Lipless Crankbait Tips To Help Crush Bass

I don’t know about you but tying on a new lure can be exhilarating. I mean who doesn’t think they are going to wrangle a state record Bass on that first cast. Then, reality hits and we remember that the lure is just one piece of the puzzle. The rest of that puzzle lies in you the angler, the puppeteer, working your skills to imitate a real target for a Bass.

As Bass fisherman if you are not able to adapt, learn new technique’s, and practice said techniques you will limit your success rate and fish size that your bagging. Being versatile is the name of the game whether your pitching from the bank or slinging from the boat.

Here are some tips to help your Lipless game:

You have to understand the Bait Fish type and size to better select a lure. This is a universal fishing tip for all predatory fish species. We as anglers need to understand and learn that the big bite is often directly connected to the life cycles of the forage bass feed on. If you are not sure how to determine this for your fishery here are some places you can use to locate the info. You can do a lot of this research online looking for lake reviews, conservation pages, talking to local anglers or reach out to guide services. Size, spawning cycle and seasonal movement are huge advantages to boosting your outcomes.

Bait size to conquer different depths – Contradictory to most moving baits, the lipless crankbait can be fished in a variety of depths and speeds. They can be used to target bass ranging from shallow grass lines to deep drop offs. If the bass are up shallow feeding on shad in the grass then go with a 1/4-ounce lipless crank. When your Bass are foraging on bigger and deeper baits just move up to 1/2 or 3/4-ounce bait.

Fish where the wind tells you to fish – Wind pushes concentration of plankton and baitfish into the banks and pockets. Always note the wind direction when making a decision as to where to start your Big Bass Hunt!

Be consistent but not always typical in your retrieval- All to often we get in to casting it out and just reeling it back. Forgetting that subtle rod tip movement can be the difference in your next big fish. Remember Bass target easy prey so a wounded shad wouldn’t just casually swim by. Add some erratic movement by pulling and snapping the rod tip gently and changing the retrieval speed. Remember it is not a jerkbait.

Controlling running depth with your rod – If you keep your rod tip high you will run your bait shallow. If you rod tip is lower and retrieval rate is slower your bait will drop and run deeper. So whether your running the top of a grass flat or running deep try adjusting your rod height. Becoming familiar with the results with your reeling style will allow you to make adjustments on the fly and know what your going to present to a suspended bass or a grass pig waiting in 3 feet of water. Remember when your high sticking a crank once you get a bite load up the reel bringing the tip down and set the hook like normal. Your first thought is to pull back and set the hook but this cause the crank to tilt forward and dramatically lowering your hook up chances.

Gear Ratio and Lipless Cranks – Gear ratio’s are more up to angler preference and the scenario. Some prefer a slower gear ratio (in the 5.4:1 to 6.1:1 range) to keep the bait in the strike zone longer, while others prefer a higher gear ratio (7.3:1) for long casts that allows for a fast retrieve as soon as the bait hits the water. Anglers on a budget not able to have a reel for each scenario keep in mind that you can always slow down a higher gear ratio easier than speeding up a lower gear ratio. I chose a Lew’s Super Duty LFS 8:3:1 as my utility reel. I can burn a top water or slow down for a winter crankbait. It just takes patience and practice to dial in your desired retrieval rate. In comparison if you go with a lower ratio reel and need faster speeds you will be working two or three times as hard to achieve this.

Line selection for Lipless Success – I know I know it is more costly but Fluorocarbon is top of the list for lipless crankbaits. It has a low stretch and is abrasion resistant but heavy mono has relevance too. Size selection depends on your fishing conditions. You take into account of course lure size, goal depth and foliage conditions. Between 10 and 20 pound test line is best with the higher end for tearing through the grass. For the best action, attach lipless crankbaits to your line using loop knots, never with snap swivels or heavy leaders. There are plenty of online resources where you can learn to tie loop knots if you don’t already know how.

Throw crankbaits around wood!? – WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY! Obviously the chances of getting snagged are admittedly higher in doing this. So just envision this scenario, you sneak a lipless through a laydown and the big Bass jumps all over it because it’s something they don’t regularly see in those areas.

Replace or Mod Treble hooks – Changing out you hooks is a good practice to improve your hook up ratio in certain situations. No this is not saying that the hooks right out of the package are not going to perform. But subtle changes to size and weight generate different outcomes. For example Short Shank Trebles shorten the distance from the eye to the bend. This helps trebles stay snug to a lure’s body. This style is also less apt to snag cover. When fishing debris-strewn bottoms, clip off one or both of the downward-turned trebles on the hooks. You’ll still hook plenty of fish but avoid many snags. Another option that can help limit the hang ups is removing the rear hook and split ring from the back. When you do this though upgrade the front hook to one size larger or a shorter shank treble.

Water Temp and When to Use Lipless Cranks – A lipless crank’s sweet zone is between 45 and 60 degree water temperatures. So pre-spawn and fall are the times to get the best performance out of your Lipless. Lipless cranks effectively mimic bluegill, shad and crawfish, depending on what color you are tossing. Red crawfish pattern are a staple in most pro’s pre-spawn tackle selection.