Bass fishing with crankbaits in your pond or small lake can be a fantastic and rewarding way to reel in some impressive catches. These lures are designed to mimic the movement and appearance of baitfish, making them irresistible to bass.
SUMMARY: Bass fishing with crankbaits gives anglers a highly versatile weapon that can be effective in a variety of situations. Best practice is to target bass at the depth they’re holding and trigger strikes with erratic movement, including banging and bouncing off vegetation, cover, and even the pond bottom.
Some people call crankbaits an angler’s secret weapon, but then again people say that about just about every bass lure in existance. Truthfully, there’s nothing secret about crankbaits. They are highly versatile, with a range of types available, each designed for different situations. It’s just a matter learning how they work and how to use them effectively, and before long you’ll see a significantly improvement your bass fishing success rate.
So, what makes crankbaits so effective? Let’s take a look at how this popular bass lure works.
Understanding the Crankbait
Many bass lures sink, and the faster you retrieve them, the more they rise in the water column. Crankbaits are just the opposite. Most float, and because of their unique design, the faster you retrieve them, the deeper they go. The trick is in the lip, or the lack thereof.
Most of these hard-bodied lures, usually armed with treble hooks, are equipped with a lip or bill at the front, causing them to wobble or dive when retrieved. The crankbait’s realistic swimming action mimics the behavior of baitfish, which in turn, attracts bass. Moreover, a combination of the length of the bill and your retrieval enables the lure to reach different water depths, allowing you to target bass at various levels within the pond.
Also, note that crankbaits can be thick or thin. A wide, wobbling crankbait will behave in a crawfish-like manner and is best used near the bottom. Thin-sided crankbaits are more similar to shad and work at high speeds over the tops and edges of cover where baitfish is present.
Pond fishermen are often dealing with more shallow water than you’ll see in other environments. But your particular fishing situation, including the time of year and other factors, will determine the type of crankbait that will serve you best. Whether you’re fishing in shallow or deep water there’s a crankbait to suit your needs:
- Shallow diver: Crankbaits with short, square bills will generally dive from 1-4 feet, ideal for shallow ponds and for deflecting off of shallow cover;
- Medium diver: Crankbaits with bills in the range of one inch will dive up to 10 feet;
- Deep diver: Crankbaits will bills longer than an inch have the potential to reach depths down to 30 feet.
Lipless Crankbait
Having said that, don’t sleep on the lipless crankbait, often discussed using the brand names Rattletrap or One Knocker. This guy will shimmy through the water like it’s nobody’s business, sending out a rattling sound that can draw bass from a distance. Lipless crankbaits tend to work best when fishing around grass. Ripping a lipless crankbait over the top of grassy vegetation is a popular method for catching bass.
Instead of bills or lips, the lure gets its action from a nose-down position due to a line connection on the lure’s back. Most will sink, so constant motion is critical to keep if off the bottom. But by varying the speed of your retrieve, the lipless crankbait can be effective in anywhere from 2 feet of water to extremely deep water.
Choosing the Perfect Crankbait
We talked a bit about choosing a crankbait based on depth, but there are more pieces to the crankbait puzzle. It’s also essential to consider the fishing conditions, such as water clarity, structure, time of year, and temperature, as well as the type of bait the bass are feeding on. Crankbaits come in various designs, each suited to different scenarios.
For instance, in clear water where bass are actively feeding, a brightly colored crankbait with realistic swimming action might be the best choice. On the other hand, in murky water or when the bass are less active, a crankbait with a larger profile and a rattling noise could be more effective.
Popular choices for targeting bass in ponds include natural colors like shad, crawfish, and bluegill, which mimic the bass’s natural prey. If you’re like me and you like to keep it simple, get two colors: shad and crawfish. A crankbait size ranging from 2 to 4 inches is usually effective for pond bass fishing.
For lipless crankbaits, the most popular option is the one-half-ounce in chrome with a blue back. But the other color you should consider having is crawfish. Those two options will flat out catch you fish when nothing else seems to work.
The key is to experiment with different colors, sizes, and designs until you find the perfect crankbait for your local pond conditions.
