Crankbaits..ask away!

[Bassinfreak2]

Do you prefer a fiberglass rod over a graphite one? This is a pretty hot topic in my neck of the woods. Several claim fiberglass is better for cranks since it bends much easier and helps a guy from ripping the bait out of a fishes mouth.

The others say you lose too much sensitivity and stick to graphite for a better feel on a bite.

I can see both ways. What do you think?

 

[Chris]

Gman-

When digging the bottom with a deeper diver why does the crank with the chewed up bill out perform a newer one.  I've always wondered this.  Some reason the chewed up and beat up cranks work better.

It could be that the lure with the chewed up lip runs perfect. It is tuned better and gives off more vibration then the other. The chewed up crankbait might run deeper because it is tuned perfect. The chewed up crankbait might have a more erratic action when it strikes cover then the other one. Beat up crankbaits look like baitfish that are sick. Beat up crankbaits have a more subdued color. Some crankbaits that I own that are chrome I take a knife and scrape off half of the chrome and expose the while bear bait. I do this so that the lure will still have some flash but not as much.

Also do you prefer fluorocarbon line for throwing cranks in clear water?

For deep cranking yes because it has less line stretch and I can feel bites better. For anything else in clear water I like regular mono because I use the stretch to help the bass inhale the lure and the lure spring off of cover. The stretch also helps get a hung up lure out.

A crankbait that says 12ft max with 10lb line how much on average would you gain/lose in depth if you +/- pound line by the next size?

It depends on the line manufacture. 10 pound line from one company has a different diameter than another company of the same pound test. You also have variations in depth from one lure to the next of a duplicate lure. You also depending on how far you cast and the running room can change the max depth the lure dives. Generally if you jump from 10lb line to 12lb line you will loose about a 1 1/2 to 2 ft in depth. It only takes .001 inch of diameter gain to loose about a foot on a long cast. It gets really dramatic with the larger diameter lines from 17 lb on up.

Please explain uses  

square bill

round bill

The bill will effect how the lure reacts to cover. A square bill will deflect the best off of cover. A coffin bill will deflect the greatest distance away from the object that the lure has had contact with. A round bill tends to run the closest to the object after contact.

[Chris]

Bassinfreak2

I use a graphite rod for deep cranking, most mid depths, cold water, and lighter lures. I do that because of feel I can feel the bait and the lightest bite better. For shallow areas I like a fiberglass rod. I like it because when the bass hits my bait my reaction time is slower and helps the bass engulf the lure better. In super cold water graphite all the way deep and shallow.

[Guest avid]

When faced with emergent grass in slightly off colored water both a spinnerbait or shallow running crankbait could be effective.  What would cause you to choose the crankbait over the spinnerbait to start with.

[Chris]

eenie meenie minee mo

if the skies overcast I would reach for a spinnerbait and if the wind was blowing hard then I would use a spinnerbait under most other conditions I would throw either a lipless crankbait or a regular one.

[Chris]

In a lot of the lakes that you fish the weeds form an edge where there is like a well defined wall of weeds. This is when a crankbait would be the first thing I would throw. If I was fishing a flat I would throw a crankbait first. Edges of floating weeds I would fish a spinnerbait first.

[Bream Master]

If you had a choice of maybe 1 or two cranks in each range (shallow, mid, deep), which brands and models would you use.

Thanks.

[Chris]

For me that is hard to say because I throw a ton of crankbaits from many companies either because one has a quality that will excel in the situation or another can reach a depth better or has an action that fits the cover or water conditions. I throw a lot of handmade wood crankbaits from JM-Woodcraft. They have an action that I cannot get out of most crankbaits and they stand up to the abuse that I give them. Some of the designs that he has come out with where from angler input. More specifically tournament anglers like myself that wanted something different. When I need something for a specific situation wood crankbaits fill that nitch. I also throw lures from Luckycraft, Bandit, Suddeth, Bomber, Bill Norman, Bagley, and a list of other companies. If I where to give you a list of one or two crankbaits for shallow, medium, and deep depths to be honest it would be a half truth because I don't narrow down my selection to only one or two crankbaits for each depth or situation.

[nboucher]

eenie meenie minee mo

if the skies overcast I would reach for a spinnerbait.

Because its flash is more visible under overcast skies?

In a lot of the lakes that you fish the weeds form an edge where there is like a well defined wall of weeds. This is when a crankbait would be the first thing I would throw. If I was fishing a flat I would throw a crankbait first. Edges of floating weeds I would fish a spinnerbait first.

Is your reasoning here that spinnerbaits are more weedless around floating vegetation?

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Chris Thanks for all the great info especially about paying attention to water temp and tight/wide wobble! My 2 questions I use Rpala DT's does the line test actually effect the suspending depth and what line do you think is best for these baits?

[Chris]

I like to jerk avid's chain   Here is the PM I sent him after:

Subject: crankbaits

« Date: Today at 08:01:08 » When you are fishing edges of cattails, hydrilla that forms an edge, sand points, flats, cypress trees, standing timber,crankbaits are the first thing I would reach for.

It takes sunshine for flash or light reflected off the object. The reason why a spinnerbait was what I would use in overcast skies is because it tends to draw more strikes under those conditions. When you have floating weeds in Florida many times it doesn't have a well defined edge and you will be picking weeds every other cast. When you have a depth change the weeds form an edge and it is the edge that the crankbait really shines.

