By Louie Stout

Kevin VanDam & Nick

A lot is written about when is the best time to throw specific types of crankbaits. It’s easy to be confused, so we went to the man who has won a ton of money on crankbaits and arguably the best source for clarification.

Kevin VanDam.

Basically, there are three types of crankbaits. Flat-sides, square bills and the traditional round bills, the latter of which most anglers are familiar.

We asked VanDam about his favorites for early season fishing.

“Flat-side crankbaits are really good in cold water and when you’re fishing around rocks or a hard, clean bottom,” he said last week. “When fishing around Michiana old milfoil or coontail vegetation, I like the square bill because it’s so much more efficient at coming through grass.”

Strike King, VanDam’s lure sponsor, offers flat- sided crankbaits in the Chick Magnet, which runs about 5 feet deep; the Chick Magnet Jr. that runs 4 feet; and the KVD 1.5 Flat, which has a deeper bill and runs about 8 feet or more on 10-pound line.

VanDam says the Chick is a good bait, but Michiana fish rarely get that shallow when the water is real cold. However, the Flat 1.5 is one of his favorites because it runs deeper.

Both baits have a tight wiggle.

“The Flat 1.5 is one of my favorite for fishing at St. Clair when water is in the low 40s and fish are in that 8- to 10-foot zone,” VanDam explained. “Now, if the shallows get dirty from wave action, the bass at St. Clair like to move around and will get shallower and that’s where I like the Magnet.”

VanDam says he and his sons have wrecked the big smallmouth up north and at St. Clair on the flat 1.5.

But once the water reaches mid-40s or warmer, he reaches for the KVD 1.5 square bill.

“Everyone knows a lipless crankbait is good that time of year, but that square bill is a much better cold-water bait than I ever realized,” VanDam notes.

The flat sides and the square bill emit different vibrations so he advises anglers to experiment with both.

“I’ve seen them lock on one bait one day and be on the other the next,” he adds.

Another bait he likes for Michiana fishing is the KVD 3XD, a standard round bill crankbait. He says you can get it down to 12-15 feet with a long cast on 8 or 10 pound line.

“It’s a killer lure and has a tight action as well,” insists VanDam. “If the fish are holding in that depth, you can get them to bite that thing. When fishing with a novice angler, tie it onto a spinning rod and tell them to heave it out there. They will get bit.”