Table of Contents
A crankbait is a lure with a plastic lip that dives underwater when it is reeled in. Crankbaits are used to target fish at specific depths. The length and angle of the plastic lip is what determines the depth that the bait can reach. Longer, less-angled, lips dive deeper than short, sharp-angled, lips.
What fish can you catch on a crankbait?
From cold water species such as trout and salmon, to warm water fish like bass, pike, walleye, perch and panfish, a properly selected crankbait can often be one of the most important lures in an angler’s tackle box.
What is crankbait vs Jerkbait?
Crankbaits are generally shorter and fatter, while jerkbaits are slender and longer. Jerkbaits mostly have three treble hooks, while crankbaits have two. The most common types of bills for both jerkbaits and crankbaits include square bills, diamond-shaped bills, and rounded bills.
Do crankbaits have to hit bottom?
For professionals like Skeet Reese, Todd Faircloth and Mark Menendez, mismatching crankbaits to water depth — especially in the shallows — has become less an exception and more the rule. “As a general rule of thumb, you want a bait that will be in contact with the bottom at all times.
How fast should I reel in a crankbait?
The correct speed of any crankbait reel is 21 inches of line pick-up per turn of the reel handle. Most of that information is on the internet or on the packaging. If it isn’t, measure what your reel is doing with a ruler. It’s that important.
When should you throw crankbaits?
Crankbaits work best in the spring, summer, and fall, except during the few weeks a year fish are spawning. Use medium-diving crankbaits when waters are about 50-60 degrees. As the season moves along and the fish start moving from the banks toward deeper waters, use a shad-colored crankbait.
What is a jerkbait lure?
A jerkbait is a minnow-shaped lure that provides a horizontal presentation. A straight retrieve makes a jerkbait swim with a shimmying action. This catches fish, but where a jerk-bait shines is on a snap-pause retrieve, which gives it an erratic, darting action that drives bass wild.
Is a jerkbait topwater?
Designed to be used primarily as a topwater bait, the Spintail can also be twitched 2-3 feet under the surface and will rise head first during the pause just like a real minnow.
Do you put a weight on crankbait?
You can alter the performance characteristics of hard baits like jerkbaits and crankbaits by adding weight to them. Making a lure suspend, rise slowly or even sink can come in handy when you want the bait to stay in the strike zone longer. But, adding weight can also change the action of the bait.
Should I use a swivel with a crankbait?
Never use a swivel or angled snap when fishing crankbaits. This type of terminal hardware makes it more difficult to tune lures. Even worse, avoid tying crankbaits directly to the fishing line using common knots like the clinch.
What line is best for crankbaits?
Monofilament and fluorocarbon are the top choices for crankbaits. Monofilament is ideal for shallow crankbaits, especially when you are fishing around grass, as it will not hang up as often as the sinking fluorocarbon.
Can you use crankbaits in saltwater?
Crankbaits in the saltwater? Absolutely! Crankbaits have long been regarded as a lure that no angler can do without, when it comes to freshwater bass fishing. Most lipped lures sold for saltwater fishing are thin profiled minnow baits that run relatively shallow.
What action is best for crankbaits?
Rod Action vs Power The majority of bass lures are best fished with a fast or extra fast action tip, but crankbaits perform best with a slow or moderate-fast action tip. This measure of speed is just how long the tip goes from being bent to being straight when released in a catapult style.
Should you use a swivel with a lure?
In general, using a swivel when fishing with lures will have a negative impact on the action of your lure. For this reason, it’s typically best to tie your line directly on the eye of your lure. You lure will have better action; you’ll get more bites and will increase your odds at landing your fish.
What colors do bass like?
The most fundamental rule is to fish brightly colored baits in dingy or muddy water and light, subtle colors in clear water. The logic here is that a bass’ visibility is hampered by silt, and colors like chartreuse, yellow and orange are easier to see than bone, pumpkinseed and smoke.
What is best bait for bass fishing?
Best Bass Fishing Live Bait Nightcrawlers, leeches, shad, bluegill, and crayfish are all effective bass baits—although this method of fishing doesn’t allow for an active retrieve you can achieve with lures.
What kind of rod is best for crankbaits?
A 7 to 8-foot cranking rod will cast the bigger medium and deep-diving crankbaits much better than a 6′-6” rod will. The longer length allows energy to load up into the rod, making long casts easier. On the other hand, a 6′-6” cranking rod will be a better choice when fishing smaller crankbaits.
How deep do square billed crankbaits?
Square bill crankbaits are best for running in the shallows from 1 to 4 feet, while a plug with a 1-inch bill will dive to about 10 feet deep. Some crankbaits with even longer bills have the ability to reach depths down to 25 or 30 feet.
What rod is best for jerkbaits?
The Best JerkBait Rod – Buying Guide and Reviews KastKing Speed Demon Pro Tournament Series – Our Pick! Lew’s TP1 Speed Stick. St. Croix Triumph Spinning Rod. Shimano Curado Casting Rod. Abu Garcia Ike Signature Casting Rod. KastKing Speed Demon Bass Series.
