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Old 02-27-13, 10:33 PM   #1
keithdog
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Default A thought about lipless cranks.

It's well established and common knowledge that a lipless crank is a go-to prespawn lure, especially in cold water. Right after ice out and through the prespawn period, lipless cranks are always one of the baits that are recommended by many experienced anglers. The question though is why?
To me, it just makes no sense. I mean, it works, but why does it work?

After ice out here in the north, jerkbaits like the Lucky Craft Pointer and the Rattlin Rouge shine because bass are still rather lethargic and not wanting to chase down their target. A jerkbait can be worked very slowly with a couple short jerks and then left to suspend for long periods of time allowing the lethargic bass to take the bait.

Jigs are also a bigtime early spring bait for bass. Big and slow, I hear it all the time. Cast it out and crawl it back slowly, maybe giving it a twitch now and then. It gets the basses attention and it's slow movments works perfectly with early spring cold water application.

And then there are lipless cranks which don't seem to fall into this catagory of early spring baits. They fall like a rock, can't suspend, and are worked quickly through grassbeds, while being ripped when snagged on the tips of the grass. This is hardly a cold water slow applications. Rather, it is a lure that is worked rather fast, either reeled straight in, or yo yo the bait back to the boat. Lift, fast fall, over and over. Something you would expect to use in warmer water for reaction bites. They are hardly the typical cold water slow suspending type bait one would expect to use. And yet they work. The question is why? If you can work a fast moving lipless crank, ripping it through the grass beds, why then do we want to work a hard bodied jerkbait so slowly? Why crawl a jig instead of quick hops and fast crawls?
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Old 02-27-13, 11:47 PM   #2
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Excellent question Keith! I'm stumped myself other than simply saying it's a pure reaction bite. Curious to see what others have to say myself!

If you're a BASS member, might be a good Q&A thing to send to the pros!
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Old 02-28-13, 10:23 AM   #3
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Excellent question Keith! I'm stumped myself other than simply saying it's a pure reaction bite.
I agree with that.

They'll even work in the dead of winter, you just have to put it right in their face. Something about that tight wiggle puts them over the edge, even when they can barely move.
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Old 02-28-13, 04:00 PM   #4
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My "guess" is that a lipless crankbait produces one of the largest vibrations of any bait. So in a sense, the bass senses it coming from a long way off. Which, in its more sluggish state gives it the just right amount of time to react to it.

Just a dumb theory.
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Old 02-28-13, 04:16 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by nofearengineer View Post
My "guess" is that a lipless crankbait produces one of the largest vibrations of any bait. So in a sense, the bass senses it coming from a long way off. Which, in its more sluggish state gives it the just right amount of time to react to it.

Just a dumb theory.
It's a good theory. That theory also explains why the wiggle wart works in the spring; however you would then think a spinnerbait would be a good spring-time lure as well.
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Old 02-28-13, 04:44 PM   #6
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In these TVA lakes, most guys here do pretty well fishing a Rattle Trap like a jig in early spring. Let it sink to the bottom and rip it upward a couple feet and then sink back down. I've seen some good stringers in March and early April doing this.
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Old 02-28-13, 05:26 PM   #7
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however you would then think a spinnerbait would be a good spring-time lure as well.
Man, I KNEW someone was going to say that!

I have not caught a lot of fish on a spinnerbait, but I still throw them a lot, and think about how they work all the time.

More dumb theory and WAG's:

With a spinnerbait, the blades wind up being more about depth control at a certain retrieve speed; i.e. willow blades for burning and Colorado blades for slow-rolling. Everyone who's ever retrieved a big-bladed spinnerbait too fast knows what I'm talking about. The vibration is pretty much just a bonus, but unless you're in extremely silty water (paper bag brown? ), it's a mostly visual reaction bait.

A trap (a floater, anyway) tends to run at a more consistent depth, and its action doesn't change much, regardless of retrieve speed.

Someone else chime in. This is interesting.
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Old 02-28-13, 07:05 PM   #8
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Tossem up on shelf ice then drag off it wont go far,never could figure that one out either but it works.Oh yeah rocket red.
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Old 02-28-13, 07:05 PM   #9
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It's a good theory. That theory also explains why the wiggle wart works in the spring; however you would then think a spinnerbait would be a good spring-time lure as well.
They are for me.
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Old 02-28-13, 07:14 PM   #10
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Well in my opinion there isn't ONE thing that makes them cold water friendly.
First with a lipless you can really cover ALL depths. You can cast and let it sink before retrieve. Literally count down till your at the depth you want and then slowly retrieve it.
If you retrieve to fast, simply stop and let it sink back to wanted depth. Makes it possible to find suspenders from bottom huggers all the way up to buzzing across surface.
Stroke and drop retrieve, very good in cold water. Dieing shad actually try to swim up at death or during their final struggle and than flutter back to bottom.

