A rare insight into crankbait fishing 2024
Chris reply :
The biggest key to becoming a better crankbait angler is to pay attention to the vibration. Try to block out distractions and tune in to what your bait is doing. Feel the vibrations the whole cast and retrieve. Use the force! Concentrate on the vibration and keep a positive attitude. The more you pay complete attention to the steady vibration of the bait the easier you can detect a difference or change in the vibration. You can tell when your bait comes in contact with cover or when its about to. You can feel the rush of water that means a fish just rolled on your bait. Sometimes you just loose the vibration which means the fish has your lure or when you feel slack. Most strikes are not bone jarring but a slight difference in the vibration and almost feels like an interruption in the vibration. Most guys say well with a crankbait the fish hook themselves. Well, unless you spend hours sharpening your hooks and if the bass turns with your bait more than likely your missing fish. If you do not react to the strike you can have the sharpest hooks but guess what they can still spit it. You don't set the hook like a jig or worm but I sweep my rod to gather any slack and line stretch just that tension is enough to drive the hook but if your sitting there waiting for the fish to hook themselves your going to be waiting a long time. If your using a dead pulling crankbait where all you feel is the pull and not the vibration you will never feel the difference in vibration and will never have a clue how many fish hit and spit your bait. Color is a factor to what bait to use in what water color or clarity but your first step should always be vibration. Depth control, lip style, line size all need to be factored in also. When figuring out what retrieve to use I try to make an educated guess of what I think the activity level of the bass should be then tweak the way I work the bait as I learn more through the day. I feel that a single rattle or no rattle work best because it gives a bass more of a direction of where the bait is. Sound from rattles kinda spreads out and doesn't give much of a direction just an are of noise but vibration gives more of a pinpoint direction. Baits with tons of rattles in them call bass from an area and in clear water to slightly stained water can be very effective. You need to understand that rattle noise and vibration are two separate things. You can't put them in the same category. Vibration gives a pinpoint direction and rattles give a general direction. Rod position will effect the depth of your bait and will change the amount of feel you have. I try to point my rod to my bait and as the bait runs deeper follow it with my rod. If I keep my rod high it will loose depth if you point your rod to the side you will have a hard time feeling that rush of water I was talking about. Casting distance will effect the amount of room the bait has to reach its deepest running depth. Its kinda a game of angles if you get good at it you can hit structure or a depth zone with some consistency. Different lures that are identical will have different running depths so you need to play with them to figure out what depth they run. The depth on the lure package in most cases is an average running depth. Lur Jenson and DT lures are the few that have an accurate running depth not an average but always factor in casting distance and how much running room your bait has to reach that depth. A Bill Norman bait kinda slowly works its way to the depth and about when the bait reaches the boat is the max depth it will run. It took most of the cast distance to work down to that depth. As a bait gets close to the boat it looses depth and starts working its way to the surface. So if I make a long cast with this bait and reel it in about 30 feet out away from my boat is the max depth that bait will run. The DT baits are different because it digs as soon as you start reeling and in a short distance gains depth. Most baits don't do that and take more running room to reach the same depth. The wider the wobble the more resistance the bait has and the less depth the bait can go. This is crankbait season and I hope this helps you this season ;D
DDbasser reply :
Thanks Chris,
Every time I read one of your's Rauls, or RW's
posts i learn a little something about lures!!!
You guys keep the info coming, it really helps me out.
New Bass Man reply :
Nice post. Makes sense to me!
guest reply :
thank you for that very educational post. You touched briefly on water clarity v/ lure color. Could you expand on that please professori.
Grazia,
Raul reply :
Excellent post Chris !
If you don 't mind me stepping in I would add some points:
1.- Unless you are fishing a bait like the DT, the maximum depth the lure can achieve is only during 1/3 of the distance of your cast, which is usually in the second third of the distance, so if you make a 30 yd cast with a bait supposed to run at 12 ft the bait only runs at 12 ft during the middle 10 yds of the cast. During the first third the bait is DIVING TO, during the third third the bait is RISING FROM.
2.- Line diameter affects the diving depth of the lure, most lures are designed to run on 10-12 "lb" test, the more you increase the diameter the shallower the bait will run. You loose 1 ft per every pound you increase the line diameter in 1 "lb", the same way, you gain 1 ft for every pound you decrease the diameter of the line.
bassackwards reply :
great posts fellas. I think I'ma go out today and make some casts with some cranks... its been a week and a half since I went fishin... 
Reaction_Strike reply :
It's stuff like this that makes me glad I stumbled across this site! I've made a few post about my "crankbait woes" and how I can never seem to hook one when using them. This goes a long way towards explaining why!
I figured using a crankbait would be like using my inline spinnerbaits. I wasn't waiting for a monster strike, but I figured I'd be able to feel it. Perhaps I am getting strikes, but just don't know it. Guess it's time I finally got a better rod too. I hear G. Loomis makes some nice ones. ;D
A couple questions:
1) Chris said: "The wider the wobble, the more resistance the bait has and the less depth the bait can go". Does this mean that wide wobble baits don't reach their advertised depth at all, or that it just takes them longer to get there?
2) Raul said: "You lose 1 ft for every lb you increase line diameter". So...if I'm using 8 lb test on a bait designed for 10-12, it will run 2-4 ft deeper?
Raul reply :
1.- Nope buddy, what Chris said means that a wide wobbling bait will reach the depth it 's designed to but it will take you more effort and will take longer to do it because it has more resistance, the difference between a fat and a flat bait when it comes to reeling it in is from earth to heaven.
2.- Yup, downsizing the diameter of the line will make a bait run deeper.
A good rod makes a world of difference, a bass can mouth and spit a crank in an eyeblink, with a good rod you are able to feel the change in cadence of the bait. Razor sharp hooks are always necessary. If your hooks are razor sharp the fish hooks itself when it spits the bait.
Bass Hammer reply :
Great post Chris!
Hammer
justtrying reply :
good post guys, great information
btw - i mentioned in a recent post that, with a sensitive rod, you not only feel the vibration in your hand; you can even feel it when the end of your rod touches your side, belly, etc..
And, it is indeed, "CrankBait Time!" Wheeeeeeeeeeee
guest reply :
Amen, Chris. Concentration on the bait will pay off, at least in my opinion, more than about anything else. I know guys that can quote chapter and verse every crankbait article they have ever read, buy every new bait that claims to hunt bass and still don't get it when the rod is in their hands. Its all in the details, when you swat a bug, scratch your nose or other body part and a fish strikes,. that should tell you something, that small change in retreive probably triggered the strike. Just be aware of what is going on is the key to cranks.
Thanks for a great post
Minuteman reply :
I just purchased a Fenwick for crankin and I was using it in about 2' of fast moving river water. Bouncing the lure off the bottom on the retrive I was amazed at how much better I could feel the ticks and wobbles, I lost contact with the lure, but it wasn't till a split second later I saw the line move sideways that I set the hook.
Next time I won't wait for the movement. I landed that smallmouth, but maybe I missed some before that.
Grey Wolf reply :
Chris, thanks for a very informative article . You noted a few things that has opened my eyes about retrieving cranks and I sure appreciate it.