[Chris]

Yes, it does in some lines more than others like fluorocarbon line might make the lure sink. Line that is more buoyant will require more weight to get the bait to suspend correctly. Line size effects the running depth because of line drag. Line drag is the resistance the line has while running through the water. The more resistance the line has the less the lure can dive. When your shopping around for line pay attention to the diameter of the line between companies of the same pound test. Also pay attention to how much your lure is floating or sinking at the boat when you add suspend dots to it and adjust the bait weight to what you need. Cold water is thicker than hot water so in cold water your going to need more weight on your bait to get it to suspend than to hot water. Most lures that say "suspending lure" depending on the water temp depends on how much the lure will suspend that is why I tend to add my own suspend dots to lure to make sure it is doing what I intended.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey Chris Im a little new to crankin than most other ways I fish Im sorry I dont know what suspend dots are Can you explain that too?

[Chris]

Storm suspendots

When an angler really gets serious about bass fishing there isn't a lure that can't be tweaked, painted, cut, or modified in some way to make it perform better. Two of the most useful products on the market today for modifying baits are the Storm SuspenDots and SuspenStrips. The Dots and Strips are cut out of sheets of zinc with adhesive backs that can be placed on any lure when you want additional weight. They are perfect for making a floating lure suspend right in front of a piece of cover, forcing a big bass to bite. SuspenStrips can also be used to change the attitude or the angle of dive on crankbaits. By placing more weight on the diving bill you can force the head of the lure to get down quicker, dive deeper, and stay down longer. When the head is deeper, your bait will wiggle more violently at a slower speed which makes your bait more noticeable to a bass. Try weighting the tail of your lure making it not dive quite as deep, this will enable you to swim a big crankbait over shallow cover. These Storm SuspenDots should be in every serious anglers tacklebox ready for use.

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Thanks for taking the time to answer that Ive been wonderin about that for a while didnt want to seem like a dope and ask>

[nboucher]

Muddy, I didn't know what they were either, so there's two dopes.

Chris, this thread is a gold mine. Thanks so much for doing this.

[Chris]

Your welcome

[SPEEDBEAD.]

At what time of year do you stop throwing cranks, if any?

[Chris]

I throw crankbaits year round. A crankbait isn't a seasonal bait like other baits where you have a set time of the year where you need to use them. From the time the ice starts to melt to when it starts to form on lakes you can catch fish on a crankbait. "There is no better bait to catch fish year round then a crankbait" David Fritts.  There are more conditions and kinds of water that you can catch fish on a crankbait then any other type of lure from clear to muddy water.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I know that experimenting with different types of cranks will always yield valuable information, but will having someone demonstrate techniques and catch fish (confidence) help my learning curve along?  If so, could you recommend any decent DVD's currently out that demonstrate some specific areas where beginners can be successful with these baits?

Also, do you know anyone (members possibly) in the Southern PA area that I could hook up with and learn a little bit of the cranking trade?

Thanks,

Wayne

[GAMEOVER]

Thought this was going to be a useless thread til I read it, some very good info here. Someones a fellow crankbait addict! Hey Chris, fill us all in..

1)Whens a good time to use standard liped crankbaits with no rattles in them aka silent crankbaits.

2)When the weathers cold what type of crankbait is better to use and whats better for warm weather?

3)Under what conditions should you put down the standard crankbaits and go with a lipless crankbait?

4)If fish are interested in your crankbait but just arent slamming it what do you do change size, or change color?

Now a question from me, whats your favorite liped and lipless crankbaits and more importantly why?

[Chris]

Fishing with someone who uses crankbait will shorten your learning curve. If you watch shows or DVD's that show people cranking you can pick up some pointers also. I don't know of any crankbait video's so you might want to run a web search for one. As far as a fishing partner in your area I have no idea.

[Chris]

1)When you are fishing an area that gets alot of fishing pressure.

2) Weather temp has no effect on the activity level of the bass under water. The water temp does in cold water you want a crankbait that has a tight to medium wiggle in warm water you want a wide to medium wiggle.

3)Both are interchangeable but I prefer to use lipless crankbaits in clear water and around grass.

4) change baits all together.

5) Sugarshad why? It has a shad profile, comes in a shiner color, it also will sit on the bottom and not fall over to the side, it runs rings around most lipless crankbaits.

[nboucher]

Chris, here in New England I start fishing in the spring when the water's in the low 40s, and I stop in the fall when it's in the low 40s. For the last few weeks, I fish jigs exclusively, becausewell, just because.

My assumptionuntested, I'll admitis that the bass have slowed down too much to hit reaction baits in general, and crankbaits in particular. Granted, crankbaits look more like real food than spinnerbaits, say, but if I understand you correctly, you're saying crankbaits should work in that water temp as well. So how would you change your presentation in water that cold?

[Chris]

If you are fishing shallow I catch them with a rattletrap on heavy line. The idea is that the line will slow down the sink rate of the lure. You are able to slowly retrieve lure while keeping it off the bottom. If I was using crankbaits it is kinda the same deal with the slow reel presentation but you want to down grade your line size to 8 or 10 pound line cover permitting. I have caught fish where half the lake still had ice on it.