It's amazing how many bass anglers do not use shallow to medium running crankbaits in and around skinny water. Here's the scoop; - next time you're on the water, try a shallow running crankbait or a medium diving crankbait where you would normally throw a worm, rubber soft jerkbait or even a spinnerbait.

Why? For many anglers, the use of a crankbait with 2 sets of treble hooks in and around shallow water with weeds, sticks, logs, boulders, hangups and other unlikely looking places is a scare. The truth of the matter is, many crankbaits with their plastic bills actually bounce off hangups alot better than one might believe, and with the way many crankbaits are designed, the lure will actually back up and away from the snag before the trebles ever get hooked into the snag.

Now of course there is a bit of technique involved, and I am sure at first you will get hung up here and there, but with practice you can learn to weave your cranker through the slop like the pros.

Bouncing these small crankbaits off structure and digging the medium running ones into the bottom of the water is actually the key to alerting the bass that there's something in the area worth checking out and possibly eating.

The Manns 1 minus series of crankbaits are a great example of these types of shallow water crankbaits, with their plastic bills and body designs, the baits bounce off wood, rocks, and they actually come through heavy stick ups pretty well. Most other vendors have similar models and it's a matter of preference.

The use of these crankbaits fished over the top of shallow weed beds drives big bass crazy and anytime you can tap the tops of the weeds while on the retrieve will send out vibrations and cause the bass to come in for a closer look.

To a hungry bass a nice fat juicy crankbait bouncing off structure or digging feverishly into the soft bottom stirring up a trail behind it certainly will get the bass's attention.

Next time you're about to throw that other lure, give a crankbait a try. Chances are you may be very surprised at the results. Tip: Swim these crankbaits up tight against boulders, dock pilings, bridge pilons, rip rap banks, and the inside edges of weeds as well as along the sides of fallen down trees.

Have fun...

Mike Panek