Chris reply :
It just takes them longer to get there and may not reach the depth they have marked on them unless you cast them a mile. For a bait to dive deep quick it needs to have a tight action. You have the floatation of the bait fighting the lip that's trying to make it dive. You also have the wide wiggle that puts up resistance. Your line is adding floatation to your lure. Some line by itself floats and the resistance of the line cutting through the water cuts down on how deep the bait will go. Colors lol well let me put it to you this way most bass grab a bait from under it or behind it. (look at the bass in my picture what do you think the last color it saw befor it hit that bait and notice the location it hit that bait) The belly color and the colors viewed from behind is the most important. Bet you never thought about it that way huh. The back color only comes into play when the bait is plowing the bottom like a crawfish. The sides only come into play in clear water (flash)or when the bait deflects off of cover and turns the bait so that the sun reflects off of the side color. A lot of the neat finishes that crankbaits have unless there is enough light to reflect off of it (which means the bait needs to tilt to the sun to reflect with the right mechanical action already in the bait) or if the bait glances off of something to reflect the light they serve no purpose other than they look pretty. If the bait doesn't reflect off of the sun the color appears dull or a shadow. Crawfish colors for bottom bouncing lures and shad or yellow for anything not hitting the bottom. Clear water flash comes into play. If the lake has shad I throw shad baits if there is a lot of bluegills then I try to match it. Dirty water bright or dark colors because your dealing more in shapes and vibration. Super clear water I fish more chrome colors. If I am fishing a place that has shiners then gold works. Shiners in stained water or heavy stained water appear yellow or dark or white depending on the amount of stain the water has. In spring red because it looks like a bluegill and they are the first to move to the shore after ice out. You can put a ton of thought in colors and styles if you want but really it boils down to the vibration and the way a bass views the colors before they hit your bait. Most of the time a bass just sees an opportunity to feed and if its the right size it has been feeding on it hits it. Spend more time on vibration and depth control than pinning down a new color that nobody has. You will get a headache. There are times like after a hatch that you need to match the size and general color of the hatch or if there is alot of stain in the water you need to use a brighter color but most of the time a basic color selection and a good selection of different kinds of vibration is the key. There is a lot of times I use odd colors for the wrong clarity of the water and still catch a bunch of fish because I match the right vibration to the right clarity of the water. Color is important when they can see it but vibration is top on my list.
Kana reply :
sweet guys! i thought i had a pretty good handle on cranking, but i just added a ton of knowledge to what i already know, thank you. i love cranks and fish them whenever possible, so this post was AWESOME! thanks.
Kana reply :
looking forward to that! thanks for all the info you share!
Madhouse27 reply :
Chris, great post. Cranking is certainly what I consider to be the achilles heel of my fishing game. I know I need to improve on this skill if I hope to take the show further south for the bigger tournaments. I am going to print this one out and put it in my tackle bag. After I have located and caught a few fish with my usual techniques, I am going to take out your tips and make myself switch to crankbaits and learn how to feel what is going on, where the bait is running and hopefully begin to gain some confidence with them. Great work!
Chris reply :
Bait signatures: This is the vibration and water displacement that every bait has. The more water a bait displaces the greater the bait signature. This means the more water displacement the better a bass can find your bait in low visibility. This is important in choosing the right vibration with the right water clarity. I always label lures in three main categories tight wiggle medium and wide. Tight wiggle baits are for clear water because bass feed mainly by sight not sound or vibration. Medium wiggle baits I use for clear to stained water and wide wiggle baits are for stained to muddy. I do this because the less distance a bass can see under water the more a bass uses its hearing. You don't want to throw a tight vibrating bait in heavy stained water because bass would have a hard time finding it and it will not stand out. Clear water baits: If you ever took a close look at a rattletrap it runs in a straight line but kinda looks like its fighting to stay straight. The bait kinda shifts to the right a little then to the left a little then rights itself. Well, that's the way real shad swims. A live shad doesn't run dead on straight to get anywhere. A crankbait that mimics that same pattern when cranked will displace more water and look like what a bass was born to eat shad. Tight vibrating crankbaits that are just a hair off tune will mimic that same action. Wood baits are the best for this action but some plastic baits can do it to. Lucky Craft BDS, Bandit, and Norman baits are some that I have tuned to mimic that off center action (sometimes its the luck of the draw). Most wood baits do it on their own most of the time without messing with them. Distressed live bait: If you ever watched a shad get spooked you should know that it darts around trying to get away from a would be predator. Shad and other live bait act completely different when they figure out that they are on the dinner plate. They boogie in a random direction to try to get away. Many fishermen try to bounce their bait on the bottom to make it have a random action. This is fine and it works but if you take a wood bait and tune it slightly out of tune your bait will do some wild stuff. You don't need to bounce it off of anything just reel. Some "special crankbaits" will search a good distance right and left. I was fishing one today that when I started my reel it shot right 3 ft then straightened out then shot right and left randomly. The thing about it was each cast the lure acted different. This random action makes your bait different then most of the baits that people throw. They also have a unique vibration pattern that is different from the mechanical action of most plastic baits that the average guys use. The bait acts like a distressed live bait. Foreign: Baits that have a lot of rattle or an odd vibration or action strikes the curiosity of a bass. In some cases it turns the bass off. You need to understand that a bass that lived all of its life in clear water has developed its sight the most because that is what it mainly uses it to feed. By the same token a bass in muddy water bass has developed its hearing the most because it uses it the most to feed. If you take a clear water bass and drop it in a muddy lake it would have a hard time hitting your crankbait with 100% accuracy until it adjusted to the muddy water if it does at all. You need to understand this when you choose your crankbait and the speed you reel it. Lakes that are clear most of the year then a storm muddies it up this is when it is wise to slow down and use more vibration because the bass is still in the clear water mode. Where a bait signature becomes foreign is when you use a wide wobbling lure in clear water. Some bass will be duped by a strange vibration but most will be turned off because it is foreign to the environment. You take that same bait and fish it on an overcast day, over heavy cover or low light and things change. Tuning: (regular baits not wild search baits) A medium and deep bait that is perfectly tuned when you throw it out and point your rod at your lure and reel. When your bait reaches the boat it should run almost under it and the very front of the lip should be what you see as it reaches the surface. It should not run right or left of center at the boat. Some baits take time to tweak to get it right and other baits for whatever reason will never get right and need to be weeded out. A perfectly tuned bait will dive the deepest and vibrate the most when it is tuned correctly. Bait runs right bend the eye left. Bait runs left bend right. It just takes a slight bend in most cases and if it takes a dramatic twist you might want to ditch the bait. Some plastic baits the two halves are not matched up right and will be difficult to tune and would be a good bait to give to your buddy. Some Bandits are like that and I have had some Fatfree shads that way too. Strike detection: When in doubt set the hook! It takes some time to know what weeds feel like and stumps but while your getting the right touch its a good idea to set on anything different. If you have a hard time feeling the strike or the vibration of the bait graphite is a wonderful thing and a glass rod has its place but composite is the best of both worlds. I stuck a fish today that if my line broke I would have thought it was just a stump. Sometimes it is tough to determine a strike so I set the hook on anything. This time it turned out to be a 3 pounder. Welcome to the world of oz ;D
Kana reply :
yeah!!!!!!!!! thanks for the tips on tuning, ive been trial and erroring mine. how do you tune to get the erratic action you spoke of? is it possible to tune erractic-style on shallow, mid and deep divers? thanks for any advise you can throw my way!
guest reply :
How do you tune for erratic action? Truth is with some baits you can't, although you might get it to run straight it will still not have that erratic action or the other term thrown around, the ability to hunt. When purchasing a crank, if possible, take it out of the package and look at it very close. If a plastic bait, like Chris said, check and see that the two halves match, are the hook hangers and line tie in straight, look real close at the parting line on the lip. If these things are not perfect the odds are that it will not run or tune properly. Wood baits, best chance of getting a hunter, they can be the worst to tune. Check a Poe's and you will see that only about one in five will have the rear or bottom hook hangers centered on the bait. Turn the bait over and sight down its length, all the hangers and the line should be in perfect alignment and if they are not put it back on the rack. The hangers and hooks act like a keel on a bait and help keep it on track.
i will try to post some more bait autopsy pictures and you can see why some baits will tune and some, well the money just went down the tubes.
Chris reply :
Yeah its not automatic some baits do but you will go though 100s to find a plastic bait that will. With wood baits maybe 1 out of 10 (depends on the company this is just to give you an idea). With a plastic bait they don't wildly search but move slightly. I have had one Norman Fatboy that acted like a wood bait and hunts wildly but it was a lucky luck of the draw. I have had 2 Bandit baits do it and 3 other Norman baits that ran off center. The Lucky Craft BDS is one of the few plastic baits that are built to search. It moves about a 6 inches right and left (this is a guess). Some wood baits will move 3x that far. You just got to find one that will but the odds are greater in wood baits. When you find a plastic one guard it with your life because it will take some time and money to find another. Each bait has its own personallity. Some slightly move off center and some don't and others move wildly. You can have 3 identical baits wood or plastic that have different vibration and will run different depths. More so with wood baits you can have three that will have different actions but just looking at them they are identical.
ragnut reply :
i remember when i would try to modify some of my various baits by manipulating the plastic lip somtimes while i did this i would turn a deep diver into a top water :
HELL CHRIS WE BOTH DID THIS remember ? mostly the rapalas.... :-X
Chris reply :
Oh yeah and still do! You can get that rapala to just dive inches which works great on shallow flats or whack off a lip to a deep diver so that the split ring just is over the end of the lip. When you do that you can put your rod to the water and it will dive like 3 ft then lift the rod and it will dive inches. Your rod position dramatically changes the running depth more so than a regular crankbait.
ragnut reply :
lol thats too much
i knew we were on to somthing ;D
Madhouse27 reply :
Chris you da man!
