Lipless Crankbaits
LIPLESS CRANKBAITS: MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER LURE
Lipless cracks can be one of the most versatile lures in your arsenal if you can use them as they were intended. Lipless cranks have a couple of good things going for them, such as a tight swimming action and a deep leaf body that could represent a Tilapia or Bluegill baitfish any day. But a lipless is not just a lipless… They are not all equal. Tilapia and Bluegill are fish but are not the same.
They are not just made to cast out and rip them back to the boat, yes it does catch fish at times but any lipless can do that. There is a big difference in what you can do with different makes and models of lipless cranks.
It would be impossible for me to explain every single model of lipless that is on the market today but I can give you an idea of what is possible with some of them. They are probably the most versatile lures out there if you know what to look for. I will try and explain the basics.
Let us have a look at the sound that they make first.
Most lipless cranks have rattles or plates but the sound they make will be different in pitch. You can divide them into loud, moderate, and relatively quiet to so-called silent. They can give you a knock-knock like the golden oldie from ABU 3 Knock or a fine song with small bearings like Damiki and Cordel or just a vibration with no audible sound at all.
Now when to use what?
My basic tactic is a hael gun on lipless when Bass eat them good so I rig three rods. One with a knock lipless, one with a song and one silent. I will fish the noisy ones first on an area and if things get quiet I would go to a silent version. And last but not least I will finish off with a BIG lipless. Bigger lipless do bag bigger bass after some spot cleaning has been done. This works very well in open water with a point or drop off and do not be afraid to use them in grassy areas as well. The tight swim of the lure when ripped through the grass cleans the lure and generates a great reaction bite as it pops through the grass.
When fishing submerged structure a lipless that rises on the retrieve in the first few feet is to your advantage because it swims out of the junk before it self-rights itself and goes back in facing the right way. If you repeat this you stay out of the junk most off the time. This reduces hang-ups tremendously. And a good reaction bite maker too. As can be deduced here, is that any water can be fished with the correct lipless. Open water, grass, trees and rocks so your options are open.
Most other lipless do not have this rise and dive on retrieve. To minimise the opposite to this with other cranks would be to make an up and down retrieve with your rod tip to force the lipless to rise and fall. This way you can cover 5ft of water with ease, so it’s a great fish finding tool as well. This means a 9 to 12 action on the rod and try and keep the slack line minimal on the fall for better bite detection.
This is also where some lipless perform differently to others on the fall. Some will flutter and some will tail spin on the way down. This opens up a whole new world to what you can do with them and to what you can show the Bass. Small differences in presentation such as changing from a flutter fall to a tailspin fall can give you more strikes.
A few models will even do a backflip when in structure and turn 180 degrees when they hit a rock or a stump. This action gets the hooks out of the way and they work great for fishing structure. The Berkley Frenzy can do this very well.
When it comes to depth most will do the count down and swim well to almost where you want to be but always at a slight upward slope so time in the strike zone is not as long as it could be. Some models are rated to depth same as your DT range and that solves the problem slightly.
So as can be seen a lipless is not just a lipless. Some brands have many different styles so my guide to you would be to select two brands or so that you like and learn to use them well and try and have a big lipless in the mix for the odd kicker Bass in a rattling and silent version. Test them in a pool to see what they do so you can simulate at the needed time. If you know what a lure do you most probably know when to throw it too. This lure will reward you all year round summer and winter if fished correctly.
Tools of the trade
This is very, very important. When cranking you need the correct rod. Most reasonable brands of Bass rods do have a crank rod or two in there line up. So let’s have a look at what you are looking for.
You need a rod that will give your lure the maximum action so a soft tip is needed. When the bite comes, and it is a soft bite sometimes so the tip must be soft enough so the fish can inhale the lure but still sensitive enough to feel the bite. This will eliminate premature hook sets. If a rod is to stiff you will miss the bite on the hook set that pulls the lure out of the fish’s mouth. The soft tip will also reduce hook pulls with treble hooks.
So what you are looking for is a medium power rod made of glass or a combination of glass and carbon. Length ranging from 7 to 7.6 foot with a medium/fast action casting style rod. If I fish open water I opt for a medium action and if I fish cover I will go for a fast action that provides some extra pulling power deeper in the rods action curve when I need it.
When it comes to reels. Buy the best you can afford in an all-round speed rating of 6:1. Some applications can go slower and some faster but a 6:1 ratio is good middle ground. Smoothness and excellent drag is most important. When you are fighting a kicker bass on a light line the drag is crucial.
When it comes to lines it’s a matter of experience and preference to your style. Fluorocarbon is the norm because of low stretch and thus bite detection is better 10-15lb. I use fluorocarbon on my medium and mono on my medium fast. Mono dulls things a bit. Mostly in 10-15lb. Lately I have been using 15lb braid with mono leader but I had to adapt my hook sets from a strike to a reel and sweep.
I hope this short note on lipless cranks will give you more confidence to use them and that you will be rewarded for your efforts.