The Inside Scoop on Super-Shallow Crankbaits

Lure designer Jim Gowing, formerly with PRADCO and now an independent contractor, feels that changing habitat conditions have helped create an ideal environment for shallow crankin’. “Nationwide, many lakes have experienced a proliferation of shallow weedgrowth. Milfoil and hydrilla provide sensational bass cover, and the latest shallow-running crankbaits are perfect for probing the feeding zone above the vegetation.”

Scalish Speaks

Ohio bass pro Frank Scalish, BASS Rookie of the Year in 2002, is a master spinnerbait angler, but he also relies on super-shallow crankbaits like Bomber’s Square A in tournament competition. “I view these baits as an alternative presentation for the perimeter of the lake. Today, shallow-water bass encounter countless spinnerbaits. Shallow cranks probe the same wood and grass cover but have a totally different look. They have extra vibration and many have loud rattles.”

Scalish especially likes super-shallow cranks around laydowns and brush. “Ever see shad swimming along a submerged log? They’re eating algae off the wood. A bait like the Square A captures their glancing tight-to-cover feeding manner. Run a Square A down a log, let it deflect off the end of the branches, and it looks just like a live shad.”

Scalish fishes super-shallow cranks in water 50°F and warmer. “Spring and fall are the best seasons for that because bass are most active inshore then. During the Prespawn Period, in 55°F water temperatures or so, fish ‘em around fallen trees on steep banks. Also, they’re the only hardbaits I bother to throw at bedding fish—cast a super-shallow diver past the bed and grind it through, using a stop-and-go retrieve. I think it mimics a live bluegill, which bass can’t tolerate near their nest.

“During postspawn, fish ‘em around the edges of spawning flats and newly-emerging vegetation. In fall, fish them around boat docks and bump them off wood cover in the back ends of reservoir tributary arms where shad congregate.”

Tackle & Presentation Tips

Super-shallow cranks demand the right tackle. “I use a 7-foot Quarrow baitcasting rod, model GCC07, a glass-composite medium-power blank,” Scalish reports. “This rod offers excellent shock absorption and is long enough to steer the bait over, through, and around cover. High-speed reels are popular for these lures, but I prefer a modified Shimano Chronarch. I removed the gears from a stock reel and replaced them with lower-ratio gears; it’s now around 4.3:1 and moves only 19 inches of line per turn of the reel handle. At times, burning these baits works, but given the water temperature in which you’ll probably be using them, they should be retrieved rather slowly.

“Plus, as reel speed increases, winching power declines, and you definitely need winching power to haul a big bass out of heavy cover.” Scalish throws these lures on 10-pound-test Super Silver Thread line, in sparse cover, 17- to 20-pound in the thick stuff. “Heavier lines are helpful when you want the lure to run even shallower, such as over submerged grass,” he adds.

Raising or lowering the rod can help nudge a bait through thick cover. “These are true four-wheel-drive crankbaits, but they need some help from the rod to perform best,” Scalish notes. “Lift the rod tip to 11 o’clock to make the lure run up and over a clump of grass. Then point the rod almost straight at the lure to grind it through tree branches. You can even ‘wake’ the bait by starting the retrieve with the rod high, then lowering it as it gets closer.”