The lipless has a great 'flutter' fall, (some better than others) which mimics a shad that died fluttering back down. Why they work in winter months too.
Spring/winter bottoms are a lot cleaner hence you don't get constant small strands of vegetation hooking one or more of the trebles. This allows for MY favorite spring retrieve, pop and lay.(dead stick) Shad when dieing again will a lot of times lay on bottom, then after awhile will make that dieing flutter we've all seen in the minnow bucket.

When there is vegetation the rip and drop also works great.
You also can slow retrieve it across the bottom letting it kick up 'dirt' but in cold water to much is usually not a good thing. So if you like this retrierve you don't want to work it like a square bill crank (unless you want a lot of turbulence).

Another thing about spring cold water is that a small increase in water temp. (sometimes as little as 2-3 degree rise) can turn the bite on tremendously, more so than almost any other time of year. So if the bass start to be active and go on a feeding frenzy and are acting on a reaction bite, you again have it covered.
Like was already mentioned the rattles allow the bass to 'anticipate' an on coming meal and set up to engulf it. With that said, the 'one' knockers sometimes is better and really the only time 'I' see a value to them because less is usually best in cold water. Plus the bait fish are sluggish too, hence making less noise.

So the reason 'I' feel they are cold water friendly is the fantastic multiple presentations along with the ability to work the whole water column effectively.
They also cross all areas of the country because they actually maybe the most versatile 'crank' made. Very versatile. So many ways to fish them.

One thing I also feel is if you like a straight constant speed reterve you should experiment with hesitating or stop and go retreive. Don't have to pause long if you don't want to but that slight hesitation a lot of times is when the bite comes in cold water.

It's meant to be a good search bait. And the search is usually hardest in cold water.
You can fish high, low... fast, slow...pop and drop...constant retreive or hesitating retreive.
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Old 02-28-13, 07:14 PM   #11
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It's a good theory. That theory also explains why the wiggle wart works in the spring; however you would then think a spinnerbait would be a good spring-time lure as well.
A spinnerbait is a good springtime lure, and a good summer/fall/winter lure

Re" Traps I can only guess that most people that throw them in cold pre-spawn water are targeting the key depths and locations where pre-spawn fish are known to be to begin with so right away their odds go up. Further they probably have the best luck when hopping them off the bottom (jig like) this makes Bryces "loudest" theory plausible. I'm not a huge fan of lipless stuff in general but I know that I have the most bites on the slow lift and fall technique and seem to get bit on the fall.

Bryans tight wiggle theory has merit as well since tight wigglin cranks like SR"s are famous for catching cold water fish...howbeit silent.

If there is such a thing as a definitive answer to a question like this I'd love to hear it. Then again it may be alright to just accept their effectiveness at face value. (Ever ask someone what time it is just to have them go into a 3 hour discourse on how clocks work)
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Old 02-28-13, 07:45 PM   #12
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i have found if i throw them at the mouth of creeks they work . seems thats where they are staging for the spawn haven't done well back in the creeks once they move up. quess i am putting right in front of them and it is a reaction bite
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Old 02-28-13, 07:46 PM   #13
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In these TVA lakes, most guys here do pretty well fishing a Rattle Trap like a jig in early spring. Let it sink to the bottom and rip it upward a couple feet and then sink back down. I've seen some good stringers in March and early April doing this.
Exactly!!! Fish it the same way you would a Silver Buddy.


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Old 02-28-13, 08:50 PM   #14
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This has been interresting. Fishing it like a jig, a slow lift and fall would slow it down somewhat. Still a bit fast for whats often suggested in very cold water, but maybe like Bryce mentioned, the vibration telegraphs the lures approach so that bass are ready to pounce on it as it nears. My other thought regarding ripping it through the grass...the lure snagging on the grass is going to slow it down as well. But I still can't see why a cold water bass would strike it if it's ripped away. I always hear the pros talk about early spring bass looking for big "easy" meals. Thats says slow presentation to me, which "ripping" is not. Maybe we just underestimate how quickly a bass will react in cold water.
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Old 03-01-13, 01:19 PM   #15
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Spinnerbaits are popular baits as well for spring. Heavy guys you can slow-roll across the bottom especially. My first spinnerbait fish was caught this way in spring.

As for lipless cranks, I don't why they work, but they do. They've been my most productive bait over the past couple spring seasons.

