Help with lipless cranks

[king fisher]

When I was a kid I fished a local lake almost every day for two summers.  One of the only lures I had was a Heddon Sonic. It had no rattles, but It many bass and  was my favorite lure.  The following winter, I got a rattle trap.  My first day fishing the rattle trap was the best fishing I ever had at this lake.  I caught fish on almost every cast.  My friend was fishing everything in his box including his favorite sonic, but didn't get a fish.  Have been a fan of baits with rattles ever since.  Now that so many baits have rattles, maybe I should try my old sonic again.  

[Paul Roberts]

On 2/26/2018 at 4:20 AM, CroakHunter said:

Now I'm in need of some help. Yesterday while fishing a lipless I noticed that when I had a steady retrieve, the bait was rolling over in its side. I wasn't burning the bait in, just a little bit faster than slow rolling. I was using 15lb mono, 1/2 ounce red eye shad, tied with double san-Diego jam knot. First time I'd tied this knot on a moving bait so could it be that the knot/tag ends were too big coupled with the fact that 15lb mono is pretty heavy line?

Yeah, maybe the "15lb" (whatever that means considering actual rating) is causing the lure to plane. I use them with lines up to .015" diameter. Maybe its an unbalanced Red-Eye? I do have a small 1/4oz FlattShad that just wont run straight. I can't tune it either. I'm usually able to tune my way out of such problems. Oh, and I use a rounded snap.

On 2/26/2018 at 9:11 AM, king fisher said:

When I was a kid I fished a local lake almost every day for two summers.  One of the only lures I had was a Heddon Sonic. It had no rattles, but It many bass and  was my favorite lure.  The following winter, I got a rattle trap.  My first day fishing the rattle trap was the best fishing I ever had at this lake.  I caught fish on almost every cast.  My friend was fishing everything in his box including his favorite sonic, but didn't get a fish.  Have been a fan of baits with rattles ever since.  Now that so many baits have rattles, maybe I should try my old sonic again.  

I love the Sonics too. I have both old Sonics and Super Sonics (with rattles). They work well, but are a bit small for largemouths, at least after things warm up. Agree with you there is some magic in those RT's. They shake and vibrate really strongly -rattles or not. They also seem to be better balanced than Spots, so they burn really well.

[CroakHunter]

Thanks @Paul Roberts, gonna try my go to Palomar or regular San Diego jam and give it a whirl, the line (seaguar senshi) is actually "20lb" but only has a diameter of .013

[Paul Roberts]

That's darn thin for a "20lb" line. Then again, line break ratings can be ridiculous. I've found that the diameters printed on the boxes are pretty accurate, but the break strength ratings are all over the place. Most lines are under-rated in terms of actual break strength though it seems. Senshi may just be close to accurate.

[Team9nine]

On 2/26/2018 at 6:20 AM, CroakHunter said:

Now I'm in need of some help. Yesterday while fishing a lipless I noticed that when I had a steady retrieve, the bait was rolling over in its side. I wasn't burning the bait in, just a little bit faster than slow rolling. I was using 15lb mono, 1/2 ounce red eye shad, tied with double san-Diego jam knot. First time I'd tied this knot on a moving bait so could it be that the knot/tag ends were too big coupled with the fact that 15lb mono is pretty heavy line?

I wouldn't think the knot would come into play - will be interesting to see what you find there. The most likely causes are either a poor quality bait (a bad one slipped through QC), a stuck rattle(s), high retrieve speed (even 'slow' is fast if using an 8:1 or similar), or line that is too heavy (diameter) for the weight of bait used (shouldn't be the case in your situation). Hooks sometimes come into play, but not too often. I'd guess a bad bait...

 

Let us know what you figure out.

 

 

[fishwizzard]

On 26/02/2018 at 6:20 AM, CroakHunter said:

Now I'm in need of some help. Yesterday while fishing a lipless I noticed that when I had a steady retrieve, the bait was rolling over in its side. I wasn't burning the bait in, just a little bit faster than slow rolling. I was using 15lb mono, 1/2 ounce red eye shad, tied with double san-Diego jam knot. First time I'd tied this knot on a moving bait so could it be that the knot/tag ends were too big coupled with the fact that 15lb mono is pretty heavy line?

I was about to post a thread about RESs rolling over on the retrieve.  I use them a lot and occationaly have one that will allways roll, but I just picked up four of them at the BPS Clasic sale and two of them are doing it. Im using 12lb Invisx and slowly cranking them in on a 6.x:1 reel.   I tried to tune one of them by twisting the line tie but it does not seem

to effect the action any. 

[soflabasser]

I fish with lipless crank baits often and they are a very good lure for bass and many other species of fish. My favorite brand of lipless crank bait is the Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap and I have them in several sizes. Get the right size for the conditions you are fishing and try different retrieves until you find the one that works best for you.