Crankbaits that run 3 feet deep or less are hot. This relatively new development comes on the heels of the 1990s depth craze, a bassin’ revolution that kept lure manufacturers busy designing crankbaits capable of diving 15, 20, even 25 feet on a long cast with light line

But think back. The earliest crankbaits were what today’s bassers would call “shallow divers”—many running 3 to 5 feet deep on a steady retrieve. The Creek Chub Wiggle Fish is an example, the lure Georgia farmer George W. Perry used to catch the record largemouth in 1932. Anglers had little need for a deeper-running plug back then; plenty bass could be caught by casting to the shoreline of natural lakes and ponds.

By mid-century, however, many rivers had been dammed for flood control and electric power generation. A new bass-fishing phenomenon—reservoir structure fishing—was born. The advent of portable sonar units, specialized bass boats, and organized tournaments in the late 1960s caused an explosion in bass fishing popularity. As anglers probed deeper water, they discovered bass relating to points, drop-offs, underwater humps, and other previously untapped structures. This new breed dredged up deep bass on Texas-rigged plastic worms and metal-billed crankbaits like the Hellbender and Bomber.

Many newly inundated reservoirs contained vast stands of submerged brush and trees, attracting hordes of bass. Shallow divers like the Cordell Big O excelled. But once wave action broke up shallow brush, bass moved offshore, prompting reservoir anglers to rely more on deep-running crankbaits or plastic worms.

Credit David Fritts for bringing deep-diving crankbaits into the modern era. The North Carolina angler won the 1993 BASS Masters Classic and the 1994 BASS Angler of the Year title by dredging deep cover with long-billed crankbaits. Soon deep crankin’ ruled the pro tour.

The Advent of Super-Shallow Runners

Veteran Mississippi bass pro Paul Elias spurred the development of super-shallow crankbaits in the early 1990s. “I’d just competed in a tournament on Lake Okeechobee, Florida, where I had a problem patterning the fish,” Elias recals. “They were relating to grassbeds, and when the event started, I caught ‘em on a lipless crankbait burned through the 2-foot band of open water above the grass. But as the tournament wore on and bass became more pressured, they moved deeper into the cover, and I couldn’t get them to hit a fast-moving lipless bait. That really bugged me, and I talked to Mann’s Bait Company about the need for a lure you could fish in a foot or two of water at a slow speed.”

These discussions led to the development of Mann’s 1-Minus series, the first lipped crankbaits designed to explore this skinny band of water. The 1-Minus seemed radical at the time, with its bulbous tadpole-like body and stubby lip. Today, that general shape has been adopted by virtually all hardbait manufacturers, and super-shallow runners have racked up an impressive string of high-profile tournament victories.

New Generation

Due to the competitive nature of the lure business, manufacturers are close-mouthed about crankbait design, but they admit it’s much easier to build a deep-diver than a shallow-diver. “Merely shortening the lip won’t cut it,” says veteran lure designer Tom Seward. “Attaining the correct body movement and vibration in a super-shallow runner is a challenge. These baits require high buoyancy, a special plastic mix, a computer-modeled body, design elements like body fins, and a lip designed to deflect off objects for snag protection.”

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.”

When & Where

Super-shallow crankbaits are effective in many common bass fishing scenarios.

Warm runoff—In early spring, when warm, murky water enters a reservoir system via runoff from creeks and ditches, a super-shallow crank is your ticket to Lunkertown. Head up the tributary arm to the source of incoming water. A quick check of your surface temperature gauge often reveals the muddy runoff to be 5°F to 10°F warmer than the rest of the creek arm.

Cast plugs around stumps, logs, and rocks. With vision limited in stained water, bass hold tight to these objects; most strikes occur the instant the bait bumps cover.

Inside tip: Runoff from warm spring rains can trigger an influx of crayfish. Root a craw-patterned shallow diver slowly around bass-holding cover.

Brushpiles—You’re probably thinking: “Run a $6 crankbait through a brushpile? No way!” But a properly presented super-shallow diver is a deadly alternative to a jig or spinnerbait in snaggy cover. Working close to your target, use a short underhand pitch or a loop cast to deliver the lure just past the brushpile. Then reel s-l-o-w-l-y until you feel the bait contact the cover. The instant it hits wood, pause the retrieve, allowing the lure to float up just enough to clear the obstruction, then resume the retrieve.

Inside tip: Clipping the leading hook from each set of trebles reduces hang-ups when you’re cranking brushpiles.

Submerged vegetation—Milfoil, hydrilla, and coontail beds attract droves of bass in warm weather, and a super-shallow crank is a great option. Gun first for the most active bass by “waking” the lure over the top and along the outer edges of the bed. If this fails to produce, swim it just under the surface with a stop-and-go retrieve. Inside tip: Bass commonly feed on small bluegills in thick weedbeds. Try an orange-blue or firetiger lure to mimic this forage.

River bars—Gravel and mud bars swept by moving water are perfect places for bass to intercept baitfish schools. Cast a stubby-billed crank in a shad pattern upstream and retrieve it quickly along the bar.

Inside tip: Small bass often chase a school of baitfish on top of a river bar. For the big bite, bump the lure against current-breaking stumps or rocks on the downstream portion of the bar, where the structure begins to taper into deep water.

Flats—Good places for a quick limit in summer and fall. Grind your baits around scattered stumps in 1 to 3 feet of water.

Inside tip: Flats are often crisscrossed by a network of shallow ditches lined with stumps and brush. Search for these bottom features and root lures through this cover.

Mudlines—In clear lakes and reservoirs, a band of turbid water often forms against banks buffeted by waves. This creates an ideal shallow concealment opportunity for bass, and fish move to the edge of the murky zone to feed on baitfish. Cast a short-lipped crank into the darker water and retrieve it slowly into clear water—if it makes it that far.

Inside tip: This pattern is most reliable when the wind is out of the south or west.

Riprap—Large chunk rocks deposited along levees and erosion-prone banks provide a haven for crayfish and baitfish. Deep-diving crankbaits, Texas-rigged worms, and jigs often wedge between the rocks, while shallow cranks ticked over the rocks can produce monumental strikes.

Inside tip: Target riprap around dams during the initial minutes of current generation. Shad hold tight to the riprap when current sweeps past it.

*Don Wirth, Nashville, Tennessee, has been an In-Fisherman contributor for almost two decades on topics from bass to bluegills, catfish, trout, and stripers.