Posted by fishinut on 10-04-2003 04:36 PM:

Crankbaits

I'm looking to imrove my crankbaiting skills. I have caught fish on them before, but not consistently. I understand a shad color would be a good choice this time of year but am confused when to use the crawdad and firetiger colors. What type of water clarity? What season? Any help would be great. Thanks - fishinut

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Posted by basseracci on 10-04-2003 05:59 PM:

Where do you fish ?

I guess it comes down to where you fish....Ofcourse you are not cranking a hell of a lot in weed choked lakes, but right now is a good time to crank lakes that have fair weed coverage...Thats because the edges are so much easier to find now and ongoing until deep fall...They can be easily paralelled...Also the new water opened up on top of these newly submerged weeds creates another edge to fish if you use shallow cranks as you would a spinnerbait...

Throw them at the same structure you would work your plastics...At weededges, rockpiles, points, you know...If you want to throw at sticks, do it...Sometimes I trim the front hook on both trebles so that i can throw it thru any sticks i encounter...Cranks will complement your spinnerbait fishing in that you can get deeper or shallower in the water column if you know your baits...
It's funny because, i did the opposite...Spinnerbait fishing has now complemented my crank fishing...I never threw spinners a lot before this season...

I threw cranks a lot less this year and fished more soft plastics...But truthfully, I was happier and had more success when I cranked more during the summer on some lakes that I frequent...Cranking always kept me busy, I covered a lot of water in less time, and it produced just as good as ANY technique that I or any partner with me this year, used during the summer...And I like to think that I fished with a couple of decent fisherman this season...

I think the key is to know your depths and baits...Just get to know a series of baits like the Excalibur Fat Free Shads, Mann's Depth Series, Rapala DTs, Storm's Wart Series, etc...If you dont know the depth they run at , and the depth of water you are fishing, you might as well give it up and throw plastic at the bottom...

As far as patterns...Shad patterns will work almost universally no matter what lake you fish as they are the primary forage on most lakes...If there is a good amount of Craws in your lake, throw the Greens, Browns and Reds..I would use the FT patterns in really murky waters or regularly clearbodied waters that have been murked up by rain...But if the fish are chasing and not hitting the FT or chartreuses, I will still go back to a more natural shad pattern despite the water clarity...Just makes sense to me...

Also, rattles and wide wobbles (ie. Wiggle Warts, Bagley's) are said to be better suited for stained water, and tighter wobbles and less noisy lures better suited for clearer water...So they say, but when I crank, there are no rules...I don't rule any bait out exclusively by water clarity or wobble...Caught plenty of fish on clear water lakes like Kensico and some rock quarry lakes on size #7 Wiggle Warts that displace a lot of water...

I use a slower action rod to crank so i don't pull the hooks from the fish on the strike...I was mostly doing a lot of my fishing, PERIOD, on spinning equipment, but now it is easy for me to see that baitcasting gear is the only way to go as the baits get bigger and deeper...For the monster big baits like the size #7 Excalibur FFS and the Berkley Mag Diver that might reach 15-18', a slow gear ratio reel will help you labor thru more easily...I'm in the market to pick up a cranking stick for those "Giganta Baits" myself...

Well, all of the above is my own opinion I guess...Hope it helps somewhat...Lots more to cover though...More info coming right up from some great NYbass fisherman...

mark

Posted by HugeFish4 on 10-04-2003 06:12 PM:

I am a big fan of crankbaits. However, like most of my lure choices, I stick to a few baits that have worked well for me. This year I have had great success with Storm Wiggle Warts and Poes 300 Series crankbaits. I primarily fish them in the 7-12 foot depth range, and I strongly believe that more erratic you fish a crankbait the better. I stick with variations of silverish sides with black backs and red crawfish patterns. If you refer to one of my recent Lake Welch posts in Places to Fish, you will see that on one particular outing I had success with both the Silver Wart and a Red Poes. I stick to these colors only because I have confidence in them. Not sure if it really matters. I use a 6"6' BPS spinnerbait rod with a Curado 5:1 Stren Low vis green and 10lb test. I find that 10lb test gets my baits to the desired depth. Hope that helps.

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Posted by fishinut on 10-04-2003 07:12 PM:

Thanks Guys - great info.
That clears alot of stuff up. Seeing those fish Huge caught on cranks really makes me want to go out and learn these baits well. Nice fish Huge. - fishinut

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Posted by Joe@TKO on 10-05-2003 06:06 AM:

Great posts, covered the topic exceptionally well. The only thing I could add is that this year I finally learned that you can fish a crankbait in a lot more weeds than I ever thought. If you think it's too weedy for a crank, pick a bouyant crank and then retrieve using just the rod. You'll feel EVERY vibration and every single thing you encounter. When you hit a weed stop the rod and give a very little slack. The crank will very easily back out and up from the weed. After a few seconds, start again with the rod. You'll be amazed that you can use the crank anywhere, anytime you think it will catch fish. Good luck.

Joe K.

Posted by Hooked Solid on 10-05-2003 07:07 AM:

I'll add one thing......

