Spring Crankbait Fishing

Crankbait fishing is essential for Spring success. From deep divers to squarebills and everywhere in between we will be discussing why crankbaits are so effective and how to fish them. The only crankbait I will not discuss is the lipless. With these tips you will be able to put fish in the boat consistently.

Deep Divers

Deep divers are great for working the outside of cover around secondary points. They have a tight wiggle and are great for cold days. They are not a killer bait in spring which is why I am only including one bait, but on those cold snaps you cannot beat the deep diver. My favorite is the 6th Sense Crush 300DD Crankbait. It has a tighter wobble than the Cloud 9 and it dives quickly while being very buoyant enabling it to float out of snags.

Medium-Diving Crankbaits

Mid-Divers are a bait that mainly shines in spring. Occasionally they will work in summer but they work great when the water temp is slowly rising. My favorite bait for deflecting off cover is the 6th Sense Curve 55 Crankbait which was what the bait was designed for. When retrieving burn it and when it hits cover let it slowly rise and a fish will normally strike. For just a normal retrieve I like to use a Strike King Pro Model 3XD Crankbait. It gets down a little deeper and can catch bass of any size in it’s small package. While both of the first options have a tight wiggle the 6th Sense Cloud 9 Series Crankbait has a much wider wobble. It is for when the temperature gets above the sixty degree mark and bass are almost about to spawn. It is also great because it sustains a true running depth and maintains it’s action the entire retrieve.

Squarebill Crankbaits

Squarebills work well when bass go shallow. This could be after a big rain, when temperatures rise for a few days, or when they just start moving up to spawn. My favorite squarebill is the 6th Sense Crush Squarebill Crankbait. You can crash it into thick shallow cover, rip it out of grass, crank it on rocks, or just burn it in open water. It is very buoyant and comes in very good colors. The Lucky Craft LC Silent Squarebill 1.5 is a great bait for pressured days when the water is clear. It has a silent rattle and is very compact. It also comes in many different colors like the 6th Sense Crush.

Color

For all crankbait fishing you need a bait that is bold, another that is reflective, and one that is clear, but for early spring you need red. Bold colors comprise of chartreuse and matte white. Bold colors should stand out in the water. For reflective baits use chrome or something with scales that reflects light and looks flashy. Clear baits are very self-explanatory. Use ghost colors that are see-through. In very early spring the best color is red. Use ghost red colors for clear water, and bold red colors for murky water such as delta craw. The reason is because crawfish are molting. They are bright red and searching for females which makes them easy prey for bass.

Big Cranks

I tend to stay away from big deep divers and use big squarebills because big squarebills also get down very deep. The 6th Sense Cloud 9 Magnum Squarebill Crankbait is great for chasing down big bass going after bluegill, crappie, or big gizzard shad. It has a loud rattle and comes in great colors like most 6th Sense Crankbaits. My favorite silent big squarebill is the Lucky Craft SKT Magnum 110 Mag MR Crankbait. It is great for those clear water days with highly pressured bass.

Gear

1. Rod– Use a medium 7′ for the smaller sizes and a medium heavy 7’6″ for big cranks. Make sure your rod has enough give to prevent a fish from popping the hooks.
2. Reel– Use a 6:2:1 gear ratio for deep slow cranking and 8:1:1 gear ratio for burning a crankbait.
3. Line– 20 lb braid with a 12 lb mono leader is a perfect option. For more experienced casters straight 12-15 lb fluorocarbon is great. With fluorocarbon use 12 lb for smaller baits and 15 lb for bigger baits.

The Baits

Deep Divers–

1. 6th Sense Crush 300DD Crankbait (Shad Glow, Threadfin Shad)

Medium Divers–

1. Strike King Pro Model 3XD Crankbait (Clearwater Minnow, Delta Red, Chili Craw)
2. 6th Sense Curve 55 Crankbait (4K Shad, Blue-Treuse, Boiled Crawfish, Delta Craw, Lavander Citrus)
3. 6th Sense Cloud 9 Series Crankbaits (4K Shad, Blue-Treuse, Boiled Crawfish, Supermodel Shad, Ghost Melon Crawfish)

Squarebills–

1. 6th Sense Crush Squarebill Crankbait (4K Shad, Blue-Treuse, Boiled Crawfish, Supermodel Shad, Craw Bomb)
2. Lucky Craft LC Silent Squarebill 1.5 (Golden Shiner, Chartreuse Shad, Ghost Minnow, TO Craw)

Big Squarebills–

1. Lucky Craft SKT Magnum 110 Mag MR Crankbait (Chartreuse Shad, Flake Flake Striped Gill, Nasty Bluegill)
2. 6th Sense Cloud 9 Magnum Squarebill Crankbait (Shad Sense)