Highly active smallmouths chow on all-white and firetiger patterns, even in low, clear water. But over the course of many days, the odds favor natural patterns in low, clear rivers. Opaque patterns dwindle in effectiveness as the river drops, but only in terms of percentages. When things get low and clear, translucent patterns become more effective as a starting point, even though an opaque white or firetiger pattern could be the hottest thing going. Never rule out bright patterns with smallmouths.

As a river drops, its current slows and it becomes more like a lake. Smallmouths are free to roam and suspend, less restricted by current. Prime spots widen from a few feet across at flood stage until, at the river’s lowest ebb, they run bank-to-bank—meaning a smallmouth can track things, if it wants to. It can follow and watch. The water is clearer, too, so a lure has to make fewer mistakes, present fewer flaws, and at this point river cranks become lake cranks.

Lake Cranks

Lake cranks are sleek and slender by comparison. The profile extends and the dorsal height recedes. Bright colors may yet be warranted, but see-through patterns can be deadly in natural lakes. As mentioned, the lake crank whispers. Best to hide it, in fact, with a narrow lip and narrow body to create a less blatant wobble, with a see-through body or a paint job that allows it to blend into the background down there. And hold the rattles, please.

A crank that whispers through still water on a fluorocarbon leader challenges bass to find it. Smallmouths are sight-feeders by preference, and the prospect of feeling, hearing, or sensing prey that can’t be seen must, deductively, warrant investigation. Hiding a lure awakens the sleeping dragon of predatory instinct.

The lake crank is sleek and modern, with a slender bill and non-resistant shape that cuts through water with less wobble. The lake crank is evolutionary, having gradually been trimmed, styled, and engineered for bass pressured by crankbaits for many decades now. Light can pass through many of the best lake cranks, presenting a more realistic profile. As light passes through a translucent plastic, it illuminates the side away from an approaching predator, but also allows part of the profile to blend into whatever background exists. Since most baitfish reflect their surroundings and blend into the background, a broken image along the profile of a baitfish might be all a predator can see, much of the time.

Baits that work best in clear lakes for me tend to be smaller, clearer, and Japanese or European in origin, such as the Daiwa TD Cranks, the Yo-Zuri Hardcore Series, Salmo Hornets, and Lucky Craft Moonsault CBs. Lay a Moonsault down next to a classic Cotton Cordell Big O for an eye-opening visual demonstration of the evolutionary trends crankbaits have followed for the past 40 years. The Big O has everything a big, aggressive, uneducated bass wants—a round shape, a wide wobble, and aggressive vibration. But the Moonsault has everything a big, pressured, skittish bass wants—translucency, a narrow lip, a narrower body, and subtle vibration.