Shallow Crankbaits

[Central Bassman]

Hey guys just wondering what u guys think is the best crankbait for around dock and between them. I love flipping dock and need a good crankbait to cover some more water and catch fish. I like the DT's and the Luckycraft RC 1.5. Just wondering what you guys like to use???

[I Bass SLAY3R I]

Both of those are great choices but my particular favorite would have to be the Rapala X-rap. this lure has produced some great fish the last two years. I mainly use it in water less than 5 ft in an erotic and slow retrieve.

Also the new smaller x-rap would be a good lure to try out.

[st.crioxfishin]

I like mann's 1-minus in the summer months with the wide wobble, with the water temps beggining to drop you may want to find something with a tighter wobble to it IMO. Something like a rat'l trap has always produced for me in the fall.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

St.croixfishin took words right out of my mouth... Ive had great luck on the Manns baby -1 and -4 cranks. Also, The lipless cranks are always a great shallow bait. Even when the fish dont want anything else it seems you can usually get a few reaction strikes.

[Deitz Dittrich]

There are a ton of cranks out there for sure...As Mr.Downy said, the Manns -1 is a great crank in the summer because of its very wide wobble and very boyant. As water temps drop, like he said you would be better off choosing a crank with a slightly tighter wobble. I like the Bandit 100 or the Cabelas Dig it. I also like flat side cranks as the water temp drops.. If you can find shallow divers that are flat on the side, those usually have the tightest wobble. Poe's made some great ones years ago.. not sure if they still make them. And traps are always good in the fall!

[montanagriz]

Another shallow-running crank I like is the Excalibur "Bill Dance" Swimmin Image. It runs right around 1-2 ft. deep and has a little bit tighter wobble than the Baby-1.

[blakjack23]

Quote:

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I mainly use it in water less than 5 ft in an erotic and slow retrieve.

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How do you retrieve a lure slow and erotic? Do you do some kind of slow dance when you reel it in?

Personally I use the x-rap with a slow and erAtic retrieve.

[Bobby Bass]

How do you retrieve a lure slow and erotic? Do you do some kind of slow dance when you reel it in?

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I have heard of dressing your lures but this bring a whole new meaning to it.

[Guest]

SHALLOW CRANK BAITS

The one bait i can't go out without ! People that know me will soon find out that i'm a cranking fool .I throw cranks where most people would never think of tossing one. in a good year i spend allot of my winter hours stripping and painting my baits to mach the bait fish in a certain lake. I even will tweak with the front eye sometimes to make the bait swim left or right to make it swim under docks and pontoons or into dock posts. I agree with Deitz when it comes to Bandits i would add a footloose for throwing in wood and shallow weeds it dive 1' and is a great lure to skim the surface with . a bandit 100 is allways my go to bait in 1-4 feet of water. A bandit 200 is great working down brakes to 10 feet. Poes are also a great crank in clear water the best thing is no rattles in the old ones.I really feel that fishing pressured water fish will react to a silent lure.The last thing i want to mention is the retrieve make your lure swim the way a bait fish dose a steady retrieve is not the way fish swim so try different retrieves and remember to pause that crank on the way in.You will be surprised at the fish you catch.

CHISAGO DOCK SITTER

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have fished with Jeffery(chisago dock sitter), this man does not lie. The best crankbait fisher I know.. hands down! He has taught me a lot about running cranks for sure.

[Jig Master]

The Mann's one minus is definitley one of my favs. If you're just fancasting a shallow flat and trying to cover water nothing beats it. I had several 50 fish days this winter on Okeechobee just casting it through fields of dead cattails. Most of the fish were around 14" but I'd get a three-five pounder here and there and was fortunate to bust one on it a little over 9lbs. When it bit in that shallow water it looked like someone flushed a toilet. If the water's a little deeper the bandit 100 is the way to go and if you're bumping your bait off of stumps, laydowns, docks, etc. then I think it's tough to beat the 04' classic winning bait a bagley's balsa b2.

[Wayne Ek]

My first choice is usually the Big O then the Mann's -1.

[Central Bassman]

Hey Guys. Thanks for all the Feedback ..... AGAPE whats the BIG O??? What do u guys think is the best retrieve or do u let the fish tell u want they wont??

[Jig Master]

With a 1 minus I have only had success with either a fast or faster retrieve speed. Slow is not for these baits. Also, a key to triggering strikes can be to jerk or pop the bait a little bit when it's passing a key ambush zone.

[grab the net]

How about with the mid minus one. Anybody use these, they are just a little bigger than the baby minus one. 2 3/4 inches long. Bigger profile, dives about the same depth.

What are your favorite colors - Clear water - Off color

[Jig Master]

The Mid 1 minus is a good bait too, especially if the water is dingier and there's good size fish in the system. As far as color I shouldn't be divulging all my secrets but far and away the best color in my opinion if the water is slightly stained all the way to dirty is one called splatterback sunfish. It's a blue back chartreuse sides and belly. That one is number one no doubt. Another good color in clearer water is brown crawfish that has a brown back and orange belly. I have about five more colors in my box but mostly they just collect dust.

[Central Bassman]

What do you guys think of the Luckycraft Crankbaits, They are gettting alot of hype from the pro and alot of press from stores????

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I had great luck fishing a suspending pointer today. I only own a few of the pointers that I picked up at a pretty low price. I dont think I could see myself purchasing too many lucky crafts at regular price.