Crankbaits..ask away! 2024

Chris reply :

If you have a specific question about using crankbaits I will try my best to answer them. Time to get the skunk out of the boat and get you catching fish on them.

carySE406 reply :

I know ripping cranks through grass is a good technique, but I always have the problem of too much grass and not enough ripping the crank out of it. Should I only go through really thin grass, or just barely graze it? Would alot sharper hooks help?

Chris reply :

In general most guys use braid and lipless crankbaits to do this technique. The reason is that if you use a regular crankbait the lip will dig in and you get a chunk of salad. What your trying to do is slow down the bait just enough till you feel the grass then rip the bait and snap the rod to free any grass that might be clinging to your hook. If you are using a regular crankbait you just want to tick the tops of the grass. I feel that a wood crankbait is a better choice if your just ticking the grass because if it gets stuck it tends to float out better. Make sure you beef up your line

nboucher reply :

Chris, can you say something about the different degrees of wobble to different cranks and what each is best used for? And how about flat vs. fat?

Chris reply :

The wider the wobble the more water the bait displaces. Think of it kinda like a spinnerbait. Most guys use a Colorado blade for muddy water if it was a crankbait a wide wobble would be comparable. In stained water most guys use an Indiana blade a medium wobble would be comparable. In clear water a willow spinnerbait works a tight wiggle would be comparable.

Tight wiggle would be like a Bomber model A

medium would be like a Bandit

wide wiggle would be like a Deep little N

* In cold clear water super tight wiggle tends to produce well.

* thin crankbaits with a wider wobble displaces more water than a round wide wobbler.

fishbear reply :

Ok, how about cranking in deep open water???? I understand working the banks, grass, ,etc...... (although with no success) but just for life of me figure out how to get them to bite when they are hanging in 12-15 ft. of water ..... I understand using small dia. line and deep cranks to get to the fish,,, but I never even get a hit... I would be better off, just slinging rocks out there,, maybe one would hit the fish in the head as it sinks....

Chris reply :

What I try to find is where the bass are hanging on something either below bait or on some sort of structure or with structure close by like off of an edge. Bass that are just suspended without these elements are hard to catch because they are in a neutral mood. If you are fishing a group of suspended fish hanging under a school of shad then it just a matter of figuring out depth..the depth the bass are at and the depth the lure is running. You want to use a crankbait that runs deeper than your target depth. The reason why is because of line drag. In order for a crankbait to reach it's max depth it need enough running room to dig it's way to the depth which means long casts. If you are marking fish at 15 ft scoot off away from those fish and give yourself about a boat length (20' out). The reason why I say that is because when the lure reaches it's max depth the closer it gets to the boat the more depth it looses as it makes it's climb back to the rod tip. The deepest that bait will run will be about a boat length away from your boat before it looses depth. You also want to use a suspending crankbait because your not going to be fighting the buoyancy of the bait as much and you can slow it down more.

Craw reply :

Chris, what are some good suspending crankbaits? Also, are there other times when suspending cranks perform better?

Chris reply :

I usually weight mine much like a jerkbait. By the time I am done with a crankbait they all suspend about the same. I do this because I might want to have a bait that slowly floats up or one that sits dead still this way I can also adjust to the water temp because the temp will effect how much weight it takes to make the bait suspend. I fish them in cold water like late fall, early spring, winter, bedding fish.

Chris reply :

I also like suspending crankbaits around standing timber because you can bring the bait to the flooded trunk of the tree and ram the bait and then pause the bait and ram it again and continue doing that till the bait hits a corner on the lip and moves around it. Your just knocking the bait up against the tree till something takes it or it works it's way around it. :

WhiteMike1018 reply :

Chris ive noticed on a lot of crankabits and floaters etc, i see a round black circle or dot on the side of them? why ios this?. what is this dot used for?

Chris reply :

It is a false eye shad and bluegill both have a false eye. Many believe that by putting one on a crankbait it looks more natural and feel that a bass might target their attack at the eye. Some tournament fishermen will take out a black sharpie and mark up the sides of the crankbait because they feel that it draws the focus of the attack to the black marks.

Gatorbassman reply :

Do you ever change the size of the hooks on your Cranks. If so when and why.

Chris reply :

Yep, I change hooks all the time. In heavy cover I change to triple grip hooks because it tends not to hang up as much as round bend hooks. By the same token if the fish are slashing at my bait I like to use round bend hooks. If the bass are slashing at my bait in heavy cover I change the front hook to short shank round bend hooks with a round body bait I want the hook to be covered by the bait so that the bait helps deflect objects. If I am using like a crappie Bill Norman crankbait I like to change out the back hook to a larger hook because it adds weight to the bait and you are able to cast it on a baitcaster easier. It also changes the vibration of the bait and feels more like a jointed bait. I also change sizes of hooks to a larger gap hook if the lure comes with a smaller hook because it helps hook the bass deep.

