Bass gorge on bait to prepare for and recover from the spawn, and at just about every possible opportunity. Brandon Palaniuk and Kevin VanDam employ crash-and-bang cranking to flip their switch while Todd Castledine’s preferred bait deflects instead of digs. Triggering trophy bites is crucial — on that, they totally agree.
Palaniuk’s Crankbait of Choice Catches the Big Ones
Two-time Bassmaster Angler of the Year Champion, Palaniuk, conducted a pre-spawn masterclass en route to winning the 2025 Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite event at Lake Okeechobee.
During practice, he tested a prototype crankbait that produced in similar situations. His first two casts on the tournament-winning spot yielded a 2-pound and 6-pound bass. He left before he could be seen. Day 1 provided the clues Palaniuk needed.
“It was the only time during the tournament we saw them chasing bait, and the bait coming out of the water was massive. I caught two of the bass that first day on a glide bait, but sometimes, they turned away from it. Then the lightbulb went off! I picked up the Big M 4.0 — it is going to be the perfect depth, has a bigger profile, and I can get these fish to react to it like nothing else”.
Upon associating the area with an offshore rockpile/ledge scenario, he realized that grinding the bait into the bottom would trigger bigger bass relating to the bottom.
At 5 inches and weighing 2 ounces, the MegaBass Big M 4.0 fits the bill. Palaniuk explains that its natural, fluid motion allows for fast fishing without hard pumping, and its rounded bill causes slight digging side-to-side, triggering bites.
They would eat it on an erratic stop-and-go retrieve or as the bait was burned back to the boat, ticking along the bottom.
His perfect area includes bass relating to hard, clean bottom, in water 10- to 14-feet deep with 1- to 4-feet of visibility. Using a slower reel, the Daiwa Tatula 150 with a 6:3:1 gear ratio affords him better bait control, while 15- to 20-pound Seaguar Tatsu dictates the running depth. Bass throttle the bait, pinning it to the bottom. A 7’ 6” medium-heavy action rod such as the Alpha Angler Mag Rebound glass composite stick offers the power needed to control the ensuing ruckus.
Palaniuk’s favorite colors are PM Strike Chartreuse, which won him the Okeechobee tournament, and Secret Gill when targeting brim beds. He upgrades the hooks with 1/0 BKK Spear21 hooks.
Though Palaniuk didn’t qualify for the 2025 Bassmaster Classic, working the Expo provided some gratification. Fresh off his Okeechobee victory, a couple requested he sign their 4.0, which they’d won two tournaments with. Visibly mangled with teeth marks, he proudly signed the bait.
KVD’s Trophy Mindset
Four-time Bassmaster Classic Champion Kevin VanDam made a career of defining crankbait trends. The evolution of his signature series KVD squarebill lineup has culminated with KVD 8.0. Weighing 1 1/8 ounces, measuring 4.5 inches, and diving down to 10 feet, this upsized crank flat out catches giants.
“More people are embracing bigger baits, like swimbaits and the glide bait craze that’s going on even in the North, and the 8.0 is smaller than most of those. I think that people are less intimidated by it than ever,” VanDam told Wired2fish.
It’s still about matching the hatch. “In the North, it’s bluegill, and gizzard shad in the South”, VanDam said. “You throw it when you have that trophy mindset”, he said. He fished an area using traditional techniques and caught 3-pound fish, but by upsizing his offering to the KVD 8.0, he upgraded the quality of his fish to exceed 7 pounds.
Notching incredible days on the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lake, and Lake Guntersville, targeting points, shell bars, and rock piles in shallower spots where bass congregate pre- and post-spawn, he’s also pounded them on Lake Fork when gizzard shad were spawning on shallow banks. A stop-and-go retrieve works best.
Where the bait shines is its sound profile. “It’s a really loud bait in every way — from the wobble to the noise it makes, and the water it displaces,” he said. “Make it bulldoze down there; just really rattling things up”. Despite lacking a steep dive angle, the 8.0 impressively reaches 10 feet deep. He uses 17- to 25-pound line to control its diving depth and keeps the bottom from overpowering the bait.
Around shallow targets, he fishes the shorter 7’ 2” medium-heavy action CC3 model of his Lew’s Signature series cranking rods. The CC6 fares better when throwing magnum-sized cranks at ledges and deeper cover. When the bite loads up the rod, he’ll reel up the slack and swing hard.
Castledine Cranks Checks All over Texas
For years, Todd Castledine kept the secret to himself. He initially discovered the lure when StrikePro manufactured “Big Bubba.” Fishing it at Sam Rayburn Reservoir behind anglers throwing a rattletrap in the grass, he crushed the competition with the odd-lipped crankbait. Though the bait was discontinued for a time, a unique agreement allowed Strike King to manufacture and distribute the lure. Enter the Hybrid Hunter.
The bait excels around hydrilla because it doesn’t rip as easily. Upon contacting the grass, he’ll stop reeling. Most bites occur as the bait retreats on a slack line. Sam Rayburn Reservoir and Lake Amistad highlight this scenario. “The biggest mistake an angler can make is ripping the bait once it contacts grass and fish it like a rattletrap”, Castledine tells Wired2fish. “It’s a better bait than a rattletrap. It’s bigger, louder, and the strikes are way more violent.”
To work this bait effectively, a 7’ 6 medium-heavy casting rod with a slow to moderate tip, paired with a Lew’s reel (7:1) spooled with 20-pound Sunline Shooter gets the nod. Because fish hit the bait so hard, a strong hookset is necessary due to the slack knocked into the line.
Most anglers don’t realize that the bait is a flat-sided crankbait because of its wide body, and fail to fish it accordingly. “They won’t throw it in water shallow enough or flat enough”, Castledine said. The bait shines in 55- to 70-degree water with 1- to 2-feet of visibility in 2- 6-feet of water, with fall and pre-spawn being best as fish are shallower.
Due to the Hybrid Hunter’s unique lip design, it runs parallel to the bottom as he steadily retrieves it over the flat bottom. He’ll aim for rocks and stumps.
“When you stop reeling after hitting them, the deflection causes it to roll almost to where you see the bottom of it,” Castledine said. “Because of the bill, it hunts, so it will never blow out. It might kick out for 2 or 3 seconds but then tracks straight. You never see the sides of a regular crankbait because it deflects downward.”.
No grass, no problem. The Hybrid Hunter was made for covering water.
“At Table Rock, everyone wants to fish 45-degree angle banks. I crush fish on flat rock banks in 3 feet of water, and people will never make a cast there,” Castledine said.
On Falcon Lake, he targets broken-down bushes and trees near the flattest bottom.
Though the Hybrid Hunter comes in two sizes, Castledine throws the larger size. His color choices mirror his jerkbait collection, mainly translucent colors, except during colder months when gold and chrome excel. On lakes with a limestone bottom, causing the lake to appear milky, he’ll throw white.
Keep Crankin’
From the grass flats of Rayburn to the shell bars of Guntersville, today’s top pros prove that power cranking remains one of the most effective ways to target heavyweight bass. Whether it’s Brandon Palaniuk grinding a Big M 4.0 into hard bottom, Kevin VanDam leaning on the big-profile KVD 8.0, or Todd Castledine deflecting a Hybrid Hunter through shallow cover, each angler shows that success comes from matching bait style to fish behavior. When the goal is to trigger reaction strikes and upgrade quality, few tactics rival the effectiveness — or excitement — of putting the right crankbait in the right hands.