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Old 03-01-13, 02:02 PM   #16
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I believe, as some of you have suggested that the biggest factor in the bait’s cold water success is the bass's ability to detect the bait coming and set up for it. My dad has a pond full of very well educated bass and the only bait that I could consistently catch them in 30 something degree water was the lipless crankbait. I found that I would have to throw into the wind and at times make at least 15-20 casst in just one spot where I knew the bass were hanging out before I would catch one. I would have to use a slow swimming/yo yo retrieve. I believe the bass were not chasing the bait at all, they were setting up for it but even then I would have to bring straight to them. Even a couple feet to the left or the right would make a difference possible explaining why I would have to make so many casts to an area.
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Old 03-01-13, 07:41 PM   #17
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I believe, as some of you have suggested that the biggest factor in the bait’s cold water success is the bass's ability to detect the bait coming and set up for it. My dad has a pond full of very well educated bass and the only bait that I could consistently catch them in 30 something degree water was the lipless crankbait. I found that I would have to throw into the wind and at times make at least 15-20 casst in just one spot where I knew the bass were hanging out before I would catch one. I would have to use a slow swimming/yo yo retrieve. I believe the bass were not chasing the bait at all, they were setting up for it but even then I would have to bring straight to them. Even a couple feet to the left or the right would make a difference possible explaining why I would have to make so many casts to an area.
That's another good clarification with a good example of what may be going on. I think we are onto an answer!
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Old 03-01-13, 10:24 PM   #18
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I believe, as some of you have suggested that the biggest factor in the bait’s cold water success is the bass's ability to detect the bait coming and set up for it. My dad has a pond full of very well educated bass and the only bait that I could consistently catch them in 30 something degree water was the lipless crankbait. I found that I would have to throw into the wind and at times make at least 15-20 casst in just one spot where I knew the bass were hanging out before I would catch one. I would have to use a slow swimming/yo yo retrieve. I believe the bass were not chasing the bait at all, they were setting up for it but even then I would have to bring straight to them. Even a couple feet to the left or the right would make a difference possible explaining why I would have to make so many casts to an area.
D do you happen to recall what other baits you cast to that exact spot that they rejected?
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Old 03-02-13, 12:59 AM   #19
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Not sure why they work, but I did read someplace a pretty good theory as to why red is such a productive color this time of year:

When the big girls start getting ready to spawn and are full of eggs they have an increased need for iodine, and apparently red craws have a lot of iodine so they key on the red color.

Not sure if this is correct or not but it makes sense to me.
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Old 03-02-13, 04:19 AM   #20
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I knew I put my foot in my mouth when I said spinnerbaits weren't good spring baits. I've done ok on them when some of the bass have moved shallow, way before spawning. Spring is a tough time for me to catch fish on anything until the water gets in the mid 50s.
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Old 03-02-13, 10:43 AM   #21
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I knew I put my foot in my mouth when I said spinnerbaits weren't good spring baits. I've done ok on them when some of the bass have moved shallow, way before spawning. Spring is a tough time for me to catch fish on anything until the water gets in the mid 50s.
I have a suggestion for you to try. I'm a big spinnerbait guy, but in my area waters, they are only so so right after ice out. However, a chatterbait works great! If you havn't gave them a try in early spring, you should. I work mine by just slowly working it just fast enough to keep it off the bottom. Once the water temps hit 50 degrees or above, the spinnerbait then takes over.
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Old 03-02-13, 03:50 PM   #22
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Another +1 on the reaction bite.

I tend to fish em on drops (casting from the shallows) as well as casting from the shallows out past reeds.
The drops tend to kick up a lot of commotion and the Bass just don't want to let that bait get back in the reeds.

Then again, this could work for several types of baits.

Definitely my go to bait once season opens up
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Old 03-03-13, 03:06 AM   #23
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I have a suggestion for you to try. I'm a big spinnerbait guy, but in my area waters, they are only so so right after ice out. However, a chatterbait works great! If you havn't gave them a try in early spring, you should. I work mine by just slowly working it just fast enough to keep it off the bottom. Once the water temps hit 50 degrees or above, the spinnerbait then takes over.
Thanks! I will certainly give that a try. Last year was the first time I fished a chatter bait. It worked early in the year, but I fished it much higher in the water colum. I will try it slower and deeper early in the year!
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Old 03-03-13, 02:03 PM   #24
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D do you happen to recall what other baits you cast to that exact spot that they rejected?
Mostly some of my other cold water go-to baits like a fat albert grub on a jighead, shakey head, spinnerbait or small jig
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Old 03-04-13, 11:21 AM   #25
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This time of year you cant beat a thin profile, a tight wiggle, in any color. The only thing better would be if they were in a tight fuzzy sweater and aggressive.

I throw traps all day, any day, any time of the year. I have gotten 10" fish on magnum traps and 7-8 pounders on mini traps. Hot, cold, indifferent, bass absolutely love them.
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