What are the best crankbaits for bass?
Wow! What a question! There are so many different crankbaits on the market today, how could we possibly narrow it down to just a few?
Take, for example, the square bill crankbait, could you narrow it down to your top 5 favorite squarebills? There are hundreds if not thousands of different lures that fall under this category. To pick just 5 or even 10 would be difficult (believe me I’ve tried).
Now, let’s think about the broader question: what are the best crankbaits for bass? That question is even more difficult to answer, but I like challenges, so in this post, I am going to try to answer that question.
To make it easier, I have broken it down into 3 categories. I have picked a few from each category that I would consider to be my favorite and possibly the best (by no means is this list exhaustive).
I hope you enjoy!
What are the best bass crankbaits?
Here is a quick preview of my favorite crankbaits for bass
- Rat-L-Trap
- Rapala Clackin’ Rap
- Strike King Redeye Shad
- Megabass S-CRANK 2.0
- Spro Fat John 60
- Storm Arashi Rattling SquareBill
- LiveTarget CrawDad Deep Diver
- Strike King Pro-Model 8XD
Before we take a closer look at each of these crankbaits individually, let’s talk about the different types of crankbaits. There are 3 different categories of crankbaits: lipless, square bill and deep diving crankbaits. Each type is designed a little differently to give it a unique presentation in the water. Fish it correctly, and you will catch yourself some big bass.
Lipless Crankbaits. Most lipless crankbaits have a diamond-shaped body with flat sides. This unique body design helps to give the lure a tight wobble that drives bass wild. To enhance the presentation, some have what is called a noise chamber.
This noise chamber can hold a single knocker or a number of bb’s that make a rattling noise as it is brought through the water. This rattle and the vibration of the tight wobble helps the fish the locate the lure and to strike it. If you would like to fish this lure in a more subtle approach lipless crankbaits are also available in a silent version.
Some of the best features of the lipless crankbait are that it can be fished in a variety of different situations. Most of these lures will cast a mile which will allow you to cover a lot of water rather quickly. The majority of these baits will also sink allowing you to fish at different depths. I say most because there is actually a floating lipless crankbait that can be fished very similar to a topwater presentation.
They also make a lot of noise which makes them great baits to use in stained or dirty water. But where these baits excel is in the grass. Throw a lipless crankbait up into the grass and when you feel it get snagged, give it a quick tug. This will hopefully release the bait in an erratic motion and generate a reaction strike from nearby bass.
Now that we understand this category a little better, let’s take a look at some of our favorite lipless crankbaits for bass.
There is no way we can have a post talking about the top bass cranks without mentioning the original lipless crankbait, the Rat-L-Trap. Probably one of the first flat sided crankbaits to hit the market so many decades ago and yet it still continues to produce fish.
This lure is available in a number of different colors and sizes, helping you to match the hatch and catch more fish. It is also available in a floating version that can give your lure a unique look ( such as this Rat-L-Trap Lures Floating Trap).
What makes this lure so unique is its unique rattle that can draw bass in from a mile. So pick yourself up a Ratt-L-Trap throw it out into those weedlines and start bringing in fish.
As you can see from the picture, this bait has what looks like a silver disc on the side of the body. This silver disc is actually a cylinder that goes from one side of the bait to the other. Inside this cylinder is a single ball bearing that rocks back and forth as it is brought through the water to give it a very unique sound.
Another great feature of this lure is the beautiful finish designed to grab the fish’s attention. I particularly like this design because the holographic foil is underneath the plastic coating which helps to make it durable and last much longer than the standard lure.
One thing that makes lipless crankbaits so effective is because of that deadly tight wobble, particularly on the fall. One of my favorite ways to fish this kind of lure is to let the lure fall to the bottom, give the lure a quick jerk and then let it fall again. This technique can prove to be killer when out on the water, but you need a lure that is going to give that tight wobble on the fall that will draw in the fish.
In my opinion, no other bait produces such an effective wobble than the Strike King Redeye Shad and this is probably one of the reasons it has become so popular amongst bass anglers.
It is available in a number of different colors and sizes so that you can choose the best one for the fishing any given situation.
Learn more about this lure in the following video:
Squarebill Crankbaits. These lures are also known as shallow running crankbaits. As you can see from the picture, this crankbait has a downward nose body design. As it comes through the water this body design helps to give it a wide erratic action. Also, as the name implies it has a square bill or a square lip. This square-shaped lip helps it to deflect or bounce off of the cover. When a squarebill comes through the water and bounces off the structure, bass can’t resist but to strike.
A few tips to keep in mind when fishing this lure. There are two things that really make this lure effective: the wide erratic wobble and the lip. So, because it works so well when deflecting off cover, make sure you are throwing this lure up into those shallow areas where they will have many opportunities to bump into things. Remember, if this lure isn’t deflecting off the bottom or around the structure, you aren’t fishing it correctly.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while most of these baits fall under the shallow running crankbaits category, they might not all go to the same depth. So make sure to read the package to see what depth it is designed to fish in and fish it accordingly.