Mastering Bass Fishing with Crankbaits
Mastering the right techniques and strategies can significantly improve your success when bass fishing with crankbaits in ponds. Here, we’ll delve into effective casting and retrieving techniques, how to use crankbaits to mimic baitfish and trigger strikes, and tips for locating bass in ponds and targeting them with crankbaits.
Prime Times for Crankbaits
Crankbaits can catch bass year-round, but the prime times to throw these diving lures are spring, summer, and fall.
- Late Fall and Early Spring (Shallow Divers): In late fall and early spring in particular, when many bass are shallow, the shallow-diver is a good option. The short-bill (or square-bill) crankbait can be slowly cranked through shallow brush or retrieved at high speeds to tick the tops of submerged weed beds or deflect off of stumps and logs, imitating frantic baitfish behavior. (Expert tip: Consider 15- to 20-pound test due to the wear and tear of banging into cover.)
- Prespawn or Early Spring (Medium Divers): Assuming your body of water goes at least 7-10 feet deep, a medium diver help locate prespawn bass just offshore at dropoffs and other transition zones. If you shallow pond has a hard bottom, you might also consider bouncing one of these babies off the bottom.
- Post Spawn and Summertime (Deep Divers): For very deep bodies of water, use a deep diver to seek postspawn bass, targeting ledges, humps, and other deep anomalies. Use the same approach for summertime bass when the heat is on full blast.
Best Techniques and Strategies
Casting and Retrieval
The way you cast and retrieve your crankbait plays a vital role in its effectiveness. Try casting parallel to the shore or towards underwater structures such as fallen trees or weed beds. Remember that it may take a few cranks to get the lure down to your desired depth, so cast past your target zone to allow space and time to get down to the fish level.
Employ a steady retrieve with occasional pauses to simulate the movement of a wounded baitfish. Often the best technique is deflecting the lure off of objects like rocks, stumps or vegetation, or even off the bottom. Experiment with different speeds, depths, and pauses.
Triggering Strikes with Crankbaits
Crankbaits are excellent for imitating baitfish, a primary food source for bass. Choose a crankbait that closely mirrors the size and color of the prevalent baitfish in the pond. Varying your retrieval speed and depth can mimic the erratic movement of injured or fleeing baitfish, triggering aggressive strikes from bass. (Expert tip: Whenever possible, have your lure banging against the bottom or the cover you’re fishing. This is an aggressive move that could lead to lost lures, but this technique’s tendency to trigger strikes could make it worth the risk.)
Weather and Water Temperature
The crankbait works best in cloudy or windy conditions (or low-light conditions such as early morning or late evening). Calm, sunny days are a good time for leaving the crankbait in the tackle box. As mentioned, crankbaits are also at their best as water is warming in early spring or cooling in the fall, taking advantage of energetic bass willing to chase bait. You’ll get less of a chase in the cold wintertime.
In cold water, opt for a smaller, slower-moving crankbait with more subtle action to entice lethargic bass. In warm water, with bass more willing to chase baits, try an aggressive presentation with a larger, more active lure.
Locating and Targeting Bass
Knowing where bass are likely to be hiding is crucial when fishing in ponds. Look for areas with underwater structures, such as submerged logs or vegetation, which provide shelter and ambush points for bass. Once you’ve identified potential bass-holding spots, cast your crankbait around the area and retrieve it through the strike zone to entice bites.
Crankbaits of all types excel at covering a wide area in a short amount of time, making them ideal for fishing in ponds where bass may be scattered.
Fine Tune Your Crankbait Game
By employing these techniques, you can significantly boost your chances of successful bass fishing with crankbaits in ponds. Remember, the key is to experiment with different crankbaits, retrieval techniques, and locations to find what works best in your local pond. Happy fishing!
Sources
- Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Crankbaits — shopkarls.com
- Crankbait Fishing Secrets With Ott DeFoe: Tips for Catching More Fish — omniafishing.com
- Crankbait For Bass (The Ultimate Guide to Catch More Bass!) — krakenbass.com
- Crankbaiting 101 — ultimatebass.com
