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Old 03-07-12, 10:40 PM   #1
IAFrogger
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Default Lipless crankbaits... Help me understand??

I am totally new to fishing these lures... but really want to give them a serious try early this spring. I am a bit confused regarding the presentation of these lures. I have always been under the impression from what I have read that when fishing colder water ie. temps under 50 degrees that a slow presentation is necessary. Seeing that these baits sink like a rock, how do you fish them without cranking them relatively fast? Everything I have read talks about fishing them relatively fast with variable retrieves, etc.....

Also is it a bad idea to use braided line with these types of lures?

Any insight you can give me on fishing these in colder water would be greatly appreciated..
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Old 03-07-12, 11:11 PM   #2
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Are you a member of BASS? If you are, you can go online to digital bassmaster and search the archives for info on fishing lipless crankbaits. I found some very usfull information there.

First off, there are many, many ways to fish them, I'll explain a few of the more popular ones:

Sweeping - As the name implies, you are pulling, or sweeping the rod from side to side. Only using the reel to pick up slack line. When the plug gets caught up in grass, don't jerk it out aggressively, pull it out and try to work it out of the grass.

Yo-yoing - Lift and drop, lift and drop. Very similar to sweeping, but you lift the rod up wards (from 9 - 11 o'clock). This is better when the grass is slightly higher off the bottom. When the plug gets caught up in it, pull it and work it out of the grass just as before.

Slow rolling - This works better when the grass is very spars. A crankbait with a slightly slower fall (buy a few different ones to see which ones have the slowest fall), cast it out, let it sink to the bottom, and begin winding the rod, just keeping it above the bottom or cover. Again, when the plug gets caught up in the grass, don't yank it out.

Buring - Best utilized in warm water around 60*, but can also provoke reaction strikes in cold water. Cast it out, and start reeling quickly keeping the bait above the grass, when it gets in, yank the rod hard to free it from the grass.

A far as gear, a 7' MH F action rod, with 12 - 17lb mono or fluoro is my preference. The tip is stout enough to keep the fish away from over, but when paired with mono or fluoro, it has enough forgiveness to prevent the hooks from tearing away. Braid is fine when you're burning them, and really trying to aggressively the baits, but you will loose more fish due to the lack of stretch. Heavier line is better for shallower water, and lighter line for deeper water. 15 lb is probably going to your best shot for all-round use. The reel is your choice, I've read of people using 7:1 reels to keep contact with the baits, yet some prefer a 5:1 to force themselves to slow down. It's your call, and chose one based upon how you fish.

I personally find a 1/2 version most useful. It's heavy enough to cast really far into wind, but most sink slow enough to prevent them from getting caught to bad in the grass. You DO want the bait in the grass, it's not like you're trying to keep it out of the grass, you just don't want it getting so tangled up in it that it becomes unfishable.

I could go on and on, so let me know if you want to learn anything more about fishing these (when, where, and how or anything else you can think of )!
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Old 03-07-12, 11:16 PM   #3
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Thanks for all the helpful info.... I am a member of BASS... will definately check out the digital archives.... also managed to find an earlier link on here from a couple months back with helpful information....

Thanks again !!!
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Old 03-07-12, 11:16 PM   #4
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I use a 7 mh moderate, not sure if mentioned above but moderate lets the bass suck in the bait Better. I don't have a chance to fish deep often so I use 15 mono. Also you want stretch so braid isn't the best, though heard some with braid and mono leader, just remember to vary your retrieves.
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Old 03-08-12, 01:21 AM   #5
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One of my favorite cold water baits is a suspending rattle trap. I don't know if they even still make them but they are absolute killers in the cold, dirty water around here. Yo-yoing regular rattle baits can be really good too, even in really cold water.
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Old 03-08-12, 11:23 AM   #6
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Gonna try the Sweeping and Yo-Yoing Technique this weekend. I've always just thrown them out and reeled them in. Thanks for the tips.
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Old 03-11-12, 08:17 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebasser86 View Post
One of my favorite cold water baits is a suspending rattle trap. I don't know if they even still make them but they are absolute killers in the cold, dirty water around here. Yo-yoing regular rattle baits can be really good too, even in really cold water.
Yes, they still do offer them. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Cotto...age-CCSSS.html


-Mark
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Old 03-11-12, 08:21 PM   #8
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Glad you found it helpful!

Quote:
Originally Posted by woody View Post
Yes, they still do offer them. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Cotto...age-CCSSS.html


-Mark
Ohhh... I might just have to get me one a them! Looks nice.
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Old 03-12-12, 09:17 AM   #9
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I am no expert at all at lipless crankbaits, but I had a couple decent days on them last spring. The water was still quite cold, and we were fishing from shore. I was throwing an XCalibur Xr50 as far as I could chuck it on my 7'6" MH Glass cranking stick. I'd let is sink a few seconds, then reel in as slow I could to still keep it above the residual weeds. Keeping your rod up in the 10-11 o'clock position helps. But when you keep your rod up like that, you need to drop it down and side sweep on the hookset.


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Old 03-13-12, 01:26 PM   #10
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Check out the following website for different retrieves. Good info and pictures too.

http://www.luhrjensen.com/downloads/...7SugarShad.pdf
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Old 03-15-12, 08:50 PM   #11
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IAF, I can't (legally) fish for bass till the last Saturday in April, but my go to techniqe/bait is fishing a Spro Aruku Shad on the drop offs.

Park up in the shallows, cast out into deeper water, and use a moderately fast retrieve. Once the crank starts bouncing up the drop off, the bass suspended on it will hammer it.

All kidding aside, I have a favorite lake, for this technique in early Spring.
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Old 03-18-12, 11:12 PM   #12
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I have been really having great luck with a red lipless bait this time of year. Rayburn red is my favorite color, but be sure to have at least one red one in your tackle box. Spring fish really love that red in stained water. The darker the water, the darker the red that you want to use. Sometimes I even spraypaint my own different shades of red. Whenever I fish with somebody that has a silver of gold bait, I outfish them 75% of the time. I perfer the Cotton Cordell Super Spot. They're very inexpensive at $3, and the fish love the action. I cast mine with 15# fluro most of the time, but sometimes I'll use 25# braid if I need to cut through grass. Thin braid usually cuts through grass easier. I fish the baits in 3-7 feet of water, and have had the most luck with them through spring and into summer. My favorite presentation is burning them as fast as the baits will allow me without swirling out of control. I mainly use a 1/2 oz model, but sometimes use a smaller 3/8 oz or 1/4 oz is great on spinning gear for finicky bass or for numbers. I throw the big 1/2 oz bait on a 6'6" MH Cabelas Tourney Trail baitcast rod (1/4-1 oz) with a 6.4:1 ratio widespool Johnny Morris baitcast reel. I throw the smaller ones with a 7' M Cabelas XML spinning rod (1/4-5/8 oz) with a Quantum Escalade 40 size spinning reel and the 25# braid with a 7' 12# flurocarbon leader (joined to main line with a double uni-knot). I always replace the cheap bronze hooks with stainless steel mustad elite trebles, and always add an oval line tie split ring in the place of the old split ring.
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