crankbait disappointment again

[bigtimfish]

Well I tried, once again to fish a deep crankbait. And once again came out with zero. I fished Bandit 300's for 9 ft range. Strike King series 3 also. Excalibur fat free shad's and DD14's. Bomber fat free shad's and DD22's for the 14 to 18ft water column. So I had from 8 to 18 ft covered. I used mostly shad colors. Tennesse shad,citrus shad,sexy shad and some others. Even my lucky ol Mad Cow Bandit( usually I get 1) did not work. I can not catch fish on cranks. I don't understand?My Lowrance says fish all around, my dad is pulling them up off the bottom with worms. The Lowrance says they are suspending in about 9 to 15 ft of water. Very frustrating.

[J Francho]

Well I tried, once again to fish a deep crankbait. And once again came out with zero. I fished Bandit 300's for 9 ft range. Strike King series 3 also. Excalibur fat free shad's and DD14's. Bomber fat free shad's and DD22's for the 14 to 18ft water column. So I had from 8 to 18 ft covered. I used mostly shad colors. Tennesse shad,citrus shad,sexy shad and some others. Even my lucky ol Mad Cow Bandit( usually I get 1) did not work. I can not catch fish on cranks. I don't understand?My Lowrance says fish all around, my dad is pulling them up off the bottom with worms. The Lowrance says they are suspending in about 9 to 15 ft of water. Very frustrating.

Are your cranks down there where you Dad's worm is?  The key to cranks is contact.  If you're hauling water, you are usually wasting your time.

[Paul Roberts]

Sometimes they don't want to chase. Love when I can just chuck-n-wind with cranks, but most often you have to trigger strikes by varying speed, and esp, hitting stuff. Sometimes you have to work for that first strike, just to wake em up, then you can get a run of strikes.

When bass don't want to chase (come up out of pockets or cover) it's just easier to fish a jig or plastic. You can adapt cranks to this scenario, but you gotta know your cranks, tackle, and water pretty well.  

You can fish a crank slow too, and this can be the ticket. It really isn't too much different than fishing a jig. It's not chuck-n-wind at that point. It takes the right plug for the given depth and cover. You need good action in the lure, and at the right level so you can tick and bump stuff.

Bottom line is, and I am probably reading in to your situation here (you may know all this stuff already): If you are expecting bass to come to your cranks just winding 'em in -it doesn't work that way much of the time.

[EastTexasBassin]

I hate to admit this, but I've never caught a fish on a deep diving crankbait.  I have a plano tray full of them, in various sizes and colors.  I've tried them so many times, and I think I'm just about done.  

Its hard to stick with it when I can throw a c-rig, t-rig or jig and pull 'em up consistently.  When fish are suspended off the bottom, I yo-yo a spinnerbait.  Works for me...

[Bankbeater]

I've had very little luck with cranks and topwaters this year.  Its gotten to the point when I head out I leave them at home and just use jigs and plastics.

[cato]

I have pretty good luck with cranks. If I know the water is 8ft deep I will take a crank that I know will dive to 10ft or more. Crank down into the mud or sandy bottom and then give it a little jerk out of the bottom. Most of my strikes come right after I jerk the crank out of the sandy/muddy bottom. If I'm cranking around cover I try to hit everything I can. I have never caught a fish just throwing and cranking it back with no contact to anything.

[bigtimfish]

I can't contact the bottom like my dad was. In south east Tx the lake bottoms (at least the ones I fish) are full of grass. I try to tick the top of the grass. I could have caught fish and c rigged, but I REALLY wanted to learn cranks. I pulled up a lot of grass especially on the DD22 and big Bomber fat free shad. I don't understand. I have friends that kill em on cranks. I just can't do it.

[J Francho]

If the weeds are wrapped between the bill and line tie, you moving too fast, and not stopping the bait quick enough.  I was messing with a DD22 in coontail yesterday, and they are little tougher to get through than something with a wider, sweeping lip, like the DT baits.  

If the weeds are getting stuck to the hooks, you may want to try another hook.  Owner Stinger ST-36 are so sharp, it usually only takes a pop or two to free the weeds.  A moderate action, graphite rod really helps with the feel part here.  

Another tip is reel the bait down, and once its in the cover, "feel" the bait through by using the rod, not the reel, to move the bait.  Feel the bait contact cover, wait a few seconds for the lure to back out, and continue.  Lose the wiggling "feedback" from the bait, and wait a few seconds longer, and give it two or three hearty, slack line snaps.

