How to fish the crankbait in spring. Stick to natural colors in early season, clear waters. Prespawn fishing crank bait technique, advice and stories, from the bassmaster, Kevin VanDam.
KVD breaks down his power fishing style and how to keep driving the bass crazy. A crankbait will catch you bass in any water, in any season at any depth. So how do you select and work the bait and when?
@StrikeKingLure has what you need and KVD profiles the techniques for different temperatures of water. Enjoy this video? subscribe right now to this channel and be a part of the best fishing and outdoor sports community online.
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As spring approaches and the lakes start to thaw, it’s game time for anglers. Our lakes are relatively shallow, often with some vegetation and a bit of color to the water. Covering large flats effectively means choosing the right bait and for me, that starts with a lipless crankbait.
One of my go to choices as soon as the water opens up even if there’s still some ice floating around is the Strike King Red Eye Shad. This bait is a powerhouse early in the season.
Many folks think cold water fishing calls for soft plastics like grubs or jigs, but in my experience, hard baits like crankbaits often outperform them.
What makes the Red Eye Shad stand out? It’s got those classic lipless crankbait features—rattling BBs for sound—but what sets it apart is the flat-sided design, giving it a tight, fast vibration. There’s something about that tight wobble in cold water that drives bass wild.
How I Fish It
Sure, you can just cast it and retrieve it with a steady reel and still catch fish. But I’ve found that it’s the falling action of the bait that triggers the most strikes. Most people overlook this. They’ll fish it with a straight retrieve, but I like to fish it more like a yo-yo.
Here’s the method:
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Make a long cast.
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Start your retrieve with a side sweep of the rod.
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Let the bait fall.
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Repeat the motion: pull, fall, pull, fall.
That falling action is the key. The Red Eye Shad has a balanced shimmy as it drops, and when it flutters down like a wounded baitfish, bass can’t resist. Especially if you rip it off some grass or a stump—it just looks like easy prey, and they’ll strike out of pure reaction.
The Right Setup
I fish this bait with a long, composite crankbait rod part glass, part graphite. It’s one of my signature Tour Series rods. Here’s why:
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Graphite gives me sensitivity, so I can feel if even the tiniest bit of weed or slime gets on the hooks.
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Glass slows down the rod’s action, allowing better deflection when the bait hits cover like rocks or stumps. This makes it less likely for the bass to get spooked or for the bait to get stuck.
Depth control is another huge reason for the longer rod. Since the Red Eye Shad sinks, I can adjust how deep it runs by simply raising or lowering my rod tip:
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For shallow flats (2–4 feet), I keep the rod tip up to keep the bait higher in the water column.
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For deeper areas, I lower the rod tip to let the bait sink farther.
Line Matters
I always use fluorocarbon line for crankbaits and here’s why:
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It sinks, helping your crankbait get deeper.
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It has low stretch, giving you better hook sets and more sensitivity even with a softer rod.
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It’s extremely abrasion-resistant, perfect for grinding through cover and vegetation.
I’ll usually rig different outfits with varying line strengths, like 10 lb test, to fine-tune how my bait runs.
Color Choices for Spring
In early spring, I stick to natural color patterns that mimic what bass are already feeding on like bluegill and crayfish. Clear water calls for subtle, realistic shades.
But if I’m fishing stained or murky water, that’s when I’ll switch things up to brighter colors chartreuse, fluorescent reds anything that stands out more.
How to fish the crankbait in spring
A bait like the Strike King Red Eye Shad is a spring staple in my tackle box. Its tight wobble, noisy BBs, and unique fall make it irresistible, even in chilly waters. And with the right rod setup, line, and technique, you can turn those early-season outings into some of your most productive days on the water.
So when the ice starts to break and the boat’s ready to launch, don’t hesitate. Tie on that lipless crankbait and get out there the bass are waiting.
