Think about the kinds of place in which you’d fish a crankbait for bass; think about how you’d position the boat, the cast you’d make, the presentation; then do those same things when you’re using these crankbaits. Just don’t expect every bite to be a bass -- although, naturally, some will be. Others, however, will be crappie or big bluegills; still others could be catfish. Any species of game fish that lives in the lakes you fish, and that uses structure in 10 feet or less water will hit an ultralight crankbait.

The same is true for rivers and streams. On one particular outing that comes to mind, I was fishing a warmwater stream known mostly for its bass. I’d come to a dogleg in the creek in which a good-sized tangle of brush had been deposited by the strong currents of high water during spring.

I made three casts to that brushpile and caught three fish -- a 12-inch bass, a channel cat about the same size, and a crappie just short of 11 inches. All three of those game fish reacted like the predators they were, and none showed any hesitation in hitting my ultralight crankbait.

Another great place to fish these lures, particularly in small, warm-water streams, is along the head of a riffle or in pools where a waterfall dumps in. Drop your bait right into the spot where the fall hits and move it crossways from one side of the creek to the other. Good fish often hide out just under those falls, and they’ll dart out to attack your lure.

Just talking about all this cranks me up -- because I’ve seen first-hand the enormous effectiveness of ultralight crankbaits.