It might not seem like a big deal, but according to Bob Jensen, a lure’s shape can have a major impact on how many fish you catch, as well as the species.

Anglers employ several types of baits to catch fish. Crankbaits can be very effective fish-catchers. They come in several shapes, so once we determine that we want to use a crankbait, we need to decide what shape of crankbait to tie on. The following ideas might be helpful in determining the shape of the crankbait you put in the water.

One helpful rule of thumb when selecting a crankbait is to use a shape that resembles the target species in shape. For instance, walleyes are longer, thinner fish, and they usually eat longer, thinner baitfish like perch and whitefish. Not always, but often. It’s a good starting point. Same with northern pike and muskies. They’re longer, thinner fish and often eat longer, thinner baitfish. A Lucky Shad is a good example of a walleye-shaped bait. It resembles something that a walleye would be willing to eat.

How about largemouth bass? They’re shorter, fatter fish. They like to eat bluegills and shad and such, which are shorter, fatter baitfish. Again, not always, but often. Touring bass pro Jay Przekurat says that, depending on the situation, a 6XD crankbait—a shorter, fatter lure—is his go-to bait when fishing deep ledges. And when he’s fishing shallow for bass in rivers, he’ll usually have a 1.5 Squarebill—another short, fat crankbait—tied on. Shorter, fatter predator fish, shorter, fatter crankbaits. Not always, but often.

However, (there’s always a “however”) I spend a lot of time fishing deep weed lines in natural lakes, where a variety of species swim and eat in summer. Most of the time I’m just looking for whatever fish wants to eat my bait. I’m not real species specific.

Crankbaits can be very productive along the deep weed line in summer and fall. I find that in the summer, I have more action from a wider variety of fish with a shorter, fatter bait. If I was looking specifically for walleyes, I would go with the longer, thinner bait; but since I just want to get bit, it seems that the baits that resemble a bluegill or crappie in shape get bit more often.

However again, in fall, it seems like longer, thinner cranks appeal to a wider variety of fish. Shorter, fatter crankbaits have a faster wobble, which is usually better in warm water. Longer, thinner crankbaits have a looser, wider wobble, and that’s better in colder water. Not always, but often.

As with much of fishing, some factors change by season, and it’s the same with the shape of a bait. When largemouth bass are the target, the preferred shape for a largemouth in spring is often different than the preferred shape in summer. This might not be so much a shape thing as it is an action thing, because different shapes have different actions in the water.

Sometimes, we can and do overthink the various factors that go into our lure selection. But just know that lure shape is something to consider when selecting a lure to tie onto the end of your line. If you do, you’re going to catch more fish, more often.

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