Kana reply :
ittler and chris thanks for sharing, i would have never got that on my own. i appreciate it.
Chris reply :
Well, the problem comes in when guys say they use this color for that water. This information is incomplete because they left out the main factor that draws strikes is the vibration. When you bounce a lure off of stumps and the bottom your adding vibration to your lure but people forget that most of the time when you use a spinnerbait you don't bounce it off of anything. So the idea that a crankbait only works when it hits something could be very true if you are using the wrong crankbait for the job. It could be that the lure your using is not producing the vibration that will draw strikes unless it hits something. Don't get me wrong I ram anything I can and at times its the only way to get strikes with my crankbaits but when the area is void of cover and still has fish the vibration draws strikes.
Will reply :
2 days of crankbait fishing using Chris's advice produced....
3 flatheads: 12, 4, and 3 pounds
2 keeper bass:15" each
15 smaller bass
sodaksker reply :
Chris,
This is a lot of great info for a newbie to absorb. I know you pick your cranks on the water,fish, and weather conditions that present themselves on the given day but, would you mind sharing your top 5 cranks, that you would consider your go to or confidence baits?
Thanks again for all your great info.
Rob
Chris reply :
You know I could give you a list of stuff and fill your tackle box full but I'm not going to. My point was to help you narrow down your search by vibration not name or style. For the most part I use the same baits most of you use but I narrow down what I use and when I use it based on the vibration and how it makes its journey to its max depth. This was a topic that I don't think anyone has covered so I did.
guest reply :
On the money again Chris, there are NO magic baits out there. Too many crank users have bought into the myth that all you have to do is chuck and wind, and pay no attention to what their bait is doing in the water. Chris and I have talked before about what makes a bait "hunt" and although I can not tell exactly why a certian bait will and another just like it won't, I can sure tell when it will, just by feel when its in the water. I like to think of it like a race care tuned and set up to run right on the edge and anything that changes will cause it to respond. With a crank any change it encounters, bumping structure, a change in current, a fish taking a swipe at it will be transmitted to the hands and be seen in the rod tip. One last thing, fish don't care what you paid.
guest reply :
When buying cranks, if at all possible, take the bait from the box and examine it very closley. The bait pictured here is a Poe's 300 but any manufacturers baits can be just like this one. Notice how far off center the rear hook hanger is, the belly hanger is about the same degree of off set. Tuning this thing would be next to impossible. Carefull selection can save you tuning time, catch more fish and save you money.
smd70 reply :
Great info gentlemen.... You guys just keep on openning new gateways for me... Keep it up.
Hamlet reply :
Great picture, I'll be checking that out next time I buy a crankbait.
Chris reply :
Sometimes the line tie loop is loose and will throw a bait off also.
guest reply :
One more picture., this is a Bagley. Next time someone says Bagley uses through wire and how much stronger it is, just say show me. Bagley did make a bait with through wire, I think it was called the Banger-B, but their cranks are either screws or a hairpin type glue in wire. Word of caution you do not need to cut a bait apart to tell if it is through wired, just use an ohmmeter. Nothing wrong here a glued in wire or screw in eye are plenty strong.
Lost about a 6lb. bass right at my feet with a Rapala DT16 when the lip snapped of right at the bait, still have the lip but the bass has the bait. The Dt series will catch fish, just would not advise banging them into cover unless you have a fondness for two piece baits.
justtrying reply :
QuoteThe Dt series will catch fish, just would not advise banging them into cover unless you have a fondness for two piece baits.
whittler, that statement would be really funny.....IF, you hadn't had to learn about it the hard way! i know that must have made you want to cry.
Chris reply :
I know I am beating a dead horse but here is some more stuff ;D
Fish your crankbait! Most guys chunk and wind and in heavy stained to muddy water that's is the best way to go but what about super clear water. The baits that don't hunt still need to look like live prey. You don't just reel in a worm do you? You hop it, shake it and make it look alive. Well, there are times that you need to do the same with a crankbait. I know I talk about just cast and reel but lets talk about the flip side. First off I crank with a 5.0 to 1 reel most of the time unless I am fishing rattletrap style lures when I use a 6.3 to 1. You can get away with a fast reel if you remind yourself to slow down. Because you need a long cast to give a bait running room to reach its max depth make sure you have a good casting reel. If your reel stinks in the casting department use it for worm or jig fishing not cranking. In this game if you can out cast your buddy you have a good chance of out fishing him also. The length of your rod will help you casting distance. For most of my close fishing I use a 6'6" rod and for long distance casting I use a 7' rod. I like a long handle because I use a two hand cast. I also turn my hand that's closest to the reel palm down. By doing this I can bend my wrist more and get more distance on a cast. The reel should be in a position where the side plate is facing the ground and the reel handle is facing the sky. You should add another 30 ft in your cast at least. Open water (not bouncing it off of cover) you can use stop and go, you can stop and twitch, you be as creative as you want but the end result is you need to make your bait look alive. A good way to do this is to visualize a bass checking your bait out and your giving the fish your best moves to not get eaten. Mess with it until you find what works. Remember in clear water bass feed by sight mostly and you need to put on a show or you can go the other direction is to make your bait swim like it has issues and not in good health. In clear water I let my bait duck and dive and give it an erratic action. In stained water I fish it more stop and go or just steady. In heavy stained to muddy I fish it steady. If I fished muddy water with an erratic action a bass might have a hard time eating my bait and might miss fish so I try to make it easy.
Chris reply :
Ahhh and another crankbait fishermen is born ;D
Chris reply :
more stuff
When you build plastic crankbaits you take two halves glue them together and fill them with rattles hook hangers. Companies take great care to make sure that everything lines up and measures right so that the lure runs perfect in the water. They do this to build a lure that when copied will run the same look the same as the others and makes production easier. When you buy and use a plastic lure you can rest assured that it will act like the ten others that landed in the trees or lost in some stick up. (If your not loosing lures your not trying hard enough or close enough 
) If all plastic crankbaits of the same kind is the same what would cause one bait out of many to fish different or become more productive? I say it is the rattle more important is a lower pitch single rattle....why? If a normal crankbait of a set lure style makes one sound and you pull another that sounds different it is either going to be louder or higher ping which means the noise making rattle is free to move and make racket. If the lure has a lower pitch rattle then the rattle is not traveling the whole distance of the rattling chamber. (which means the bait is weighted unequal) Perfect lures made by computers and machines will track perfect and give you that great mechanical action. For wood lures it is the imperfect material and human factor that makes them great fish producers. In the case of plastic, it is the rejects that catches more fish. I choose a single rattle because it is the only weight keeping the lure belly down. With a second rattle if the first rattle is obstructed in any way will take up the slack to keep the lure running equal and balanced. A single rattle makes it easier to pick out (off the rack) the higher percentage plastic crankbait that will catch more fish. When that rattle is off centered because it is not moving the full distance in the rattling chamber in a plastic lure it acts different, runs different, and catches more fish than others of the same style.
GruntVet reply :
Old thread but a goodie!! I've been doing some serious crankin these last 2 years and one thing that wasn't really touched on about tunning, mistuning your bait making it run off to the right or left to crash into floating docks with pylings, bluff walls and my favorite being METAL sea walls! Being able to run those cranks under long docks is awesome! I am so suprised when people don't try those tactics. I almost always put a limit in my boat in a hurry!
Grey Wolf reply :
Chris is very knowledgeable about cranking.