Lastly, this is a reaction bait. Which means that sometimes you may have to cast it into the same area several times before generating a strike. Sometimes it might seem like you are tossing it around structure, but you aren’t getting any bites. Don’t give up, throw it into cover a few times before moving on, even if it is in the same location. Sometimes what happens is, it might take the bass a few looks before he commits.
Let’s take a look at 3 of our favorites in this category.
Let me start talking about this bait by asking you a question. Have you ever seen a group of baitfish swimming away from a predator? What do they do? Do they swim straight? No, they dart all over the place to avoid capture. Oftentimes they will swim to the left and then back to the right, trying to lose their follower.
That is the exact motion that this lure was designed to imitate. As you can see from the body design, it doesn’t have that standard downward nose design mentioned earlier, but rather it has a very narrow nose and a small dimple in the head.
This genius design helps to give the bait a back and forth hunting motion much like a fleeing baitfish. It darts back and forth in the shape of an “S’ hence the name S-Crank.
To see this lure in action, check out the following video:
With that in mind, let me tell you that no squarebill wobbles like the 
As you can see from the picture and as the name of this lure implies, it is fat or well-rounded. This rounded body design helps to give it a more aggressive wobble. It also has a rounded fiberglass lip. The fiberglass tends to be a little more durable than the plastic ones.
When fishing with this bait or other shallow fishing crankbaits and you would like to get even more wobble out of your bait, one thing you can do is to downsize your fishing line. By fishing with a lighter line such as 12-pound test it will give it more action. This works especially well when fishing for more aggressive bass.
We are going to leave that debate for another day, but we will say that the Storm Arashi Rattling SquareBill will catch you fish.
Unlike the other shallow running crankbaits in this list this is a rattling squarebill. The loud rattling chamber will work great when trying to entice those fish in muddy water to commit. You can also imagine the reaction this lure will get as it bumps into structure. Not only will it change in direction, but the sound will change. Many times this is what helps the bass to commit.
Another great feature is the self-tuning line tie to ensure that it runs true on every single cast.
Let’s take a closer look at this lure in the following video:
Which one of these shallow runners do you think is the best crankbait for bass? Let us know in the comment section below.
Deep Diving Crankbaits. When bass are holding up in deep water, you better be throwing a deep diving crankbait. As you can see in the picture, these baits have a long bill. When being retrieved this bill helps the lure to dive. Some lures can get down to depths of upwards of 20 feet.
One great way to fish this lures is using them in a depth that is less than their maximum range. For example, if the lure is rated for 18 feet, fish it in 15 feet of water. This will cause the lure to hit the bottom more often and be able to be fished much like you would a square bill crankbait. Keep in mind, the more you bump into the bottom or structure the better.
Another quick tip is always if possible make long casts. Remember, deep diving crankbaits need time to get down to their maximum depth. Making long cast will always for these lures to get down deep and spend more time in the strike zone.
Speaking of sinking, using fluorocarbon fishing line which tends to sink better than monofilament or braid can help you to get the maximum out of your lure.
Let’s take a look at a few of the best deep diving crankbaits for bass.
One of the best deep diving crankbaits for bass is the LiveTarget CrawDad Deep Diver. As you can see, one of the best features to this lure as well as most of livetarget’s lures is the sweet finish. It looks just like a crawfish, and we know how much bass like munching on these little critters.
One of my favorite ways to fish it is to throw it in areas just under the maximum depth, tie it on with some fluorocarbon fishing line so that it gets down deep quick, then I like to bump and craw it across the bottom.
It will look just like a crawfish and bass will eat it up like one too.
As you can see, it is equipped with a long lip allowing it to get down fast. When fished properly it can get down to depths close to 20 feet. Couple that with a nice tight wobble and you will have yourself a deep diving bass catching machine.
While this bait is available in different sizes such as the popular Strike King S6XD and the large Strike King 10XD Extra Deep Dive Rattle (runs 25 feet), we prefer to use the Strike King 8XD Crankbait.
That being said, if you are looking for that one trophy fish, I would recommend tying on the 10xd and fish it until you land yourself a toad.
Let’s take a look at this lure in action in the following video:
Final Thoughts…
So…What are the best bass crankbaits? Well, in this post we talked about 8 of our favorites, but in reality, we have barely scratched the surface of some of the best lures out there.
Personally, if I had to narrow it down to just three of the aforementioned lures, I probably would pick up a Strike King Redeye Shad, a Megabass S-CRANK 2.0 and you can’t go wrong with the classic Rat-L-Trap.
Don’t get me wrong, all of these baits will catch you fish, these just happen to be my confidence baits.
We always like trying out new lures. So, please share with us what you think are the best crankbaits for bass in the comments below.
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