How to Fish a Gapen Flub Dub Crankbait (Twitch, Rise, Troll)

Updated: October 2026 (sizes, working depths, and from-price checked on the live product page Oct 12, 2026)

How to fish a Gapen Flub Dub crankbait, the short answer: cast a Flub Dub Shallow Diver to your target, let it settle on the surface, and twitch it every five seconds or so. Or reel it and stop every 10 feet so it floats back up and the front spinner flutters. A straight cast-and-retrieve or normal trolling works too. Start with the 3-1/2" (2-4 ft) for most bass and pike water. Made in the USA, from $6.50.

Below: what makes the Flub Dub different, the size-to-depth chart, three retrieves step by step, color picks, what customers say, and when the shallow model is the wrong lure.

What is a Gapen Flub Dub crankbait?

The Gapen Flub Dub Shallow Diver is a floating crankbait with a spinner mounted up front where most minnow baits carry a front treble. You get crankbait wobble plus flash and vibration from the blade. It runs in the top few feet, so it fits rivers, shallow lakes, and any day fish are feeding near the surface. The product page lists bass, pike, lake trout, and other gamefish. It is made in the USA and sold in four sizes.

That front spinner is what sets the Flub Dub apart. On a twitch, the blade flashes under a bait that is sitting on top. On a pause, it flutters as the lure floats up. On a steady pull, it adds thump to the wobble. Most crankbaits give you one of those. The Flub Dub gives you all three from one plug.

Which Flub Dub size should you use?

Working depths and weights below come from the Fishing Tips on the live product page. Packages are marked with working depth ranges, so you can match the box to the water.

Size Working depth Weight Where to start with it
2-1/2" 1-2 feet 1/8 oz Skinny water, small rivers, light spinning gear
3-1/2" 2-4 feet 3/8 oz Default start for bass and pike flats and river runs
4-1/2" 3-5 feet 1/2 oz Bigger profile, wind-blown banks, longer casts
6-1/2" 6-12 feet 1 oz Big pike and trolling for lake trout over deeper flats

Shop start: the 3-1/2" until the fish tell you otherwise. Drop to the 2-1/2" in clear, skinny water or when fish nip and miss. Go to the 4-1/2" or 6-1/2" when you need a bigger meal in front of pike or want the lure to stay down a little deeper on a troll.

Price starts at $6.50 and rises with size. The live page shows the exact price once you pick a color and a size.

How to fish a Gapen Flub Dub crankbait with a surface twitch

This is the first method on the product page, and it is the one that catches fish that ignore a steady crank. A floating Flub Dub sitting still on the surface looks like a dying baitfish, and the spinner hanging below it flashes every time you move it.

  1. Cast past your target: a weed edge, a laydown, a rock point, or a seam in a river.
  2. Let the Flub Dub settle on the surface. Give the rings time to fade.
  3. Twitch the rod tip a few inches. The lure ducks under, the spinner flashes, and it floats back up.
  4. Wait about five seconds. Leave slack in the line so the bait can sit.
  5. Twitch again. Repeat until it is out of the strike zone, then reel it in and cast again.
  6. When a fish blows up on it, wait until you feel weight before you set the hook.

Keep the twitches short. You are trying to make the spinner blink, not to rip the bait across the surface.

How do you fish the rise-and-pause retrieve?

Reel the Flub Dub down to its running depth, then stop every 10 feet or so and let it float up. That is method two on the product page. As the shallow floating Flub Dub rises, the front spinner flutters, which looks like a wounded baitfish trying to get away. Fish that follow a steady crank often eat on that pause.

  1. Cast and reel 4-5 turns to get the bait down and wobbling.
  2. Stop. Let it rise toward the surface for a two- or three-count.
  3. Start reeling again. The strike often comes right as the bait starts moving again.
  4. Keep that reel-and-stop rhythm all the way back to the boat or bank.

This is a good search retrieve in fall, when baitfish bunch up on shallow flats and bass and pike are feeding up before cold water.

Can you cast and troll a Flub Dub straight?

Yes. The product page says a straight cast and retrieve, or trolling in the normal manner, works extremely well. The special methods above are for hard-to-catch fish. The straight retrieve is how you cover water until you find them.

  • Cast and crank: steady retrieve, fast enough to feel the wobble and the spinner working. Slow down in cold water.
  • Troll: let line out behind the boat until the lure is running and you can see the rod tip ticking from the wobble. Pick the size that matches the depth you are trolling over (see the chart above).
  • Lake trout: customers who fish Lake Superior report the Flub Dub works for lake trout (see the reviews below). The 4-1/2" and 6-1/2" give you more profile and depth.

If you need to get a crankbait down to fish holding deeper, a bottom-bouncer setup does that job. See Bait-Walker crankbait trolling for walleye, which covers running Gapen plugs behind a Bait-Walker.

Why does the front spinner matter?

