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Old 01-07-12, 01:11 PM   #1
keithdog
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Default Early spring and lipless cranks

In all my years of bass fishing, I never had any luck with lipless crankbaits, that is untill last year. And even then, it was limited success. But at least I caught a few on lipless cranks. My first two came within days of ice out in mid March. I basically was using a slower retrieve with an occational pump of the rod. I really don't know if this was the best retrieve for this bait in icy cold water or not. So I thought I would start a thread geared towards the basic skills of using lipless cranks. Primarily, I'm looking to hear how others work their lipless cranks in early spring after the lake ice has melted. Were talking very cold water conditions.
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Old 01-07-12, 05:03 PM   #2
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Not sure I can really help with using the right after ice out, as a fishing season limits when I can fish. But I had great luck fishing when the water was in the 40's. I tried a couple different ways, but ripping them out of grass with a mod-fast retrieve was awesome. Fishing a pretty small area, where they'd come before they moved up to spawn, I'd catch 10 fish in an hour. Red and yellow craw colors seemed to work the best!
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Old 01-07-12, 05:34 PM   #3
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Lipless baits have been one of my top producers the last few years in the early spring. Obviously in TX, my cold water is a little warmer than your cold water. I would normally fish them about like you describe, a semi slow retrieve with a pump every few turns. A lot of the time they will hit it on the slight drop after the pump. I did have some success burning the bait but generally I found a slower retrieve to work best. I pretty much always fish the bait with some pumps of the rod to get it to raise and drop. If you can get around grass and allow the bait to tick off the grass, all the better. I also had multiple occasions where a school would get fired up and you would catch a fish on consecutive casts, often for 8 or 10 fish.

