FISHING
BASS SKILLS
DIALING IN WINTERTIME CRANKBAITS
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST BAITS FOR COLD-WEATHER CRANKING
Greg Bohannan fishes parallel to deep
banks when cranking in winter.
A
passel of baits will catch a
bass when the water is
cold, but many pros will
agree that crankbaits rank
among the very best for their ability
to quickly and effectively cover water
in varied depths around assorted
types of cover and structure.
Compared to other times of the
year, however, winter cranking can
require a little more nuanced strate-
gy to achieve success.
Forage Imitation
34
understanding bass forage in the
winter is the first step in achieving
success when cranking. For instance,
in Flw pro terry bolton’s home
region of western Kentucky, one of
the main things that makes a
crankbait so attractive during winter
has to do with how baitfish react
once water temperatures dive to the
mid-50s or below.
“some of the best winter fishing
always takes place around shad
schools,” bolton says. “and depend-
ing on which part of the country you
live in, there are usually some shad
die-offs that happen from december
though February as the result of cold
water. their [the shad’s] movements
are slow and subtle, and certain
types of crankbaits do a good job of
simulating that.”
Greg bohannan, a fellow Flw pro
from bentonville, ark., agrees with
bolton’s theory about the prolific
baitfish, but says crawfish might be
an even bigger draw on some
impoundments, particularly on deep,
clear, rocky lakes such as beaver,
bull shoals and table rock.
“the bass feed really heavy on
crawfish on our ozark lakes during
the winter months,” he says. “our
water usually gets really cold in
january and February – low 40s and
high 30s. but before that happens,
usually before Christmastime, is just
an awesome time to be cranking.
our magical window is 45 to 55
degrees in these ozark lakes. it’s
always going to be on my deck
when he water is below 57
degrees.”
Greg’s Selection Tips
bohannan says he typically fol-
lows two rules of thumb when
choosing a billed plug for cold-water
cranking.
“i want something with a really
tight wobble like a strike King lucky
shad or one with some hunting
action to it like the new strike King
1.5 deep square-bill, especially on
lakes where there is a lot of rock,” he
says. “both of those baits will hit that
8- to 10-foot range.”
the lucky shad looks and per-
forms similar to the old-school balsa
rapala shad rap. the 3 3/4-inch bait
displaces a tight, subtle wiggle that
simulates the sluggish movements of
shad in cold water.
“watch a threadfin shad swim in
the winter and there isn’t a whole lot
of action to it. it just vibrates along,”
bohannan says. “the action of the
lucky shad looks natural to the fish.”
the 1.5 deep has a more radical
action. plus, it is designed to perform
deeper in the water column than
other square-bills its size.
FLwFISHInG.com I wInTEr 2020