Spring is one of the best times to throw a crankbait. This is the season when bass will slide up into shallow water. Small males (bucks) may slide up first into shallow areas looking for areas to bed while females remain slightly offshore feeding up. It’s a perfect time to throw a variety of your favorite moving baits such as red chatter baits, spinner baits, and even top waters in some parts of the country. But the crankbait has a way of firing up fish, unlike other baits. You can cover water, target suspending bass in the middle water column, and deflect all over the bottom – the versatility of a crank is unrivaled. You can choose from a seemingly infinite amount of lure brands, but the following three are pretty solid for this time of year – they cover all corners and activate fish well between transition phases.
Why Throw Red Lures?
You may have heard that red-colored lures work well in spring. To this day, I’m not sure why, exactly. Studies suggest that a bass’ vision is limited after rising from offshore, winter haunts. Thus, red-colored lures pop out as they begin reacclimating to the light patterns of spring. Bass also see red colors vividly against contrasting colors year-round. Another theory suggests that when bass begin on their migration paths, their metabolisms begin reactivating and they target crawfish packed with calories. This is largely in preparation for the several weeks of spawning ahead when they refrain from eating while bedding. You can still fish red colors in post-spawn. However, other colors such as blue gill and shad patterns become attractive as bass begin guarding fry. So throw your red cranks, chatter baits, and spinners. Focus on migration paths, shallow weed-lines, and other cover.
1.) Best Crankbaits For Bass: Rapala DT 6 Demon
When larger female bass are still located offshore and feeding aggressively, the DT-6 is a perfect bait to reach and activate them. I’ve fished this bait over ledges and lake points and it gets the job done well. The Rapala DT series relies on a presentation between obnoxious and silent. By that, I mean that it sneaks up on fish with a subtle action between that of a flat-sided crank and a wide wobbling noise maker. It’s perfect for targeting fish that are either just coming up from winter haunts or the ones active and ready to feed.
Diving Depth
The DT-6 hits the 6 ft mark perfectly when thrown on a lighter line ( 12-14lb mon0). This allows it to run a straight line across rip rap and gravel at the perfect depth. It also dives quickly. When targeting bass in the 6ft range, the DT-6 is my primary search bait. I like giving it alternative retrieval speeds and patterns, a small twitch in between, and pausing it briefly over structure.
2.) Best Crankbaits For Bass: Strike King Redeye Shad
You can’t go wrong throwing a lipless crankbait in spring. My personal favorite is the Strike King Redeye Shad. The benefit of a lipless crankbait is that you can throw it anywhere, including jigging vertically. You can swim it straight and let it fall, fish it fast, slow, deep, shallow, or yo-yo it back to the boat – the versatility is endless. And, the red eye shad in Chili Craw is a fish-catching machine in the spring. It’s perfect for covering shallow flats, deep ledges, main points, laydowns, you name it. The free-rolling BBs inside the lure provide a loud rattle, creating a lot of commotion, while the action of the bait on the fall generates an alluring action unseen in other baits. Be sure to let it fall on a slackline to achieve the best flutter on the fall.
3. KVD Squarebill
Squarebill crankbaits are some of the best presentations for bass fishing up shallow. When hard cover is present, dirty water, and 2-4 ft, the KVD Squarebill is simply unmatched. The ideal scenario for this bait is when you’re dirt – shallow with gravel present, grass, or wood, as the body is designed to take a beating and deflect off cover while putting out an erratic wobble. Many anglers throw it as a main search bait in spring. Similarly, It’s perfect for pre and post-spawn bass still sitting shallow and preparing to move to summer positions. It’s a perfect crankbait to cover water, cover a 1-4 ft depth range, and bang around on structure when bass are active and shallow. Again, fish those craw colors and patterns from March into June, then switch to more mute natural colors as summer sets in.
