Starting a Shallow Crank Box 2025
tje0705 reply :
Hey guys, Im going to be getting a shallow crank rod and reel to use for this spring. I have never fished crankbaits so I want to make sure im getting the right stuff. I was looking into getting a few different shallow cranks to start out with . Im looking into getting some lipless crankbaits, squarebills, and moderate diving cranks. As far Lipless Cranks I was looking into getting some Red eye shads and some of the new berkley warpigs. I was wondering if i should get 1/4 and 1/2 oz or just stick to 1/2oz? As for squarebills Im looking into getting some strike king 1.5's and some berkley Pitbull 5.5's these two will cover me from 3-6ft deep. Lastly for moderate cranks im looking at the berkely wild thing 8.5's and the strike king #4 cranks. This selection of moderates will get me from 6-9ft range. What do you guys think about this? would you change anything about these selections for a beginner? and lastly what colors would you guys recommend? Thanks for all the info guys
scaleface reply :
The past few years I have been having quite a bit of success on the Luck E strike RC crankbaits .
cgolf reply :
Personally I would add some Bandit 100s, this has by far been my best bait. The strike King shallow square bill was also really good this year. I did like the XCal XCS 200 SB if you can find them. The XCS is very aggressive and moves a lot of water while the bandit is more subtle of a bait. Moderate depth cranks really aren't my thing so I will let others chime in there.
Once you get used to these you can start adding more baits in, and will learn how the different designs work helping you choose what you want to throw for different conditions.
Forgot one, a Shad rap or 2, for colder water fishing.
tander reply :
Like cgolf, I recommend Bandit 100 crankbaits. They really catch fish and also they are one of the cheapest. My best colors are baby bass, tenn shad and chart, with blue or black back. Academy Sports generally has the best prices.
papajoe222 reply :
Welcome to the forums.
For the lipless cranks, the lighter ones will be easier to keep shallow without having to reel fast. For spring fishing, flat sided baits seem to produce better than fatter, egg shaped cranks as the have a tighter wiggle. However, you may want to add a Mann's -1 or other wake style crank.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you'd like to start out with. The Strike King lineup is pretty hard to go wrong with. I've been having good success with the Berkley Wild Thang 8.5 these past few weeks in the Vintage Craw color. I think you'll be happy with them as well. The Pit Bull looks good in the water but I haven't had much of a chance to test it out yet.
Fishes in trees reply :
If there is any woody cover/brush in the areas you fish you need to check out Timber Tigers. In my experiences over the past 6 or 8 years, the Wordens Timber Tiger comes through brush & woody cover better than any other square bill I've tried. Most of the time I use the DC8, but I also carry DC5's & DC4's in a variety of colors. Texas Shad is probably my favorite color.
smalljaw67 reply :
I don't go by brand much, get your shallow crank box made by getting the best bait you can get for each zone. For the 0-1' zone I really like the Manns Baby 1 minus, for the 1' to 2' zone I like the Manns Baby X and the Yo-Zuri 3DB Square Bill. The next zone is the 2.5' to 3' zone and for me it is a Bomber square "A" and Bagley Rattlin Killer B2 (plastic bait), and than the 3.5' to 4' zone I like the Strike King 1.5 and the Rapala DT-4. For the 4.5' to 5' zone I like the Bagley Killer B (balsa bait) and the 5.5' to 6' I like the Rapala DT-6, that is a complete box of shallow cranks that works for me in all the depth zones down to 6'. I have others in each zone but the ones I listed have been the most successful.
roadwarrior reply :
A few other suggestions: Norman Fat Boy, LC 2.5 and Rapala DT6
drew4779 reply :
Bandits, xcals, rapala, lucky craft, yozuri, and sebile cranksters all produce well for me.
My vote goes to the DT series rapalas for your moderate cranks.
Also, I'd look to include a couple balsa lures to your box. They rise quicker which can sometimes be the trigger needed on a particular day. Some rapalas are made of wood, as are some BPS cranks (not my favorites). I'm sure there's plenty of others.
HoosierHawgs reply :
On 12/22/2015 at 3:04 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you'd like to start out with. The Strike King lineup is pretty hard to go wrong with. I've been having good success with the Berkley Wild Thang 8.5 these past few weeks in the Vintage Craw color. I think you'll be happy with them as well. The Pit Bull looks good in the water but I haven't had much of a chance to test it out yet.
Where did you get your hands on the Berkley baits at?
Senko lover reply :
On 12/23/2015 at 12:18 AM, HoosierHawgs said:Where did you get your hands on the Berkley baits at?
Check TW 
HoosierHawgs reply :
On 12/23/2015 at 12:22 AM, Senko lover said:Check TW
Just looked. They are a little more expensive than I would have thought. May pick up a few if I get a gift card for Christmas.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/23/2015 at 12:25 AM, HoosierHawgs said:Just looked. They are a little more expensive than I would have thought. May pick up a few if I get a gift card for Christmas.
$7 and you won't need to replace the hooks or hardware makes them very affordable in my book.