Gatorbassman reply :

What other adjustments/modifications do you make to them?

senile1 reply :

When it comes to rocky bottoms, is there any bottom that is too rocky to bump your crankbait against due to hangups? If so, where do you draw the line.

Chris reply :

I shave lips, cut lips, add rattles, glue rattles together to make them silent, drill out rattletraps and replace the bb's with a single splitshot, bend line tie eye to change action, shave and sand the body, re carve a bait totally, change colors, change split rings to the oval rings, drill out wood baits and pour lead in them, move placement of the line tie ring and a bunch of other stuff.

Chris reply :

senile1

Nope if I find that I am hanging up a bunch and the hooks are the problem then I change to a crankbait with a longer bill. The bill will act like a weed guard. If the bill is just getting lodged in the rock I change to a longer bill and a wood bait. Your not going to be smacking it against the rocks as much because of the bill and the wood will help float the bait out of hang ups. I just reel fast enough to keep contact and just tick the rock.

Bass XL reply :

when do you use deep divers in shallow water?

Chris reply :

When I want to follow the contour of the bottom or when I am fishing an uneven bottom. Also when I want to use the bill as a weedguard. Sometimes the bass want the bait to bang the bottom hard like in muddy water and a deep diver can be the ticket.

Chris reply :

I also like them for laydowns.

Al Wolbach reply :

When your crankbait is in contact with the bottom or targeted structure do you move the bait with the reel or rod tip? Keep cranking or pull with the rod...........Al

Chris reply :

Both, if I am running the bottom then I run the bottom with the reel and I don't drag the rod like as if I was fishing a Carolina rig. Around a spot that I feel that a bass might be I do sometimes move the crankbait with the rod to change the speed of the bait and change the vibration pattern. I also stop the bait sometimes and twitch the bait around cover a lot to draw a strike. In cold water I do drag the crankbait like a Carolina rig because I want the lure to pause a lot. If I am fishing a dock sometimes I do use the rod to aim the lure. In general open areas I use the reel to change the speed mostly stop and go with a very erratic tempo. If I am trying to reach a depth or a specific target like a finger off a point I use a straight retrieve. If I can see the object like standing timber I do use the rod to direct the lure to the object and depending on how hard I want to hit the object to force a strike depends on if I use the reel or the rod to strike it.

Chris reply :

In most cases you will hang up less on structure and hard cover with a straight retrieve. You let bait react to the cover or structure which in turn puts extra action to the bait on it's own without extra help. If you stop the bait sometimes the hooks will swing weird and hang up.

Siebert Outdoors reply :

When digging the bottom with a deeper diver why does the crank with the chewed up bill out perform a newer one. I've always wondered this. Some reason the chewed up and beat up cranks work better.

Also do you prefer flourocarbon line for throwing cranks in clear water?

A crankbait that says 12ft max with 10lb line how much on average would you gain/lose in depth if you +/- pound line by the next size?

Please explain uses

square bill

round bill

Bassinfreak2 reply :

Do you prefer a fiberglass rod over a graphite one? This is a pretty hot topic in my neck of the woods. Several claim fiberglass is better for cranks since it bends much easier and helps a guy from ripping the bait out of a fishes mouth.

The others say you lose too much sensitivity and stick to graphite for a better feel on a bite.

I can see both ways. What do you think?

Chris reply :

Gman-

When digging the bottom with a deeper diver why does the crank with the chewed up bill out perform a newer one. I've always wondered this. Some reason the chewed up and beat up cranks work better.

It could be that the lure with the chewed up lip runs perfect. It is tuned better and gives off more vibration then the other. The chewed up crankbait might run deeper because it is tuned perfect. The chewed up crankbait might have a more erratic action when it strikes cover then the other one. Beat up crankbaits look like baitfish that are sick. Beat up crankbaits have a more subdued color. Some crankbaits that I own that are chrome I take a knife and scrape off half of the chrome and expose the while bear bait. I do this so that the lure will still have some flash but not as much.

Also do you prefer fluorocarbon line for throwing cranks in clear water?

For deep cranking yes because it has less line stretch and I can feel bites better. For anything else in clear water I like regular mono because I use the stretch to help the bass inhale the lure and the lure spring off of cover. The stretch also helps get a hung up lure out.

A crankbait that says 12ft max with 10lb line how much on average would you gain/lose in depth if you +/- pound line by the next size?

