Crankbait Help

[rogatsby]

Hello. I am getting back into bass fishing after many years. Problem is, I only used soft plastics and spinnerbaits in the past, and don't know much about crankbaits. I found a few old crankbaits in my box, and I want to use them, but I need some guidance. The photo is not great, but would it be possible for someone to take a look and give me a general idea about the differences between these baits and how they should be fished?

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post, but I am busy reading and trying to learn all I can.

Thanks!

[Mumpy]

I think the most important part of using Crankbaits is the actual setup you have. Crankbait Rod, Crankbait Reel, Line type. I'm not expert by no means but I fished for a long time without catching any Bass on Crankbaits (Deep Diving) and when I changed my Rod type and Reel Ratio and Line, all of a sudden I was able to catch Bass using DD14's and larger.

[DaveW731]

Originally Posted by rogatsby

Hello. I am getting back into bass fishing after many years. Problem is, I only used soft plastics and spinnerbaits in the past, and don't know much about crankbaits. I found a few old crankbaits in my box, and I want to use them, but I need some guidance. The photo is not great, but would it be possible for someone to take a look and give me a general idea about the differences between these baits and how they should be fished?

I'm new to the forum and this is my first post, but I am busy reading and trying to learn all I can.

Thanks!

Starting on the left, you have a floating crankbait that looks like it would dive to 6-8', but I could easily be wrong. The bait on the far right is similar, but I am guessing it will run a bit shallower. Both of these baits can be fished with a steady retrieve speed, at least fast enough so you feel the rod tip pulse, which means the bait is going fast enough to have the side-to-side wiggle it needs. You can also use a stop and go technique, pausing your retrieve a few times to let the bait stay in one place and slowly rise. The longer you stop it, the higher it will rise to the surface. I generally use a moderate speed, stop and go retrieve, but will vary the speed and the length of time I stop the bait. The colors of those two could be effective in immitating bluegills, so they would be a good choice around weed edges, or any other place that small gills hang out and bass eat them.
The bait in the middle is a lipless crankbait and it has a VERY different action to it. It sinks, has a tight wobble and a large number of bbs inside it, so it creates a distinct rattling sound coming through the water. Since they sink, they need to be kept moving. They are great for covering lots of water, since they need to be worked faster than the other two. They can also be fished deeper, by letting the bait sink and then bringing it in with occasional pauses to allow it to return to depth. I routinely fish them in in water from 6' - 15' by counting them down and then varying length of pause on the retrieve to keep them at the desired depth. Generally these baits are at their best when the fish are actively feeding, or if you are trying to cover lots of water to locate fish. I will often start out with one and then either go to slower presentations (i.e., your other two cranks) if I don't get bit. I also always have Senko or simialr plastic available, in case I think I have located a school and want a bait that will stay in the strike zone longer.
Hope this helps. You could also do a google search for "David Fritts" and "crankbaits": He is a pro angler who fishes cranks almost exclusively. You can also do a "crankbait" search on this forum as well. Good luck!

[DaveW731]

Just thought of this one. When you are fishing with one of the floating baits, try running it into something so that it will bounce off, like a rock or even a downed tree, if you can hit it with the front of the plastic bill so the hooks don't dig in, you can often provoke a reaction strike.

[keithdog]

Good answers so far. Additionally I would add that the two on the ends would do well on a 7' Med power/Moderate action rod with 10-12 pound mono line. A reel with a ratio around 5.4:1 would be good. The center lipless crank is often used by working through the tops of weedbeds and jigging it through grass and the edges of weed beds. For that lure, I'd recommend a 7' Medium Heavy rod with a fast to extra fast action and a reel with a 6.4:1 ratio spooled with 17 pound mono. That would allow you to work the lipless crank around and through the grass and enable to you rip it free when it hangs up which is often when you will get your stike.

[Bassboss]

Left to right.

The one on the left is a shallow runner. The kind with the rounded lip like that one is good around spars cover.

The one in the center is a lipless crankbait. These are great for fishing over the top of submerged grass. I really like them in early spring when the grass is just starting to grown. Cast them out start reeling, and when it hit a stalk of grass, rip the rod, and get it out of the grass. They often hit as son as you rip it out.

The one on the right is another shallow runner. That particular kind with the bent lip, will probably have a wider wobble, and deflect better off of rocks and wood better then the first kind.

Hope this helps.

[rogatsby]

Wow, thanks everyone. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for. I'm so glad I found this forum. Unfortunately, there is a typhoon coming through in Korea (where I am), so I can't go out this weekend. Such a bummer, because I was picturing myself catching bass in my head all week.

Anyway, when the weather clears up, I'm going to try out these crankbaits and some of the techniques you guys have suggested.

Thanks again!

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by rogatsby

Wow, thanks everyone. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for. I'm so glad I found this forum. Unfortunately, there is a typhoon coming through in Korea (where I am), so I can't go out this weekend. Such a bummer, because I was picturing myself catching bass in my head all week.

Anyway, when the weather clears up, I'm going to try out these crankbaits and some of the techniques you guys have suggested.

Thanks again!

Wow, your over in Korea huh? Didn't know they had bass fishin over there. Good luck to ya pal.

[james86]

Yeh that is interesting. How popular is bass fishing in Korea? You must be in the military. I'm in the navy myself.

[rogatsby]

Sorry. Double post.

[rogatsby]

Originally Posted by james86

Yeh that is interesting. How popular is bass fishing in Korea? You must be in the military. I'm in the navy myself.

I'm not in the military, although there are plenty of American GI's here for sure. I'm actually a lawyer, working in a Korean subsidiary of a big US company.

The bass fishing here is decent. Bass fishing is not very popular in Korea. Koreans love fishing for Crucian Carp, but it's too boring for me. They use long rods without reels, tying live bait and floats on really light line to catch them. Many Koreans actually resent bass because they think the bass will wipe out their beloved Crucian Carp from their waters. In reality, I think the bass don't love the carp so much as the plentiful minnows. Studies have shown that the snakeheads here are the biggest threat to the carp.

Anyway, because lure fishing is not so popular here, I usually have great luck in most places. There is one nice big reservoir here where I can rent a boat and catch bass. The water is clean, and there is a great variety of both natural and man-made cover. I took a couple of Korean guys once, and they fell in live with bass fishing. They first thought bass were some alien destructive species, but when they got a taste of the fight, they loved it. I usually release all my fish, but I kept a few and cooked them up for the Korean guys just so they could see how awesome the largemouth bass is. Better eatin' than the Crucian Carp, that's for sure

[3dkicker]

Throw that shallow running bait up shallow and make sure you've got 20lb test because if you have snakeheads you've got a chance of hooking a big one.....