Big Jon reply :
On 10/13/2005 at 12:16 PM, Chris said:I know I am beating a dead horse but here is some more stuff ;D
Fish your crankbait! Most guys chunk and wind and in heavy stained to muddy water that's is the best way to go but what about super clear water. The baits that don't hunt still need to look like live prey. You don't just reel in a worm do you? You hop it, shake it and make it look alive. Well, there are times that you need to do the same with a crankbait. I know I talk about just cast and reel but lets talk about the flip side. First off I crank with a 5.0 to 1 reel most of the time unless I am fishing rattletrap style lures when I use a 6.3 to 1. You can get away with a fast reel if you remind yourself to slow down. Because you need a long cast to give a bait running room to reach its max depth make sure you have a good casting reel. If your reel stinks in the casting department use it for worm or jig fishing not cranking. In this game if you can out cast your buddy you have a good chance of out fishing him also. The length of your rod will help you casting distance. For most of my close fishing I use a 6'6" rod and for long distance casting I use a 7' rod. I like a long handle because I use a two hand cast. I also turn my hand that's closest to the reel palm down. By doing this I can bend my wrist more and get more distance on a cast. The reel should be in a position where the side plate is facing the ground and the reel handle is facing the sky. You should add another 30 ft in your cast at least. Open water (not bouncing it off of cover) you can use stop and go, you can stop and twitch, you be as creative as you want but the end result is you need to make your bait look alive. A good way to do this is to visualize a bass checking your bait out and your giving the fish your best moves to not get eaten. Mess with it until you find what works. Remember in clear water bass feed by sight mostly and you need to put on a show or you can go the other direction is to make your bait swim like it has issues and not in good health. In clear water I let my bait duck and dive and give it an erratic action. In stained water I fish it more stop and go or just steady. In heavy stained to muddy I fish it steady. If I fished muddy water with an erratic action a bass might have a hard time eating my bait and might miss fish so I try to make it easy.
I know this is a super old post right about now, but I did a search and found it. This was incredibly useful. I just wanted to say thanks.
tomustang reply :
Info hasn't changed for those 8 years, needs some paragraphing to ease eye strain but still a good read nonetheless.
Stren_g reply :
Man I'm glad this thread was dug up, there's a lot of great info here!
Pete-K reply :
Guys that has not fished crankbaits right. Is sure missing out on the best search bait there is. Plus when the smallmouth are moving up on the gravel before the spawn. Its hard to beat a good crankbait. One thing I keep in the crankbait box is lead solder, warp a small piece around the front treble shaft. This will make a boat hunt where it would not before. I try to tune all my crankbaits to not float up as fast. That give's me more depth when cranking. Plus when it comes off a stump or rock, it will shoot wild and cause that fish to try ripping the rod out of your hand's.Plus I will tie one of these babies to the back hook.
Use a piece of line 6" or so. Its unreal how many fish will come off this little fly swinging around behind bait like that. And don't think that No 1 hook can't take it. It will hold them and hold them good.
Bought 60 crankbaits on sale (-$3. off each one) day before Christmas, Out of these 60 there may be 7 great baits. Then theres 30 good baits that is fishable out of them. The rest I will strip down sand until I get them running the way I want them to run. Then custom paint the colors I want on these. As someone else posted. When they put these plastic baits together, it only takes a few Thousand's off center and that bait is trash.
I have 20 deep diving baits I bought a few years back, out of the 20 there was 1 single bait that was worth using. The other 19 are still in rebuild stage. So guys just because its a new bait does not mean its a good one. But with work they can be made into a bait that can be used.
For me nothing can beat a Bandit 300 for spring smallmouth fishing. They have helped me to a lot of 100 fish days on Pickwick.
Pete
Bass Striker reply :
Really good thread to read, I'm glad it was bumped back up from the archives.
Mike2841 reply :
This was a very informative read. Mods can you pin this?
Scott F reply :
On 10/9/2005 at 2:22 AM, Raul said:Excellent post Chris !
If you don 't mind me stepping in I would add some points:
2.- Line diameter affects the diving depth of the lure, most lures are designed to run on 10-12 "lb" test, the more you increase the diameter the shallower the bait will run. You loose 1 ft per every pound you increase the line diameter in 1 "lb", the same way, you gain 1 ft for every pound you decrease the diameter of the line.
According to tests done back in 1989 by a walleye fisherman named Mike McClelland and published in a book called "Crankbaits A Guide to Casting & Trolling Depths of 200 Popular Lures" The increase in depth with smaller diameter lines was not 1 foot for every 1 pound difference. It changed slightly with each lure tested but when trolling, for example, a Rapala Rattlin Rap #7 with 8lb line it ran 12 feet deep. The same lure on 17lb (mono) went 8 feet deep. That's a 9lb difference in line strength but only a 4 foot difference in depth. Using a floating Rapala #7, it ran 3 feet deep with 8lb and 2 feet deep with both 14 and 17 pound line. When casting the lures, his tests were only performed with 12lb line. the maximum depths achieved never came close to the trolling depth of even the heavier lines. So there is no exact formula to determine how much deeper, or shallower a lure will run when changing line diameter. Another note. All of the tests run in the book were done with mono as there were no superlines or braids at that time! I sure wish he or someone else would up date the book to show how deep lures run on braid.
bigbill reply :
Listen to these guys giving awesome crankbait advice.
I like using floating cranks. To my advantage I use the deeper floating cranks by adjusting my line speed to make them run at any shallower depth. I even get jiggy with it using the rod tip as it floats over the weed pockets.
If your using one color crank and your getting no action change colors till you do get action. Water conditions do change as the water gets deeper from shore. Trust me be flexible.
Don't rush and apply everything you learn here. Use the skills you learn here. Make your presentations Oscar winning perfect.
Watch the videos here over and over, read the articles here over and over. Listen to every post these guys make.
Gatorbassman reply :
This was the tread that helped me start fishing crankbaits. It's priceless.
You can find this thread and many like it in the Best of Bass Resource Sticky in the General Bass Fishing Section.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/60793-best-of-bassresourcecom/
Crankinstein reply :
so much crankbait info in this thread! I love it, thanks again for bringing it out of the archives.
retiredbosn reply :
If y'all ain't figured it out yet, and to put it in the vernacular of Star Wars: Chris is the Yoda of crankbaits, and Raul is Obiwan Kenobe. The rest of us are mere Padawans!.
gripnrip reply :
Awesome thread! I love crank................n!
Talonman reply :
So glad I joined here... I love these type of threads.
Keep up the fine job boys...
Mattfrom_NJ reply :
Is it going to be tough for someone new to cranks to learn with a glass rod?
gripnrip reply :
On 3/10/2014 at 8:40 AM, Mattfrom_NJ said:Is it going to be tough for someone new to cranks to learn with a glass rod?
Nope. IMO the difference between graphite and fiberglass is the the amount of vibration. I also noticed the fiberglass rods are a little heavier. I fish the Mojo St Croix series and absolutely love them.
Raul reply :
NO, there is no reason for someone with a glass rod to learn how to crank, actually my first rod was glass and that was how I learned.On 3/10/2014 at 8:40 AM, Mattfrom_NJ said:Is it going to be tough for someone new to cranks to learn with a glass rod?
Mattfrom_NJ reply :
On 3/10/2014 at 8:46 AM, gripnrip said:Nope. IMO the difference between graphite and fiberglass is the the amount of vibration. I also noticed the fiberglass rods are a little heavier. I fish the Mojo St Croix series and absolutely love them.
Thank. I grabbed a Premier Crank glass rod off craigslist a month ago. The mojo cranks are composite though correct?
gripnrip reply :
The cranksters are glass.
bigbill reply :
Read this, print it out for future refresh.
I'm like a broken record in some posts so everyone can think and refresh even I need too refresh too.
Crankbaits rock....
When I'm throwing crankbaits I'm dangerous to the bass.