It depends on the line manufacture. 10 pound line from one company has a different diameter than another company of the same pound test. You also have variations in depth from one lure to the next of a duplicate lure. You also depending on how far you cast and the running room can change the max depth the lure dives. Generally if you jump from 10lb line to 12lb line you will loose about a 1 1/2 to 2 ft in depth. It only takes .001 inch of diameter gain to loose about a foot on a long cast. It gets really dramatic with the larger diameter lines from 17 lb on up.

Please explain uses

square bill

round bill

The bill will effect how the lure reacts to cover. A square bill will deflect the best off of cover. A coffin bill will deflect the greatest distance away from the object that the lure has had contact with. A round bill tends to run the closest to the object after contact.

Chris reply :

Bassinfreak2

I use a graphite rod for deep cranking, most mid depths, cold water, and lighter lures. I do that because of feel I can feel the bait and the lightest bite better. For shallow areas I like a fiberglass rod. I like it because when the bass hits my bait my reaction time is slower and helps the bass engulf the lure better. In super cold water graphite all the way deep and shallow.

guest reply :

When faced with emergent grass in slightly off colored water both a spinnerbait or shallow running crankbait could be effective. What would cause you to choose the crankbait over the spinnerbait to start with.

Chris reply :

eenie meenie minee mo

if the skies overcast I would reach for a spinnerbait and if the wind was blowing hard then I would use a spinnerbait under most other conditions I would throw either a lipless crankbait or a regular one.

Chris reply :

In a lot of the lakes that you fish the weeds form an edge where there is like a well defined wall of weeds. This is when a crankbait would be the first thing I would throw. If I was fishing a flat I would throw a crankbait first. Edges of floating weeds I would fish a spinnerbait first.

Bream Master reply :

If you had a choice of maybe 1 or two cranks in each range (shallow, mid, deep), which brands and models would you use.

Thanks.

Chris reply :

For me that is hard to say because I throw a ton of crankbaits from many companies either because one has a quality that will excel in the situation or another can reach a depth better or has an action that fits the cover or water conditions. I throw a lot of handmade wood crankbaits from JM-Woodcraft. They have an action that I cannot get out of most crankbaits and they stand up to the abuse that I give them. Some of the designs that he has come out with where from angler input. More specifically tournament anglers like myself that wanted something different. When I need something for a specific situation wood crankbaits fill that nitch. I also throw lures from Luckycraft, Bandit, Suddeth, Bomber, Bill Norman, Bagley, and a list of other companies. If I where to give you a list of one or two crankbaits for shallow, medium, and deep depths to be honest it would be a half truth because I don't narrow down my selection to only one or two crankbaits for each depth or situation.

nboucher reply :

Quote
eenie meenie minee mo
if the skies overcast I would reach for a spinnerbait.

Because its flash is more visible under overcast skies?

Quote
In a lot of the lakes that you fish the weeds form an edge where there is like a well defined wall of weeds. This is when a crankbait would be the first thing I would throw. If I was fishing a flat I would throw a crankbait first. Edges of floating weeds I would fish a spinnerbait first.

Is your reasoning here that spinnerbaits are more weedless around floating vegetation?

guest reply :

Hey Chris Thanks for all the great info especially about paying attention to water temp and tight/wide wobble! My 2 questions I use Rpala DT's does the line test actually effect the suspending depth and what line do you think is best for these baits?

Chris reply :

I like to jerk avid's chain Here is the PM I sent him after:

Subject: crankbaits

« Date: Today at 08:01:08 » When you are fishing edges of cattails, hydrilla that forms an edge, sand points, flats, cypress trees, standing timber,crankbaits are the first thing I would reach for.

It takes sunshine for flash or light reflected off the object. The reason why a spinnerbait was what I would use in overcast skies is because it tends to draw more strikes under those conditions. When you have floating weeds in Florida many times it doesn't have a well defined edge and you will be picking weeds every other cast. When you have a depth change the weeds form an edge and it is the edge that the crankbait really shines.

Chris reply :

Yes, it does in some lines more than others like fluorocarbon line might make the lure sink. Line that is more buoyant will require more weight to get the bait to suspend correctly. Line size effects the running depth because of line drag. Line drag is the resistance the line has while running through the water. The more resistance the line has the less the lure can dive. When your shopping around for line pay attention to the diameter of the line between companies of the same pound test. Also pay attention to how much your lure is floating or sinking at the boat when you add suspend dots to it and adjust the bait weight to what you need. Cold water is thicker than hot water so in cold water your going to need more weight on your bait to get it to suspend than to hot water. Most lures that say "suspending lure" depending on the water temp depends on how much the lure will suspend that is why I tend to add my own suspend dots to lure to make sure it is doing what I intended.

guest reply :

Hey Chris Im a little new to crankin than most other ways I fish Im sorry I dont know what suspend dots are Can you explain that too?

