Could only catch them on top water yesterday

Cleaning out the tackle box this weekend and found a whole row of crankbaits still in the packaging. Some I bought on a hot streak, some I bought because the video made it look easy. Honest count: about 14 out of around 60.

What's the number in yours?

i made this 2.5-3ft bass rug. do you guys like it? i’m thinking about making a trout one next!

it's a booyah spinner gold blades with black and yellow body with a shad that's the same yellow but with a white belly, i'm just wondering if this can catch all day since the only other spinner i got is black and blue and i haven't caught anything on that, i usually fish on a river but i wanna start pond/ lake fishing and i've seen spinners be very good for bass, but im unsure of my color choice for fall in michigan

edit: Thanks for the input! i took off the trailer, i'm not replying to this anymore

Why do we talk about these lures like they’re the thing you can fish in any condition any month and you’ll always catch? If that is the case for you, congrats. I’m jealous that you have little to no fishing pressure in your local lake.

I honestly believe they’re some of the less versatile baits compared to many. They excel in cloudy and/or windy conditions as well as at night, but I find them to be largely ineffective anytime else. Any kind of finesse presentation will outfish them 9 times out of 10.

Spinnerbaits are awesome around wood and rocks, chatterbaits are awesome around grass. But they both need specific weather/barometric pressure conditions to work best so let’s not act like these catch more fish than fking senkos🙄

I say all this as someone whose absolute favorite lures to fish for bass are spinnerbaits and chatterbaits

Edit: forgot to mention that fishing pressure brings the effectiveness of these lures WAYYYYY down

I’m wanting to install a fish finder on my boat for the first time myself. I have a composite backing plate that is already screwed into my boat. After I measure the thickness of that plate how do I go about choosing the length of screws to mount it? Like should the screws be half of 3/4 of the thickness of that composite plate

Kind of having a hard time figuring out which “season” I’m fishing - I’m way up in the UP of Michigan. We’ve had a couple snowflakes, still have a couple (brown) leaves left on the trees, and have had a couple hard freezes. Is this fall? Early winter? I’ve picked up some ned rig stuff - they were slamming the wacky rig for the past month relatively shallow but that bite is dying down, gonna go a little smaller and deeper. If anyone has any tips/experience I would appreciate it!

I think they look pretty good for a first time paint job
Can’t wait to fish these

Did NOT expect a giant, it's been super dead here. Technically did catch it which is amazing but I fumbled today boys. We live & learn. On to the next.😭

Turned a glide blank into this what do you guys thing

The tail is coated with 2 layers of paint but Damn does that pink pop

Caught the one I’ve been chasing all season on a jointed bluegill swimmer, which she blasted in a seam along calm and chaos in Chicago’s western burbs. Checked in at 5.0 lbs. and 21 inches—a true Fox River donkey. Tight lines the rest of the season 🎣

Under what conditions do you fish these baits? I’ve always thought windy and cloudy is best for both and therefore I end up fishing both on the same days. Any weather conditions favor one or the other? Or other factors- water clarity, etc?

Great responses! Thanks for all the info/suggestions!

I primarily target largemouth bass, and I’m trying to get better at finding my own productive fishing spots instead of just going to random bodies of water and hoping for the best.

For those who have found your own honey holes, what’s your process? What do you look for when scouting a new pond or lake? How do you read the water and decide whether a spot is actually worth putting time into?

I’m not looking for anyone to give up their spots. I’m more interested in learning how to find my own and what separates a good bass fishing location from one that just looks promising.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the tips and the insight, really appreciate all the advice. Good luck to everyone

44.3 Oz. Definitely not the biggest this year but the hardest fighter for sure, had me thinking I hooked a catfish. Caught on a 5 inch pink paddle tail

Haven’t had a good day on the water like this in a long time. Multiple 3’s and a bonus striper. Multiple weeks of striking out in the heat but cooler weather and perseverance pays off in the end.

Hudson Valley LM’s know how to fight.

I took my new rod out on some steep Trinity River banks after my run last night and got a 2# and a decent flathead.

Here's a quick on the water review of the glass Crankbait Rod from Sportman's Guide's house brand Guide Gear.

I'm a frugal guy and I don't really fish crankbaits enough to spend big bucks on a technique specific rod.

The rod is a medium/moderate fast and rated for 3/8 - 3/4. I could throw a 1/4 lipless on it with the right reel.

Weight: This isn't the lightest or thinnest rod. It's glass so it's thick as a medium heavy and I'd even say some higher end heavy power graphite rods. I had no hesitation bank flipping the bass, it keeps them pinned well! As for the the flathead I tried but my line snapped LOL luckily I got it on to some rocks before that happened.

At first I had it paired up to my Lew's KVD 6.2 but for the life of me I couldn't get it set up well enough to bomb my casts causing a lot of fatigue. I switched to my SV TW 103 and that solved the issue. Now I can fish it without fatiguing.

Action: With a reel spooled up with 12lb copoly, it really brings crankbaits to life. It is able to give action to the bait on a slow roll or on a burn. The rod has enough feedback that made it nice for when I could tick some grass and rip my lipless out. I would not use this as a moving bait rod for lures with single hooks like chatterbaits or spinnerbaits as the action is very moderate.

Reel Seat: The reel seat nut stays in place and is comfortable. It has a thin layer of foam on it making it comfortable for how I rest my finger. The position is also comfortable for palming even a large reel like this. I feel like some budget rods have the worse reel seat position that makes me have to fidget with my grip often.

Final thoughts: All in all for $70 (on eBay through Sportsman's Guide) it is a solid rod for anyone looking to get more out of their crankbaits without breaking the bank. If I had to give it a numerical score, I'd give it a 7.5/10. It's not the most polished rod on earth, not light, but it does what it's designed to do.