You're going to get fouled, and some spots just dictate a different type of bait.  You aren't looking for thick weeds, but weedbeds with "channels" or "routes" where baitfish move to access different water depths to feed.

Finally, if your father was banging them on worms, switch to worms

[STK001]

I certainly understand what you're saying about "wanting to catch em' on a particular bait so badly". I wish my spinnerbait was producing like it was back in the spring myself!! I doubt many of us can say we haven't thought about it or felt the exact same way. As far as deep cranking is concerned I think the first thing is building confidence in the bait. Of course that goes with any bait. I too was frustrated with deep cranks and had almost given up on it until a couple of months ago. I knew I was in an area that this presentation should work and bam! I caught two nice fish in two casts with my DD22. Now that's exciting. Here lately that's been the only bait that I've wanted to fish and can't wait to pick up once I'm on the water. It's been producing! It will for you too. And of course, as much as you want it to work on a particular trip, if it isn't working where it should it's time to go with what is! It's never too disappointing to catch fish even if it's not on the bait you want to catch them on! Good luck. Work that crank on rock bluffs and points and bang the heck out of it. You will catch fish. It will take patience but it will happen.

[skunked_again]

If the weeds are wrapped between the bill and line tie, you moving too fast, and not stopping the bait quick enough. I was messing with a DD22 in coontail yesterday, and they are little tougher to get through than something with a wider, sweeping lip, like the DT baits.

If the weeds are getting stuck to the hooks, you may want to try another hook. Owner Stinger ST-36 are so sharp, it usually only takes a pop or two to free the weeds. A moderate action, graphite rod really helps with the feel part here.

Another tip is reel the bait down, and once its in the cover, "feel" the bait through by using the rod, not the reel, to move the bait. Feel the bait contact cover, wait a few seconds for the lure to back out, and continue. Lose the wiggling "feedback" from the bait, and wait a few seconds longer, and give it two or three hearty, slack line snaps.

You're going to get fouled, and some spots just dictate a different type of bait. You aren't looking for thick weeds, but weedbeds with "channels" or "routes" where baitfish move to access different water depths to feed.

Finally, if your father was banging them on worms, switch to worms

thats some really good advise there.

[Paul Roberts]

That is great advice, as usual coming from John...but I think the poster is talking about deep cranking.

Try this:

http://www.bigindianabass.typepad.com/

Scroll to "Deep cranking made simple"

[DINK WHISPERER]

One would figure you would have already put a worm on than! They don't always want a crank man!

[bigtimfish]

One would figure you would have already put a worm on than! They don't always want a crank man!

I could have worm fished , but I wanted to learn something. I am glad my dad had so much fun kicking my a** for the first time in a long time. It was my full expectation not to catch a lot of fish that day. I was going to learn to crank that day and that's it. I did'nt even bring all of my gear. Basically just cranks and a topwater. Only 4 rigs instead of my regular 12.

[Team9nine]

Deep cranking weeds is a bit tougher and a lot more headache generally than cranking other types of cover. Deep cranking is usually relegated to the weedline, and there it depends on the type of weed and the structural formation it sits on. On really steep weedlines that border a sharp drop you can often get by paralleling the outside edge. This is also true of hard bottom areas adjacent to a deep weedline that "stops" the weeds from growing further.

Typically though, your best bet is to crank perpendicular to the weedline looking for points or pockets in the weed growth that are key holding areas. Here you need to match your bait closely with the taper of the weedline as it extends underneath the water where you can't see. Then, every cast becomes a unique thing telling you how to react with your next cast. If you throw and bog down in the weeds, your next cast needs to be shorter because the weeds extend out at that point. If you throw and fail to contact weeds, your following cast should be longer because you might be at an indent in the weedline. If you can cast and just barely snag and snap through weed tops, you made a good cast.

Another thing to consider is what type weed are you trying to fish? Soft weeds like milfoil are much tougher to fish than more crisp weeds like hydrilla, coontail or cabbage. While you can "push" your way through crisper weeds with a wide wobbling bait, you need a tight wobbler for softer weeds and better "feel". Also, highly buoyant baits like balsa cranks are really good for ripping through weeds as their bouyancy helps the bait clear lightly grasping weeds on it's own.

Lastly, keep conditions in mind. Deep cranking is often best on cloudy or breezy days, prefrontal conditions where fish are aggressive and cruising weedlines searching for prey. Post-frontal conditions where fish bury inside weed edges makes for a tough (but not impossible) cranking bite.  

Bottom line is don't get frustrated too quickly. Cranking weeds is a lot of work, but can also be a very rewarding.

-T9