Coopdog72 reply :
Well well well, this is one of those time when knowledge is dangerous. Now I feel bad about getting 10 of those laser lures at 20 dollars a pop, I think about what must be going through the fish minds as they swim by all those blinking red lights. The poppa fish says to his son ( stay away from those glowing bobbers and fast women they'll both leave you at the bottom of the lake glowing red from the gills. Thanks for the info ( wisdom) I will go forth a a learn my crankbait. The bass should be scared because I put down bait gimmicks and picked up some knowledge. This is awesome!!!!!! Tight lines
Bmurr7 reply :
I gotta put a reply down to bump this thread. Awesome advice from this one and to throw a "thank you" of sorts I'll say this;, I've caught the biggest fish (my PB and some other great fish) by getting creative with my crank baits of all depths. Just by trying different pop, crank, stop, rip and other methods of retrieve on my crank baits through grass or open water have gotten me more strikes (and fish) than any other baits lately especially with my square-bills. My Rapala Crankin' Rap (4-6') has been getting me so many fish it's starting to lose a considerable amount of paint now!
Texas Pride reply :
Any tips on geting hung up crank baits unhung
J Francho reply :
On 10/7/2014 at 1:36 AM, Texas Pride said:Any tips on geting hung up crank baits unhung
Get a plug knocker.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
There are all kinds of tips for making your own too if so inclined.
Texas Pride reply :
Whats a plug knocker
Texas Pride reply :
I hate geting my favriot strike king deep dive lures dragging them across the bottom and it get caught on a log and i cant get it off the log and i end up just breakeing the line
J Francho reply :
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/99956-plug-knockers-pay-for-themselves/
Texas Pride reply :
Im gonna have to gey one of thouse now
J Francho reply :
No joke, I have a 100% recovery rate, if you include the umbrella rig that I mangled to death. Got to reuse the swimbaits, so only a few bucks lost. Literally saved me hundreds of $$$.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 10/7/2014 at 3:35 AM, J Francho said:No joke, I have a 100% recovery rate, if you include the umbrella rig that I mangled to death. Got to reuse the swimbaits, so only a few bucks lost. Literally saved me hundreds of $$$.
If I can reach it with my lure retriever, I can get them back nearly 100% of the time. Not only do I get my own baits back, but I get everyone's baits out of the trees too.
Dan Peter reply :
I haven't been able to find this lure anywhere on the internet and when i mentioned it to a semi pro angler I know he seemed interested. Can anyone let me know more about this lure. I am aware of pre-rapala wiggle warts, and this does have the storm logo on the bill underneath. But I was unaware that they made square bill wiggle warts in this style. Please let me know, if you have information.
Thanks
aavery2 reply :
search Storm Sub Wart
Shark10 reply :
Great information, loved the post being that I utilize cranks the majority of time I target bass.
Brocephus Fishing reply :
Thanks Chris, great information!
RanndomUndead reply :
Ive noticed that if the bass arent overly aggressive or feeding heavily, in shallow water a rattle sends them high tailing it faster than a 5lb rock. In deeper water...well i cant see that far, heh
RanndomUndead reply :
On 10/14/2014 at 1:47 PM, Dan Peter said:I haven't been able to find this lure anywhere on the internet and when i mentioned it to a semi pro angler I know he seemed interested. Can anyone let me know more about this lure. I am aware of pre-rapala wiggle warts, and this does have the storm logo on the bill underneath. But I was unaware that they made square bill wiggle warts in this style. Please let me know, if you have information.
Thanks
http://www.rapala.com/storm/hard-baits/original-mag-wartandreg/Original+Mag+Wart.html?start=19&cgid=storm-hardbaits
closest thing i personally know of....Discontinued model maybe?
J Francho reply :
It's a Sub Wart. I have a bunch - great baits if you can your hands on some. They're sort of like a Mann's -1 got really drunk and can't walk straight. Really wobbly.
Ginosocalbass reply :
What a great thread.
I had a question about how transparent or clear cranks work in clear water circumstances. I have noticed the majority of manufactures don't have to many color options that have a translucent pattern to them. anyone have any insight with these?
One thing not touched up on is Gear ratios. When would a 5:1 vs 6:1 is a 5:1 more appropriate for squarebills as the baits wider action and slower retrieve? were as a tighter action like a rapala DT might require a faster 6:1 ratio?
I know everything in this game is subjective and based on feel. But what would you consider a standard order of practice with crankbaits and gear rations
roadwarrior reply :
Slow reel (5.0:1) for big and deep diving crankbaits; 6 something for squarebills
and small to medium weight lures.
scaleface reply :
I love crankbaits , that is all .
Blwaz23 reply :
What do the different types of crankbait lips or bills do? Does each style actually do something different then others or is it just style? Example: round vs square. Any links to articles or guides to this? I've looked and I couldn't really find what I was looking for. Either I wasn't paying enough attention or didn't look hard enough. Thanks
JT Bagwell reply :
I scanned the responses and didn't see this mentioned (but I may have missed it ) either way, to me one extremely important aspect of crankbait fishing is varying the cadence of the retrieve.
Sometimes it may be speeding up that gets the reaction and other times it could be slowing down or stopping all together that does the trick.
ClackerBuzz reply :
On 1/23/2016 at 8:35 AM, JT Bagwell said:I scanned the responses and didn't see this mentioned (but I may have missed it ) either way, to me one extremely important aspect of crankbait fishing is varying the cadence of the retrieve.
Sometimes it may be speeding up that gets the reaction and other times it could be slowing down or stopping all together that does the trick.
Agreed. I have no idea how this 10 yr old post is considered pinned worthy.
I'm no cranking expert but I do know deflection is the number one rule of the game, not vibration. You have to be constantly deflecting off cover or structure. Not just hard cover/structure either. Weeds and lily pads are just as critical. And give the lure a good pause after deflecting to allow it to rise. Lots of bites come during the rise/pause.
Only 1/3rd of your retrieve will be spent on bottom. The first 1/3rd is the decent and the last 1/3rd is the ascent. Those times spent in open water are when I really focus on cadence. Change it up, rip, pause, reel burst etc. Anything to try and instigate a stalker into biting.
Also lift ur rod tip high 75 ft before the boat. It will cause a false rise which also instigates strikes. How many times has a bass committed just as you were about to lift ur lure out of the water? Their instinct kicks in b/c pushing bait to the surface is how they hunt. Creating that false rise further out means you have a better chance of instigating that strike before the bass sees the boat. Lord knows we all hate that moment when a follower sees us and does a 180 back into the depths.
roadwarrior reply :
On 2/18/2016 at 11:37 AM, ClackerBuzz said:Agreed. I have no idea how this 10 yr old post is considered pinned worthy.
I'm no cranking expert but I do know deflection is the number one rule of the game, not vibration. You have to be constantly deflecting off cover or structure. Not just hard cover/structure either. Weeds and lily pads are just as critical. And give the lure a good pause after deflecting to allow it to rise. Lots of bites come during the rise/pause.
Well, that is not always the case. The vast majority of my success with crankbaits involves swimming the lure OVER and AROUND cover and structure. So for me, vibration and/ or water displacement is "the number one rule of the game".
Nitrofreak reply :
Before this thread my CB fishing wasn't where I felt comfortable, I have done just good enough to keep me focused but defiantly frustrated, now I can take them anywhere and have a lot more confidence, my deep cranking still needs work, I am looking forward to the work however knowing how much this thread has helped, thanks for the in depth input !!!!
Neil McCauley reply :
I tend to let the lure do the action for crankbaits, though I will try a stop and go if they are reluctant to bite. I try to limit deflection and bottom-contact because it beats up the lip and they don't cast/dive as well with lots of scratches. I've also lost a few baits this way, and not just getting stuck between rocks or in logs- one of my more heavily used Rapala DT-16s last year actually completely disconnected from the lip on a cast, the epoxy holding it on just gave way.
For me the key with crankbaits is maximizing the bait's time at target depth. Like someone pointed out, roughly 1/3rd of the retrieve is spent descending to that depth, another 1/3rd spend ascending from that depth. You can increase that middle 1/3rd where the bait is in the target zone two ways, either increasing the distance covered by the retrieve or increasing the rate at which the bait dives. Cast further by using lower test softer line, which also helps with diving. But you can also cover more distance using wind to your advantage. Obviously casting with the wind is one, but you have to make sure that you're anchored and not drifting toward the bait you're reeling in which is a waste of the longer distance cast. I will do this when I have a specific isolated structure I'm targeting like a sunken hump. The alternative is if you have a bait that casts really well into the wind, you can do that while allowing the boat to drift away from your cast direction, retrieving slightly slower to compensate for the drift speed, sort of semi-trolling. I like this when I'm drifting along a long linear structure like a drop-off along a shoreline.
