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My father introduced me to crankbait fishing many years
ago as just a young boy. Dad and I bass fished with lures
named “River Runt” “Lazy Ike” “Mirr O Lure” “Cast Master”
“Sparkle Tail” and many more. I must admit that I became
a crank bait junkie long ago. One of the first tags crankbaits
were labeled with was “Idiot Lure”. You just throw it out
and crank it in. But through the years things have changed
dramatically-to days crankbaits in the hands of a skilled
crankbait fisherman is a high tech fish catching tool that
can add big numbers and quality to your fishing success.
But for the beginning crankbait fisherman where do you
begin? When you go into a large fishing tackle store you
are confronted with dozens of crank bait manufactures that
produce baits in hundreds of different colors and sizes,
with prices running anywhere from $3.00 to $10.00 or more.
Some baits float, while others sink. Some rattle and some
don’t. Some crankbaits because of their buoyancy rise quickly
when you stop cranking while others suspend. Some baits
have short lips-some long and others none at all. Just choosing
the right baits to get started with can be not only mind
boggling but costly if you make a mistake.
Where are you going to fish most?
My suggestion would be this, determine first where most
of your fishing is going to be. If you are going to be wading
creeks and rivers or fishing ponds from the bank you may
need shallower running baits. If you are fishing lakes from
a boat your variety in color and depth selection will be
greater because of varying depth and water colors. (We will
cover more on depth in a minute) Once you have determined
where your going to fish the most you then can move on to
colors.
Color Selection
I’ve learned the hard way over the last 30 years when it
comes to colors. I have a cork board in my boat barn that
has well over 100 crankbaits stuck to it that I never use
now. Some never ran right, while others were the result
of “It Looked Good To Me” when I was at the store but it
sure didn’t look good to the fish when I used them at the
lake. Through the years (and several $$$) I have settled
on some very basic colors that produce over and over again.
I have 6 basic colors that I rely on over and over again.
In clearer water I use Texas Shad-Chrome and Blue and Chrome
and Black. In stained and muddier waters I use Firetiger-Chartreuse
and Crawdad. All the baits in the picture at the left are
manufactured by Bandit Lure Company and will give you a
good idea about colors. But if I had to choose ONE COLOR
ONLY to fish month in month out on our area lakes it would
have to be a shad pattern. Once again remember “It’s a confidence
thing”.
Depth Selection
Under most circumstances I use a crankbait to search out
cover and structure looking for a reaction bite. At times
I will “Burn” or crank it as fast as possible, other times
I “Ease” the bait through the structure. To be able to do
this I always try to select a crankbait that will run deeper
than the water depth that I’m fishing. If I’m in 6 feet
of water I want a crankbait that will run 8 to 10 feet deep.
If I’m in 10 feet of water I want a crankbait that will
run 12 to 15 feet deep. I want to make sure that I’m keeping
in contact with the bottom at all times bouncing off as
much structure as possible. ONE EXCEPTION to this is when
I’m fishing grass so I select a crankbait that will just
barely touch the tops of the weeds. You may say “If I throw
a crankbait in structure I’ll get hung up and may loose
my bait”. That’s what a good lure retriever is for. If you
are not willing to throw into structure you might as well
be fishing in your living room. Most crankbait manufactures
will list the depths their baits will run, but remember
that (1) Reel Speed-I prefer a reel with at least a 5:7-1
ratio (2) Line Diameter- I prefer to fish 6lb to 10 lb max
(3) Rod Length- I prefer at least a 6½ foot rod-7 foot is
better and (4) cast distance will play a big part in how
deep your crankbait will run.
Crankbait Action and Sound
Here’s a couple of tips on how you can determine what kind
of action a crankbait will have just by looking at it. If
the line tie is closer to the end of the bill that crankbait
will run shallower than a bait the has the line tie nearer
to it’s face. If the bill of the crankbait is angled down
it will run shallower that one where the bill is straight.
The closer the line tie is to it’s face the tighter the
wiggle. Baits with a wider body will have more of a wobble
where thinner baits will have more of a wiggle. Lipless
crankbaits like a Rattle Trap have thin sides and the line
tie is on the top-these types of baits have a very tight
wiggle and are very effective when retrieved at high speeds.
Another important part in achieving good lure action is
making sure that your crankbait has a adequate size split
ring (I change all baits with small rings) and in my opinion
the use of a good quality snap not a swivel . This is probably
the most hotly contested area in crankbait fishing. Many
will never use a snap and will always tie directly to the
baits split ring. Over years of experimenting I have found
that if you use a good snap and attach it directly to the
baits split ring it will enhance your lures action dramatically.
I have fished side by side with many that won’t use a snap
and I will have numerous more strikes in a period of the
day’s fishing using a snap. Will CHEAP SNAPS FAIL? Yes…but
so will cheap line-reels-rods. Spending a little extra on
good snaps in my opinion pays off big time throughout the
year.
Many crankbaits have rattles in them. I have found that
rattles are very helpful when (1) there is limited visibility
because of muddy water (2) the structure is very heavy (3)
the bass are actively feeding. But on the other hand I have
found that rattles can be a hindrance such as in clearer
lakes when bass are moving up to spawn and at times in the
late winter/early spring in colder water. This is the time
that I opt for a #5 or #7 Shad Rap. I have watched this
hold true over and over again on Old Hickory Lake early
in the year.
The great thing about crankbaits is that here in the south
you can throw them all year long. You will have to change
presentation-structure-depths and line weight to make them
work for you. But if you will be diligent in learning you
can add many pounds of bass to you years catch. Don’t go
out and load your tackle box down with dozen of colors and
sizes--take your time and find out what will work for you
best.
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