My favorite baits are the XCalibur XR50 and the Redeye shad in 1/4 and 1/2oz sizes. I also had a lot of luck on the H20 lipless bait in the smaller, 3/8oz size. This was mainly in a shallower pond where the smaller size was necessary to keep the bait from balling up in the grass. Don't overlook line size to help you control depth.
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Old 01-07-12, 05:40 PM   #4
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Cold water here is generally not that cold. Usually fan cast with a steady retrieve. I have several different rattle configurations and silent depending on what the fish want and water clarity.
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Old 01-07-12, 07:03 PM   #5
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Cold water here is....well dam cold!
I use and really like lipless cranks. Fact is I catch more fish on a lipless than any other cranks I use.
There's the Yo-Yo, better or more effective from boat than shore.
This is really just a variation of common lipless techniques but for cold water or ice out water this is how I do it.
Cast, usually long cast. When lure hits I let it semi-freefall down to bottom or very close depending on vegatation, kind of like a flutter spoon. When desired depth is reached I'll snap the line usually a couple of times and as I reel in the line picking up the created slack the tip of my pole goes actively towards the water. I will then slow crank it back as slow as possible and while reeling I'm slowly bringing the rod tip back towards me, ethier vertically or horizontally. When the tip reaches 12 oclock (vertical) or 3 0r 9 oclock (horizontal). I will then bring the rod tip back to pointing directly at the water letting lure fall again on semi slack line. Then when desired starting position is reached again do the reeling method described. 8 out of 10 times the strike comes right at the time the lure hesitates or on the early down flutter.
What alot of people forget is there is no lip to keep lure from rising when reeling in. And it will rise with no exception purely from the angle of rod tip to lure tie. (Your above the water the lure is below).
Bonus, you can cover alot of water in a short amount of time.
I hope this helps. Varying retrieve speeds during a reel back is a very usefull technique and the pause and drop is deadly.
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Old 01-08-12, 01:31 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedog View Post
Cold water here is....well dam cold!
I use and really like lipless cranks. Fact is I catch more fish on a lipless than any other cranks I use.
There's the Yo-Yo, better or more effective from boat than shore.
This is really just a variation of common lipless techniques but for cold water or ice out water this is how I do it.
Cast, usually long cast. When lure hits I let it semi-freefall down to bottom or very close depending on vegatation, kind of like a flutter spoon. When desired depth is reached I'll snap the line usually a couple of times and as I reel in the line picking up the created slack the tip of my pole goes actively towards the water. I will then slow crank it back as slow as possible and while reeling I'm slowly bringing the rod tip back towards me, ethier vertically or horizontally. When the tip reaches 12 oclock (vertical) or 3 0r 9 oclock (horizontal). I will then bring the rod tip back to pointing directly at the water letting lure fall again on semi slack line. Then when desired starting position is reached again do the reeling method described. 8 out of 10 times the strike comes right at the time the lure hesitates or on the early down flutter.
What alot of people forget is there is no lip to keep lure from rising when reeling in. And it will rise with no exception purely from the angle of rod tip to lure tie. (Your above the water the lure is below).
Bonus, you can cover alot of water in a short amount of time.
I hope this helps. Varying retrieve speeds during a reel back is a very usefull technique and the pause and drop is deadly.
Here here! I second that reply. As soon as the tm hits the water the first thing I'm tossing is a Red Eye Shad. Varying retrieves until I find what the fish want (they speak to me ). Most often either a steady retrieve with short jerks or burning it. When I say burning I mean it. I've had em strike at the boat and come out of the water beside the boat bringing it up to toss back in. I like dancing with the big ones......
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Old 01-08-12, 10:20 AM   #7
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the best luck ive ever had with em is when i leave em at the house
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Old 01-08-12, 02:34 PM   #8
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well i don't fish when it's REALLY cold, lol. but when i do go out and the water si still a little frosty i use the rip and the yo-yo technique alot. sometimes i'll slow roll it along the grass edge. or let it fall down a rock face, pull up and let it fall again. maybe that's a slow yo-yo.lol.
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Old 01-08-12, 03:06 PM   #9
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Keith I am a big fan of lipless crankbaits. In fact it is my confidence bait when I see shad busting the surface. I have caught several big fish on a lipless crankbait including an 8lber on the day before Christmas eve 6 or 7 years ago. In cold water I like to either have a slow retrieve with the occasional pop of the rod tip. Or letting it sink to the bottom and work it back to the boat by lifting the rod tip and letting it fall back to the bottom. The last retrieve works best on flats that don't have much cover to get hung up in though.
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Old 01-10-12, 04:28 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedog View Post
Cold water here is....well dam cold!
I use and really like lipless cranks. Fact is I catch more fish on a lipless than any other cranks I use.
There's the Yo-Yo, better or more effective from boat than shore.
This is really just a variation of common lipless techniques but for cold water or ice out water this is how I do it.
Cast, usually long cast. When lure hits I let it semi-freefall down to bottom or very close depending on vegatation, kind of like a flutter spoon. When desired depth is reached I'll snap the line usually a couple of times and as I reel in the line picking up the created slack the tip of my pole goes actively towards the water. I will then slow crank it back as slow as possible and while reeling I'm slowly bringing the rod tip back towards me, ethier vertically or horizontally. When the tip reaches 12 oclock (vertical) or 3 0r 9 oclock (horizontal). I will then bring the rod tip back to pointing directly at the water letting lure fall again on semi slack line. Then when desired starting position is reached again do the reeling method described. 8 out of 10 times the strike comes right at the time the lure hesitates or on the early down flutter.
What alot of people forget is there is no lip to keep lure from rising when reeling in. And it will rise with no exception purely from the angle of rod tip to lure tie. (Your above the water the lure is below).
Bonus, you can cover alot of water in a short amount of time.
I hope this helps. Varying retrieve speeds during a reel back is a very usefull technique and the pause and drop is deadly.
agree sir.

