Master Crankbait Variables to Catch More Bass

Your guide to bass fishing crankbait characteristics and how to select the best lure for each day’s fishing situation.

Crankbaits are among the best lures for catching bass throughout the year. They are easy to fish effectively and produce well in a broad range of situations.

Crankbaits vary in many ways, though, making the selection process seem confusing. Setting up a solid crankbait arsenal and making good choices about baits to try any given day are not difficult. However, a working knowledge of the primary variables and how they apply in different situations makes it far easier to make the best decisions.

It warrants mention that crankbaits vary as much as they do much for good reason. There’s no magic bullet for any given characteristic, and finding the best wobble, sound or color for a day commonly requires experimentation. That said, randomly trying crankbaits is a slow process that often won’t lead to the desired result. Understanding variables and making calculated decisions provides a significant head start and allows you to be systematic in the patterning process, which in the end leads to catching more bass. Let’s take a closer look!

Crankbait Size & Profile

Size is arguably the most visible crankbait distinction, but its importance sometimes gets overlooked. A large crankbait suggests many calories gained from a single meal to a fish and sometimes works best for large and aggressively feeding bass, while a small bait looks like an easy target and can be much better when fish are more tentative.

The size of prevalent forage also influences the most productive crankbait size. Larger crankbaits also tend to be heavier, allowing for longer casts and more control in the wind, while small crankbaits are easier to manage on light tackle.

A crankbait’s profile also has a significant impact on its perceived size. A thick, rounded 2 1/2-inch crankbait looks notably larger in the water than a slender, flat-sided crankbait of the same length. Profile and specific shaping details also impact how effectively any given crankbait matches forage.

Depth Range

A critical consideration for selecting the best crankbait to tie on is the bait’s running depth range. Generally, you want a crankbait that will bump the bottom or kick key cover without digging constantly or getting hung. For working a shallow bank or a stump-studded flat with minimal depth variance, the ideal range is often obvious. For offshore structure, the primary depth where baitfish are holding commonly tells you the key depth of structure you want to find and consequently the best running depth for a crankbait.

At times, it’s best to have multiple crankbaits available to work different bottom slopes and cover in a range of depths. That’s why the Bandit Series 100, Series 200 and Series 300 all use the same body size and shape but run to three different depth ranges.

It’s worth noting that while depth ranges listed on packages provide a baseline, these are based on a particular line size and cast distance, and specifics can vary, especially if you’re using extra heavy line or light fluorocarbon.

Crankbait Wobble

Have you ever heard two anglers describe the same crankbait’s wobble as tight and wide? That could be perception, but it’s also possible that both are correct in a way. Crankbaits can wobble on two primary axis points, swaying laterally (pitch) or rolling with the movement on the top and the bottom (roll). Most crankbaits’ swimming actions include a degree of both. What that means is that crankbait actions vary immensely, and while some are unquestionably wide or tight, most fall in between and many have elements of each.

The way a crankbait wobbles impacts whether it is more likely to draw attacks from aggressive feeders or coax strike from more negative fish, the kind of forage it imitates, and how comes through cover. Generally, tighter actions are best for clear water, high pressure and other conditions that make the bite tough.

Cover Deflection

Some crankbaits snag very easily, while others deflect well off cover by design and are well suited for working through brush, kicking stumps, crawling through craggy rocks or even swimming through the top of vegetation. Bill (diving lip) shape is the primary feature that makes some baits extra good at deflecting cover, with the best ones usually having squared corners or at least being extra wide in front so a broad section of bill hits the cover first and bunces the bait and its hooks away.

The shape of the bill not only impacts a bait’s ability to deflect cover, but also the way it tends to deflect, and lures that flare hard when they bump cover can be particularly good for prompting strikes from feeding bass.

Looking beyond the bill shape, some crankbaits stay out of rocks or slide through weeds better than others because of the body shape or swimming action. Baits with more rounded sides and a wider swing, like a Norman Middle N, tend to shed weeds and kick off rocks with the body of the lure, making them extra good for this type of application.

