Question about crankbaits

[Dpatt402]

Ok first off I am a bank fisherman and my question pertains to crankbaits. I am using a 1/2 ounce red eye shad and no mater what I do I get hung up with moss and other vegitation. I was wondering if that is a known problem for bank fisherman. Should I be using a more shallow square bill type bait. Because no matter what I do with the lipless bait I get hung up. 

[Bluebasser86]

Yes, it's a problem you just have to deal with as a shore angler. I'm guessing it's pretty shallow where you're fishing so you could always go with something like a shallow running squarebill or even a wake bait. A Mann's Baby 1- was always one of my favorites when I was bank fishing. 

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Manns b 1 is made just for what your doin,and you can go up big on manns minus 1s they make them 1/2 oz to push a.lot of water right on top silver belly black back is my flavor

[Senko lover]

You'll have the same problem with square bills, unfortunately. I'd try a wake bait like they suggested, such as the KVD 1.0 or Manns Minus 1, and also I love throwing spinnerbaits and chatterbaits; those won't get you hung up as much. 

[Dpatt402]

Are the wake baits strictly top water or do they dive a little bit. I live in Nebraska and I don't think the water has warmed up enough yet to fish topwater

[Bluebasser86]

41 minutes ago, Dpatt402 said:

Are the wake baits strictly top water or do they dive a little bit. I live in Nebraska and I don't think the water has warmed up enough yet to fish topwater

They dive slightly. 

 

I'm in KS and they're hitting topwater here. As long as you have water in the 50's there's a chance they'll hit topwater. 

[Ohio Yakker]

You could also try a 1/4 ounce lipless. This would slow the fall and make it easier to control the depth and still have an effective retrieve

[papajoe222]

I was also going to suggest going with a lighter lipless. Also, try starting your retrieve as soon as the bait hits the water and if you're using spinning gear, reel faster as the line recovery is less than with a baitcaster

[Choporoz]

Bill Lewis makes a floater lipless that was a good confidence builder for me when I wanted to start throwing them around snotty grass and tangled wood.  I still use one on occasion when I want to pull a lipless over shallow, woody bars

[Raul]

12 hours ago, Dpatt402 said:

Ok first off I am a bank fisherman and my question pertains to crankbaits. I am using a 1/2 ounce red eye shad and no mater what I do I get hung up with moss and other vegitation. I was wondering if that is a known problem for bank fisherman. Should I be using a more shallow square bill type bait. Because no matter what I do with the lipless bait I get hung up. 

Of course you will hang up all the time, what you have to do with a crank bait like a red eye shad is to reduce the amount of time you are letting it sink or increase the speed at which you are retrieving the bait.

[blckshirt98]

If you've got moss it's just part of the unfortunate deal, having to clean it off after each cast.  Like someone mentioned you might want to try a shallow running squarebill or a "wake" squarebill that will keep the crankbait off the bottom/vegetation where the moss is accumulating.

[Dpatt402]

4 hours ago, Raul said:

Of course you will hang up all the time, what you have to do with a crank bait like a red eye shad is to reduce the amount of time you are letting it sink or increase the speed at which you are retrieving the bait.

It seems like with the half ounce I could burn it back right after it hits the water with my 7.1:1 bait cast reel and my rod tip as high up as I can go and it still will get hung up. I think it is just way too shallow for a half ounce I'm gonna have to slim down to 1/4 ounce or a wake bait. I wanna be able to just slow roll this thing near the bottom. But I get snagged and it wrecks my day haha!

[chadmack282]

5 hours ago, papajoe222 said:

I was also going to suggest going with a lighter lipless. Also, try starting your retrieve as soon as the bait hits the water and if you're using spinning gear, reel faster as the line recovery is less than with a baitcaster

This & keep your rod tip high.

[Turkey sandwich]

I would suggest the shallow running/square bill option mentioned already.  You can bump it off whatever you run into and let it float up to clear snags and shake some of the vegetation off the hooks.  Fishing lipless on shallow running banks can make for some serious headaches. 

[Bankbeater]

Try holding your rod tip up high over your head, maybe try a longer rod.

