The best reason to use Cranbaits is that they can be used at any depth, in any season, in any temperature, in any environment, or in any water condition you’ll find there is a crankbait that is built for those conditions but how important is the color when using a crankbait What is the best color crankbait?
The most important seasonal parameter for Crankbait is Color:
Spring-Crawfish red-Shad color-Chartreuse
Summer-Citrus Chad-Spooky Nasty-Homemade Shad
Fall-Go with a bone (white) color in overcast conditions
Switch to a chrome or silver color when the sun comes out.
Winter-yellow and/or red colors on them
There are 4 things you should primarily focus on when choosing a crankbait. The first is the depth you’re going to be throwing it, the second is the water temperature, and the third is the size and type of forage you’re trying to imitate, 4th the most critical is color.
What is the best color crankbait?
Crankbaits are fishing lures made of hard plastic or wood and are used to catch predatory fish like bass, trout, walleye, and pike. They usually come with 2 sets of treble hooks, and most crankbaits have a plexiglass lip called a bill that controls their swimming action and diving depth in the water.
Crankbait conditions, and subsequently his color of choice, by three parameters: 1) Water color, 2) Season, 3) Available forage.
Crankbaits can be thrown all year round, but perform best in spring and fall when bass or predatory fish are most active in water. This is because crankbaits are ideal lures for fishing close to cover, and so they shine during the seasons when bass ambush prey around cover in shallow water.
Best Color Crankbait in Spring
This is especially true for square bill crankbaits, which are built to be fished in shallow water and to deflect and bounce off the bottom cover.
- Crawfish red- There is just something about the color red that drives bass wild in the right circumstances. Throw this color in the early spring spawn or when you come across a big school of bass to trigger bass and other predatory fish.
- Shad – Shad color crankbaits work just about any season of the year especially in clearer water.
- Chartreuse – Another color that can work any time of the year but is slightly better in more stained water.
Best Color Crankbait in Summer
If you want to catch bass or any game fish consistently in the Summer, the crankbait should be part of your plan. Deep diving crankbaits and shallow crankbaits both deserve a place in your Summer lineup. What makes one bait better than another and how to pick the right bait for this time of year?
There are a handful of crankbaits (ultra-shallow, shallow, deep, and ultra-deep) that should be in your line-up but you don’t need a ton of models and you only need 2-3 colors.
- Citrus Chad – This guy is a super bright shad color that is a must-have for slightly stained waters and low light conditions, especially with a deep dive crankbait.
- Spooky Nasty – This is a ghost version of a Nasty Shad or Sexy Shad with the color blue glimmer sheen to it. It is amazing in clear water during the summer.
- Homemade Shad – Here it is again a realistic shad color with the flash scales on the sides of the lure.
Lipless Crankbaits (no bill)-12 ft.+ depth-use slow retrieve in Spring & Fall
Lipped Crankbait (have a bill)-2 to 12 ft. use “twitching” motion-snap lure side to side in place with a slow retrieve
Square-shaped bill Crankbait-run along bottom-through grass .………………………………………………………………………………. Read more
Best Color Crankbait in Fall
Shad-color crankbaits in early to mid-autumn but switch to crawfish-color crankbaits for late fall. When the sun heats up the rocks in late fall the crawdads start moving a little bit further shallow and the game fish-like bass follow.
- Go with a bone (white) color in overcast conditions
- Switch to a chrome or silver color when the sun comes out.
What is the Best Color Crankbait?
The most important seasonal parameter for Crankbait is Color:
Spring-Crawfish red-Shad color-Chartreuse
Summer-Citrus Chad-Spooky Nasty-Homemade Shad
Fall-Go with a bone (white) color in overcast conditions
Switch to a chrome or silver color when the sun comes out .…………………………………………….. Read more
Best Color Crankbait in Winter
Fish mimic people when it comes to temperature. When it’s cold outside, are we going to go run around, play in the backyard be motivated for a bunch of exercises? Nope! Shad and other bait fish are the same way. They’re flat-out cold and they’re not apt to move quickly right now.
A flat-sided crankbait is one of the best imitators of this lethargic, winter behavior. But what about during the cold, late winter period? You betcha, says Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Crews. Crews believe crankbaits with yellow and/or red colors on them get more bites in cold water. “I try to fish water with a little bit of stain, but those colors seem to work well for me in clear, cold water, too,” he explained.
A lot of people think the crankbait bite doesn’t start until pre-spawn (Bass) when the water temperature hits 50 degrees or so,” said the Virginia pro. “But I’ve caught ‘em really well with a crankbait when the water has been in the mid-40s.
What is the Best Setup for a Crankbait?
Crankbait Line-fluorocarbon is stronger than mono-sinks for deep diving-better action & stretch than braid
Crankbait Rod-between 7-8 ft. long-crankbait rods should have a relatively slow action
Crankbait Reel-4:1 or 5:1 gear ratios to slow down the bait & provide more power for cranking heavy fish .……………………………….. Read more
JimGalloway Author/Editor
