Crankbait tips.

ROBZILLA · 08-23-06, 04:54 PM

Crankbait Tips

The crankbait is a very versatile fishing lure, and the fisherman needs to be versatile and adaptable when using one. A crankbait is very useful in covering a wide amount of water in a short period of time, which is very helpful when you are fishing a new body of water about which you have little information, or when you need to cover a lot of water while finding where the fish are.

A lot of emphasis seems to be placed on what depth a crankbait is designed to run at. Although that can be a helpful measure, your exact performance will differ depending on a number of factors. In general, the heavier the line you are using, the shallower a crankbait will run. In general, the faster you retrieve a crankbait, the deeper it will run. Holding your rod tip up will make it run shallower, placing your rod tip down will make it run deeper. That is why you'll notice on Thefishingnut, that we don't get carried away with claims of how deep our crankbaits run, rather, we get carried away with facts as to the lip shape of our crankbaits.

In general, the shallow zone for a crankbait could be defined as shallower than 6 feet. A crankbait running at this depth needs to have a smaller, more vertical lip. Crankbaits running at medium and deeper depths will have larger and more horizontal lips. The deepest running crankbaits may have a lip as long as the body of the bait, and it will be almost horizontal to the body. It's unlikely that you will be able to have an unweighted crankbait run below 20 feet.

Although a faster retrieve will make a crankbait go deeper, you also need to find the speed at which the fish will respond to the bait, which generally means you need to find a crankbait designed to run at the depth you need, at the speed the fish wants. It’s probably this consideration that makes the lures laboratory running depth least meaningful. If you need to slow your presentation to trigger a strike, you need to use a crankbait designed to run deeper to keep it at the strike depth. If the fish are striking at a faster bait, you run a crankbait designed to run more shallow - the faster retrieve takes it lower.

You want in most cases the crankbait to be bouncing off things, because this will generate a strike. Bouncing off things causes a change in direction, it's this change in direction that triggers a fish into striking the crankbait. No change in direction, encourages a fish to follow the crankbait. If you were a minnow and a big fish was following you, you'd be trying to get away, not going for a leisurely swim in one direction. If you're in open water, try to promote a strike by changing speeds, and directions of the bait.

Because you will (or you should) be hitting underwater obstacles with your crankbait, you should have some sort of crankbait retriever with you. You don't want to lose crankbaits, but if you're not hitting things with them, you're not catching as many fish as you could be.

You want crankbaits to be long casting, and need to find a balance between your rod, reel, line, and crankbait to optimize that. In particular for deep diving crankbaits, since the first part of the retrieve is spent trying to get the bait down, and the end part of the retrieve is bringing the crankbait out of the productive bottom zone, you want to extend that middle period where the crankbait is running at the depth you want.

For clear water, generally fish are relying on sight for finding food. A fast moving bait in natural color is called for. For less clear water, fish rely more on motion (vibration) to find their food. Tend to use fatter crankbaits with rattles to create the motion.

You can tune a crankbait to run straight, and there are times you want to tune it to run to the side. If you are fishing along a dock for example, it may be to your advantage to try and push the crankbait further under the dock than a straight-running crankbait will go. To change the direction, slowly bend the line tie wire one way or another. Make small adjustments rather than large ones, and test run the crankbait in open water so you understand what change you've made to it.

ToPwAt'R GuY · 08-23-06, 08:57 PM

Nice article.

ROBZILLA · 08-24-06, 01:41 PM

bassnman30 · 08-24-06, 03:35 PM

So ROBZILLA,
Are you saying that a certain crankbait, for example a DT 16 can run deeper than 16 or 17 feet ?
How about a DD22, how deep are you saying that this bait will run ?
A crankbait will run to a certain depth, and then it will stop getting deeper as you reel it in.
This is regardless of the speed in which you reel it. Otherwise if you troll a crankbait and speed up as you go, then this would mean that the bait will go as deep as you wish ? No offense, but I don't think so.

Raul · 08-24-06, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassnman30

So ROBZILLA,
Are you saying that a certain crankbait, for example a DT 16 can run deeper than 16 or 17 feet ?
How about a DD22, how deep are you saying that this bait will run ?
A crankbait will run to a certain depth, and then it will stop getting deeper as you reel it in.
This is regardless of the speed in which you reel it. Otherwise if you troll a crankbait and speed up as you go, then this would mean that the bait will go as deep as you wish ? No offense, but I don't think so.

Yes it will, the depth at which the crank runs can be altered just by tying it to thinner line if you want it to go deeper or ti heavier line if you want it to run shallower. Cranks run to the depth the manufacturer claim when tied to 10-12 test.

bassnman30 · 08-25-06, 03:25 PM

Raul,
Your contradicting your self.
Are you saying that it does or don't ?
Answer: It does not, the bait will only run to a certain depth, regardless of the size of line that you use, 10 lb or 20lb it will only go so deep.
Think about it.