On the Flub Dub, the forward-mounted spinner replaces the front treble. That changes two things.

  • Flash where the fish is looking. On a surface twitch, the blade sits below the bait and flashes up at the fish. On the rise, it flutters. A standard floating minnow just sits there.
  • One less hook out front. Joel N. from Illinois wrote that he has always modified minnow-type lures with two trebles for river fishing near home, because the front hook snags bottom and never hooks fish. The Flub Dub comes with a spinner in that spot from the factory.

Which retrieve should you pick?

Situation Retrieve Size to start
Fish following but not eating Surface twitch, five-second pauses 2-1/2" or 3-1/2"
Calm evening, fish feeding on top Surface twitch 3-1/2"
Fish scattered on a shallow flat Rise-and-pause, stop every 10 feet 3-1/2" or 4-1/2"
Covering a long shoreline or river run Straight cast and retrieve 3-1/2"
Big water, lake trout or pike over flats Troll 4-1/2" or 6-1/2"

What Flub Dub colors should you start with?

Live colors: Darter, Fire Tiger, Golden Roach, Green Bass, Herring, Perch, Pike, Red / White, Shiner, Sucker (Glow), and Trout. Not every color comes in every size, so check the product page for the color and size you want.

Water / target Start colors Why
Clear water, bright day Shiner, Herring, Golden Roach Natural baitfish tones
Stained or muddy water Fire Tiger, Red / White Bright and easy to see
Bass on weed edges and rock Green Bass, Perch, Darter Match sunfish, perch, and darters
Pike flats and river backwaters Pike, Perch, Fire Tiger Prey-fish patterns plus one loud color
Low light or deep trolling Sucker (Glow) Glow finish shows up in low light
Lake trout on big water Herring, Trout, Sucker (Glow) Match the open-water forage

What do anglers say about the Flub Dub?

These are from named reviews on the live product page:

  • randy mortensen, Kawkawlin, MI: "Great lure lots of color schemes and good action they are killer in lake superior for lake trout."
  • Joel N, IL: "Unique lure that runs very well when trolled or cast."
  • PERRY STUCKLESS, Erin, ON: "Great product. We fish Lake Superior every year and these work great. Great company to deal with. Very prompt shipping."

Flub Dub Shallow Diver vs Flub Dub Deep Diver

Model Best for Price
Flub Dub Shallow Diver (this page) Surface twitch, rise-and-pause, shallow casting and trolling, 1-12 feet by size From $6.50
Flub Dub Deep Diver Running deeper on a cast or troll; the Deep Diver page also lists walleye From $7.50

If your fish are on top or in the first few feet, stay with the shallow model. The twitch and rise methods only work with a lure that floats up.

When is the shallow Flub Dub the wrong lure?

Bottom line

That is how to fish a Gapen Flub Dub crankbait: twitch it on top, make it rise on a stop-and-go, or cast and troll it straight to find fish. Start with the 3-1/2", match the size to the water depth, and let the front spinner do the work.

Shop the Gapen Flub Dub

Gapen Flub Dub Shallow Diver - from $6.50
Sizes 2-1/2", 3-1/2", 4-1/2", 6-1/2" · 1-12 ft working depths by size · forward spinner in place of the front treble · floating · 11 colors · made in the USA.

Related guides: Bait-Walker crankbait trolling for walleye (Art 300) · How to fish a Muddler Minnow (Art 284) · Why heritage jigs still outfish new jigs (Art 296) · Ugly Bug for fall walleye (Art 301)

Gapen Tackle goes back to 1936. We still pack orders out of State Center, Iowa, father and son. The Flub Dub is made in the USA.

FAQ

How do you fish a Flub Dub crankbait?
Three ways from the product page: let it sit on the surface and twitch it every five seconds or so; reel and stop every 10 feet so it rises and the spinner flutters; or cast and retrieve or troll it straight.

How deep does a Flub Dub Shallow Diver run?
By size: 2-1/2" runs 1-2 feet, 3-1/2" runs 2-4 feet, 4-1/2" runs 3-5 feet, and 6-1/2" runs 6-12 feet. Packages are marked with the working depth range.

Does the Flub Dub float?
Yes. The shallow Flub Dubs are floating lures. That is what makes the surface twitch and the rise-and-pause retrieve work.

Why does the Flub Dub have a spinner instead of a front treble?
The forward-mounted spinner replaces the front treble. It adds flash and vibration, and it means one less hook up front to catch bottom.

What fish does the Flub Dub catch?
The shallow model's product page lists bass, pike, lake trout, and other gamefish. Customers report lake trout on Lake Superior.

Is the Gapen Flub Dub made in the USA?
Yes. The live product page lists the Flub Dub as made in the USA.

What size Flub Dub should I buy first?
The 3-1/2" (2-4 feet, 3/8 oz) covers most bass and pike water. Go to the 2-1/2" for small rivers and the 4-1/2" or 6-1/2" for big pike and trolling.