Bass fishing lure question

[Mattybofmd]

Hey guys I'm fairly new to bass fishing. My question is do any of you guys use crankbaits much? I read a lot about people using plastic worms and grubs which I've seen they catch a lot of fish but I'm a fan of the cranks, I use sexy shad colors and I do alright. Just wondering if cranks were not as effective since I never read people using them

[mweber02]

I find myself shying away from crankbaits only because I worry about the hanging trebles getting snagged or dragging weeds in the types of cover and depth that I usually fish. They are absolutely effective when used in the conditions they are intended for. I tend to lean really heavily on spinnerbaits for the areas I fish for bass.

[BassMoore]

Cranks are a real legit bass catching lure in the spring winter and fall. Once the grass comes in for the summer forget about it unless you can find a steep bank without grass. hard to do. But spring and winter cranks are the go to bait, Fall lipless cranks are the ticket, when the bass start feeding on shad and minnows, the lipless cranks have that rattle and drives bass crazy. I throw worms in the summer and spring. But fall and winter im cranking hard. Il deep crank in the summer down a ledge about 20 ft as well. easy way to find fish is the lipless crank in the fall and winter tho.

[HJS]

Mattybofmd - Generally, what type of bass habitat do you mostly fish? ie deep lakes, rivers, shallow lakes and ponds with heavy weed cover? The vast majority of my smbass fishing is done in rivers. For lmbass I fish lakes with tons of heavy weed cover like lily pad fields, reed fields, milfoil and spatterdock and the such. For weedy lakes my preferred lures are curlytailed plastic worms rigged weightless and weedless.

The past 2 years I've been fishing smbass in the Susky near Harrisburg, preferring the shallower rock fields. And there I use most soft plastic minnow lures (flukes and Bass Assassins) rigged with a single exposed hook and fished weightless on the surface. Rapalas also work well but I strongly shy away form trebles hooks because of the damage trebles can sometimes do to the fish. My last trip there the rear treble of the Rapala hooked into the eye of the smbass and total destroyed it. I really don't like for that to happen to a big bass in a river that has a low population of smbass. IMHO, a one eyed bass is eventually a dead bass.

So, what type of water do you fish mostly for bass?

[imagine29028]

Most of our conditions in the area dont really call for it. They do real well in other parts of the country. Just the MD area grass is king...

That being said...shallow running (4-6 ft) squarebills on wood cover is great recipe for success.

[Mattybofmd]

I fish the patapsco river mostly with my cranks and around belle grove rd. I haven't been retrieving much grass so does that mean the cranks are good to go in these conditions? I'd really appreciate some responses in the realm of which kind of lures on which months every one is using please

[BassMoore]

cranks work fine there. I fish there alot, but have only caught 1 fish on a crank.. i only catch fish there on worms and spinner baits. The pickerel will hit the cranks and rock fish. not much bass

[Mattybofmd]

Sorry I'm such a newbie to this I'm trying to learn as much as possible. So am I right in thinking that early spring,fall and winter is good crank bait time because the cold weather prohibits grass growth and in late spring and into summer I should use grubs and worms that are weed less? When do I use spinnerbaits? What's the benefit of lipless cranks over round or squaredbills other than they don't dive?

[Mark]

Ambush predators like freshwater bass are enticed by crank baits when they are within range. They may chase them a little farther in warmer water than they would in cooler water so I believe there is a temperature component to their effectiveness. I also think it is wise to present them near structure. Yes, they will hang up in vegetation more than spinner baits or soft plastics, but casting and retrieving them parallel to the weed line or near any structure is a good technique.

I think it is important to have confidence in the lures you use. If you like crank baits keep using them. They most definitely catch bass. But vary where you are placing them in the water and alter your retrieval speeds until you find more than "alright" success.

Good luck.

[Mattybofmd]

Ambush predators like freshwater bass are enticed by crank baits when they are within range. They may chase them a little farther in warmer water than they would in cooler water so I believe there is a temperature component to their effectiveness. I also think it is wise to present them near structure. Yes, they will hang up in vegetation more than spinner baits or soft plastics, but casting and retrieving them parallel to the weed line or near any structure is a good technique.

I think it is important to have confidence in the lures you use. If you like crank baits keep using them. They most definitely catch bass. But vary where you are placing them in the water and alter your retrieval speeds until you find more than "alright" success.

Good luck.

Thanks so much! Yea I think ill keep my cranks cranking but ill try to incorporate some weddless grubs and worms in

[Jaspratt]

You should try other baits while u fish where ever you fish. Might find out crankbaits dont catch as much compared to something else. Crankbaits are good to cover alot of water fast but they stay in the strike for only a few seconds. Which is what causes a reaction strike from more aggressive bass. Other baits that can sit in one spot longer can always produce more fish, weather its a reaction or your force feeding a bedding bass.

[Mattybofmd]

Thanks everyone I'm learning a lot!!!! So let me pose a new question if I may. What is every1s most successfully used lure for bass fishing in MD? I just want my best chance at landing some nice bass and cranks have worked ok but I want to catch more bigger fish more often

[Strummerfan]

I'm fairly new to LMB fishing in MD, but if it's early in the morning or late in the evening I'm throwing either a Arbogast Jitterbug or Hedon Super Spook(both are topwater). At any other time I reach for a spinnerbait first if that doesn't work then I'll start trying crankbaits, jerkbaits, texas rigged worms etc. I probably reach for spinnerbaits first because I can throw them into just about any type of cover without much concern.

[imagine29028]

I'm fairly new to LMB fishing in MD, but if it's early in the morning or late in the evening I'm throwing either a Arbogast Jitterbug or Hedon Super Spook(both are topwater). At any other time I reach for a spinnerbait first if that doesn't work then I'll start trying crankbaits, jerkbaits, texas rigged worms etc. I probably reach for spinnerbaits first because I can throw them into just about any type of cover without much concern.

If you like throwing Spinnerbaits....pick up a Chatterbait next time at the store. It's like a jig and a spinnerbait combined. The vibration and flash are awesome. This lure has actually replaced all my spinnerbait usage.

[wedge]

+1 on the chatterbait, the vibrations from the lure drive fish crazy. Buzzbaits, rage toads and spro frogs during early morning and early evening for topwater action are also great lures. Throw em all and have fun!