HoosierHawgs reply :
On 12/23/2015 at 12:41 AM, Bluebasser86 said:$7 and you won't need to replace the hooks or hardware makes them very affordable in my book.
Haven't heard anything about the Berkley branded hooks. Those are new too, right? Any good?
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/23/2015 at 12:41 AM, HoosierHawgs said:Haven't heard anything about the Berkley branded hooks. Those are new too, right? Any good?
Yeah they're their Fusion hooks and I've been very impressed with then so far after catching several dozen fish on a few of their baits.
tje0705 reply :
On 12/22/2015 at 3:04 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you'd like to start out with. The Strike King lineup is pretty hard to go wrong with. I've been having good success with the Berkley Wild Thang 8.5 these past few weeks in the Vintage Craw color. I think you'll be happy with them as well. The Pit Bull looks good in the water but I haven't had much of a chance to test it out yet.
Bluebasser any other color suggestions for the berkley lineup?
alzun664 reply :
On 12/22/2015 at 8:38 AM, tje0705 said:Im looking into getting some lipless crankbaits, squarebills, and moderate diving cranks. As far Lipless Cranks I was looking into getting some Red eye shads and some of the new berkley warpigs. I was wondering if i should get 1/4 and 1/2 oz or just stick to 1/2oz? As for squarebills Im looking into getting some strike king 1.5's and some berkley Pitbull 5.5's these two will cover me from 3-6ft deep. Lastly for moderate cranks im looking at the berkely wild thing 8.5's and the strike king #4 cranks. This selection of moderates will get me from 6-9ft range. What do you guys think about this? would you change anything about these selections for a beginner? and lastly what colors would you guys recommend? Thanks for all the info guys
As far as colors for lipless cranks go, I would suggest getting a chrome/blue, red/craw color, and a chartreuse or fire tiger for stained water. Those 3 should cover you just about anywhere. Lipless cranks are a reaction style bait so don't get too carried away on colors, especially if you're just starting out.
Size wise, I throw a 1/2oz 90% of the time. I haven't tried the Warpigs, but I do like a Red Eye shad. As well as the Rattlin' Rap and the Rat L Trap.
Turkey sandwich reply :
The classic fat free varieties have been great for me along with Rapala's DT series, and a pretty wide variety of square bills. Until you get into the designer brands, virtually all of these are under $7. As for colors, i think it's good to know the bait fish in your lakes. Here in PA, I keep Shad/alewife, perch, bluegill, brown, red, and orange craw patterns that run from 2" all the way down to 8-10" for shallow running branc baits. I also keep colors like black/chartreuse, black, clown, chartreuse, fire tiger, etc in the same depth ranges for the days where the water is stained or there's low sunlight.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 12/31/2015 at 11:31 AM, tje0705 said:Bluebasser any other color suggestions for the berkley lineup?
Most of their colors look good. It's a hard thumping bait that I usually prefer craw colors in and they have some good ones. They have a red and a brown craw, a translucent rusty colored craw and a PB&J craw that all look good.
RyanFishing reply :
All of your ideas for starting sound good but the only thing I would add is a Strike King series 3. It's a great bait for shallow water and especially works good when you have smaller baitfish. The 3xd would also be good if you want it to go a little deeper around 8-10ft. For the lipless sizes get both 1/4 and 1/2. This will allow you to fish slower with the 1/4 and still keep it off the bottom. Good luck!
WIGuide reply :
As far as squarebills I've got confidence in quite a few with the now discontinued Xcalibur XCS100 being my main producer. Other I like are Luck E Strike RC's, Storm Arashi's, Rapala fat 3's. For that mid depth, I like the Bomber Fat Free Guppie, and Fingerling. Rapala DT 4's, 6's, & 10's will do work as well. As far as colors go, try to cover your bases. Get 1 or two baitfish patterns, a few crawfish ones, and a few bright ones as well. Pick colors based on your local forage, and pick ones you like or think will work. If you have faith and confidence in a bait, you'll fish it harder and you'll be more inclined to give it a chance and stick with it.
Lipless crankbaits are great options too. I really like the Booyah version and the Cotton Cordell Super Spot/Hot Spot. Pick colors the same as other crankbaits.
sprint61 reply :
Sound like you have it figured out its hard to beat any strike king crank IMO. I would recommend looking into Norman crankbaits also these are my favorite. Also hard to beat rapala DT series lures.
Maxximus Redneckus reply :
Make sure you grab some manns minus 1s silver,white,chartruse,red,blue on white.
Hurricane reply :
On 12/23/2015 at 12:41 AM, Bluebasser86 said:$7 and you won't need to replace the hooks or hardware makes them very affordable in my book.
Wondering which craw color would be best to you use on Erie... Nice looking crank. .
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 1/1/2016 at 10:01 PM, LastCast721 said:Wondering which craw color would be best to you use on Erie... Nice looking crank. .
The vintage craw and translucent rusty colored craw are my 2 favorites. Not sure what color the craws in Erie are though.
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