you don't need to fish a lipless really fast in early spring. i'm in iowa so i know the cold water you are fishing. i would guess that in sub 45 degree water the majority of your strikes will come when the lure is in free fall. that's for me at least. burning them works REALLY well in the summer.
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Old 01-10-12, 09:37 PM   #11
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Keith, i agree with the above from Joe Dog ...& letting hit bottom & pumping like a silver buddy....
Once winter & the spawn is over Red Eyed shads rock when burned.. my 12 year son Cole whooped my butt with one( we only had 1) he caught 22 bass by burning it over submerged grass beds in the summer & early fall.... I then went to Tackle Warehouse & purchased 10 of them... lol...they do work.. they are killer in prespawn when bass move up.. cast from the mouth of coves to the center and fan cast using the pumping technique from above.. you will be a happy camper.
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Old 01-10-12, 10:07 PM   #12
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Keith, I can't start bass fishing till the end of April, so this won't apply to the time frame you're asking about.
I really started throwin lipless cranks 2 seasons ago, and it's become one of my favorite baits in Spring/early Summer.
Spro Aruku Shad is by far my favorite and Green Shiner my best color.

I LOVE using them on Otter Lake, due to the sandy dropoffs. I park up in the shallows and cast out beyond the dropoffs. Once that crank starts bouncin up the dropoff, the bass just hammer it. Whenever I see the bass suspending in those areas, I know exactly what I'm going to throw
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Old 01-10-12, 11:07 PM   #13
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I've never caught a fish on a lipless crankbait. I've only thrown the old Rattle-traps and some cheap Cotton-Cordura brands.

Questions:
1. Do you feel there is a big difference in brands?
2. Spring usually means clear water for me, what colors would you use?
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Old 01-11-12, 12:20 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IowaBasser View Post
I've never caught a fish on a lipless crankbait. I've only thrown the old Rattle-traps and some cheap Cotton-Cordura brands.

Questions:
1. Do you feel there is a big difference in brands?
2. Spring usually means clear water for me, what colors would you use?

I do feel there is a difference between brands. One of the things I like about Spro's Aruku Shad, is that it's designed to come to rest on the bottom, nose down. I've seen it in action. I was hauling one back in one day, when I noticed a bass hauling arse after it. The bass saw me, and locked up the brakes like a deer had run out in front of it. I let the bait sit a couple seconds and started reeling it back in. The bass went for broke and nailed the bait lol.

All the water around here is gin clear. I'd recommend the Green Shiner above all else. The Blue Shiner, Firetiger and perch have also caught fish. The Green Shiner has been the best for me though.

On the subject of Cotton Cordell, the only bait I've ever had any luck with was the Jointed Grappler Shad, but oddly enough, I've had lots of luck with that in Black/Chrome
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Old 01-11-12, 12:24 AM   #15
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BPS has one, can't remember the name, but it's one of their in-house xps baits.
Gimmicky, but cool. There's 3 different points on it's back, that you can tie off to.
Each point controls the depth it runs.
I've had some success with it, but not really enough to brag about
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Old 01-11-12, 08:00 AM   #16
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I appreciate all the comments for y'all. I'll be making plans for this early spring to have one tied on and keep all these comments in mind. Thanks again.
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Old 01-11-12, 11:18 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MallenManson View Post
BPS has one, can't remember the name, but it's one of their in-house xps baits.
Gimmicky, but cool. There's 3 different points on it's back, that you can tie off to.
Each point controls the depth it runs.
I've had some success with it, but not really enough to brag about
I think you are referring to a Blade Bait, everyone remember the original Sonar blade bait? These originally came out long before the liples crank craze probably 30 years ago. Now that liples cranks have become popular there is a resurgance of the blade baits.
There is a fair amount of difference between brands of liples but the major differences is usually in how the bait free falls as opposed to ripping or steady retrieve. I use alot of Rattlin Rapplas due to good results, cost(loose alot to pike) and color selection. Some use different metal for rattle sound and now you have sinking (the norm), suspending, floating and probably some that do everything. Blade baits are good too, especially if your looking for a smaller profile.
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Old 01-11-12, 11:24 AM   #18
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Default Cotton Cordell

