These guys are right. Using a change up on your retrieve is many times critical. A lot of the time, people over simplify crank baits. They think all there is to fishing a crankbait is tying one on, throwing it out and reeling it in!. That may work on occasion, but consistently productive "crankbaiters" know there is much more to it than that. Crank baits can be a dynamite bait when the fish are actively feeding. They cover a lot of water which makes it easier to find where fish are.
I could give a lot of information about crankbaiting but to be brief, I will list a few rules of thumb that I like to take into consideration when using them.
As a rule, cloudy days are better than clear days, Warm days are better than cool days, Windy days are better than calm days.
If the sun's rays are bright in shallow water, fluorescent yellow and charteuse are best.
Higher the sun the more translucent your bait color.
When it is very windy use lipless cranks especially on days or in waters you would not normally have used them. the wind can cause current to flow in the direction the wind is coming from. fish always face current, so throw your lure into the wind.
Down size your bits when fish are not being active. If feeding is slow, fish smaller baits and slow them down. Use small jerkbaits, and cranks.
Muddy water, slow your presentation. Use brighter colors. Clear water, faster presentation tighter wobble, muted colors.
Best conditions for ripping the flats are on those days with cloud cover, wind, and low pressure fronts.
Cloud cover and rain reduce visibility in water. Makes good conditions for top water baits.
That said, I still use soft plastics more then cranks. I personally catch more fish that way. However, I have seen days where a fish will blow right by a soft plastic in order to take a crank. Besides water depth, temperature, clarity, cover, and activity level, available forage plays a big part in whether one should use cranks.
