Catching on Crankbaits!

[crawchuck]

Laurie made this quote on another thread and I thought maybe a good topic on its own...

How do you build confidence in a bait that you aren't proficiant with?
How the heck do I catch bass on a crankbait!!!?

First off, I am no expert on crankbaits. Matter of fact, I hate throwing crankbaits for the reasons above. 

Until just this last week, I avoided crankbaits like the plague and maybe I just got lucky being in the right place at the right time making some nice crankbait catches, but now maybe I can help answer these questions.

To become proficient and build confidence with a crankbait or any lure for that matter, tie on a crankbait and take only other crankbaits with you on the confidence building trip.  You are forced to use it and will avoid the temptation of changing lures if you have no other lures to switch to.

Slow down the retreive!  An avid crank fisherman told me the most common mistake most people make when fishing cranks is too fast on the retreive.  Purchase a crankin reel if necessary and get that gear ratio down slow.

Use crankbaits which are known to be attractive to keeper size fish. Bombers, Bandit Mid Range, Storm Wiggle Wart, and some others (Laurie will soon be getting ) are proven keeper bass getters!

Use a medium action rod and line to match the rod's action. 10-12 lb. test usually is a good line for most crankbait applications. Set your drag accordingly and when setting the hook a firm pull is all that's needed when using quality sharp trebles. Don't try to horse the fish in and let the rod tire them out with a good fight! Keep the rod tip low to the water and watch for the jump & shake which often results in a thrown lure...keep them in the water if at all possible!

Even if you hate using a crankbait or other lure, force yourself to use it until you do develope that confidence you know others have.  They work only if you work them.

I look forward now to fishing crankbaits and also to hear what other avid crank fishers have to say

[Tnbasser]

I am a crankbait devotee, and have been for over 25 years. I wrote a little something to help out those new to crankbaiting, and I hope it will help you.

Here it is:


Crankbaiting 101, By Charles Graves, 2004



I would like to take a few minutes to try and help out fellow anglers who are either new to fishing, or are just haveing trouble catching fish on crankbaits. There are several important factors which must come into play for one to be successful with crankbaits.

The 2 most important factors when crankbaiting are the depth at which the fish are holding, and their location in relation to structure.. You must know the depth in order to choose one that achieves that depth and remains there during the majority of the retrieve, and the location so you will be able to make the proper presentation.

Referring to depth, a suspended bass will be VERY difficult to get to bite a crankbait because in order to be effective, one must"Bounce" a crankbait off of some form of object.
I.E.Tick the tops of weeds, bump the stump, dig bottom, etc.

You must bring the lure either above the fish, or on the same level of the fish, because they can not see directly below or behind themselves.

When fishing a particular piece of structure or cover, make a long cast past it, and bring it back so that your lure is in the strike zone at the moment it reaches the potential bass ambush point.When it bumps the cover, pause it or give it a sudden burst of speed. This will trigger a strike.

You can fish a crankbait effectivly on almost any form of structure.Points, flats, ledges,dropoffs,roadbeds,riprap,sandbars,Etc.

One of my favorite techniques when fishing flats or the backs of creeks is to take a crawdad colored crank that runs about a foot deeper than the bottom, and reel it steadily causing it to churn bottom and stir up a commotion. I have caught some really large bass doing this.

If you have been catching bass on a certain size and color of crankbait, and they stop hitting or slow down, try simply changing colors.
Trust me, it works.

Let the fish tell you what they want. Listen to them. Don't be afraid to try different sizes, styles, colors and retrieves untill you find what the fish want.

Try this sometime. Take 3 lures of the same color, but in three different sizes, and try the following retrieves. 1.Slow and steady. 2.Slow and steady, pausing when bumping cover. 3.slow and steady, then "rip" the lure when contacting cover. Then try a medium retrieve with each above technique.

See which one catches you the fish.

Color is also a factor, but mainly lies in what you have confidence in and what the primary forage fish/bait is in your area.

Wood vs. plastic. Plastic cranks are pretty much uniform. One Excaliber wiggles pretty much like the others, as does Bomber,Rebel, ect.
Wood, because of the difference in densities in different pieces of wood, no two wooden cranks will have exactly the same action. I prefer wooden because it does produce a more erratic action.