You must try to hit some thing with the crank and cause a deflection,rock ,wood,dock,grass and rip it out,even just the bottom.
If you don't it looks like every other healthy hard to catch meal out there...><>...HS

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Posted by earthworm77 on 10-05-2003 12:10 PM:

Good job Mark. I rarely throw cranks anymore but when I do, I throw these colors:
shad-clear days
clear-clear days
craw- murky water cloudy days....craws as main forage
firetiger- murky water but good all around

I throw only a few different baits- Mudbug, Fat Free Shad, Rat L Trap

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Posted by basseracci on 10-05-2003 01:06 PM:

Mudbugs !!!

Mudbugs,

now there is a lure I haven't thrown in ages...Those things "shake and move a lot water" !!! I think I still have some of those in craw colors from when I was a kid...I'll ressurrect them on your word EW...

mark

Posted by joe p on 10-06-2003 02:42 PM:

those FFS #7, Mark....any modifications at all?...I fooled around with them this week and liked the feel....

Joe

Posted by JOHN G on 10-07-2003 08:48 AM:

I agree mostly with Paul's observation about "bumping the stump", however, there are times when fish will hit a crank over open water, the best example I can think of with a straight retrieve is rattle traps in the pre spawn.

even Hard Jerks barely touch any cover or bottom, and again, mostly prespawn, and then again in the fall when the weeds are knocked down a bit.......

but mostly, Paul is right, they are more effective when banged off of something.....

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Posted by earthworm77 on 10-07-2003 12:09 PM:

the hesutation of the bait is the key to it elliciting a strike

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Posted by basseracci on 10-07-2003 12:44 PM:

Joe I don't really modify the # 7 size...Sometimes i weigh the # 6 FFS to get deeper with a smaller bait and to get a better suspending freeze...But on the suspending model #7s, they get down so deep, i don't really do anything to them...I am less concerned with suspending action at those deeper depths...I feel that most times, those fish need to be woken up and react to my bait not be finessed into a hit from a pause...I use mostly the suspending models, but they don't TRULY freeze on the pause without modification...As a matter of fact the only bait i have ever used that has truly suspended right out of the box was the Rapala HJ...They freeze dead on the pause in most water temps I fish...

Paul and John, I agree with you both on the bumping...That's why I throw them at the structure that i mentioned like weededges where they can be ripped on contact, rockpiles, points and even sticks so that you can get those deflections and the strikes that follow...

And John, after last season, i have a lipless on or ready at all times in any depth I'm fishing except heavy shallow weeds...It' s a much more versatile lure than people give it credit...From open water to sparse weeds, It's great...Better than a SB in many instances...Reaction bait with a much smaller profile Vs a SB...

I do relatively well out in more open water also during the dog days of summer with big lipped baits...I crank or sometimes troll further off the natural weedline...Not really on the edge where i would fish my plastics...I guess i am intercepting suspended fish close but not on the edges...

Mark D

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Posted by Senkosam on 10-07-2003 02:38 PM:

quote:

If you think it's too weedy for a crank, pick a bouyant crank and then retrieve using just the rod

Joe

Buoyancy is a big factor when you want to work a bait at a certain depth, at a certain speed. If your using cedar (Poe's) or Balsa (Bagley) the rise will be much faster than plastic cranks, especially those that are weighted (Husky Jerks and Yozuri's).

Craig is right-on and it was confirmed for me by Bear Paw last year when he had the best crankbait years of his life. His trick was to work parallel to shoreline in 4-5' and pause frequently. Steady retrieves are alright for reaction strikes up and over or beside hard targets, but for open water and mid to bottom depths, the pause does help alot.

Sun. at Whaley I caught a few fish on a medium dive Excalibur crankbait through weeds and along weed edges. The deep diver in the same color couldn't buy a strike, which brings up the diving-lip of the crank. Along with buoyancy, it's an another important variable. The lip affects the slope of a crankbaits swim. The larger the lip, the more pronounced the action and dive angle. Sometimes fish want subtle (jerk minnow); at other times, more of a wobble, along with less of a dive when using the rod tip; and finally, fish may prefer a bait that digs in fast and that has the widest wobble. Even Bill Stea's Flatfish caught picks on Sun.

I have no idea about color selection though firetiger, bass pattern, pearl, and white have worked for me. Like soft plastics, you never know.

Sam

Posted by fishinut on 10-07-2003 04:15 PM:

Thanks for responding guys. Its helping me out alot. What is the best times of year to fish cranks and how and what would tell me to throw a crank instead of a spinnerbait? I've noticed the two are very similar in terms of covering water and variance of retrieves. What helps you determine which one to throw when? Thanks - fishinut

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Posted by HugeFish4 on 10-07-2003 07:50 PM:

I never ever never ever fish a crankbait with a steady retrieve. I try to be very erratic. This type of stop-go-burn-stop action seems to illicit a more consistent bite IMHO. It mimics the same type of reaction strike that a deflection off of a boulder, wood, or weed does.

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