Story by Corey Casey | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
As the weather cools down and the water temperatures begin their steady drop toward winter lows, a lot of anglers start putting away their crankbaits. But for me, this time of year is when they really shine. From now until about March, a well-chosen crankbait can be one of the most consistent producers of quality bass. In cold water, fish get more predictable, more structured, and more willing to commit to a well-presented bait—especially one with a tight, subtle wobble.
Wintertime is when some of my absolute favorite crankbaits come into play: the No. 5 Rapala Shad Rap (in both the standard and jointed versions), the Berkley Frittside 5, and the Rapala DT6. These baits give you that perfect cold-water action—tight wobble, light vibration, and a natural profile that flat-out gets bit. I’ve won several tournaments in the winter leaning heavily on a Shad Rap or Frittside, and there’s a reason they’re always tied on when the temps start dipping.
Where Winter Bass Set Up
In the winter, location is everything. Fish aren’t roaming as much as they do during warmer months. They hold tighter to predictable edges, depth changes, and isolated structure. That’s why I focus on:
• Grass edges: Even when grass starts dying back, the edges create natural ambush lanes. Slow rolling a DT-6 or Frittside along the outside edge is one of the best ways to trigger a reaction bite. Bass sit in that transition, waiting for an easy meal.
• Cypress trees: Cypress lakes are gold mines in winter. The knees, roots, and shadows around those trees hold heat and bait. A subtle winter crankbait ticking through those high-percentage zones can produce some of the biggest fish of the season.
• Ditches and ditch edges: In winter, depth changes are everything. Bass love sliding up and down those ditches depending on the sun, wind, and bait movement. I like throwing both the No. 5 Shad Rap and the DT-6 right down the middle of a ditch or along the edges. If you find bait in a ditch this time of year, you’ve probably found the bass.
• Stumps and riprap: Anytime you can bounce a crankbait off hard cover in cold water, do it. That deflection is often the exact trigger a lethargic bass needs to react. Riprap is especially good in the winter because those rocks hold heat longer than the surrounding water. A tight-wobbling bait ticking down a riprap wall can be lights-out on sunny days.
The Power of Tight-Wobble Crankbaits
Winter is the season of subtlety. Big, wide-wobbling crankbaits aren’t usually what the fish want when water temps dip into the 40s and low 50s. That’s why the Shad Rap, Frittside 5, and DT-6 shine. They have that small, natural, tight vibration that mimics the way real baitfish move in cold water.
I’ve thrown crankbaits year-round, but in the winter, these specific styles are tournament-winning tools. The Frittside 5 especially has earned me multiple checks and wins because of how perfectly it fits the cold-water profile. And the No. 5 Shad Rap—solid or jointed—is just timeless. It’s one of those baits that works anywhere, on any lake, when the water gets cold.
When it comes to colors, I keep things extremely simple: a shad pattern or a red. That’s it. Shad colors match bait perfectly during most winter conditions, while red excels on those dirtier water days or when the fish want a more visible bait.
Dialing In the Right Gear
Gear matters more in cold-water cranking than most people realize. I prefer throwing my crankbaits on a baitcaster with a 6:1 gear ratio paired with a 6-foot-10 medium-light rod. That combination gives me great feel, great control, and lets the bait do its job without overpowering it. For line, I normally run 10- to 12-pound fluorocarbon, and sometimes I’ll drop down to 8-pound when I really need to maximize action or depth.
But when the wind is blowing—and winter can be windy—a spinning setup becomes your best friend. It makes casting light crankbaits easier and more accurate. On the spinning rod, I like 15-pound braid to a 10-pound fluorocarbon leader. It casts effortlessly, which helps me stay more efficient and keeps my bait in the strike zone.
Final Thoughts
Winter crankbait fishing is one of the most overlooked yet effective ways to catch quality bass when the temperatures fall. With tight-wobbling baits, the right gear, and a focus on high-percentage structure, you can turn the coldest months into some of your most productive fishing of the entire year. These baits have helped me win multiple tournaments, and they continue to produce when many anglers think bass won’t bite.
If you embrace the cold and commit to the crankbait game, you might just catch your biggest fish of the winter—and maybe even win a tournament or two.
For more on winter cranking, check out my video.
Corey Casey – Angler Profile
