By Paul Michele

After one of the more miserable winters that we've had in a while, it's good to see springtime is finally here. Which means time to break out the bass tackle. Spring is one of the more exciting times of the year to fish for bass because they will hit a variety of lures. Not to mention that a lot of big fish are caught now.

One of the baits you might want to especially dust off are your crankbaits. There are so many crankbaits out on the market sometimes its hard to choose one. The best suggestion is to tailor your tackle to fit your and fish's needs. For example, in picking out what size bait to use, determine the size of the baitfish in the waters you fish. You don't necessarily want to fish a giant bait in a pond with one-pound bass feeding on small killifish. Plus, in the early spring a bass still has a lower metabolism from the colder winter. This means he's going to want a smaller bait versus a larger one.

Your next solution is based on water clarity. This can determine the color and action of your bait . If the water is a darker color, use a brighter lure so that the fish can see it. If its clear, use a more natural finish. In some cases, you may also want to try a color so hideous, ugly, and stupid looking that your embarrassed to buy it. But, on some heavily fished lakes, this could give you an edge because chances are the fish may not have seen this one. In the darker water fish make up for their lack of sight with more focus on the use of their lateral line. Target this attribute with the vibration of the lure. A fighter would provide more vibration than a slower wobble. The more vibration the more likely he'll be to find your lure. Keep in mind, the length of the crank's bill determines the depth, the width determines the vibration.

On that note, what bill length should you use? Easy, in the spring keep it shallow. The bass are all up close so you don't need to go deep. Now that you've got your crankbait, what do you do with it? Well, first lets talk about how to fish it. There's a number of ways to do it, which one is right depends on what the fish wants that day. One way is to get it down to its true running depth by first cranking quickly, and then slow your retrieve down as you casually swim it along. Another is to crank it as fast as you can. This often evokes a reactionary or defensive bite from bass. In both of these methods, you can also add one more option. Occasionally stop your bait, let it float up a tiny bit, and then continue reeling This gives it the appearance of being injured. A lot of strikes will come just as the bait stops or just when it starts to take off again.

One last suggestion is to twitch it or jerk the bait in. Twitching the bait usually involves some slight finesse. You can either twitch it by ever so gently shaking your rod tip as you reel so that the bait shakes on the surface or subsurface. Or, let it sit on the surface until the rings disappear, swim it under a foot, then let it float up again and repeat the process. In jerkbaiting, again, there are two ways of doing it. The first is to simultaneously reel while pumping the rod. This gives it an erratic constant action like an injured bait trying to escape. The second way is to rip the bait by pulling hard on the rod and then pausing. Continue doing this all the way in.

With all these methods is there a bait that can do it all? Maybe not a bait but a series. The Spro series of prime minnows and crankbaits covers most of it. Plus, they come complete with a set of Gamakatsu trebles. So when a fish hits you know he's hooked.

Lastly, is where to fish your crankbait? One reason crankbaits are so popular is that they are an excellent tool in locating fish. Casting a crankbait off of extending points or out in open water will allow you to quickly find them. Another advantage is that crankbaits can find suspended fish. With crankbaits being able to run a variety of depths (based on the size of the bill), you can find at what depth the fish are holding. Once you've solved this mystery, you can continue running a bait through that level, hence, keeping it in the strike zone longer and catching more fish. Rip rap and rock piles are also key areas. Running your bait along banging rocks of the bottom almost always seems to attract a fish. Weeds are also a prime fish-holding location. If the weeds are low enough, run a shallow running crankbait over top of the weeds. Now if the weeds are down deep, try to locate the weed edge. Then, run your bait along the edge of that weed line. Bass like to ambush bait here.

Lastly, don't be afraid to throw your bait along fallen trees or logs. The tip of the crankbait often helps it bang off of snags. Plus the bumping of logs, trees, or timber triggers fish to strike. A quick pointer: If you bump a stump stop your bait. Keeping in mind this is a prime time for a strike. As if I haven't given you enough to think about, lets discuss one final thing. Tuning your crankbait. This is very simple to do. It all revolves around the eye of the bait. Let's say you want it to swim a little more on the right side. This would give it the appearance of being further wounded. Simply use needle-nose pliers and bend the eye slightly to the left. If you want it more on the left side, bend it right. Bending the eye up will give it a wider wobble. Bending it down, a tighter wobble.

Well you've spent enough time reading about crankbaits. Now get out there and use them. Good luck and see you on the water.