Confused About Cranking

[airborne_angler]

So I have started throwing Cranks recently and have had limited success.Im confused about the whole depth thing when it comes to crankbaits.

Say I am throwing a Rapala DT-16. Well ideally this bait is supposed to dive to 16 ft of depth. Now as far as boat position,water depth and casting whats the best course of action to be successful:

Do I cast into the shallows and bring the dive the bait into the depths

OR

Do I cast into deeper water and bring the the bait up into the shallower water

Which would be most effective and which would allow the bait to stay in the Strike Zone longer?

Is there even a tactic that dictates such thought,or is it just "Chuck and Wind" Which is sort of what I do now,I position my boat,I anchor and I fan cast a 360 degree circle around my boat.

Basically would it be productive to throw a bait that dives 16 feet into a depth of 5 feet?

[J Francho]

Keep trying different things until the fish tell you what they want. It's different on different days.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

I agree its gonna be different day in and day out. I usually start off by throwing shallow to deep and if nothin happens then switch it up. Also finding a point and run it length wise in about 10' so the bait digs is usually a good way to get em going .

[jkarol24]

I try to cast diagonally towards the bank when first starting. This way, you can run the crank down following the bottom contour, but it is a more gradual depth increase than if retrieving perpendicular to the bank. After catching a few fish, you can determine what depth they are at by patterning when each fish hit in relation to where the lure was during the retrieve. After determining depth, you can than cast parralel to the bank/contour at that depth, keeping your crank at the optimal depth for a longer time.

[Marty]

Do I cast into deeper water and bring the the bait up into the shallower water

Try it, like John said. But you don't always have to retrieve deep to shallow or shallow to deep. For example, casting in a consistent depth at the edge of top of weed beds or on a flat.

Basically would it be productive to throw a bait that dives 16 feet into a depth of 5 feet?

Some people like to throw a crank that runs deeper than the actual water depth so the bait digs into the bottom and stirs things up. But a 16' lure in 5' of water is overkill. Maybe a 6' or 7' lure would accomplish the purpose.

But whatever you do, don't give up on crankbaits; they're just too good at attracting bites.