Deep Crankin?

[Quillback]

I get bass on the pipe, heck, they hit monkey wrenches too... durn hungry monkeys don't stand a chance.

Now I'm wondering... does 5 DD22s on an A-rig do 110 feet?

(sorry, I shouldn't look at this at work) :-)

Yeah get back to work and leave us alone.

[Sore Thumbs]

Isn't thermocline around 20-25 ft? If so don't i need something that goes to 25ft and be ok?

[powerdive]

I might try a suspend strip or two, but doggone it, I'm not putting any rubber core sinkers on my line and casting that whole shebang.

Hmmm. Consider it a Carolina rig, then. Bass guys are throwing all sorts of ungainly contraptions these days.

By the way, Pinnacle has some new Power Cranking rods from John Crews coming out this fall that might be worth a look for the local deep stuff. Super light, very strong, custom actions for extra distance and power...

[Quillback]

I've got a Dobyns 805 CB rod paired with a Revo Toro Winch. I can crank the Deep cranks all day with that setup. Just can't get any fish. I've heard people talk about throwing square bills on a Carolina Rig, might be worth a shot someday when I'm really bored. I can get the deep crank down by casting it then moving away with the trolling motor, a technique called "strolling". I got all kinds of book knowledge, just gotta get some fish.

[Champ188]

I'm a fair hand at deep cranking and my experience on Table Rock is that it's a tough proposition except for in the somewhat stained waters of the upper James, upper Kings and far upper White river arms, along with maybe the upper portion of Long Creek. Anywhere else, these fish just don't live shallow enough ... and perhaps more importantly, they don't relate to the bottom enough ... to be reached effectively with a crank bait.

I believe they spend far too much time suspended to be consistently caught cranking. You have to be bumping a crank bait off ledges or humps to get bit very often, and 15-20 feet deep (a crank bait's deep-end range) is just not where 98 percent of TR's bass live most of the time. Josh did have a good suggestion earlier about paralleling bluffs, where you can bump a deep cranker off the shelves and rock slides.

It is also my experience that crank baits are not as effective in crystal clear water as they are in stained water.

Not saying crank bait fish can't be caught on TR, but it is my experience and my humble opinion that if one is determined to do so, he'd do best to get way up in the river arms.

[powerdive]

Champ, the walleye guys can tell you, the bass absolutely do love cranks on Table Rock in all parts of the lake--but you're right, we're running them deeper. 23-30 feet, typically, and deeper in the fall. So yes, you casters are limited to those areas where the fish are hanging higher in the column.

Then again, watching sonar, you see fish shooting up from 30 feet to crash shad balls in 10 feet...

[Champ188]

Good info powerdive. I think the problem for casters would be that casting for bass hanging around shad in open water would be akin to the old needle-in-a-haystack metaphor. When cranking points or ledges, at least one element ... the structure ... is stationary. With the shad moving, the bass moving and no structure as an anchor point, I don't see it as a productive venture.

Not only do you walleye trollers get your baits deeper, you are covering farrrrrrrrrrr more water. Sooner or later you're bound to cross paths with some bass ... and hopefully some Walters, too.

[Josh Holt]

Champ is right I fish the james arm most of the time cause i know it like the back of my hand and it does seem to work better in a little dingier water and works better in the river arms