Raul · 08-26-06, 12:44 PM

Where am I contradicting myself ? a D22 will not dive to the supposed 22 ft if tied to 20 pound mono.

And it´s not "your" it is you´re, correct spelling is your friend.

crankybait · 08-26-06, 12:47 PM

Correct grammar, actually... He used correct grammar, and spelling the second time he said your.

bassnman30 · 08-28-06, 01:42 PM

Raul,
The DD22 will not go to 22' even with 10 lb test. It may go to 17' and thats while holding your rod down to the water.

P.S. Don't comment on my spelling, I can see where you misspelled "ti" for "to".
So in this case, don't throw the first stone if you can't back it up.

JB · 08-28-06, 01:56 PM

well, I throw the DD22 , so heres my 3 cents worth. What I’ve taken to doing for shallow fish is using heavier line
(10- and 12-pound test), but when I want my bait to run deeper, I go to smaller 8-pound line. You want an abrasion-resistant
line in this situation, but diameter is the most important factor because a larger diameter has more resistance and buoyancy, making a crankbait run shallower than if you were using lighter line. I will postition the boat so that the lure will be running at its maximum depth when it contacts the structure he is working.I figure that a lure will be running its deepest for about 30 percent of the retrieve..During the first one-third of the cast, the lure will be working down to that depth, and the last third, it will be coming
back up to the boat. So for a 90-foot cast, I’ll position the boat about 30 to 45 feet away from the structure or cover I want to hit.

flamez · 08-29-06, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassnman30

Raul,
The DD22 will not go to 22' even with 10 lb test. It may go to 17' and thats while holding your rod down to the water.

P.S. Don't comment on my spelling, I can see where you misspelled "ti" for "to".
So in this case, don't throw the first stone if you can't back it up.

Thats just a typo come on people this isnt about spelling its seriously childish and this is coming from a child i mean come on when someone questions your tip or what not you people always critique someones spelling i mean a damn conjunction come on you gonna curse at me if i start saying u instead of you O_o notice my flawless punctuation

zooker · 08-29-06, 06:02 PM

you mean lack there of flamez..

the best i have EVER been able to get a dd22 down to is 19 feet -with a stock lure- modified it will go even deeper..

i normally gain 2 feet on the dt series using 8 pound ande mono.please note 90% of set depth line is 10-12 pound stren which is by far larger in diamater than 10-12 pound ande..
bassnman
YOU know this to be true but yet you are arguing against it..just how many beers you done had??

zooker

bassnman30 · 08-31-06, 01:36 PM

flamez,
Your right about the spelling issue, that is my error.
Zook, I am not arguing about the line. I have stated that the heavier line will not allow for the bait to go down as far as lighter line will.

08-23-06, 04:54 PM	#1
ROBZILLA BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Markham, Ontario, CANADA Posts: 1,901	Crankbait tips. Crankbait Tips The crankbait is a very versatile fishing lure, and the fisherman needs to be versatile and adaptable when using one. A crankbait is very useful in covering a wide amount of water in a short period of time, which is very helpful when you are fishing a new body of water about which you have little information, or when you need to cover a lot of water while finding where the fish are. A lot of emphasis seems to be placed on what depth a crankbait is designed to run at. Although that can be a helpful measure, your exact performance will differ depending on a number of factors. In general, the heavier the line you are using, the shallower a crankbait will run. In general, the faster you retrieve a crankbait, the deeper it will run. Holding your rod tip up will make it run shallower, placing your rod tip down will make it run deeper. That is why you'll notice on Thefishingnut, that we don't get carried away with claims of how deep our crankbaits run, rather, we get carried away with facts as to the lip shape of our crankbaits. In general, the shallow zone for a crankbait could be defined as shallower than 6 feet. A crankbait running at this depth needs to have a smaller, more vertical lip. Crankbaits running at medium and deeper depths will have larger and more horizontal lips. The deepest running crankbaits may have a lip as long as the body of the bait, and it will be almost horizontal to the body. It's unlikely that you will be able to have an unweighted crankbait run below 20 feet. Although a faster retrieve will make a crankbait go deeper, you also need to find the speed at which the fish will respond to the bait, which generally means you need to find a crankbait designed to run at the depth you need, at the speed the fish wants. It’s probably this consideration that makes the lures laboratory running depth least meaningful. If you need to slow your presentation to trigger a strike, you need to use a crankbait designed to run deeper to keep it at the strike depth. If the fish are striking at a faster bait, you run a crankbait designed to run more shallow - the faster retrieve takes it lower. You want in most cases the crankbait to be bouncing off things, because this will generate a strike. Bouncing off things causes a change in direction, it's this change in direction that triggers a fish into striking the crankbait. No change in direction, encourages a fish to follow the crankbait. If you were a minnow and a big fish was following you, you'd be trying to get away, not going for a leisurely swim in one direction. If you're in open water, try to promote a strike by changing speeds, and directions of the bait. Because you will (or you should) be hitting underwater obstacles with your crankbait, you should have some sort of crankbait retriever with you. You don't want to lose crankbaits, but if you're not hitting things with them, you're not catching as many fish as you could be. You want crankbaits to be long casting, and need to find a balance between your rod, reel, line, and crankbait to optimize that. In particular for deep diving crankbaits, since the first part of the retrieve is spent trying to get the bait down, and the end part of the retrieve is bringing the crankbait out of the productive bottom zone, you want to extend that middle period where the crankbait is running at the depth you want. For clear water, generally fish are relying on sight for finding food. A fast moving bait in natural color is called for. For less clear water, fish rely more on motion (vibration) to find their food. Tend to use fatter crankbaits with rattles to create the motion. You can tune a crankbait to run straight, and there are times you want to tune it to run to the side. If you are fishing along a dock for example, it may be to your advantage to try and push the crankbait further under the dock than a straight-running crankbait will go. To change the direction, slowly bend the line tie wire one way or another. Make small adjustments rather than large ones, and test run the crankbait in open water so you understand what change you've made to it. __________________ Hang E'm High Till The Gills Go DRY! BARRIE,ONTARIO,CANADA

