Field Guide
Crankbaits
One system — squarebill to 6XD — that covers shallow runners through deep divers with bottom contact as the trigger.
Confidence
Top Pick
Belews · Summer
Gear
Rod
Moving Baits — 7'0–7'4" MH / Mod-Fast
Reel
Casting · 150-size · 6.3:1–7.1:1
Line
12–17 lb Fluorocarbon (tied direct · Palomar)
60-Second Refresher
When to Throw
Good Water
Prespawn on rock and riprap, postspawn shad bite, summer offshore ledges/humps, fall bait migrations in creek arms.
Bad Water
Slick clear post-front days with no wind; heavy wood/brush where trebles foul; matted grass.
Shallow / Bridge Cranks · 4–8 ft
Strike King KVD 1.5 Deep Diver
More depth than a squarebill, less than a true medium diver. Riprap, secondary points, clay banks.
Strike King KVD 1.5 Deep Diver
Green Gizzard Shad
Clear/slightly stained, shad forage, riprap
Strike King KVD 1.5 Deep Diver
Brown Belly Orange Craw
Prespawn, rock transitions, clay banks
Medium Divers · 8–12 ft
Rapala DT10
Secondary points, riprap, channel swings, shallow ledges, and mid-depth rock.
Rapala DT10
Big Shad
Clear water, herring lakes, offshore bait schools
Rapala DT10
Citrus Shad
Wind, stain, clouds, aggressive reaction bites
Rapala DT10
Classic Craw
Rock, chunk rock, gravel, prespawn craw bite
Deep Divers · 12–20+ ft
Strike King 6XD
Long casts, lighter fluoro. Offshore points, humps, brush piles, roadbeds, ledges.
Strike King 6XD
Green Gizzard Shad
Primary deep cranking shad — summer schools, offshore
Strike King 6XD
Demon Craw
Prespawn, deep rock, ledges, red/orange reaction
Color Family Reference
Three families cover it
Natural Shad for clear water and herring lakes. Bright Shad when wind/stain/clouds knock down visibility. Craw colors any time bass are eating off the bottom — rock, riprap, clay, prespawn.
Color Reference
Natural / Bright / Craw
Three families that cover every situation
Bottom Contact Reference
Dig · Deflect · Pause
Most strikes come on a direction change
BFS Cranking · Bandit 50 & Micro Squarebills
Sub-1/4 oz cranks on a BFS baitcaster
BFS cranking is how you keep the crankbait pattern alive when the water gets slick, the fish get pressured, or the forage shrinks to 2" shad and bluegill fry. A shallow-spool BFS reel throws 2"1/4 oz baits on 8–10 lb fluoro that a standard cranking rod can't cast — no lob, no birdnest. Tie direct with a loop knot to let the small balsa/plastic bodies hunt, keep the rod tip low, and grind bottom contact just like a full-size squarebill. The Bandit 50 anchors the shallow slot (2–5 ft) around riprap, dock posts, and pea gravel; the Bandit 50 Deep steps it down to 6–9 ft for secondary points and clay banks when the shallow bite dies. Fill in with the JDM micro squarebills — SR-X Griffon, LC 0.3, Chubby 38 — when fish want smaller yet.
Bandit 50 Series
Foil Shiner
2"1/4 oz · runs 2–5 ft · BFS shallow squarebill for clear water, pea gravel, dock posts, seawalls
Bandit 50 Deep Series
Chartreuse Blue Back
2"1/4 oz · runs 6–9 ft · BFS mid-depth diver for secondary points, riprap edges, clay banks with stain/wind
Where to Throw Each
Riprap
Parallel the bank and keep the bait grinding.
Rock points
Cast across the point and contact the crown or sides.
Wood
Deflect, pause briefly, then continue.
Grass edges
Tick the grass and rip the bait free.
Offshore structure
Long casts across humps, ledges, and brush piles.
Cheat Sheet
0–5 ft
Squarebill / shallow diver.
4–8 ft
KVD 1.5 Deep Diver.
8–12 ft
Rapala DT10.
12–20+ ft
Strike King 6XD.
Winter
Flat sides, subtle retrieves, natural shad on bluff ends and deep points.
Prespawn
Craw colors on rock, riprap, clay, transition banks.
Summer
6XD on offshore humps, ledges, brush, main-lake structure.
Fall
Shad colors around bait — creek arms, wind-blown banks, schoolers.
Shop the recommended gear, lures, and trailers
13 hand-picked items for this technique