Tuning Cranks

[BuckMaxx]

I have a ton of cranks. I been thinking about starting a new project of creating a box of my favorite cranks... that suspend. I am going to experiment with lead wire and upsizing hooks to get them to sit rock solid horizontal in the water. We often get those fish that want to follow but not chase it. I think this might be the ticket for a early season presentation as well. I'd like to hear some thoughts. Thanks

[flyingmonkie]

Couldn't hurt!  I've often wondered why you don't see more suspending cranks.  If nothing else, it'll be a lesser seen presentation for the fish… might get strikes out of curiousity.

 

I find myself spending so much time concerning over "what everybody else is using/doing".  One of my goals this year is to have more confidence in myself and not be afraid to try unconventional things.  Go for it! Would love to hear how it works.

[Bluebasser86]

Early in the year a Rapala Shad rap with enough suspend dots on it to make it slowly rise up can be a killer. Another weighting option is to drill a small hole and add BB's and seal it up with epoxy. Obviously don't do that if your favorite cranks are Megabass or Lucky Crafts or some other expensive bait but you can change a baits buoyancy, sound, and action doing this, ending up with a bait unlike any on the shelf. 

[BuckMaxx]

I googled "suspending a crank bait" and had more reading then I could do in a night. But it gave alot of ideas. I am definitely going to do this. I too had thought about a shad rap I am going to first try to hit glue flattened lead shot to specific places along the bait to get it to sit flat hot glue to get it perfect then will epoxy or superglue for final. Probably on baits like a ff shad.I am also going to do some dd22 in different rattles. I was thinking about taking a silent and putting several #9 lead shot.

This year I am going to work on one tactic... cranking. I often go out and junk fish every day on the water until I catch fish then I get so wound up catching them I don't experiment. We go thru a pretty bad summer slump where it is almost a waste of time to be fishing. So I might as well get some good out of it and might stumble on a good summer pattern.

[WRB]

You might consider getting a few vintage suspending crankbaits like Bagley DB2, DB3 Dredge, Rebel Suspend R and Strike King Suspend FatFree Shad. Very difficult to tune suspending cranks.

Tom

[BobP]

If your lure suspends in cold water, it will sink in warmer water.  So getting a true suspending bait usually has to be accomplished on the water, that day.  If I were modifying baits to suspend in general, I'd get them to the point of a slow rise in cold water, then you can doctor them to truly suspend when you get them on the water.