08-24-06, 01:41 PM	#3
ROBZILLA BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Markham, Ontario, CANADA Posts: 1,901	__________________ Hang E'm High Till The Gills Go DRY! BARRIE,ONTARIO,CANADA

08-24-06, 03:35 PM	#4
bassnman30 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Lexington,NC-Worlds best BBQ. Posts: 1,945	So ROBZILLA, Are you saying that a certain crankbait, for example a DT 16 can run deeper than 16 or 17 feet ? How about a DD22, how deep are you saying that this bait will run ? A crankbait will run to a certain depth, and then it will stop getting deeper as you reel it in. This is regardless of the speed in which you reel it. Otherwise if you troll a crankbait and speed up as you go, then this would mean that the bait will go as deep as you wish ? No offense, but I don't think so. __________________ Lexington,NC.

08-25-06, 03:25 PM	#6
bassnman30 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Lexington,NC-Worlds best BBQ. Posts: 1,945	crankbait depths Raul, Your contradicting your self. Are you saying that it does or don't ? Answer: It does not, the bait will only run to a certain depth, regardless of the size of line that you use, 10 lb or 20lb it will only go so deep. Think about it. __________________ Lexington,NC.

08-26-06, 12:47 PM	#8
crankybait BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: marlboro, nj Posts: 3,250	Correct grammar, actually... He used correct grammar, and spelling the second time he said your. __________________ www.fishinfanatics.com

08-23-06, 08:57 PM	#2
ToPwAt'R GuY BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: missouri Posts: 930	Nice article.

08-26-06, 12:44 PM	#7
Raul BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,030	Where am I contradicting myself ? a D22 will not dive to the supposed 22 ft if tied to 20 pound mono. And it´s not "your" it is you´re, correct spelling is your friend.

08-28-06, 01:42 PM	#9
bassnman30 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Lexington,NC-Worlds best BBQ. Posts: 1,945	Raul, The DD22 will not go to 22' even with 10 lb test. It may go to 17' and thats while holding your rod down to the water. P.S. Don't comment on my spelling, I can see where you misspelled "ti" for "to". So in this case, don't throw the first stone if you can't back it up. __________________ Lexington,NC.

08-28-06, 01:56 PM	#10
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	well, I throw the DD22 , so heres my 3 cents worth. What I’ve taken to doing for shallow fish is using heavier line (10- and 12-pound test), but when I want my bait to run deeper, I go to smaller 8-pound line. You want an abrasion-resistant line in this situation, but diameter is the most important factor because a larger diameter has more resistance and buoyancy, making a crankbait run shallower than if you were using lighter line. I will postition the boat so that the lure will be running at its maximum depth when it contacts the structure he is working.I figure that a lure will be running its deepest for about 30 percent of the retrieve..During the first one-third of the cast, the lure will be working down to that depth, and the last third, it will be coming back up to the boat. So for a 90-foot cast, I’ll position the boat about 30 to 45 feet away from the structure or cover I want to hit.

08-29-06, 06:02 PM	#12
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	you mean lack there of flamez.. the best i have EVER been able to get a dd22 down to is 19 feet -with a stock lure- modified it will go even deeper.. i normally gain 2 feet on the dt series using 8 pound ande mono.please note 90% of set depth line is 10-12 pound stren which is by far larger in diamater than 10-12 pound ande.. bassnman YOU know this to be true but yet you are arguing against it..just how many beers you done had?? zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

08-31-06, 01:36 PM	#13
bassnman30 BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Lexington,NC-Worlds best BBQ. Posts: 1,945	flamez, Your right about the spelling issue, that is my error. Zook, I am not arguing about the line. I have stated that the heavier line will not allow for the bait to go down as far as lighter line will. __________________ Lexington,NC.

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