When I'm using CBs as search baits casting distance is important enough to me that I'll go back to monofilament line instead of fluoro for the extra distance it gives.
Josh Smith reply :
If a crankbait or spinnerbait doesn't rattle my teeth, I usually don't like it. I'm enjoying both now that I have a place clear enough to fish 'em.
My biggest problem is with crankbaits in the river. I lose a lot due to submerged trees from last year's flooding. I feel the vibration stop and set the hook into wood, and generally can't get a knocker down there to free it.
Spinnerbaits do better here.
Josh
J Francho reply :
On 5/14/2016 at 1:55 AM, Josh Smith said:My biggest problem is with crankbaits in the river. I lose a lot due to submerged trees from last year's flooding. I feel the vibration stop and set the hook into wood, and generally can't get a knocker down there to free it.
Use a square or coffin bill bait, and slow it wayyyyy down. And this is another instance where I prefer the sensitivity of a moderate taper GRAPHITE rod over any glass or hybrid. You can feel the difference between a tree limb and a bite much easier with graphite. When feel contact with a tree, stop reeling, and give the bait a tiny bit of slack, and the start reeling again, slowly. You often get bit after the contact. Cranking laydowns is a bread and butter presentation for me.
Josh Smith reply :
On 5/14/2016 at 3:21 AM, J Francho said:Use a square or coffin bill bait, and slow it wayyyyy down. And this is another instance where I prefer the sensitivity of a moderate taper GRAPHITE rod over any glass or hybrid. You can feel the difference between a tree limb and a bite much easier with graphite. When feel contact with a tree, stop reeling, and give the bait a tiny bit of slack, and the start reeling again, slowly. You often get bit after the contact. Cranking laydowns is a bread and butter presentation for me.
I agree that slowing way down is a good idea. I use a 22ipt reel, and about all I do use are squarebills. I think you told me something along those lines on another thread..?
The rod I have is an S Glass. Before that, I used a Daiwa M/F graphite rod. Though it was labeled as F, it was more of a moderate-fast and I found it worked well, but I wanted something that would support slightly heavier crankbaits.
I feel most obstacles well with the glass rod and stop reeling right away. I do get a lot of bites that way, as you say.
My problem comes when I run into submerged branches. Those can grab and give a little, and feel an awful lot like a fish.
I might try a graphite rod for this, though, something in the MH range instead of the M that I used before. Do you have any suggestions as to brand (not too expensive)? I'd like it to be 7' or a bit over for cranks; I generally like 6' to 6'6" rods, but for spinnerbaits and crankbaits I prefer a bit longer.
Regards,
Josh
Big Easy Bassin' reply :
Thanks for the post Chris. I recently started throwing squarebills and this was very helpful. I've only thrown lipless cranks prior to this, and that enhanced wobble and vibration has been giving me trouble.
Also, when it comes to line diameter and depth, what effect does using braided line with a flouro leader have on depth? Does it go by the equivalent of the braid diameter to mono/flouro?
cpvenom reply :
This clip from Bigmouth Forever illustrates just how quickly a bass can inhale, then exhale a bait, specifically around the :22 second mark. The posters above me have said it perfectly already. If you lose contact with your crankbait, set the hook!
isaacnewton15 reply :
Dang thats crazy
bassassassin87 reply :
Hey Ragnut you mentioned manipulating the lip. Have you ever filed down the lip to make it sharp? I havnt tried this yet but was curious as to what it can do in terms of diving depth and coming into contact with weeds.
scaleface reply :
It doesnt surprise me Uncle Homer didnt feel those fish . The way he holds the rod it would be hard to detect most hits .
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 8/13/2016 at 5:43 AM, scaleface said:It doesnt surprise me Uncle Homer didnt feel those fish . The way he holds the rod it would be hard to detect most hits .
Not to mention those old pistol grip rods weren't the most sensitive rods made.
Bob Wood reply :
when tuning a crankbait is the eye twisted right or left or is it bent right or left. Great posts Chris
J Francho reply :
I generally bend it. Gently.
3rdDon reply :
Thanks for taking the time 11 years ago to type this up! I just ordered some crankbaits to experiment with
scaleface reply :
When i started to get serious into bass fishing , in the 70's , I did a lot of cranking but was not good at it .I then discovered the Texas rig and I was good at that . I became a worm and jig addict. For about thirty years that was my specialty .I still fished cranks and other lures but the Texas Rig was the lure I relied upon daily .About six years ago I found two identical Rogers Big Jims at an antique store . 1/4 ounce silent version , bluegill colored .One day I tried one and noticed there wasnt a lot of action to it and it hunted a lot . I started catching a lot of fish on it and quite a few big ones . My interest in cranking was piqued . That lure was lost in a tree but the second one had the same hunting action . For the past six years I have caught more fish on crankbaits than anything . I've been cranking deeper and deeper . Often I feel the fish miss the lure . The vibration changes from the water disturbance caused by the bass .My uncle doesnt believe me when I tell him a fish just missed my bait and he laughs .All those years of fishing " feel " baits translate well into other catergories and he simply doesnt have the feel and cant comprehend it .
I have my favorites for now, from fishing one to about eighteen foot deep . The Red Eyed Shad has become a favorite fished deep . It does wiggle on the drop and when fished from a jon boat can be heard as it falls through the water . Often the hit itself can be heard but not felt . I started a couple of threads trying to get info on how deep all the different crankbaits dive but have had very little response . I'm guessing most people dont know how deep their baits are actually diving . I will keep evolving as a cranker , become more knowledgeable about the different baits . Its been quite the turn-around in fishing style
.
mheichelbech reply :
Does anyone ever try to return for a refund, those new crankbaits that don't run right?
Jeff H reply :
What I never understood about this original post is the title. I guess I don't consider anything in there a "rare insight".
NJ Fishing reply :
very very true
Chris reply :
On 10/16/2015 at 9:12 AM, Blwaz23 said:What do the different types of crankbait lips or bills do? Does each style actually do something different then others or is it just style? Example: round vs square. Any links to articles or guides to this? I've looked and I couldn't really find what I was looking for. Either I wasn't paying enough attention or didn't look hard enough. Thanks
A round lip when it hits a fence post sitting vertical in the water will hit and travel close to the object when it swims around it and right itself close to the face side of the fence post. So when the fish are sitting on the face side close to the post and not active this is the lip style that will cause a reaction depending on where and how the fish is positioned. It is like poof here I am now watch me go!
If this does not work 1 kick out point called a square bill will travel and hit the same fence post and the front flat part of the square will ram the post and work its way to the edge and kick out when it hits the point of the right or left side of the lip. (depending on which side of the fence you casting on) This bait will travel farther away from the fence post before it rights itself. A coffin lip will have 2 kick out points which work the same as a square but when the lip reaches the second kick out point it forces the bait to travel farther away from the fence post before it rights itself. <--these other two style lips can also be considered reaction style lips because they cause the bait to react violently to the fence post and forcing the bait to change directions before correcting itself because of speed. In other words the faster the bait travels when it hits the post the more they will react to the object. I hope that helps
Chris reply :
On 3/22/2015 at 11:44 PM, RanndomUndead said:Ive noticed that if the bass arent overly aggressive or feeding heavily, in shallow water a rattle sends them high tailing it faster than a 5lb rock. In deeper water...well i cant see that far, heh
It depends some places fish could really care less some like you said haul booty. A lot depends on fishing pressure time of the year like early spring when the first come up as apposed to late summer. Also how clear the water is something to consider. If given a choice I like a lead deep tone rattle. I not a fan of loud rattles even in "rattletrap" style lures. Oddly I do like bb rattles in anything I use as a jerk bait style fishing...to include topwater lures fished the same way. Anything with a rhythm I like deep tone or none.
