Shallow cranking can be an exceptionally productive tactic all year long, but it’s especially deadly for catching big fish and big bags at this time of year. During the prespawn, you can often lock a crankbait in your hand and expect to get bit, whether you’re fishing a grass lake, a rock highland lake or even shellbars.
The great thing about this technique is it’s often not terribly hard to get dialed in. You don’t need ultra-specialized or expensive equipment. You probably already have everything you need. You don’t necessarily even need advanced electronics. What you need to do is get out there right now before the first groups of bass go on the beds.
No matter where you’re fishing, one thing I always look for is riprap, especially around bridges. That produces current and usually has some sort of channel, all of which congregates baitfish. Fish it all, but there will usually be a few high percentage spots, like points and areas where the deep water swings closest to the rocks. Get in tight and parallel the riprap with a Strike King KVD 1.5 or the Gravel Dawg. Those two crankbaits will go a long way this time of year just about anywhere in the country.
On grass lakes, two of my favorite lures are the Strike King Hybrid Hunter and a lipless crankbait like the Red Eye Shad Tungsten 2 Tap – usually in a gold or craw pattern. Again, try to identify the high percentage areas like the inside edge or places where there’s patchy grass. The bass will get shallower than you’d expect, even when the water is really cold. In grass there is usually a lot of dead water, but when you get a bite they’ll often be bunched up, so mark a waypoint, slow down and pick the zone apart.
On lakes where there’s not much rock or grass, like some of the TVA lakes, the fish will get on shallow bars made of sand or gravel, as well as shallow outcroppings at the mouths of creeks.
No matter where you’re fishing, the goal is to make contact with your lure. Keep the bait hitting the grass or rock. That’s where the fish are and any deflections will trigger them. Most of the time, you’ll have to keep the bait moving pretty slowly, down to a crawl, if you want to get strikes so resist the urge to burn your lures.
I don’t go too crazy with colors. As noted above, gold and craw patterns are two of my staples, and I also mix it up with Tennessee Shad. With those three colors I can cover just about any water clarity and forage base around the country.
Because most of these baits are fairly lightweight, I’ve quickly learned to love the new Lew’s Custom Pro Gen 3 casting reel. It’s lightweight for slinging lures all day, and you can cast into the heavy winds that often show up about now with little fear of a backlash. I spool them up with 12-pound test Seaguar InvisX fluorocarbon and mount them on a Lew’s KVD Composite Cranking Rod, usually a 7-foot, 4-inch medium heavy. You want a rod that’ll cast long distances but also flex on a surging fish.
I replace all of my trebles with Owner STY-35s, because they’re sticky sharp. It gives you an extra second to set the hook before the bass blows the bait out. A lot of time the bite just feels like a bit of grass got on your hooks, so you need to pay attention and be quick to react.
This is one of my favorite ways to fish, and it has produced a lot of checks for me over the years around the country. Get out now, cover some water and prepare to have some of the best days of your life.
