Crankbaits are dependable search baits because they are good year around fish locators. In the early spring, Pros like to use flat-sided crankbaits, and as the water warms and the fish move into shallower muddy water the alot of pros switch to a square-bill crankbait that features an extremly wide wobble. A lipless crankbait is a common choice for most fall fishing.
For clear, cold-water situations, the tight wiggle of Rapala DT10 and Shad Rap crankbaits do the trick. Pay more attention to seasonal patterns than water clarity when choosing crankbait colors. When the water is cold and shad are deep in the late winter and early spring, choose crawfish-color crankbaits -- brown-and-orange or red. These colors seem to cause more of a reaction bite. These colors also produce when targeting rocky banks, which hold more heat during this time of the year and attract crawfish.
When throwing crankbaits in the summer, a chartreuse (with blue back) no matter what the water clarity is a great color.
Crankbaits are ideal for covering water in a hurry, but the versatility of the tube for locating fish, which he says works well in clear and stained water. And you don't always have to consider the tube a slow-moving bait
Pro's prefers a tube over a jig because of its erratic fall and the weight adjustments they can make to the soft plastic lure.
A lot of times a tube will trigger more reaction strikes than a jig when pairing it with a heavier weight, which creates a faster and more erratic fall. Moving the tube at a quick clip is a good summer technique.
The tube doesn’t fall the same way every time like a jig, which seems to fall in the same direction every time. Changing weights increases the versatility of the tube bait, but some anglers fail to make this simple adjustment. Changing weights can make a huge difference, and some pro's choose to peg the weight to the tube so it stays with the bait when fishing heavy cover.
Though other lures can find fish in a hurry, Pro's have proved that crankbaits and tubes offer enough versatility to serve as search baits for all seasons.
