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Angler Fishing2 June 20262 min readBy Fishing Network· AI-assisted

Three Offshore Crankbaits Keith Combs Trusts All Summer

When bass push offshore in the heat, Bassmaster pro Keith Combs narrows his crankbait box to three proven divers. Here is each one, the depth it owns, and the single tackle setup he runs for all three.

Three Offshore Crankbaits Keith Combs Trusts All Summer

Key Takeaways

  • 1."If the bite's tough, the 5XD tends to shine," he said.
  • 2."So if you're getting hung up with your 5XD, switch up to that 4.0." It runs down to roughly nine feet.
  • 3."These are three styles of crankbait that I would not go into any offshore day without," Combs said.

Summer pushes largemouth off the bank and onto deep humps, ledges and brush piles, and that is where a hard-grinding crankbait earns its keep. In a recent studio breakdown, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Combs walked through the three crankbaits he considers non-negotiable for an offshore day, and explained why each one has a place.

"These are three styles of crankbait that I would not go into any offshore day without," Combs said.

The anchor of the trio is the Strike King 6XD, a deep diver he works through the 12-to-18-foot zone. He values it as much for its lifelike action as its depth. "It's really going to get down there and grind along the bottom. It's going to get a lot of reaction strikes, but it's honestly a very subtle wobbling crankbait, so it's very realistic to a fish," he said.

For tougher conditions, Combs drops to the 5XD. The smaller profile and slightly wider wobble dive to about 13 feet and shine when bass turn cautious. "If the bite's tough, the 5XD tends to shine," he said.

His third pick surprises a lot of offshore anglers: the square-billed Strike King 4.0. Combs reaches for it around shallower bars and brush, where its wide, square-lipped body deflects off timber instead of snagging it. "It's going to come through brush and wood a lot better than your round bills will," he explained. "So if you're getting hung up with your 5XD, switch up to that 4.0." It runs down to roughly nine feet.

Combs keeps his terminal setup identical across all three so he can change baits without changing his approach. Each rides best on 15-pound fluorocarbon, fished on a Lew's CC6 rod, with a CC4 reserved for the lighter 5XD, and a Lew's Speed Spool reel chosen for line capacity. "I want to have enough line capacity to cast these big baits," he said.

The logic is consistent: pick the diver that matches the depth, then step up to the square bill the instant the bait starts fouling on cover. Match the bait to the bottom, keep it deflecting, and neutral summer bass turn into reaction strikes, all on one rod, reel and line.