Photo by Lynn Burkhead
February 04, 2025
By Mike Conner
As the name suggests, fishing this type of lure demands one thing simply: crank your reel handle.
In all fairness, there is just a bit more to it, in many cases. But the term crankbait basically refers to lures that have built-in action, and sometimes sound, and don’t require a lot of rod manipulation, or fancy moves and expertise on an angler’s part. Yet, there are definitely expert crankbait fishermen out there. Not to mention about a million crankbaits to choose from.
Have you been in a Bass Pro or other bass-oriented tackle shop lately? But “crankers” are great for saltwater species, too.
Many brands and models are fairly identical cosmetically. You need to know that some deliver a tight wiggle and others a wide wobble. The lip length and width, and the wideness of the lure body determine this.
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Do the Bump Over the years, I found that many of the strikes I’ve gotten on these baits came right after a “tap” that I assumed was a fish. Or, I figured a fish missed on the first swipe, and then grabbed the lure on a second pass. That might be the case, but then I came to realize that much of the time the diving lure had made contact with bottom, or structure such as a submerged tree, rocks, oyster bar, or a dock piling or bridge abutment.
I’ve since talked to anglers, including bass fishermen, who say the contact sends out a sound which the fish home in on. And many feel it triggers bass to attack. They actually target such structure to get the bite.
I can say with certainty that while night fishing with “mullet-style” lipped crankbaits around my favorite bridges in the St. Lucie River and nearly Indian River Lagoon, banging the abutments or concrete on purpose while retrieving the lure is a good plan. I am convinced it triggers strikes from fish that might only track the lure. Normally, the extended lip of the lure serves as the contact spot, it bounces away, and only the hooks can foul on the concrete. So you may hang up but not often. And then it’s just a matter of idling your boat upcurrent to free the lure.
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Use the Current Whether you fish crankbaits from the bank or a stationary boat, you’ll quickly see how current affects the depth of your lure, as will the lure’s distance from your rod tip. For certain a crankbait retrieved, or trolled, against tidal current will achieve greater depth. And it happens that it’s easier to troll against the current for the sake of boat control. It’s worth mentioning that achieving maximum depth is easier with light line. A crankbait fished on 10-pound-test braid will get deeper than with 20-pound line.
Sound Chambers Many anglers consider “silent” crankbaits versus rattling crankbaits, but the fact is a silent crankbait just by virtue of its wobbling action moves water so it sends out quite a bit of racket.
Many lipped and lipless baits have chambers with BBs or beads, and some have sophisticated sound baffles that allow water to pass through to create sound.
An old favorite bait of mine years ago—before the term crankbait was thrown around—was the Heddon Sonic, a plain-looking, roundish baitfish lure about the size of a half dollar that has a dorsal fin and a hookeye placed just forward of that fin. We fished it on Everglades canals for bass and discovered that it was a great trolling lure to search for fish concentrations. The thing vibrated so sharply that your rod tip thrummed and you could feel the vibrations down to the rod handle. It was deadly, and in time I used it for seatrout and snook in saltwater. It did not have internal sound-makers. The shape of the lure did it all.
Treble vs Single Hook If you aim to release your catches on crankbaits, you might consider switching the factory treble hood with single hooks. The best option is an inline hook, which has no offset in the bend, as circle hooks do. A circle hook, which is standard with natural and live baits nowadays, can find purchase in a striking fish’s mouth, but it’s felt that the inline design is best for lures “on the move.” Though you may not have quite the hookup ration that you have with trebles. Both Mustad and Owner offer inline hooks for this purpose. You might have to move up one or two hook sizes to maintain the hooking ability of the lure.
Another option, one that I always did over the years, is to simply snip one of three trebles with a good pair of snippers. It’s easier to unhook a fish with the two points. And, you don’t chance altering the built-in action of the lure that much. You might also consider squeezing down (not filing down) the barbs of the hooks, to lessen damage to the fish you release and for personal safety.
Rod Tricks You can change your rod angle and action to control your lure's depth and behavior. For example, techniques like "high-sticking" where you keep the rod tip high overhead to prevent snags will also make the lure stay a bit shallower in general. Popping your rod tip sharply can create sudden changes in direction. To make the “prey” appear to flee, a sharp pull and sweep of the rod does the trick.
Pausing your retrieve occasionally allows a crankbait to suspend or rise in the water column and that often triggers strikes from hesitant fish. Quick, sharp upward flicks of the rod tip makes the lure move more erratically to trigger fish. Sidearm “rod rips” speed the lure up take it deeper momentarily. These move can trigger a bite from otherwise hesitant fish.
You will quickly learn that using your rodtip to impart erratic action will create momentary slack, and that can lead to line fouling on the tip. It’s lessened by timing your reeling with rod action.
Top Choices for the Salt Not all crankbaits are suited for saltwater and especially big fish. The following examples have heavy-duty hooks and quality hardware for saltwater. This ½-ounce bait comes with saltwater-grade Mustad Triple Grip hooks and corrosion-resistant swivels. Other features include lipless design, free-floating beads for a loud rattling sound. Durable enough to bang into structure. Comes in eight color patterns.
With its L-shaped 90-degree bill, and relative buoyancy, you can confidently fish this crankbait over grassy bottom without excessive snagging. Comes in five colors. The ½-ounce model dives to 3 feet and the 1-ounce bait can reach 5 feet. Fitted with strong, Permasteel coated hooks for salt water.
This venerable crankbait was introduced in 1969 by Bill Lewis Lures. It might be the most popular lipless crankbait of all time. The Rat-L-Trap’s design created the category of lures now referred to as “rattle baits.” Available in many colors and patterns, in six sizes for both salt and fresh water. The most popular models include the Original Rat-L-Trap, Mini-Trap, Mag-Trap and Tiny Trap.
This sinking bait is designed for long casts, and delivers a wobbling action on fast, steady retrieves, and runs to 5 feet deep. Features include 4X-strong VMC tin-finish inline single hooks, holographic eyes, nine color patterns, 4 ¾- to 5 ½-inch lengths and 1 ¼- and 1 ⅞-inch weights.
This crankbait has been around a while, still popular among anglers The benchmark by which other crankbaits are measured fishing salty rivers, around jetties, bridges and more. This crankbait is made of premium balsa, it is equally effective cast or trolled, performing from ultra-slow presentations to super fast. Features include sharp VMC black nickel treble hooks https://www.rapala.com/us_en/vmc. This lightweight, 2-inch crankbait (3/16th ounce) floats at rest, yet has a running depth raffles from 4 to 9 feet.
