Best Time For A Crank Bait?????

[fsuboy99]

What's the best time for a crank bait?best way to use it?best rod type to use or is square bill better the diving please help thanks

[DeadEyeDavey]

Depens on what you're after, the time, fishing conditions, and the water itself. I tend to troll hot n' tots all day in a spring fed pond (water never rises more than 50 degrees) and tend to hammer the bass all day. In the rivers I'll toss out deep diving cranks in the late afternoon for drum and at about 5 the walleye run through. All and all it's a trial and error run, things that work for me will be different for you. 

[Marty]

They are an excellent search bait when you want to locate fish. They're also a good bait to start off with because if the fish are active you might catch more with a faster-moving lure.

[BobP]

Best conditions:  moving water.  1-3 ft visibility.  At least a slight chop on the water.  Square bills are fine in shallow water but you also need baits for mid depths 5-12 ft, and deep 13-20 ft.  You want your crankbaits to hit cover whenever possible - bang them off rocks, wood, tops of submerged grass because the deflections will trigger bites.  Which rod is a matter of preference.  Fiberglass rods have lots of bend that helps keep fish pinned on treble hooks.  Graphite is lighter and allows you to feel a crankbait better as it is retrieved.  I like a medium power graphite rod with a soft tip section.  

[jeff25]

what kind of retrievals do you use with a crank?

[rippin-lips]

I caught all 3 of my fish today on a green gizzard kvd 1.5 All 3 within 5 minutes but that was it for the day at either place I went. Square bills are a shallow diving bait but you can use them anywhere. I used a stop and go retrieve but it just depends on what the fish want that day honestly.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

what kind of retrievals do you use with a crank?

There are all kinds of different retrieves you can use.  Cast it out and start reeling then stop for a couple seconds and let the bait float up a bit before starting to reel again.  Or you could reel until you bang off some kind of cover and then pause for a second.  It'll look like a small fish ran into a log and got stunned for a second.  The perfect opportunity for a hungry bass.  Or try fishing a crankbait designed for deeper water than your fishing.  For example, if you fish a bait that dives 8 feet in 4 feet of water, you can dig in and stir up the bottom.  Just be wary of snags.  Then again, you could always just cast it out and burn it back in.  Another thing you can do is to move your rod tip back and forth while reeling, say from about 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock making the bait change directions slightly.  Remember, baitfish usually don't swim in a strait line. Change it up till you get bit and then try and duplicate what you were doing when the fish hit it.

[K_Mac]

Your questions can not be answered simply fsu. Crankbaits, like many any other bait, can cover a huge range of applications. Putting the crank in the right spot is the easy answer. To do that you have to find where the fish are holding. Depth is a major key. Speed is also an important element. Cadence and color also are part of the puzzle. 

 

The answer to which is better, sqarebills or deeper divers is answered above. It depends on the fish! The truth that causes many of us to spend far more money on baits than makes sense, is there is no one crankbait (or any other bait) that works in all situations. Buy a few and learn to use them. There is much material here on site, and much more elsewhere to read how and when to fish all kinds of hard baits. Learn as much as you can and go fish!

 

Having a rod rated for the weight of the lure and line, with a slower action is the standard answer to what rod to use. There are many rods designed for cranks, in all price ranges. Again, you will need to spend some time learning in order to make an informed decision. Good luck.

[Deleted account]

Yeah, I agree with K_Mac, different cranks do different things, don't lump them together. That being said, I find I either do best with a slow steady retrive, or a crazy fast erratic one. Like with all other baits, let the fish tell you what they want. I'd start with one squarebill, and a medium runner (I'd suggest the KVD 1.5 and Bomber Fat free) and take it from there. 

[Sam]

They are an excellent search bait when you want to locate fish. They're also a good bait to start off with because if the fish are active you might catch more with a faster-moving lure.

 

To expand on what Marty wrote, you use your crankbaits as a search bait.

 

When you find the bass you can then change your presentation after they stop biting on your crankbait in a specific area.

 

You will now know part of the daily pattern and return to the crankbait and use the identical technique you used to nail the first one.

 

Crankbaits can be productive all year.

 

In cold water use a tight wobble crankbait or a lipless crankbait.

 

In warmer water use a wide wobble crankbait.

 

Consider using monofiliment line for the stretch when setting the hook.

 

Crankbait fishing is a lot of fun. Just remember to swing the rod to the right or left when setting the hook; never point your rod tip at the fish; and watch out for those treble hooks. A good needle nose pliers is also needed to help remove the hooks.

 

A rod made specifically for crankbaits will also help you set the hook.

 

And you can use any reel you want from a fast 7:1 to 6:4 or the Curado E5.

 

Have fun. Post pics.