Chris reply :

http://www.***.com/descpage-SSD.html

Storm suspendots

When an angler really gets serious about bass fishing there isn't a lure that can't be tweaked, painted, cut, or modified in some way to make it perform better. Two of the most useful products on the market today for modifying baits are the Storm SuspenDots and SuspenStrips. The Dots and Strips are cut out of sheets of zinc with adhesive backs that can be placed on any lure when you want additional weight. They are perfect for making a floating lure suspend right in front of a piece of cover, forcing a big bass to bite. SuspenStrips can also be used to change the attitude or the angle of dive on crankbaits. By placing more weight on the diving bill you can force the head of the lure to get down quicker, dive deeper, and stay down longer. When the head is deeper, your bait will wiggle more violently at a slower speed which makes your bait more noticeable to a bass. Try weighting the tail of your lure making it not dive quite as deep, this will enable you to swim a big crankbait over shallow cover. These Storm SuspenDots should be in every serious anglers tacklebox ready for use.

guest reply :

Thanks for taking the time to answer that Ive been wonderin about that for a while didnt want to seem like a dope and ask>

nboucher reply :

Muddy, I didn't know what they were either, so there's two dopes.

Chris, this thread is a gold mine. Thanks so much for doing this.

Chris reply :

Your welcome

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

At what time of year do you stop throwing cranks, if any?

Chris reply :

I throw crankbaits year round. A crankbait isn't a seasonal bait like other baits where you have a set time of the year where you need to use them. From the time the ice starts to melt to when it starts to form on lakes you can catch fish on a crankbait. "There is no better bait to catch fish year round then a crankbait" David Fritts. There are more conditions and kinds of water that you can catch fish on a crankbait then any other type of lure from clear to muddy water.

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

I know that experimenting with different types of cranks will always yield valuable information, but will having someone demonstrate techniques and catch fish (confidence) help my learning curve along? If so, could you recommend any decent DVD's currently out that demonstrate some specific areas where beginners can be successful with these baits?

Also, do you know anyone (members possibly) in the Southern PA area that I could hook up with and learn a little bit of the cranking trade?

Thanks,

Wayne

GAMEOVER reply :

Thought this was going to be a useless thread til I read it, some very good info here. Someones a fellow crankbait addict! Hey Chris, fill us all in..

1)Whens a good time to use standard liped crankbaits with no rattles in them aka silent crankbaits.

2)When the weathers cold what type of crankbait is better to use and whats better for warm weather?

3)Under what conditions should you put down the standard crankbaits and go with a lipless crankbait?

4)If fish are interested in your crankbait but just arent slamming it what do you do change size, or change color?

Now a question from me, whats your favorite liped and lipless crankbaits and more importantly why?

Chris reply :

Fishing with someone who uses crankbait will shorten your learning curve. If you watch shows or DVD's that show people cranking you can pick up some pointers also. I don't know of any crankbait video's so you might want to run a web search for one. As far as a fishing partner in your area I have no idea.

Chris reply :

1)When you are fishing an area that gets alot of fishing pressure.

2) Weather temp has no effect on the activity level of the bass under water. The water temp does in cold water you want a crankbait that has a tight to medium wiggle in warm water you want a wide to medium wiggle.

3)Both are interchangeable but I prefer to use lipless crankbaits in clear water and around grass.

4) change baits all together.

5) Sugarshad why? It has a shad profile, comes in a shiner color, it also will sit on the bottom and not fall over to the side, it runs rings around most lipless crankbaits.

nboucher reply :

Chris, here in New England I start fishing in the spring when the water's in the low 40s, and I stop in the fall when it's in the low 40s. For the last few weeks, I fish jigs exclusively, becausewell, just because.

My assumptionuntested, I'll admitis that the bass have slowed down too much to hit reaction baits in general, and crankbaits in particular. Granted, crankbaits look more like real food than spinnerbaits, say, but if I understand you correctly, you're saying crankbaits should work in that water temp as well. So how would you change your presentation in water that cold?

Chris reply :

If you are fishing shallow I catch them with a rattletrap on heavy line. The idea is that the line will slow down the sink rate of the lure. You are able to slowly retrieve lure while keeping it off the bottom. If I was using crankbaits it is kinda the same deal with the slow reel presentation but you want to down grade your line size to 8 or 10 pound line cover permitting. I have caught fish where half the lake still had ice on it.

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Crankbaits..ask away! 2024

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