How to Fish Lipless Crankbaits for Winter Bass

Lipless crankbaits rank among the best lures for winter time bass fishing because of their tight vibrating action, which appeals to winter-chilled fish, and because they work nicely for covering water to find feeding fish. They are also very easy lures to fish effectively.

Casting a lipless crankbait like the BOOYAH Hard Knocker is a key technique for Bassmaster Elite Series pro angler Luke Palmer any time the water is cooler than about 55 degrees.

“It is one of my absolute favorite ways to catch them,” the Oklahoma pro said. “It’s one of the best strikes – right up there with topwater. You’re moving it along, and they just nail it.”

“I think the main thing, when the water is cold, is the vibration,” Palmer said, regarding winter appeal of lipless crankbaits. “They have such a tight vibration. It’s more of a shimmy than a wobble.”

Baitfish and bass have lower metabolism rates when the water is cold, so the tight wiggle is more natural and simply makes the bait look like an easy target.

Also, while a lipless crankbait has six hook points and certainly isn’t weedless, it works well for swimming just above vegetation and ticking the weed tops. When it does hang, it can be pulled free, and pulling it free often triggers strikes.

"There’s something about the bait breaking free that the bass just can’t handle.” Palmer said. “More than most other baits, it really makes them come up out of the grass.”

A lipless bait also provides versatility in the depths and speed it can be fished, and it can very effectively be used to imitate a crawfish or a shad.

Palmer’s primary lipless crankbait is a BOOYAH Hard Knocker in the classic 1/2-ounce, 2 1/2-inch size. “I start out with that 90 percent of the time,” he said.

Palmer’s go-to colors for most conditions are Rayburn Red, Toledo Gold, Blue Shiner (which has chrome sides and a blue back), and Chrome Black. For off-colored water he might turn to Crushed Bone, Bling or Graffiti Chartreuse Craw, with Crushed Bone and Bling coming into play more when the water is extra cold, with a temperature of 45 degrees or less.

“When I’m somewhere where the fish are really getting pressured, especially if a lot of people are throwing lipless baits, a 1/4-ounce will get the call from me,” Palmer said. “Sometimes that smaller profile and being able to change the speed to work the same depths can make big difference.”

Palmer also might turn to 1/2-ounce One Knocker at times when anglers are throwing a lot of rattle baits, and he will use a One Knocker to reignite a bite in an area.

“I’ll usually have a One Knocker tied on,” he said. “If I find a school and am catching them on the Hard Knocker, and they stop biting, picking up that One Knocker will let me catch more from the same school.”

Palmer typically keeps Hard Knockers tied on a few different rods with different sizes of line because the line weight affects how deep the bait runs, with lighter line allowing the lure to work deeper with the same presentation. His line, Sunline Sniper, ranges from 12- to 18-pound test.

Palmer’s rod of choice for a 1/2-ounce Hard Knocker or One Knocker is a 7-3 Falcon Deep Runner. For the 1/4-ounce he prefers a Falcon 7-0 Cranker.

I’ll usually have a One Knocker tied on. If I find a school and am catching them on the Hard Knocker, and they stop biting, picking up that One Knocker will let me catch more from the same school. -Luke Palmer

“A lipless bait plays a big part for me anytime there’s grass – especially if some of it is still green,” Palmer said. “For fishing over grass in the cold, it’s my 100 percent go-to, right off the bat.”

In highland reservoirs that lack submerged vegetation, Palmer mostly fishes a Hard Knocker over flat gravel or clay points or hard-bottom flats, avoiding steeper banks and deeper water.

His technique is elementary. Cast and reel. Palmer prefers to keep the presentation very steady when the water is cold, reeling steadily and moving the bait just fast enough to keep it mostly above the grass. When the bait hangs in the grass, which Palmer wants to occur some of the time, he “pulls” it free, rather than snapping it.

“Snapping it out, like we used to do, spooks the fish a lot of the time.” Palmer said.

Anytime Palmer is reeling his bait and something just feels different – like losing the tension or vibration for a moment – that typically means the bass are nudging the bait but not quite grabbing it.

“If you feel that a couple of times, change colors or sizes and be ready,” Palmer said. “That means you pretty much have it figured out.”

A lipless bait plays a big part for me anytime there’s grass – especially if some of it is still green. For fishing over grass in the cold, it’s my 100 percent go-to, right off the bat. -Luke Palmer

• BOOYAH 1/2-ounce Hard Knocker – Palmer’s go-to. Loud rattles and long casts in the most traditional 2 1/2-inch size; tight wiggle but with a flat nose that moves a lot of water.
• BOOYAH 1/2-ounce One Knocker – Same profile and swimming action as the Hard Knocker but with a single deep-pitched tungsten ball that knocks instead of rattling and is ideal for times when a lot of anglers are throwing rattling lures.
• Cotton Cordell 1/2-ounce Super Spot – Slightly bigger and less dense than the 1/2-ounce BOOYAH lipless baits, the Super Spot is easier to keep higher in the water column and great for fishing over extra-shallow grass and for times when you really want to slow the presentation.
• BOOYAH 1/4-ounce Hard Knocker – When pressure surges and conditions turn tough, downsizing to a 1/4-ounce Hard Knocker can make a day. Same shape, sound and action, just in a bite-sized version that looks like an easy meal.
• BOOYAH 3/4-ounce One Knocker – For times when you want a bigger profile to match larger forage and get the attention of big fish or a bit more weight to cast farther and to get a little deeper.