I prefer to throw the silent series cranks or a lipless crankbait without rattles. More natural looking colors also helps in clearer water situations.
Fishing Depth:
To me, running depth is the second most important thing to consider when looking at crank bait. I know fishing from shore changes the approach to the depth that you're fishing, because it's all in the length, of the cast but it still can be a factor. When fishing from shore it's good to look at the forest preserve posted maps that show water depth before you choose your baits. This give you a good idea of the water depths you might be getting into. Whether fishing from shore or off of a boat I still take the same approach when it comes to depth. I select a few baits that will hit every level of the water column that I believe I will be fishing. Run baits as little as 6" below the surface to bumping the lure on cover lying on the lake bottom. This allows you to locate the column the fish are either suspended in or if they are holding close to bottom cover. Running the bait at all levels of the water column whether it's stained or clear, will allow you to have the best chance of catching bigger and better fish.
Cover:
Cover like stumps, thick grass and weeds was something I used to try and stay away from, fearing that I would get hung up or lose baits. After becoming more confident in both my casting accuracy and in the lures I was throwing, I have learned to be fearless when it comes to cover. Yes, you still can get hung up or lose lures, but the reward for a well executed cast into cover is well worth it. One thing I have learned about crankin' cover is that your cranks are a lot more weedless then they look. Every time I fish cover, especially rocks and wood, I intentionally crash my crankbaits into them, pausing them right after I do. I have landed more bass crashing cover then I have just retrieving the bait back. When you pause the bait after crashing into it, it gives the bass an open opportunity to strike, thinking the bait is wounded or stunned. I hope these basic but very important tips for choosing the proper crank bait for the situation helps everyone catch more fish.
Scott Shaw is a Powell Rod Company Pro Staff Member and is an Author for DuPageAngler.com.
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