Lipless crankbaits deliver a level of versatility that makes them a major player all year, but the spring and fall tend to be the time they shine the brightest. Effective at a range of depths, with different retrieves, and at all speeds, a lipless crankbait gives anglers the ability to adapt on the fly to suit the attitude of the fish. In the fall, this is invaluable when they are chasing balls of bait.
Tackle Warehouse Staffer, Joey, prefers to stack the odds in his favor by locking a lipless crankbait in his hand in the fall, covering as much water as possible, and working to find the most productive water on the lake. Often, this will lead to a flurry of catches until the school shuts off. Once they stop biting, Joey suggests implementing some untraditional retrieves to squeeze out a few extra bites or reactivate the school all over again. Try a hard burn-and-kill, slow yo-yo, dragging it along the bottom, or even fishing it like a ripbait.
"When you've made 150 casts through the school and haven't had a bite in a while, getting wacky with your retrieve can mean a few extra bites or maybe even causing the school to fire all over again...those fish are there, you just need one to make a mistake and then maybe they'll start chewing again." - Joey, TW Staff