learning

[SuthernHaze]

I am going to spend this year primarily learning how to fish crankbaits. I have never caught a fish on a crankbait because I hardly ever use them since I don't know how because of all of the variety. How do you go about figuring out which crankbaits to go with in different situations. I fish primarily ponds and river dams. The following are the crankbaits I already own:

Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap: 1/4oz. - Chrome/Blue

Norman Lures Fat Boy: 7/16oz. - Nutter Shad, Chartreuse/Black/Orange

[Carrington]

the bill lewis is not a crankbait, thats a rattle trap.  and i mainly use shallow running cranks which run 2 feet or less.  just reel it in and if it hits something stop it for a split second then start back up.

[SuthernHaze]

moderators... i meant to put this in the tackle forum... sorry...

So if fishing a pond just throw the crankbait out into the middle and reel in. Or do you throw it towards the bank and reel it horizontal to the bank

[Carrington]

before i could afford sonar units i would cast from the boat to cover i could see near the shore and reel the crank either to the side of it, through it, or just over top of it.  i didnt go through it to much though due to getting the crank hung up alot.

[RichF]

For me in the northern ny, crank fishing is fantastic early in the season and late in the season. I hardly use them in the summer, I fish primarily jigs during this time. Rapala dt6s work best for me early season. I work them around shorline structure or gravel flats with some sparse weed growth. Ill catch alot on lipless baits too, early. I'll usually works these bait with a fairly steady to slow retrieve. Once september rolls around ill start burning dt10s around grass ledges and anywhere there are rocks mixed in with weeds. This is also a great time for lipless baits. I throw them pretty much in the same areas and also on top of submerged weed beds. Cranks are great cuz you can cover so much water with them. A lot of times too, fish with hit when your bait deflects off of structure. Good luck!

[The Rooster]

moderators... i meant to put this in the tackle forum... sorry...

So if fishing a pond just throw the crankbait out into the middle and reel in. Or do you throw it towards the bank and reel it horizontal to the bank

Yes.

In other words.....BOTH. There's not a wrong way to fish one, there's just unproductive, somewhat productive, more productive, and most productive, in terms of how to do it. Sometimes what's unproductive from before will become more productive later on. You just need to start fishing them, experiement with different speeds, stop and go, jerks, bumping stuff under water with them, and just anything you can think of to try. Sometimes the most useless seeming cast can produce a fish while the most well placed cast will come up with nothing. I caught that one in my picture while letting a crankbait drift on top of the water with the current doing absolutely nothing.  He hit it twice before I got him (missed the first one).  After a while you'll learn what works and what doesn't.

By the way, that Rat-L-Trap is too a crankbait. It's a lipless crankbait.

[LAO162]

So if fishing a pond just throw the crankbait out into the middle and reel in. Or do you throw it towards the bank and reel it horizontal to the bank

The trick, which can be harder for bank anglers, is to figure out the patterns   For example, if they are relating to cover and shallow structure, along the banks will be more effective.  However, if they are suspending or relating to deeper structure, you casting towards the deeper water would be more effect.  Basically, you've got to put the crankbait where the fish are

Personally, I still have a long way to go in figuring out when and where to find the bass.  I should spend more time learning the habits of bass, rather than the nuances of lures and feeding the baitmonkey with expensive rods & reels 

One way to learn what is effective in given conditions is to fan cast, hitting both cover along the bank and deeper areas.  If a crank with tight wobble doesn't work, try something with a wider wobble or that dives to a different depth.  Combine this experience with everything you can read about putting patterns together.  When cranks are working, you'll know  ;D