Bass Crankbait Basics by Randy Rowley 7/2/26 ©
ByArguably the second most popular hard-body lures, behind topwaters, are crankbaits. They’re designed to be cast long distances and “cranked” back at moderate to fast speeds. Although a steady retrieve often works, they can be fished more effectively by varying the speed of the retrieve and by stopping for a second or two and then resuming the retrieve (stop-and-go). Crankbaits are great for all times of the day but aren’t as good as topwaters are for early mornings/late evenings and when it’s overcast.
Crankbait styles include round bills, squarebills, and lipless (aka Rat-L-Traps). There are also flat-sided round bills and squarebills that work best in cold and clear water and provide a subtle, tight-wobbling action that increases flash. All lipless crankbaits are flat-sided, but they’re designed to be fished fast instead of slow. Almost all crankbaits have two treble hooks but a few substitute the rear hook with a spinner.
Most crankbaits have multiple ball bearings in them, which makes them rattle when retrieved. Some only have one ball bearing, commonly called a “one-knocker” or “hard-knocker” and a few are silent. The rattling sound tends to elicit strikes, although bass can become too accustomed to the sound, hence the silent varieties.
Round bill and squarebill crankbaits vary in shape and size but most have a big head that tapers down to a slender tail. Their lip size and shape, the size of the lure, and size and type of line determine the depth they will run.
Crankbaits wobble from side to side and look like a baitfish that’s fleeing a predator. Many include a ball bearing(s) which produce a rattling sound. They’re fun baits to fish with, except near grass, where they have a tendency to get stuck or hook grass. Fishermen cover lots of water with them and usually never get bored. They are great fish finders.
Black and other dark-colored lures are best for night fishing, early mornings/late evenings, when it’s’ overcast, and in brown or murky water. Bass can also see dark-colored lures better at greater depths. Shad, perch, baby bass-colored lures are top producers during the day. Silver and gold are the best choices on sunny, cloudless days. Fluorescent, such as chartreuse and lime green, lures are best for cloudy days. Bone, white, and clear are good choices for schooling bass. Red is a great producer for early spring, as it mimics the color of crawdads at that time of the year.
Round bill crankbaits run the deepest, although there are also medium-diving and shallow-diving versions. They’re great for digging into and bouncing off the water body’s bottom. Big round bills often give fishermen the impression that they’ve hooked a bass when they haven’t, especially when close to the boat. They work well when trolled. When they’re not being cranked, round bills will float back to the surface.
Squarebill crankbaits (aka squarebills and square bills) are best for deflecting off of rocks and trees, but don’t dive as deep as round bills. When they’re not being cranked, squarebills will float back to the surface, like round bills.
Lipless crankbaits don’t have a bill and are weighted to achieve depth. Generally, a ½ oz. lipless will sink 1 to 1 ½’ per second. If they’re not being cranked, they will continue to sink, so fishermen have to be careful around rocks. Because they’re bill-less, lipless can be fished the fastest (called “burning”).
There are many brands and models of round bills. Some of the best round bill’s include the Strike King 6XD and 3XD, Norman DD22 and Deep Little-N, 6th Sense Crush 300DD and Cloud 9, Yo-Zuri 3DB Deep Crank and 3DB-X, Rapala DT16, Shad Rap, and Jointed Shad Rap, Bomber Fat Free Shad and Fat Free Shad Jr., Berkley Dredger and Flicker Shad, Evergreen International CR-16 and CR-10, River2Sea Tactical DD, and SPRO John Crews Little John DD 70.
I’m partial to the Strike King 6XD in gizzard shad (a black back and white body) and citrus shad (a blue back and chartreuse and white body) colors, Norman DD22 in chili bowl (red with black) color, Bomber Fat Free Shad in chartreuse blue and pearl white colors, Rapala Shad Rap in shad color (formerly called Tennessee shad), and Rapala Jointed Shad Rap in silver shad (with a black back) and baby bass colors.
Like round bills, squarebills choices are many. Some of the best squarebills include the River2Sea Biggie Poppa Bumpin’ Rattle and Biggie Smalls Bumpin’ Rattle, Rapala Ott’s Garage Rocco and BX Brat 06, Berkley Shallow Money Badger and Gilly, Yo-Zuri 3DB Crank 1.5 Shallow Squarebill, Lucky Craft Square Bill, 6th Sense Crush 50X, SPRO Hunter 65 SB Shallow Squarebill, Evergreen International SH-3, Strike King KVD (Kevin VanDam) Square Bill 2.5 Crankbait (2 ½” long; it has no rattles/is silent), Bomber Next Gen Square 5A Squarebill Crankbait and Bomber Square A Crankbait and SPRO Hunter 65 SB Shallow Squarebill Crankbait.
My favorite is the River2Sea Biggie Poppa Bumpin’ Rattle in Abalone Shad color and have caught more bass with it than all the other squarebills that I own combined. I’ve caught the second most with a Strike King KVD Squarebill 2.5 in sexy shad color.
One of the most interesting squarebills is the Strike King Hybrid Hunter and Hybrid Hunter Jr. They have a 90° bill that’s shaped like an “L” that makes it run ultra shallow (1 – 3’ deep). The Hybrid Hunter Jr is quickly becoming one of my favorites.
Lipless crankbaits also have a myriad of choices. The general rule with them is the heavier the bait the quicker it sinks (e.g., a ¾ oz. one will sink much faster than a ¼ oz. one). When retrieved fast they present a tight wobble that resembles a fleeing baitfish. They also excel with the stop and go technique, as they don’t float towards the surface, as round bills and squarebills do, when not being cranked and the yo-yo technique off of the water body’s bottom.
I’ve met few lipless crankbaits that I don’t like. Some of the best include the Yo-Zuri 3DB Vibe, 6th Sense Quake, Xcalibur XR50/Booyah Hard Knocker and One Knocker (Pradco Outdoor Brands discontinued Hi-Tek Tackle lures/Xcalibur lures in 2015, re-branding them under their sister label, Booyah Bait Co.; Xcalibur lures can be found on eBay and similar websites, but they’re expensive), Rapala Clackin Rap (with a VMC SureSet belly hook; these lures were discontinued in the mid-2010s due to low overall sales and higher production costs associated with its signature steel-chambered rattle, but they’re available on eBay and similar websites), Rippin’ Rap (with oversized eyes), and Rattlin’ Rapala, River2Sea Ruckus, Lucky Craft LV 500, SPRO Aruku Shad 75, Strike King Red Eyed Shad (that shimmies when it falls), Berkley Warpig (designed by David Fritts and other pro fishermen with a blunt nose to deflect off of structures and avoid snags) and Jack, Googan Squad Klutch, Nomad Design Swimtrex Flutterfall 66, Bass Mafia Boss Vibe Lipless Crankbait, and the very popular (due to being the cheapest) Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and Cotton Cordell Super Spot, both of which go through grass well due to their football shapes.
I’m partial to the Yo-Zuri 3DB Vibe in prism ghost shad color, 6th Sense Quake in 4K shad color, Xcalibur XR50 in Toledo Gold color, Rapala Clackin’ Rap in moss back shiner color, and Rapala Rattlin’ Rapala in shad color (formerly called Tennessee shad). I’ve caught more bass with those five than all my other lipless crankbaits combined.
There’s really not a time or condition where you’ll go wrong by choosing a crankbait. Buy a few and get cranking!