[burrows]

Keep your rod tip high reel in fast dip in grass and yank it out ocationaly to prevoke a strike.  Also baby minus 1 problems solved!

[scaleface]

They make a lot of other lures that go through weeds better than crankbaits . Dont force it . Change  to something else .

[burrows]

1 minute ago, scaleface said:

They make a lot of other lures that go through weeds better than crankbaits . Dont force it . Change  to something else .

I agree, maybe a spinner bait would be more suitable.

[Crankinit]

Mann's B-1 or a Rapala Flat rap should do the trick, keep your rod tip up.

[Wprich]

I fish a lake with lots of under water vegetatation, I throw alot of floating rapalas there since they don't dive that deep.  Sometimes they will hit the weeds but not as often as other cranks do, give it a sharp rip and may get a strike when it's freed.  Also you can try some square bills like kvd or arashis, just see what its depth range is on the box, see if it will stay above the weeds.

[Dpatt402]

6 hours ago, Wprich said:

I fish a lake with lots of under water vegetatation, I throw alot of floating rapalas there since they don't dive that deep.  Sometimes they will hit the weeds but not as often as other cranks do, give it a sharp rip and may get a strike when it's freed.  Also you can try some square bills like kvd or arashis, just see what its depth range is on the box, see if it will stay above the weeds.

What line do you use? I have been using 12# fluoro and I think it sinks too fast and that could be part of my problem. I think if I used mono it would stay a little higher. 

On April 27, 2016 at 6:02 AM, Senko lover said:

You'll have the same problem with square bills, unfortunately. I'd try a wake bait like they suggested, such as the KVD 1.0 or Manns Minus 1, and also I love throwing spinnerbaits and chatterbaits; those won't get you hung up as much. 

What type of line should I use with spinner baits? I have been using 12# fluoro and I think that's part of my problem being that it sinks quickly. You think I should I switch to mono to keep it a little higher in the water?

[BobP]

Using a large diameter copolymer line will cause your Redeye to swim shallower.  Don't be afraid to go as high as 20 lbs.  It will also let you use the "bow and arrow" method to free your lure when it gets stuck, or haul in the lure and the log it's stuck on if that trick fails.

[Fishes in trees]

If you want to throw cranks in weeds, from the bank, you are pretty much limited to lipless cranks or a minus 1 type baits.  Line is pretty much a secondary consideration when it comes to crank bait depth.  In your situation retrieve speed is more important.  JMO

Other posters might have a point in that there might be better lures to throw than a crank type bait.   A tx-rigged senko comes to mind.

Another option is just to be hip to the notion that if you don't get bit before your bait contacts the weeds, you're going to have to pull off weeds.   These days, if I'm convinced that the fish are in the shallow weeds, a top water frog style bait - hollow or soft plastic like a horny toad is my first choice.    A tx-rigged senko or more likely a slightly stouter version of the senko like a BPS Sticko would be my second choice.

[BaitMonkey1984]

Move to SB. I used to run into the same problems even from a boat. Catching bottom, or not catching fish with CB. Then I saw the most important tip on CB fishing, mark the depth the lure runs on every bait and organize accordingly. Now, in any given depth I have lures that I can be confident can run true in in that specific water column. For a bank fisherman, you are going to get snagged and break off, comes with the territory. But if you use the right size crank bait you may hang up less (using a 15ft CD in only 5 ft of water is going to dig a bit much) and at the same time have the correct action to deflect off cover and get bit. So check the diving depth and adjust as needed. 

[Onvacation]

I think the first question to ask is are you ON or IN the goo?  In other words, are you running too deep possibly?  I bank fish a lot and have the same issues of course.  I have had a great deal of success in the early spring with the KVD 1.5. As the water temp went up, the vegetation started to grow and the bass started to move. Like you, gooey green fingers after every cast was a pain for me so I started adjusting the baits that I was throwing. One rod I carry hasn't been without a spinner bait on it for the past month.  I also am spending more time now with plastics.  Of course I love CBs too, but I'm thinking that until the fish start moving a little deeper again, I'll save myself the frustration since other options are available that work just as well. Fish hard.