Crankbaits are one of the easiest lures to use because they have the action built into the bait. The places you use crankbaits, how you add your technique to that built-in action, and your retrieval speed can make the difference between you and the other anglers on the lake.
We will start with the long, slender minnow-type baits, typically called jerkbaits. You can do more with this bait than jerk it through grass. Several styles are available, some with rattles and some with long lips that dive to 16 feet. For example, the Smithwick Perfect 10 Rogue Jerkbait and the Rapala Scatter Rap Deep Husky Jerk run about 10 feet, and the Rapala Down Deep Husky Jerk will get down to 20 feet. These work great along the edges of grass, tree lines, creek channels, or fishing for suspended bass in open water. Since they suspend or float up, you can crank them down and stop, then crank them again. This action can entice bass when the fishing gets tough.
At this point, I had better back up and give you some ground rules. When I refer to a specific depth that a lure will run, it is based on using 12- pound line. If you use lighter line, it will go deeper and heavier line will be shallower. The further you cast a lure, the better the chance it will reach the proper depth, and the longer it will be in the right depth zone.
You need to match the rod to the bait you are casting. The heavier the bait, the stiffer the rod. I like the Falcon Cara Casting Rod 7' Medium Cranker rod for the lighter crankbaits. It's also best to cast side arm, so you keep the bait closer to the water and are not affected by the wind as much as if you cast overhand. Keep your rod tip down close to the water when you crank back. This is less tiring on your arms.
The first four or five cranks need to be fast, then crank at a medium speed, steady retrieve, stopping when the lure hits something and starting up again until you get the lure back to the boat.
Some medium-diving baits are the Bomber A series and Fat Free Shad, Bagley's Kill'r B, Bill Norman's Deep Little N and Middle N Crankbait, Storms Original Wiggle Wart, and the Rapala Shad Rap. When I say that these are medium-running baits, I'm referring to the eight- to 14-foot range. That does not mean that you can't fish them in shallow water. One of the best techniques is to throw a Bomber 6A, 7A, or a Norman Deep Little N up near shore and let it dig into the bottom back to the boat. The lure bouncing off the bottom, darting from side to side, will trigger a strike when a steady retrieve from a shallow runner doesn't work either.
The deeper divers like the Mann's 20 and 30 Plus, SPRO Outsider Crank DD 80, Bomber Fat Free Shad, Bill Norman's DD-22, and the Storm Original Deep Wiggle Wart are for the 16- to 30- foot range. You can work the treetops along creek channels and long points or submerged roadbeds. These are harder to crank back and wear you out if you try to crank too fast. Keep your rod tip down and reel at a slow, steady speed. After you cast the lure out, reel fast, about five turns. This will get the lure down to the correct depth, and then you can slow down to a steady, easy speed back to the boat. You need to use a long rod, 7-1/2 to 8 feet (Falcon Expert rod), to get the distance on your cast to reach the full depth that these lures can reach.
I left the most versatile crankbait to the last, and that's the lipless crankbait. These baits can be used from shore to just about any depth you want to fish. The best known is the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap, then the Cotton Cordell Spot, now the Super Spot, and the Rapala Rattling Rap. Some newcomers are the Booyah One Knocker, Bagley Rattlin' B Plus, Duo Realis Apex Vibe, and Lucky Craft LV RTO. They come in sizes from 1/8- ounce to 1-1/2 ounces, with the most commonly used in the 1/4-, 1/2- and 3/4-ounce sizes.
If you learn how to work these baits in grass, treetops, laydowns, and stickups, you'll be surprised at the numbers and sizes of bass you can catch. Throw close to shore, hold your rod tip high and start reeling as soon as the bait hits the water. You can work these baits over the tops of grass, rip it through the grass or stickups, down the side of a laydown, or just about anywhere you can put a spinnerbait.
Regarding colors, I prefer to stick to natural bait colors, shad, shiner, perch, and crawfish. Still, some new photo finishes and colors, like firetiger, might make a difference under specific applications and conditions.
I've worn the finish off of a few of these crankbaits in Tennessee shad over the years. Experiment and take chances, especially in places where other anglers aren't throwing them. It might surprise you how well they will do.
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