Sound

The sound (or lack of sound) a crankbait makes can be a key factor some days. Many crankbaits contain rattles of some sort that help fish find the lure and sometimes trigger strikes. The size, number, and material of the balls in a rattle chamber affect the volume and pitch of the sounds. A louder bait helps fish find a lure better from dark places and from farther away, but at times a more subtle rattle works best.

The plastic a crankbait is built from also impacts the sound. Norman and Bandit crankbaits, for example, are built from butyrate, and their rattles make a dull thud that differs from many crankbaits and can trigger extra bites when bass are seeing (and hearing) a lot of crankbaits.

Some crankbaits are intentionally built to run silent, again appealing to fish that have gotten conditioned to hearing a lot of crankbait rattles and sometimes being important for coaxing strikes from more tentative fish. A silent crankbait will often yield more fish from a specific spot or area after the bite wanes with a rattling crankbait.

Crankbait Colors

Color theory is a huge topic for all fishing lures and really warrant its own article. That said, it’s too obvious and important a crankbait variable to ignore.

First, consider primary forage. Many bass crankbait colors (if not most) suggest some main forage type, whether that’s a shad, bluegill, crawfish, or something else. Season, setting or observations often reveal what bass are apt to be feeding on the most in an area and provides a good starting point.

Conditions, including water color and the brightness of the sky, also play a major part in the color selection process. Clear water, a slick surface and bright skies call for natural color patterns, while dark skies and dirty water dictate darker colors or bolder, brighter tones. Usually, the water color falls somewhere between ultra-clear and downright dirty, and often visibility factors like sky brightness and the amount of chop lie between extremes, explaining the vast range of colors.

5 Fabulous Spring Crankbaits

Bomber Next Gen Deep Flat A – The Next Gen Flat A and Deep Flat A include a weight transfer system that makes them far easier to cast than original Flat As. Flat sided and tight wiggling, these are great baits for when late cold fronts make spring bass more tentative than normal.

Norman Fat Boy – The Fat Boy is a plump, highly buoyant square-bill that kicks hard, defects wood well and floats up from cover, much like a balsa crankbait.

Bandit 200 – Moderate in size, wobble and running depth, the Bandit 200 fits a vast range of situations and would be the, “if I could only have one crankbait” choice for many bass anglers.

Cotton Cordell Big O – The first popular crankbait with “corners” on its bill to deflect cover, the Big O is widely considered the original square-bill and remains an extraordinary producer anytime bass are around shallow rocks and wood.

BOOYAH Hard Knocker – Although it strays slightly from the classic crankbait mold, a spring list would have a major void without this lipless gem, which offers a loud rattle and tight wiggle and allows you to work a broad range of depths with a single lure.

Top Tips for Crankbait Success

• Carefully Consider Line Choice – Lighter line allows crankbaits to run deeper, as does fluorocarbon. Heavier line allows more control and power for shallow cranking in heavier cover. Monofilament stretches more, making it easier to land fish. In other words, line choice is important but there is no right line for every situation.
• Crawl Across Cover – When you feel your crankbait hit cover, slow the retrieve, and use both rod and reel to crawl the lure across rocks and branches, so it keeps making contact without burying. When it feels like the lure is about to hang, briefly remove the tension from the line, and the bait often will back out and float up slightly. Be extra ready for strikes when your crankbait is crawling through cover.
• Add Hesitations – Not long enough to even be called a pause, a hesitation is just a momentary break in steady crankbait reeling. It causes the bait to slow and rise ever so slightly, and often is the perfect variance to prompt a strike from a fish that has been following the bait.
• Prioritize Cast Angle – Whether you’re working from a boat or walking the bank, the angle of your cast makes a major difference in how the fish see the bait cross a piece of cover and how long the lure stays in the strike zone. Consider thing things like wind, current, bottom contours and configuration of cover and be strategic about angles.
• Repeat Productive Casts – When you catch bass or miss a strike on a crankbait, always repeat the exact cast. That fish was where it was and responded to the presentation for a reason. Often, another bass (or even more than one) will do likewise.