Forget the way you fish crankbaits! If you’re not speed cranking in the post spawn, you’re missing an amazing opportunity to catch big bass. Its all about TRIGGERING a reaction strike. Whether you’re a Southern Largemouth guy or a Northern Smallmouth guy, you have an amazing opportunity right now to force feed your crankbaits to the bass. The crank’s ability to fire up a feeding frenzy is second to none as bass are moving toward their Summer haunts and you don’t want to miss it!
This technique works incredibly well this time of year. It doesn’t matter if your fish are 20′ deep feeding on outside ledges or 2′ deep on shallow rock bars. The method works in both scenarios, you just need to adapt the specific baits to maintain the speed at different depths. We find that carrying a variety of squarebill crankbaits, mid divers, and deep divers will allow you to adapt to changing conditions. Also, traditional knowledge would encourage using ghost colors in clear water but we’ve found that during this period you can see incredible results fishing bold colors like Chartreuse or chartreuse/Blue, even in gin clear water.
Below you’ll find a breakdown of the baits and equipment Matt discussed along with size and color recommendations. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item.
Summer Bait…
-Strike King 6XD:
Colors: Chart Sexy Shad, Powder Blue Back Chart
Squarebills…
-Strike King KVD HC 1.0 Squarebill:
Colors- The Shizzle, Summer Sexy Shad
-Lucky Craft BDS-3:
Colors- Golden Shiner, Ghost Minnow
-Damiki BTC 60:
Colors- Baby Bow, Threadfin Flash
Deep Cranks…
-River2Sea Tactical Crank DD 75:
Colors- Metallic Shad, Natural Gill
-Megabass Deep X 300:
Colors- See Through Chart, Blue Back Matte Chart, Sexy Ayu
-Norman Deep Little N:
Colors- Chart/Blue, Chartreuse Shad, Nutter Shad
Mid Cranks…
-Norman Deep Baby N:
Colors- Chart Blue, Nutter Shad, Sexy Shad
-SPRO Rock Crawler 55:
Colors- Phantom Green, Missouri Craw, MudBug
Hook and Split Ring Upgrades…
-Owner Hyperwire Size 3 Split Rings:
-Owner ST-56 Size 4 Trebles:
-Gamakatsu EWG Size 4 Trebles:
Fluorocarbon Crankbait Combo…
Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 906 CBR (7’6″ MH):
Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL 150 XG:
Line- Sunline Assassin Fluorocarbon 12 lb:
Braid Crankbait Combo…
Rod- G Loomis IMX Pro 845 CBR (7’6″ MH):
Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL 150 HG:
Line- Power Pro Maxcuatro 20 lb Braid:
Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 12 lb Mono:
NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel…
TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie:
TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie:
TacticalBassin Sun Shirt:
TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt:
_________________________________________________________________
What we wear…
Sun Mask:
Sun Shirt w/ Hood:
Light Fishing Pants:
Reaper Hoodie (Hoodie with Warm Face Cover built in):
Horizon Sweater (Water resistant, great for layering):
_________________________________________________________________
Equipment We Recommend…
Minn Kota Ultrex Trolling Motor:
Humminbird Solix 15 Electronics:
Minn Kota Talons:
Hot Foot Throttle Control:
Loc-R-Bar Boat Security:
Favorite Storage Box:
Favorite Pliers:
Favorite Split Ring Pliers:
Favorite Wire Cutters:
Favorite life jacket:
Favorite sunglasses:
Hero8 Camera:
ElectroSamson Scale:
Frabill Net:
Lure Retriever:
________________________________________________________________
If you plan to do any shopping, using our links before doing your shopping at Tackle Warehouse is the single greatest way to support us! You won’t be able to even see a difference but they’ll know you’re one of us!
#crankbait #tacticalbassin #Summerfishing
