A crankbait is a ‘hard’ bait that can be used to cover water from just under the surface down to 20 or 25 feet or more. There are a number of different types and styles of crankbaits. They come in various sizes and shapes and have different types of bills (The bill is the clear plastic part that comes out of the nose of the bait).

 

Line size will be a factor on how deep a given crankbait will dive. For example if a given crankbait is supposed to dive to 5-6 feet, it may accomplish this with 8 or 10 pound line. It may only dive to four feet with 12-14 pound line. This is because of the water resistance heavier lines present.

 

Most crankbaits will have rattles inside them but some wont. The reason is that sometimes, especially in very clear water, a silent running bait will get more strikes.

 

The bill angle will be a factor in how deep a crankbait dives. Baits that have bill which angles down steeply are shallow divers. Deep divers will have the bill coming almost straight off the nose.

 

Most crankbaits (accept a few neutral buoyancy and lipless lures) float and dive down when reeled in.

 

Square Bills  -  This style of crankbait is normally used for fishing in water from just inches to about 10 feet. As the name implies they have a squared off bill (as opposed to rounded). Square bills tend to deflect off of cover such as wood, rocks and concrete pilings. Usually the smaller baits tend to dive down less than the larger ones. Most manufacturers will state the approximate diving depth of the lure. Square bills can be thrown though some very heavy cover and will deflect off of rocks and branches most of the time without getting hung up.

 

Medium Divers  - This type of crankbait is designed to dive down anywhere from 6 to 12 feet with proper line size. They normally have a rounded bill. Some may have what is termed a coffin bill (sometimes called a four corner bill). They are used when targeting bass in these mid depth ranges.

 

Deep Divers  - These large crankbaits have large bills which project almost straight off the nose of the lure. Some are designed to get to depths as great as 20 or 25 feet with the proper line size and very long casts.

 

Lipless Crankbaits  - As the name implies lipless crankbaits have no bill at all. They are fairly heavy for their size sink when casted. Most have a very tight wobble and most carry rattles or a single ‘knocker’ which is designed to attract and let the fish home in on the lure.

 

Minnow Shaped Crankbait  - These baits have a long slender profile with a small diving lip. Most are floaters that can be fished on the surface or down a couple of feet. They can be twitched or snapped on the surface or cranked in slowly or fast.

 

Wake Baits  - Most wake baits have a fat stubby profile with a short lip that goes almost straight down. They are designed to run on the surface (we have them characterized on this site as surface lures) or just below the surface creating a wake as they run across the lake.

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We have pages for each type of bait. See index above.