Chris reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 2:43 PM, Ginosocalbass said:What a great thread.
I had a question about how transparent or clear cranks work in clear water circumstances. I have noticed the majority of manufactures don't have to many color options that have a translucent pattern to them. anyone have any insight with these?
One thing not touched up on is Gear ratios. When would a 5:1 vs 6:1 is a 5:1 more appropriate for squarebills as the baits wider action and slower retrieve? were as a tighter action like a rapala DT might require a faster 6:1 ratio?
I know everything in this game is subjective and based on feel. But what would you consider a standard order of practice with crankbaits and gear rations
The idea is that the clear body will give off a ghost shad appearance with less detail to give away that it is fake. Much the same as a clear flash spinnerbait skirt would. A lot of guys use them in heavy pressured situations.
Gear ratio depends on you. I know what works for me...If I am fishing a deep diving lure I like a slower reel because it forces me to slow down. The advantage to this is for me is that I get the most depth out of my cast per foot reeled in. So make my cast and crank it back 20 cranks with a lower gear reel compared to a higher geared reel at 20 cranks my bait has traveled less distance and gained more depth than the higher gear reel. Why because I put more force on the bait to travel to me then just enough force to make it dive and continue to dive. The idea of reel fast to get the bait down then slow down is meant for old lures that the diving bill is not pointed down to grab water in the first place. They had a belly weight with a straight bill and laid flat on the surface of the water. So to get the bait in position to dive you needed to put twerk on the bait to point the bill down for it to dive otherwise the bait would skip awhile before digging to dive. This isn't needed these days. As far as depth and speed when the bait reaches the area depth you wish to fish do whatever dance brought ya success but with a slower retrieve it is easier to work a lure through sticky cover.
square bills it depends on what your trying to do to be honest and how the square bill is designed. If you like speed and deflection it is easier to do with high speed gear than a low gear trying to run fast. Bait design also plays a part in speed because some lures depending on design have a max speed...some more than others. When it gets to that speed it will blow out and travel to the surface. Wide action square bills will tighten up with speed also lure body "shape" comes more into play in how the lure reacts to the faster current flow over the bill and body. _O_ <-- this is the "O" if you understand the "O" your ninja if you can control the "O" you are worthy. The bottom line is the bottom of the lake your lure running at normal speed should be at the bottom of the "O". The top of the o is the surface of the water. With a square bill set at a 45 degree the faster the lure runs the more unstable it becomes and will travel up the O. Some baits are designed to do this others are more stable and stay at the bottom. The blow out happens when it reaches the top of the O the surface. Other lures travel left and right along the bottom line by design shape and how it is weighted. If you understand how to control the O then it is magic because the bait will travel anywhere within the O and never reach the top to blow out. Also each cast the bait never travels the same way twice it acts like a baitfish. This was one of the main reasons why people used wood square bill lures...like the BIG----O.
Chris reply :
BTW wood lure builders _O_ <-this is the cure to blow outs 
whitwolf reply :
GREAT to see you here Chris!
Bulletman20XD reply :
I only read the highlights of the thread so forgive me if I have repeated something here.
The depth per pound of line you are using all depends on the crankbait you are using. Each has an optimum and some will dive deeper some shallower than what the package says!
The ensure I am getting my bait down to where I want it to run I'll use a deeper diving bait based on that depth (i.e. fish one that runs 15 ft when fishing 12 feet etc...)
How fast a bait dives again depends on the design of what you're throwing. Berkleys new Dredger series baits probably get down really quicker than most any others I've ever used.
Base colors simply on water color. Leave the wild, loud colors to the bait monkeys. This is not to say that some will not catch a fish here and there. I am a tourney angler, I am not out to catch one here and there. Narrow down your selections to craw, shad and local forage fish colors. These are for clear-stained water. When visibility drops use something like powder blue back/chartreuse, chartreuse, white/splatter back, fire tiger etc... You don't need a box full of wild colors. Watch some of the top pros when they are cranking and you'll see these colors over and over.
All this takes lots of experimentation and experience with lots of baits on different bodies of water. What works today on this lake may not work tomorrow on a different lake!
Chris reply :
Well, you loose depth because of stretch in the line, bow in the line or line drag. You loose depth because of drag slipping and sometimes you loose depth because your bait for whatever reason doesn't track the same path each cast. Most baits the depth printed on the package is based upon 10lb line. The problem with this from one manufacturer to another the diameter might differ. Something else to consider the entire line might be different diameters at different points in the total spool because of manufacturing process. How much the stuff floats or sinks or shape also change depth. Casting distance is a major factor in depth because it provides the running room needed to achieve depth. The pitch angle of the bill, width of the bill, shape of the bait, pull point, and how much it floats will effect at what point it will reach depth. When I wrote all this stuff I kinda left color alone if I recall correctly. I was putting more focus on vibration and what the bait was actually doing in the water. I find it to be more important for somebody new to learn cranking. For example most plastic crankbaits where the bill looks like it is sticking out flat from the nose of the bait stops swimming the more the bait lays flat. A well built wood bait doesn't stop swimming or vibrating. A bait where the front of the bill is turned down like a bill norman bait will continue to swim and vibrate the whole cast but will take longer to reach depth. I point this out because where you position your boat will or should differ depending on what kind of bait your throwing based on what point the lure reaches max depth and are effectively vibrating or swimming when you need them to be. What the bait is made of matters at times believe it or not but not in the way you might think. #1 you can pack more weight in wood than plastic and still have an effective bait. #2 when your crankbait bill strikes an object the body of your crankbait acts like a speaker to transmit sound. Balsa, poplar, pine, cedar, plastic, all make different noises when you strike an object. Some because of density will project a louder or sharper noise than others. By the same token some noises sound more natural than others and bill shape plays into it too. I say this because the more flat the front of the bill is the more area is striking an object. As far as loud colors that work right now in fall through winter is parrot color pattern. It is olive green back tan sides fluro orange nose orange belly stripe. Why? This time of the year shad are feeding heavy on algae rocks. Between the cold water and irritating their nose feeding it turns orange red color. I will also add your bluegill and warmouth tend to be dark this time of year almost black..just say'n. Early in the season spring and fall at times bass feed on crappie splatterback works because it kinda looks like a crappie. (bass also love bass) If you pay attention to your shad sometimes you will find an odd shad with the same splatter pattern. You might also find a few that are lighter color khaki is a great color to match for that. Early ice out the first to move up is bluegill in most areas. Your crawfish patterns and bluegill patterns tend to do well. All summer long this year I have been fishing shad colors mainly because the places I fish have them. The dirtier the water or how much light in the sky the more fluro I go. Most of my baits has fluorescents in the color scheme but the more chocolate mud the water is the more I gravitate towards more solid fluorescents. Size of the bait also goes up the more stained the water. I hope this helps
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 10/8/2005 at 9:52 PM, Chris said:The biggest key to becoming a better crankbait angler is to pay attention to the vibration. Try to block out distractions and tune in to what your bait is doing. Feel the vibrations the whole cast and retrieve. Use the force! Concentrate on the vibration and keep a positive attitude. The more you pay complete attention to the steady vibration of the bait the easier you can detect a difference or change in the vibration. You can tell when your bait comes in contact with cover or when its about to. You can feel the rush of water that means a fish just rolled on your bait. Sometimes you just loose the vibration which means the fish has your lure or when you feel slack. Most strikes are not bone jarring but a slight difference in the vibration and almost feels like an interruption in the vibration. Most guys say well with a crankbait the fish hook themselves. Well, unless you spend hours sharpening your hooks and if the bass turns with your bait more than likely your missing fish. If you do not react to the strike you can have the sharpest hooks but guess what they can still spit it. You don't set the hook like a jig or worm but I sweep my rod to gather any slack and line stretch just that tension is enough to drive the hook but if your sitting there waiting for the fish to hook themselves your going to be waiting a long time. If your using a dead pulling crankbait where all you feel is the pull and not the vibration you will never feel the difference in vibration and will never have a clue how many fish hit and spit your bait. Color is a factor to what bait to use in what water color or clarity but your first step should always be vibration. Depth control, lip style, line size all need to be factored in also. When figuring out what retrieve to use I try to make an educated guess of what I think the activity level of the bass should be then tweak the way I work the bait as I learn more through the day. I feel that a single rattle or no rattle work best because it gives a bass more of a direction of where the bait is. Sound from rattles kinda spreads out and doesn't give much of a direction just an are of noise but vibration gives more of a pinpoint direction. Baits with tons of rattles in them call bass from an area and in clear water to slightly stained water can be very effective. You need to understand that rattle noise and vibration are two separate things. You can't put them in the same category. Vibration gives a pinpoint direction and rattles give a general direction. Rod position will effect the depth of your bait and will change the amount of feel you have. I try to point my rod to my bait and as the bait runs deeper follow it with my rod. If I keep my rod high it will loose depth if you point your rod to the side you will have a hard time feeling that rush of water I was talking about. Casting distance will effect the amount of room the bait has to reach its deepest running depth. Its kinda a game of angles if you get good at it you can hit structure or a depth zone with some consistency. Different lures that are identical will have different running depths so you need to play with them to figure out what depth they run. The depth on the lure package in most cases is an average running depth. Lur Jenson and DT lures are the few that have an accurate running depth not an average but always factor in casting distance and how much running room your bait has to reach that depth. A Bill Norman bait kinda slowly works its way to the depth and about when the bait reaches the boat is the max depth it will run. It took most of the cast distance to work down to that depth. As a bait gets close to the boat it looses depth and starts working its way to the surface. So if I make a long cast with this bait and reel it in about 30 feet out away from my boat is the max depth that bait will run. The DT baits are different because it digs as soon as you start reeling and in a short distance gains depth. Most baits don't do that and take more running room to reach the same depth. The wider the wobble the more resistance the bait has and the less depth the bait can go. This is crankbait season and I hope this helps you this season ;D
If vibration is the ticket, why not just use Chatterbait a instead? They’re easier to feel on a stiffer rod and work at any depth...