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Originally Posted by MallenManson View Post
On the subject of Cotton Cordell, the only bait I've ever had any luck with was the Jointed Grappler Shad, but oddly enough, I've had lots of luck with that in Black/Chrome
Cotton Cordell makes the "Wally Diver" (a long lip crank bait with a slow wobble) ...it's traditionally thought of as a walleye bait. It's my father's go-to bait when it comes to trolling for Walleye. He catches more bass with it than walleye, but that's due to the unbalanced fish population. I have tied a Walley-Diver on a couple of times to cast for bass and have done surprisingly well with it.
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Old 01-11-12, 11:33 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedog View Post
I think you are referring to a Blade Bait, everyone remember the original Sonar blade bait? These originally came out long before the liples crank craze probably 30 years ago. Now that liples cranks have become popular there is a resurgance of the blade baits.
There is a fair amount of difference between brands of liples but the major differences is usually in how the bait free falls as opposed to ripping or steady retrieve. I use alot of Rattlin Rapplas due to good results, cost(loose alot to pike) and color selection. Some use different metal for rattle sound and now you have sinking (the norm), suspending, floating and probably some that do everything. Blade baits are good too, especially if your looking for a smaller profile.

Nope, it's a lipless crankbait.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...t/45154/104142
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Old 01-11-12, 11:34 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IowaBasser View Post
Cotton Cordell makes the "Wally Diver" (a long lip crank bait with a slow wobble) ...it's traditionally thought of as a walleye bait. It's my father's go-to bait when it comes to trolling for Walleye. He catches more bass with it than walleye, but that's due to the unbalanced fish population. I have tied a Walley-Diver on a couple of times to cast for bass and have done surprisingly well with it.

I picked up a couple wally divers on clearance one time.
Used em a little, but with no luck.
Maybe I'll have to give em another chance
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Old 01-11-12, 11:34 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedog View Post
I think you are referring to a Blade Bait, everyone remember the original Sonar blade bait? These originally came out long before the liples crank craze probably 30 years ago.
Me and a buddy went to Table Rock Lake in Missouri over spring break one March. I was 21 years old and that was 21 years ago - (I'm 42 now.) The only bass I caught the entire trip was on a Sonar bade bait, and it had been in my tackle box ever since I could remember, at least 10 years. I originally got it out of my Dad's tackle box and he said I could have it 'cause it was old then... Add that all together and the Sonar has been around for at least 40 years!

P.S. That was the only fish I ever caught on that bait. The only reason I tied it on was because we were trying to snag a beaver swimming in the area and the Sonar had big treble hooks and was the lure I least cared if I lost. Oh the stupid things we do when we're young!
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Old 01-11-12, 11:40 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MallenManson View Post
I picked up a couple wally divers on clearance one time.
Used em a little, but with no luck.
Maybe I'll have to give em another chance
FYI: I've had good luck with the Wally Diver when the bass were also biting on flukes. It was a good bait to alternate with a fluke (a fluke on one rod and a Wally Diver on a second rod.) ...I would troll along casting towards shore into 6 to 8 feet of water. I could fish a lot of water with the Wally Diver and slow down and really pick-apart a specific piece of structure with the fluke.
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Old 01-11-12, 11:42 AM   #23
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Quote:
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You are right I'm sorry. The blade baits have the three option tri-holes just like the one you showed.
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Old 01-11-12, 11:56 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IowaBasser View Post
FYI: I've had good luck with the Wally Diver when the bass were also biting on flukes. It was a good bait to alternate with a fluke (a fluke on one rod and a Wally Diver on a second rod.) ...I would troll along casting towards shore into 6 to 8 feet of water. I could fish a lot of water with the Wally Diver and slow down and really pick-apart a specific piece of structure with the fluke.

Thanks!
And I just realized I'm getting low on Aruku Shads!
I don't throw them on DuBonnet anymore....
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Old 01-17-12, 12:50 AM   #25
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Default Bass Pro Shops® XPS® Tri-Vibe Crankbait

Quote:
Originally Posted by MallenManson View Post
BPS has one, can't remember the name, but it's one of their in-house xps baits.
Gimmicky, but cool. There's 3 different points on it's back, that you can tie off to.
Each point controls the depth it runs.
I've had some success with it, but not really enough to brag about
I think this is the lipless Mallen is referring to the Bass Pro Shops® XPS® Tri-Vibe Crankbait. Here's the link http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...ct/45154/62605
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