crankbaits

[csparks643]

i dont know much about them, when should i fish them, were should i fish them, what colors should i buy, and what brand of crankbait should i buy

[csparks643]

i have prob 10 shallow and 10 deep, id like to upgrade my crankbait selection, most are rapalas and a few bombers, and bandits, thanks

[BanditMan]

I like Bandits. Change the hooks out, Buy some in crawfish colors and in shad patterns. Keep some stock with the rattles and drill out some others and epoxy over and keep em silent. You can mess with the bills and change the wobble big time +or-. Good Luck, and don't just toss em out and reel them in.

[skinny]

you can fish a crankbait year round, except during the spawn. there is a time around the spawn when plastics will out fish a crankbait. as Banditman said, dont just throw and reel. try to bounce it off everything you can hit every cast. also change your retrieve speeds until you catch one. colors: muddy water/red, stained/chart&black and for clear water i like shad patterns(threadfin/gizzard). luckycraft,excalibur and bandits are good shallow baits. DD22's, DT series and strike king have some good deep water baits..

[Dakota Kid]

Flat sided cranks work well in the cold water esp. in the spring. Something that has a wide wobble. Bomber makes some great flat sided cbs. Crank them just enough to bump objects and to put a little bounce in your rod tip. Remember one thing, like all other baits with dozens of color schemes, Stay simple. Bill Dance or some other big shot wrote that fish key in on the biveration or the surprise more than the color. Little variations sometimes will work, but I have found that they will or they won't hit a cb. Skinny hit a key point to as far as colors. Stay with that and just keep working them.

You can give 10 men the same bait and only 1 will catch the fish. Confidence is the biggest key.

[wishniwasfishn]

You can give 10 men the same bait and only 1 will catch the fish. Confidence is the biggest key.

Not a truer sentence spoken. I have one bait I use in fall, and it catches a ton of fish, the Strike King Series 4S, has a wide wobble, runs 2'-4' I use the shad with a chartreuse back.

[Cobra190]

I prefer Bandits, usually in the 200 and 300 series. And # 5 and #7 Rapala's work great also when a tighter running bait fits the bill. White is another color to add to any arsenal. I have had good success with Bandits in Mistake, Tenn. Shad, Rootbeer / Chart. and Pineapple.

[HawgHunter75]

whichever type you choose, I would suggest changing the hooks out as well. I personally go with a size or two bigger than what comes on them, just my opinion, but it seems to help me keep the fish on--not as many get off with the larger hooks.

[csparks643]

thanks alot guys

[offdtop]

Should I fish them? Well they have their place and you have to fish where you like to fish aka 1-4ft, 4-8ft. 8+. As far as different types the bandits are great out of the package i just can't stand the mustad triple grip hooks they use! Try the normans "thin N" in lavender Shad i have 5 different friend who now have an abundace of these due to me showing them how well they perform around shad schools. Don't just buy a crankbait because they are pretty sometimes the best colors are just one color, more times than not 2 colors like Chartruese with blue back or purple when the water is colored or deeper, splatterback works great for shallower. Red in the early sping to match crawdads, but all around try the Normans Thin N and put some bandit 100, 200 & 300 series in Rootbeer and Chartruese Rootbeer (especially the bandits) and go for it!

[Mean Morone]

If you want to mimic shad, then I would have some Gizz 3' or Gizz 4's by Smack Tackle. You wont find a lure that is more realistic.