Cranking Equipment: This is another area that is important.

Reel:I prefer a slow retrieve reel, like the Pflueger Trion LP Cranking reel. It has a 4.3:1 Gear ratio which is absolutly ideal for dragging a big, deep running, hard pulling crankbait through the water. The slower ratio makes it easier on the angler, and presents the bait in a more lifelike manner.It also will not bind up as easy as a fast reel.

Rod:A Soft Graphite, E-Glass or all Glass rod is an absolute must for a serious crankbaiter. I use a custom 7'ML Popping Action Graphite rod made for me by CrazyFish rods. You need the limber tip and flex these rods have in order to help land the fish.Many fish are lost due to too stiff a rod.

Line:A good line is a must. You want one with minimul stretch in order to achieve a good hookset. You also need the right # test. 10# test is what is recommended by most manufacturers, and their depth ratings are based on it. However, you can expect that for each lb test you increase, you loose 2 feet of depth. Adversly, if you drop below 8 lb test, you also begin to loose depth. I use 12 myself.

Use sharp hooks: This can NOT be overemphasized. Sharp hooks catch more fish.

Tuning A Crankbait: Fortunatly, most of the premium baits available today usually do not need to be tuned before use. However, if your bait should begin to run off to on side, tune it as follows.
Hold the bait in your hand facing the bill. If the bait runs to the right, bend the eye SLIGHTLY to the LEFT. If to left, bend to RIGHT.Repeat until bait runs true.


Crankbait Types: There are three basic body types which I will talk about.

1.Potbellied: (Mann's depth series, Bomber Fat A, Bagleys B Series, Bandit, Etc.). My personal favorite style. These lures are built bulky, and produce a wide, hard wobble.As much as 6 inches, based on lure size and retrieve speed. They are designed to resemble bluegill and pearch.

2.Flat, or Slim baits: (Excaliber Fat Free Series, Bomber Flat A, Shad Rap, Ect.). These baits are slim, trim, and sleek, and are designed to best immitate shad.They produce a tight, fast wooble/wiggle, and are better when fish are not as agressive.

3.Lipless Cranks: (Rat-L-Trap, Ect.): These have a very tight wiggle, and rattles, and are designed to imitate baitfish in general.They work well anytime the water is above 55 degrees.


Crankbait Depths.:
Here are the basic catagories of depth for most cranks.

Super Shallow: 0-2feet
Shallow:2-4 feet
Medium:4 -6 feet
Deep:6-10 feet
Extra Deep:10-18 Feet.

You can generally tell the average running depth of a crankbait by the shape and position ot the lip in relation to the body.

Example. A Bait with a short narrow bill at a hard angle down from the body will tell you it is a SS or S runner. A moderate angle down from body, a medium/deep runner. A long wide bill straight out from the nose is a XD runner.

Types of wooden crankbaits:
Cedar: Not very common.Only Poe's makes these. A heavy, almost neutral Bouyancy.

Balsa: The most Common.A lightweight wood used by Bagley, Rapala, and most makers. It is Extremly Bouyant.

Jelutong:My favorite.Moderatly Bouyant, Lightweight and Produces a good action.Not as common as Balsa, but more so than cedar.




TIP:

When Fishing submerged weeds within 3 feet of the surface, try fishing a Lipless crankbait on a fast retrieve reel and heavy line(17-20#).The heavy line will help slow the fall of the lure and keep it out of the weeds, and the reel will burn it back. A Super shallow running crank will also work with this tip.



Hope it helps,
Charles   

[crawchuck]

Awesome info Tnbasser...I now look forward even more to crankin

[Tnbasser]

Glad it helped. Heres another one.


The Allure Of Wooden Baits
By Charles Graves
Feb 5, 2005

   
   
For many years, one of the secret baits of the pros have been wooden crankbaits.Sure, we have all seen pictures of them slinging the plastic plugs, but when it comes cruch time, and the money is one the line, many will reach for thier wooden ones.The reason is as simple as this.

They catch more fish.

