By Paul Shell
Whether you prefer a small slender one, or a wide chunky one, you cannot select a better lure to use, any season (maybe with the exception of mid-winter) than a crankbait. No other lure can cover the entire water column as quickly and effectively as a shallow, medium, or deep-diving crankbait. When Edwin Evers won the 2016 Bassmaster Classic, one of the baits that helped him in his “come from behind” win was a Megabass Flap Slap crankbait. Prior to last year, other Bass Pros have won big money utilizing crankbaits.
Top brands include Rapala, Rebel, Bomber, Strike King, Storm, Bagleys, Bandit, Lucky Craft, Livingston, and Megabass. Rapala’s Shad Rap continues to be an exceptional fish producer. The D.T. series is also very good, and their more recent line, Scatterrap, will “hunt” during the retrieve. When you crank the lure, it will run straight for several feet, and then dart to the side before returning to its original path. This action does trigger strikes.
I have noticed in tackle stores this past year, some of the “old school” Bagleys have been re-introduced in both original finishes and some new colors. My conviction with crankbaits paid off in the 80’s when I won first place in the Walleye division, and biggest overall in a company tournament with a 5 1/2 lb. Walleye. The fish took a Bagleys threadfin shad colored whallow runner on the very first cast of the day. Their flat C.B.D.12 and D.B.20 are good open water deep divers this time of the year, since they will draw bass hiding in rocky crevices, or structure, and it also takes schooling fish. It features a unique oscillation rate. Livengston’s baits are also unique, since they feature advanced rattles and electronic baitfish sounds. Lucky Craft has a killer line of crankbaits that have incredible color schemes and action.
Experiment with different brands and colors until you find the ones for the waters you fish.
You probably don’t need 200 crankbaits, as I have, but some colors are a must have, they include Blue Chartreuse, Sexy Shad, Perch, 2 or more crayfish colors, Bluegill, Tenessee Shad, American Shad, Ghost Minnow, Rainbow Trout, and Firetiger. Of the three kinds of lines we use when tossing crankbaits, I prefer Flourocarbon for it’s superior sensitivity, low stretch and invisibility. It does take some getting used to, due to the fact that it is somewhat springy. Line companies are continuously improving it each year. It’s also somewhat expensive but it is a superior line, with Sunline Super F C Sniper probably being the best.
The old standby, monofilament, is very popular since it “forgives” our mistakes with its high stretch and it also floats, allowing you to begin your retrieve with any floating-diving crankbait as a top water bait. Even though you lose some depth with mono when employing a stop and go retrieve, as opposed to fluorocarbon, which sinks, mono has all the properties you want in a line. I like Spiderwire for it’s superior strength to size ratio. Braid is growing in popularity, since it is very strong and it floats…making it a good choice for topwater baits. Some anglers use it for “Alabama Rigs”. It can be difficult to cut cleanly with clippers, so carry a pair of very sharp scissors when adding a leader.
Paul is the Owner/Operator or The Rod & Fly in Morganton, N.C. Visit his store or give him a call at (828) 433-9747. He now offers fly-tying and fly-casting/fishing lessons in his store.
