CrankBaiting Through Cover

[cmatiazzo]

Hello Everybody

I saw this article and I'd like to share and ask If you agrre with this Tips!!

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CrankBaiting Through Cover

(Get-R-Done Style)

Many Bass anglers avoid throwing a crankbait in the middle of heavy cover, simply because they think they will lose their crankbait.

I can personally tell you that if you fish it properly, you can fish the most heavy cover with a crankbait. All you have to do is take your time getting it through the vastness of the cover.

If you feel your bait crawling through the wood but then

suddenly it gets hung up, just stop your bait and give it some slack, most of the time the bait will surface on its own right up out of the cover.

Most important is that you will be able to sink your hook on plenty of lunkers that are not used to seeing much action, simply because most anglers refuse to fish there.

Square lipped crankbaits work best. The bigger the bait the better. I use the old Balsa Bagley series 2-3. they are big baits but will catch various sizes of bass. You can crawl these baits thru timber you'd have a hard time getting a spinnerbait thru.

Try to avoid the suspending crankbaits. You need a bait to float back over the snags and the suspending ones will sink slowly or suspend making it harder to clear possible snags. I prefer balsa crankbaits over plastic, they tend to be more buoyant and therefor less prone to snags. Use heavier than normal test line. I use 17# test and wouldn't go any lighter in most cases.

Watch your bait closely. Most of your strikes will come after your bait crosses over a limb so be ready. Plus there's nothing cooler than a fatty smacking the tar out of a crankbait right before your eyes.  

Fish the outside first. Always fish the outside of the blow down first. If you take a fish from the outside of the blow down you may not have disturbed the fish on the inside. Also fish them deep to shallow for the same reason. You will be able to catch more than one fish from each tree then. If you catch the inside fish first you'll most likely drag him over the outter branches and spook the outside fish.

Always remember what side of the tree the Bass are coming off of. If they are coming off the sunny side or shady side. You maybe able to eliminate a lot of unproductive water, by fishing only one side of a tree. If you do get a bite try to remember the angle in which you were running your crankbait down the tree. Then try to duplicate this angle at the next blow down.

In stained water a lot of the fish will be FACING the shore. So don't be afraid to work your bait thru the cover that is only a foot deep. If your running your crankbait a few feet away from shore your bait is behind the fish and they'll never see it.

As far as colors go use what you feel the water clarity dictates. I will use a brighter color that normal most off the time. 99% of your bites will be reaction bites in the wood anyway. I want the bass to be able to see my bait clearly so fire tiger or white is a good choice in any water color. Now, if you are more than ten foot in the water, the bass can not see color so it does not matter =)

 

If you do get hung up use the "snap" your line technique. Take your line slack that is between the first eye of the rod and the reel and pull it like your going to shoot a bow and arrow. Then let the line go quickly and it'll snap back. A lot of times this will free a snagged crankbait from wood or rock without to much disturbance to the cover. you many have to repeat this a few times but it does work.

Tight Lines,

Michael Wagner

"Git-r-Done"

[John Cullum]

That is actually two articles. I wrote the bottom part of the artical starting with -Square lipped crankbaits work best-. I'm not sure who wrote the top part thou.

I use these methods everytime I hit the water and they work. It doesn't matter if your in Maine or Mexico they will catch you fish.

I'm a bit confussed about the Michael Wagner signature at the bottom. If he is claiming to have written the articl isn't this playgerism???

Michael, I'm glad you liked my info so much that you called it your own.....Im FLATTERED!

[CJHooker]

I love cranking in cover myself.It works!Alot of the articles I read about craking cover mention wood and I feel its only half of it.True if you bump and stop on good logs,stumps and trees your gonna get bit.But the other side is rocks,and hard structure.I caught a seven pounder in early March this year tickling and bumping large chunk rocks.My father and I caught alot of nice keepers bumping along boat ramps late in the summer last year.Cranking is my prefered way to fish.In the right conditions I feel it can't be beat!There something about the way fish often not only bite it but attack it!

[Will]

Using your rod to drag crankbaits through the tree rather than just reeling the lure across the cover will provide greater sensitivity.

[D.Taylor]

Don't force the bait threw the cover let it work threw the cover. Good point on the rod thing will

[Rebbasser]

I was going to say the same thing, Will.  Good point!

[Raul]

Crrrrrrrrankbaiting the thick nasty stuff Raul Style:

A) It all starts with the gear:

1.- No place for mickey mouse gear here: monster gears on your reels, monster drag washers ( oh boy you 're going to need them ! if not to avoid them momma basses from getting into the stuff then to haul them from it )

2.- Resistant to abrassion line with low stretch ( no place for extra limp lines, forget about braided, that thing is for cowards ) this means fluorocarbon or the old reliable Trilene Big game, 12 pound test ( anything higher = read braided line )

3.- Medium rod ( or you will loose fish, MH rods are not for crankbaits, they are too stiff )

4.- Extra razor sharp hooks ( just looking at the hooks is going to get them hooked )

5.- No snaps, direct tie only ( there 's a reason that wll be explained later for that ).

B ) It continues with the attitude:

1.- You don 't scare me, NO FEAR is my middle name

2.- You eyeball me I eyeball you and give that brush pile, stump or standing timer a killer look >.

3.- I am as nasty as you are ( and give that brush another killer look )

4.- Your preciousssss crankbaits catch nothing stored in your tacklebox, time to beat the h....out of them, let them feel the punishment, no pain no gain.

5.- If you ain 't fishing cranks where they are in inminent danger of snagging you 'r not fishing them in the right spot, knock on wood and rocks. If you 're afraid of loosing them.......man fish with soft plastic baits.

C ) Then read Cmat 's post over and over again until you memorize it, there 's some very good advice there.

D ) Get one of these cuz you 're gonna need it:

Now you 're ready for crankbaiting and give them hell, take no prisoners.  :-X

The FORCE will be with you.......always. ;D ;D

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Cranking through heavy cover can pay off big time.  My fish I caught in the picture was caught in some pretty nasty stuff.

[ball_coach_1]

I just posted a question on 'what's the best crankbait' post - ask the same here, probably goes better here.

A shortened version of the question.  TimberTigers.

Use to see a lot about them when they came out a few years ago, and haven't seen them in a while, if fact looked a couple of days ago in a couple of shops.

Are they still making them?  Are they worth the money if you find them?  They had a bit of an odd design, and am almost certain the bill was square.

I agree with a post above on 'dragging' your crank through cover....especially.  A few years back learned how to fish Baby 4 and 1 Minues on the tops of submerged grass on Guntersville.  Crank the bait, feel the grass with the bait and hooks....pull it or drag the lure off/out of the grass....start reeling until it is time to pull/drag again.  It works, and I use it often when I find the tops of submerged grass.

[ball_coach_1]

Another question, any certain place to find lure retrievers? Guess the better question is where do I find crank retrievers to send down my line?

Idea of a price?  I would guess under 10 dollars, I hope.

[Raul]

Item 28-421-057-00 of your BPS catalog.

[Muddpuppy]

They make several different kinds.  I prefer the ones on retractable poles for retreiveing lures from shollow water and tree limbs.  J.T. Bagwell tested one that looked promiseing, I think it was a little costly, of corse that is determined how well it works and how often you need it.  The kind or simular that Raul showed a picture of can be found at most tackle shops and I believe wal mart.  You can make one out of a what I call a river weight and putting a snap on it and attatching a string, but there are more variations.

[D.Taylor]

Pocket knockers are great cheap and small