Wooden crankbaits produce an action you simply cannot duplicate with a plastic bait. Wood gives the baits a rolling, injured minnow action the bass find extremly difficult to turn down.They have a more random "Searching", or "hunting" track during the retrieve.I feel this type of random, confused track triggers more strikes due to imitating a dazed or disoriented baitfish.

Also, due to the density differances in wood (no two having the same density), no two wooden crankbaits will have the exact same action. Again, and advantage when fishing pressured waters, and one of the reasons wood is so popular with those that know this.

Are there differances in the different wooden Baits?

Absolutely. I am a firm believer in hand carved wooden plugs over the mass produced wood baits any day. They do cost more, but they simply produce a better action and catch more bass.My favorite baits are those made by Carolina Chips Lure Company. These baits are unbeatable.

Now to discuss the differances in wood:

The most common wood for crankbaits is Balsa. This wood is incredibly lightweight, with very high floatation, and a very lifelike action.The drawback to Balsa is that it is not particularly strong. It is a fairly weak wood that will not withstand alot of abuse. A consideration if you are going to fish aggressive species.
For those who want a crankbait that can withstand more abuse, Cedar is the popular choice, though still not the best. Cedar lures are very dense and therefore heavier than Balsa baits,therefore they can be fished a little slower, but they are much stronger.Cedar is not as bouyant as Balsa, and has a more subdued action.
Then there is Jelutong wood. Jelutong gives anglers the best of both worlds. It has the Action and Bouyancy of Balsa, but it is as strong and tough as Cedar. I have all my baits made for me out of Jelutong. It is simply the best in my opinion.
Again, the biggest reason to chose hand carved wooden baits above any other type of cranks is the action.

ACTION = BASS.

Good Fishing,
Charles Graves

[kcdano]

Good info Crawchuck and Tnbasser. Basswood is also used extensively as a crankbait wood. Properties are between balsa and cedar; durable with even grain and holds details.

[Tnbasser]

Thanks. I did not know about basswood. I'll investigate it.

[bassfishing5]

How much does dragging moss hurt your chances? I tend to use the bomber fat a and sometimes I pick up weeds. Usually stopping the retrieve and starting again keeps me from snagging and dragging, but occasionally I get some I can't shake off. I'm not talking about huge hunks of moss, but enough to change the action of the lure or add a nice 8" to 10" mossy tail. Sometimes it's hydrilla and other times it's that really fine silky stuff. Do I call it quits on the cast and yank 'er in or can I salvage something from the attempt?

[Tnbasser]

How much does dragging moss hurt your chances? I tend to use the bomber fat a and sometimes I pick up weeds. Usually stopping the retrieve and starting again keeps me from snagging and dragging, but occasionally I get some I can't shake off. I'm not talking about huge hunks of moss, but enough to change the action of the lure or add a nice 8" to 10" mossy tail. Sometimes it's hydrilla and other times it's that really fine silky stuff. Do I call it quits on the cast and yank 'er in or can I salvage something from the attempt?

Try giving the rod a good hard yank or 3. It should lose the weeds, and it makes tha bait shoot forward, which can trigger strikes.

[bassfishing5]

The yanks don't seem to do the trick. That's why I was asking. I can't seem to shake the stuff off.

One other tip I have seen people use, especially for smallies off a bank is to use the smaller cranks, cast close to the bank, let it sit for a couple seconds, and then jerk it. If they are sitting there, it'll get their attention and cause a strike.

[Dunham Fisher]

Tnbasser, awesome tutorial!!!     I hope you write often.  I will be lookin' forward to it.  I been fishin' for 39 years, and that was as good an article as I've ever read! 
Lyncke   

[whittler]

Tnbasser, basswood is a great wood for cranks, clear even grain and easy to carve. A little heavier than balsa but a lot tougher. One of my favorite woods for woodcarving and crankbaits.

[bass1cpr]

   Whittler good looking bait there.

[Tnbasser]

Tnbasser, basswood is a great wood for cranks, clear even grain and easy to carve. A little heavier than balsa but a lot tougher. One of my favorite woods for woodcarving and crankbaits.

Nice looking bait. I like Jelutong because it has the same properties. A little heavier than balsa, but a lot stronger.
I'll have Chip make me a few in Basswood and see how I like it.