Crankbait Advice

[Fishin' Freak]

One of the things that I am going to do this year is fish crankbaits more. From early spring with the stickbait and wart to DD22's and fat frees in the summer and back to warts and square bills in the fall. This is something that is fairly new to me. I have not been much of a cranker in the past and I am looking for any pointers that may help. Equipment pointers as far as line size for different cranks to rod selection and reel speeds--what do you guys prefer for each bait? What modifications do you guys make to these baits? I am sure most replace hooks but do you use the standard snap clips or do you use something different? Any pointers would be appreciated!

[Ham]

10-12 POUND MONO OR CO-POLY,

MODERATE SPEED GRAPHITE ROD

5:1 BAITCASTING REEL

[rps]

I could not argue with what Ham suggests, but consider these things:

If you need a foot or two deeper, consider dropping down to a 8 pound fluoro coated mono like Yozuri Hybrid. The line size and sink rate will give you that extra foot.

Accuracy casting is a little easier for me with a fast rod instead of a moderate. I carry both.

When I start out each day I switch between steady retrieves of differing speed and stop go retrieves of various types. The fish will tell you what they want. By the way, one of my most successful is a moderately slow retrieve with an erratic jerk here and there.

Good luck.

[Nitroman]

After many years of fishing crankbaits I have found that either a 6ft.6in. medium action or medium heavy action rod works best, this will vary with the crankbait & it's indivudal action & resistance to moving through the water.

I feel that a reel with a 5 to 1 retrieve ratio will serve you best. The high speed retrieve reels ( 6 to 1 etc. ) are capable of over-powering a crankbait & not allowing it to reach it's maxium depth.

After much testing I don't think you can go wrong with fluorocarbon line, 10lb. test is probably your overall best bet on Table Rock unless you get into some dirty water areas then you could move up to 12lb. or 14lb. but almost always the lighter the better, if you can drop down to 8lb. & get away with it do so. My personal preference is Berklley Vanish.

I do change out hooks, 1st. I suggest you stay with the same size hook that came on the crankbait, changing the hook size can ( especially going larger ) change the crankbaits action. Going to a round bend / wide gap hook of the same size will give you better grab & hold, most factory split-rings are fine & only need to be replaced if damaged in some way. I do replace the line tie split-ring with Bass Pro Shops XPS Rick Clunn Signature Series Performance Split-Rings, these will elimante you tieing your knot in the wrong spot which can easily be done on a standard round split-ring. Finally in the area of hooks, get yourself some VMC BARBARIAN RED treble hooks & give them a try. I don't put them on all my crankbaits but on shad - bluegill - sunfish color patterns they can make a difference.

Nothing wrong with using a Fast Lock Bass Snap to attach your crankbait to your line. Storm puts them on many of their crankbaits @ the factory, personally I like a split-ring attached to the crankbait. I have used snaps for years & never had one break & or open up. Do not use swivels in any type of combination with the snap, just the snap.

Vary your speed & type of retrieve, bump into as much stuff as you can, keep your rod tip down & good things will happen.

One final secret & please don't tell anyone, if you can find them, get yourself some Arbogast MUD-BUGS in crawdad color pattern & when the Storm Wiggle Wart bite gets hot throw one of these & " HOLD ON " !!!!!!!

[Spinnaker]

Hi Nitroman: Hope to see you later this year. Thanks for the tips!

[redbud]

crawdad patterns in shallow bouncing off the rocks , not to fast use your rod to move the bait with erratic retreives. shad patterns in the trees over deeper water,fish a little faster. If you dont hang up once in a while you are not hitting enough cover . i like the braided line for good long casts and super sensitivity with a good rod you should be able to feel the wobble, some times you can feel the fish before it really hits it.be alert ,cast accurately and stick with it you will hook some lunkers i promise you this .Iuse several different brands ,make sure they run true . they all work in some circumstance, you will have to tune them once in a while and the lip should be chewed up by the end of the day. get your self a lure retreiver it will pay for itself. I think a wider bigger wobble in warmer water is better, tighter wobble in colder water[down size] ,after you get a pattern figured out you can crush em. most of my best fish have come on cranks. check the archives on this site ,there is some expert advice you really cant get anywhere else. last thing i can say is watch out for your partner on your back swing good luck and hang on.

[Nitroman]

Hi Nitroman: Hope to see you later this year. Thanks for the tips!

Hey there kcangler, good to hear from you & we look forward to you coming down. The bass are here & waiting for you, each & every one that has found it's way into my boat have been put right back.

[focused fishing]

I change the hooks on every crankbait I throw to Gamakatsu round bend or Ewg trebles depending on the type of bait and cover I will be fishing. Anything thrown around wood gets round bend.

Fluorocarbon is a must, the bait dives a little deeper and you can feel much more.

Unlike everyone else I prefer to use a 6:1 ratio reel, I use the same reel for every application and adjust my retrieve speed, something Clunn talked about a few years back...

Use a soft action rod, glass or glass / graphite composite. You don't need to spend a fortune to do it either. I own and use Bass Pro Shops cranking sticks, less than $50, great action, castability and unbelivable value.

I use both the Rick Clunn split rings and locking snaps, much better action on every crankbait.

ALWAYS fish into the wind, not with it! You can control the speed and depth of your bait much better into the wind than when you are being pushed by it.

Line Size:

Wart: 8 - 10 fluoro

Series 400 - 500 Strike King: 10 fluoro

DD-22 / Fat Free: 10 - 12 fluoro

Squarebill / RC series: 15 - 20 fluoro

Last thing: Pay extra for quality baits, I love to throw shallow running crankbaits summer through fall. I have a box full of Bagley Squarebills that I don't throw any more since Lucky Craft came out with the RC series. The RC's cost three times as much as "new" squarebills but they run true out of the package, cast better and are much more durable than Balsa B's. Some argue the action is not as good or they don't catch as many fish but to me they out perform every squarebill I own for one simple reason; I don't have to spend time tuning and re-tuning through out the day. More casts = more fish, and personally I think the action is every bit as good as a squarebill. If you have the choice between a high quality, higher priced bait and a "store" brand I suggest buying quality everytime.

Hope this helps,

EP