Crank Baits

[GotBass]

i have always fished my spinners and plastics but never really got into cranks. i was wondering how everyone fishes them. i thought that i might try to get better with my cranks this summer, but i figured that you guys could give some good idea

[JB]

A good way to start with crankbaits is to throw them out and instead of a constant retrieve, use a stop and go pattern while reeling. Many times the bass will hit when the bait is stopped or when you bump into a object stop reeling and let the plus slowly float back up a few seconds before reeling again.
For clear waters use natural looking baits, for murky try firetiger.

[K-Driz]

The stop-and-go retrieve is definitely a killer retrieve, if that's what the fish are responding to at the time. Sometimes when the fish are shallower (in the 1-10 foot range) and can't seem to be caught with a speeding crankbait of any size, try throwing a crankbait whose depth you can control, such as a deep diver or a lipless crankbait like a Rat-L-Trap, and reel it as slow as you can, just to keep it tapping the bottom to simulate some kind of forage. Sometimes that's all it takes. Good luck!

[Basspro wannabe]

Welcome to the form I will agree with JB I have had a lot of luck with a stop and go retrieve.

Good Luck

[GotBass]

hey i am from corning arkansas just 30 mins from ya

[bassnman30]

In the event that you can't seem to get a bite on a crankbait, then you might have to get another or maybe even more (of the same type bait)to find the one that runs correctly. It is sayed that out of 10 you might get 2 or 3 that really work well.
Personnaly I have had some that won't get hit except by small bass (if any bass) and I've had some that get hit by bigger bass. These are the ones that are treasured. I personally mark my good baits with a sharpy pen. Just a small dot on the belly will ensure that it's a good bait. I don't practice with these baits, they are for tournament use.

[fishn'fool]

The one thing I can tell ya, don't reel to fast when your going over cover! The faster you go the more of a chance you have of getting hung up. Just ease your crankbaits over brush by using your rod not your reel. I mean when you reel your crankbait into a piece of cover, use your rod like your jigging a texas riged worm and reel the slack up. Do this until you are through the piece of cover the reel until you hit the next. If you just reel fast when you hit cover, the lip of your crankbait wont deflect the cover properly and 90% of the time your front treble hook will snag in to the wood ect...
good luck

[Marty]

This is not really what you're asking, but many cranks are supplied with poor-quality hooks. Make sure you either sharpen or replace the bad ones.

[Rebbasser]

One thing that makes them extremely effective it to make sure they hit something. One of my favorite tactics is to fish a crank that runs, say, 10 feet in 5-6 feet of water-digging up the bottom with it can generate some powerful strikes.

You got that right, Marty-I NEVER throw a hook that I haven't at least tested to make sure it is sharp. Learned that lesson many moons ago the hard way.

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

I don't know where to start! Everyone has had good advice so far.

Around wood I use tighter wiggling cranks that float back up backwards after hitting the wood.

Through vegetation I like wide wobblers so they rip out of grass as they run.

So much more my mind is gonna' explode. If you have a Playstation or Xbox buy the Rapala game. Don't get the PC version, although its $5 and comes with a lure, it's too hard to cast with the mouse. Or get the PC version and give away the disc and keep the lure, like I did. Play the game during huge thunderstorms. Be on the water otherwise. The game really teaches you alot because it shows what the lure does underwater fairly realistically.

[1FASTLASER]

Generally NOT always throw a tight wiggler in the colder temp waters and a more wide wobbling crank in the warmer waters. Dont be afraid to mix it up and try something different. Fishing cranks anyway you canimagine is NOT the wrong way if your gettin bit.

[HuckFinn]

Reb Marty,
You guys mentioned checking the hooks. (which I do all the time...when I don't forget )
What about modifying the hooks. Many if not all cranks come with two sets of trebels. What I like to do is cut the bottom hook off both sets, I will also do this sometimes with a lure that has 3 sets of 3. Cutting that hook off allows the remaining two to ride up under the belly of the crank and not hang up as often. I know, pros with skill can throw these things and not catch wood. I however can not. I will also remove the trebels and replace them with a single hook. Mainly red, and I will try to make sure the hooks I put on are close to the size of the ones I take off, I might even go a little bigger just to keep the weight on the lure the same or as close as I can get. I will sometimes replace the back treb with a two hook, with a bucktail trailer. I might also add a trailer, with a single hook in the back.
I have caught fish with these setups, but I am not a crankbait user.
Any ideas?!
Anyone... Buler... Buler
Reb you nailed the spinner bait post.

[HuckFinn]

Sorry Zooker
didn't mean to leave you out. I'm pretty sure you throw cranks.

[Rebbasser]

Huck, those are some pretty good ideas. Never thought about replacing a treble with a single hook, but in certain situations it can make the difference between getting your bait back or not. Thanks for the idea!

[Basspro wannabe]

Originally Posted by GotBass

hey i am from corning arkansas just 30 mins from ya

Looks like we might have to do a little crankin together