{"id":2847,"date":"2021-07-05T19:08:58","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T19:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-711416-2356891.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=2847"},"modified":"2022-07-12T00:22:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T00:22:19","slug":"what-do-crankbaits-catch-the-answer-may-surprise-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gofishingoutdoors.com\/what-do-crankbaits-catch-the-answer-may-surprise-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What do crankbaits catch? The answer may surprise you!"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
If you\u2019ve gone to a fishing store, you\u2019ve likely seen a crankbait. They are usually shaped and colored to look like fish, crayfish, or other creatures living in water. They have two sets of treble hooks, and may or may not have a plastic bill on the front. They are a fishing staple for many anglers.<\/span><\/p> But will they catch the fish that you\u2019re after? The simple answer to this is if the fish you are trying to catch sometimes eat smaller fish – then yes it can be caught with a crankbait.<\/strong> But if it feeds on things other than smaller fish, chances are you can\u2019t catch it with a crankbait.<\/span><\/p> But if you don\u2019t know – then read on where I\u2019ll discuss every fish you can catch with crankbaits and what type to buy to catch them!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Maybe the one species that fisherman are after above all others is the largemouth bass. And if you want to catch the,, crankbaits are a great lure choice.<\/span><\/p> If you\u2019re in the middle of summer, nothing catches bass quite like a deep driving crankbait such as the Rapala DT Series<\/strong><\/a>. Focus on deep points and offshore cover to find the big ones.<\/span><\/p> Or if it\u2019s fall, you can instead use a squarebill crankbait like the Strike King KVD<\/strong><\/a> which only dives to around 4 to 6 feet. With this, you can beat the banks and find those active bass feeding hungrily before winter.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t In spring, you\u2019re best buying a lipless crankbait like the Strike King Red Eyed Shad<\/strong><\/a>. This crankbait doesn\u2019t have a lip and sinks naturally, but has rattles that really entice bass for some reason in spring. If you want to know the difference between lipless and lipped crankbait read here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t A smallmouth bass is my favorite type of fish to catch, and are much like the largemouth discussed above.<\/span><\/p> The main difference is that, as the name suggests, smallmouth bass have smaller mouths than largemouth bass do. That means when picking crankbaits for smallmouth bass you should pick smaller sized crankbaits because it fits in their mouth easier.<\/span><\/p> I stay with the Strike King KVD series squarebill<\/strong><\/a> but opt for their 1 and 1.5 smaller sizes for smallmouth. But aside from trying to aim a little bit smaller, smallmouth will act very similarly to largemouth bass. So the same tips apply.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Crappie are one of the smallest fish on this list, but even they can be caught on crankbaits in the right conditions.<\/span><\/p> Like smallmouth bass, they have very small mouths. So the key to finding the right crankbait to catch them is to look for the smallest ones possible. These crankbaits are usually listed as \u201cmicro\u201d crankbaits.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t I recommend the Bandit crappie series<\/strong><\/a> of crankbaits, made specifically in colors like pink and white that appeal to crappie. They come up to sizes in the 300 range which can dive all the way down to 12 feet. Because crappie hold deeper than most freshwater fish, you usually want a crankbait that goes as deep as possible but stays in a smaller \u201cmicro\u201d size. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Speaking of fish with small mouths, trout are another species you can catch well with crankbaits but need to find smaller size profiles.<\/span><\/p> The issue is, smaller size profiles often mean they don\u2019t dive as deep. And trout hold in some of the deepest water throughout much of the year and seldom feed very shallow in lakes especially.<\/span><\/p> This is why I recommend the Rapala Countdown series<\/strong> <\/a>of crankbaits if you\u2019re fishing for trout. They can be found as small as 1\u201d long and come with an internal weight that makes the crankbait sink. The reason they are called \u201ccountdown\u201d is because you can simply count once your lure hits the water to know how deep your bait is going.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t If you like trolling for trout, which is very popular among boaters, the Rapala Countdown is also a great option.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> For color options, it depends on the local forage in your fishery but I have always found the simple silver color to be a good producer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Crankbaits are also a really great bait to catch walleye, though you should use specific types to make sure you get the most production.<\/span><\/p> One factor to consider is color. Walleye are especially attracted to brighter colors than most freshwater species. So pinks, reds, greens, and other bright colors are good options for walleye crankbaits.<\/span><\/p> Depth is another concern for walleye fishing. Generally they aren\u2019t found much shallower than 10 feet and can get as deep as 30 or 40 feet during the middle of the day. So finding a crankbait that dives deep but isn\u2019t oversized can be a bit tricky.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Thankfully, there are many crankbaits branded specifically for walleye. My choice is Bandit Lures Walleye Cranks<\/strong><\/a> which come in shallow (12 feet) and deep (27 feet) options. They have a great color and size variety as well, so you can use the deep during the hotter part of days and the shallow in the mornings and afternoons when walleye get a little shallower.<\/span><\/p> Trolling is a great way to catch walleye as well and the deeper bandit walleye crankbait is a great option for that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t You fish crankbaits for striper much more like you would fish for largemouth or smallmouth bass, with some exceptions.<\/span><\/p> For one, you don\u2019t have as many color options. Striper feed almost solely on baitfish, usually shad or herring. Because of this, you only want to use whites and silvers and maybe some hints of blue and chartreuse which really match the forage in your fishery. Really a few colors is all you will ever need for stripers.<\/span><\/p> The size of crankbaits you use also changes slightly. If you\u2019re after big striper, over say 10 pounds, then you need to upsize from the \u201cnormal\u201d sized crankbaits. Usually companies will label these larger crankbaits as \u201cmagnum\u201d sizes like these magnum Rat-L-Traps<\/strong><\/a> that are great for large striper.<\/span><\/p> Again, trolling is an option for striper with crankbaits, I would recommend something like this Yo-Zuri 3D Magnum Deep Diver<\/strong> <\/a>if your lake is deep enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t While many people use jerkbaits exclusively for pike or pickerel, crankbaits also can be extremely effective to hook some great catches.<\/span><\/p>Crankbaits for Largemouth Bass<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Crankbaits for Smallmouth Bass<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Crankbaits for Crappie<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Crankbaits for Trout<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Crankbaits for Walleye<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Crankbaits for Striper<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Crankbaits for Pike\/Pickerel<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t