Team9nine reply :
On 4/12/2018 at 8:23 AM, Joshua Vandamm said:If vibration is the ticket, why not just use Chatterbait a instead? They’re easier to feel on a stiffer rod and work at any depth...
Because in Oct. 2005, the date of the post you quoted, almost nobody had heard of a Chatterbait. It was introduced in 2004 and only sold ~5,000 lures nationwide. It didn't "take off" until Thrift won a Stren Series event on Okeechobee in Jan. 2006 with it, followed up by 8 of the top 10 anglers in the FLW opener on the same lake that same month using it. 
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 4/12/2018 at 9:22 AM, Team9nine said:Because in Oct. 2005, the date of the post you quoted, almost nobody had heard of a Chatterbait. It was introduced in 2004 and only sold ~5,000 lures nationwide. It didn't "take off" until Thrift won a Stren Series event on Okeechobee in Jan. 2006 with it, followed up by 8 of the top 10 anglers in the FLW opener on the same lake that same month using it.
LOL. Fair enough it was the top post. I didn’t look at date. So your saying Chatterbaits can basically replace a crank in most situations unless your really trying to cause a ruckus?
Team9nine reply :
I honestly have no idea since I don't throw Chatterbaits much. I thought they'd be a "flash in the pan" bait that bass became accustomed to rather quickly due to their strong vibration pattern, but I was obviously wrong in that regard. I know a lot of guys who use them effectively, but it seems like there would be situations where one would be better than the other in certain situations, e.g., cranks deflect better, but chatters have more vibration in general, etc.
Joshua Vandamm reply :
Sure. Diving cranks definitely dig bottom. Bladebaits don’t dig at all.
cgolf reply :
On 4/12/2018 at 9:44 AM, Joshua Vandamm said:LOL. Fair enough it was the top post. I didn’t look at date. So your saying Chatterbaits can basically replace a crank in most situations unless your really trying to cause a ruckus?
I really don't think a chatterbait can replace a crank at all, they are totally different beasts. Reading the post about vibration thing it is more about getting in tune with how each of your crankbaits run. I would say most cranks vibrate less than a chatterbait, and the reason we have many styles of cranks is because the different vibration patterns work under different conditions.
Two examples. Shad rap which is a very subtle bait is a killer cold water crank due to the limited commotion it makes. While on a vacation a few years back, I was crushing an active bass bite with a hard wobbling Xcalibur square bill. We had a major front hit, and they would no longer hit this bait. I then switched to a Bandit 100 which was a little smaller and more subtle action and I started to crush them again.
Personally I get the feeling that a chatterbait is for more active fish that will chase as a general rule, and you may get some inactive fish, if you put it right in front of there nose and bother them enough to strike it.
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 5/10/2018 at 8:12 PM, cgolf said:I really don't think a chatterbait can replace a crank at all, they are totally different beasts. Reading the post about vibration thing it is more about getting in tune with how each of your crankbaits run. I would say most cranks vibrate less than a chatterbait, and the reason we have many styles of cranks is because the different vibration patterns work under different conditions.
Two examples. Shad rap which is a very subtle bait is a killer cold water crank due to the limited commotion it makes. While on a vacation a few years back, I was crushing an active bass bite with a hard wobbling Xcalibur square bill. We had a major front hit, and they would no longer hit this bait. I then switched to a Bandit 100 which was a little smaller and more subtle action and I started to crush them again.
Personally I get the feeling that a chatterbait is for more active fish that will chase as a general rule, and you may get some inactive fish, if you put it right in front of there nose and bother them enough to strike it.
Apologies I was unclear but was referring to lipless cranks. Given Tho there are still subtle differences.
J Francho reply :
The not so subtle difference is the visual flash a lipless provides. Same for flat sided cranks. They are a different animal altogether.
cgolf reply :
On 5/11/2018 at 10:59 AM, Joshua Vandamm said:Apologies I was unclear but was referring to lipless cranks. Given Tho there are still subtle differences.
Lipless are an interesting case, lots of noise and vibration, but they catch lethargic bass. I think the key for them is that they are a drop bait as well as a crankbait, and excell around vertical cover. Realistically they are fished a lot like soft plastics, which makes them a great starter crank for folks that have mostly used soft plastics. Over the last couple of years the red eye shad has been my number 1 producing crank.
Hook2Jaw reply :
7'2" Medium Heavy Moderate action...enough rod for deep cranking?
J Francho reply :
Sounds perfect.
HeyCoach reply :
Ok, so the $64 question that’s not been asked or answered...
Do you always attach the crankbait directly to the line or are there any situations you attach it to a clip?
scaleface reply :
On 6/20/2018 at 12:00 PM, HeyCoach said:Ok, so the $64 question that’s not been asked or answered...
Do you always attach the crankbait directly to the line or are there any situations you attach it to a clip?
I always tie to the o-ring that comes on the bait .
tander reply :
On 12/6/2018 at 10:46 PM, scaleface said:I always tie to the o-ring that comes on the bait .
Same here. Always have, always will. ????
Tyler28 reply :
what's a really good time to start using orange colored with black stripes colored square bill cranks. I haven't even caught a single fish on a square bill all winter/fall
Flatrock reply :
What lot of info... It seems I have been working crankbaits totally wrong according to what I have read, which would explain a lot. I would have thought trying to mimic a injured fish with jerking motion followed by a pause would cause a reaction... Of course I did once catch a small base that was smaller then the top water plug I was using.. LOL
I'd like to touch on a subject that I feel is important and that is crank bait retrieval speed or reel ratio. How do you know how fast to work or retrieve ?
J Francho reply :
On 1/30/2019 at 10:54 AM, Flatrock said:How do you know how fast to work or retrieve ?
That all depends on what bait you're using and what the fish want. Most baits have an optimal retrieve range. Too fast, and they spin out. Too slow, and they don't reach depth. With time, you develop a feel.
roadwarrior reply :
On 1/30/2019 at 10:48 PM, J Francho said:With time, you develop a feel.
Harold Scoggins reply :
Mr. Miyagi say, "Crank fast on, crank fast off, crank slow on, crank slow off."
skekoam reply :
Thanks for the advice. I still have not caught a fish on a crank bait yet. I need to work at it though. Had no idea of all the intricacies involved.
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