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Crankbait Basics

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Date: 11/01/06

Every Bass fisherman is attracted to crankbaits.  These fish like lures swim in the water, and are very easy to cast and wind, making them popular baits among pro and novice anglers alike.  The dynamics of crankbait fishing can get so in depth, you could write books just about the baits themselves.  How they are made, and all the differences.  In fact you can find books on this written by a number of professional anglers and tv host.  Crankbaits and crankbait fishing equipment is different than any other fishing, and these basic tips can help you to get started in the world of catching bass on crankbaits.

 

Baits:  It is hard to categorize crankbaits.  They are made of wood, plastic, big, small, slender and fat, and they all have different purposes.  You basically want to match the hatch, and use a bait that will go through the fish’s strike zone.

Example:  In Pre-Spawn the bass will chase crankbaits that look like crawfish from the winter and well into spring.  A crawdad colored wiggle wart around rocky points is a good choice, or a reddish colored lipless crankbait in the South.  They can be fished from 2-8 feet depending on crankbait size, even deeper.  Lipless crankbaits can be fished at any depth.

All colors schemes can be used all types of the year, but a starting point is crawdad colors in the spring, and baitfish colors in the summer and fall, and throughout the winter.  That being said, there are many firetiger and bluegill patterns that can work throughout the year, but work the best in the spring and summer, or in dirty and stained water conditions.

Depth and Line:  Start out by choosing how deep you want the crankbait run.  It’s a pretty good chance that the bigger the bait, and bigger the bill, the deeper the crankbait will go.  Some crankbaits like the Rapala Shad Rap, the Junior-D, or a Bill Norman Deep-little N are examples of small to medium sized crankbaits that can go deeper than their average sized friends.  Most crankbaits give the depth they go on the box when you buy them.  This will give you a ball park.  Crankbait running depth is mostly affected by line size.  10lb. test is the best starting point, and works for most applications.  Adjusting line size and sometimes types will affect running depth.  Monofilament has more stretch than Flourocarbon, but is lighter.  You can get some crankbaits deeper with fluorocarbon line, but there is not a lot of difference.  You can feel lots more with fluorocarbon line, but some experts still use monofilament.  Experiment with line to see what you prefer.  Braided line is just used for  lipless crankbaits, its is not recommended for other crankbaits.  You will not get as much depth, and you are likely to rip the hooks out of a fish or set the hook before the fish has the crankbait fully in its mouth, another reason why monofilament is used by many experts.  In crankbait fishing, you want the fish to get the crankbait in its mouth as much as possible, so a delayed reaction to a strike is good.  Other tools to help you do this is the rod and the reel. 

To achieve maximum depth on a crankbait you must choose a crankbait with a lip that basically comes strait out from the body.  The more of an angle you have, the shallower it will dive.  Many crankbaits have the depth of how deep it will go on the outside of the box when you buy it.  This greatly depends on the size line that you use, and the casting difference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rod:  The kind of rod that you use varies a little among pros and experts.  David Fritts uses American Rodsmiths and the action is very different from other rods.  Rick Clunn uses a Bass Pro  Shops rod with a heavy action.  Some pros use fiberglass and some use graphite rods.  Personally I like the G-Loomis graphite crankbait rod the best.  I like to feel exactly whats going on, and adjust to the way the fish are biting.  The advantages to fiberglass is that you cant feel the bait as well, and that it bends more throughout the entire rod, and absorbs the shock and fight of a fish better, leading to more fish being landed in the boat.  For example, if you are fishing a crankbait and the fish aren’t quite getting the crankbait in the mouth, and you are hooking a lot of fish on the head or outside the mouth, a fiberglass rod will help you land more fish.  The reason is that the rod will absorb the shock when they fight and make those runs next to the boat, and you are more likely to keep the hooks in the fish, instead of the fish pulling the hooks out of his body.  There is a fine balance between getting a good hookset, and setting the hook too hard, or fighting the fish too hard, and can result in loosing that fish.  Whether fiberglass or graphite, and medium to medium fast action is best, and depending on size of crankbait, how long the rod and what action.  For deep diving crankbaits like a DD22, go with a medium heavy or heavy rod, and a moderate fast action.  I like the heavy 7 feet G-Loomis crankin stick for all crankbaits except very small ones, and Im learning to like it even for the small ones.  Reason being is I am learning like Rick Clunn, to keep my rods as close to the same length and action as possible for all my fishing, and that I get a better hook set with this rod, and I hate loosing fish.  With a very moderate rod like the one David Fritts uses, you don't have much control over the fish, and your hookset is drastically different.  You must learn each rod no matter which one you use, they both have their purpose, you must experiment to find the one you like.  With smaller crankbaits, many people use a 6 1/2 feet medium rod, plain and simple.  Every rod manufacturer is different, so their medium actions are different.  Pay close attention to the bend in the rod, you want the rod to bend almost 50/50 split, meaning the rod will bend almost all the way down to the middle of the rod when fighting a fish.  A moderate medium action rod will fish most crankbaits effectively and go up to a 7 feet heavy when throwing those deep divers.

Reels:  As much controversy goes into reel selection as rod selection.  Most crankbait experts will agree, that the slower the ratio the better.  Fritts, uses a Lews 4:3:1 ration reel.  It also does not have instant anti– reverse, allowing for more space between the time you feel the fish, and when you actually put the hooks into the fish.  Sweep the rod to the side and let the hooks do the work, more on this later.  Reels come in all ratios and sizes, round and low profile, or even spinning.  The only time you need a spinning reel with crankbaits is with very small or very light crankbaits.  Or when you need to use very light line, and get a crankbait deeper.  A trick that I have seen used is using a spinning reel, 6 pound test line, and a 7 feet medium action rod to get medium sized, 8-10 feet diving crankbaits, down to about 12 feet or more depending on the cast.  All other situations call for a baitcaster.  The low gear ratio reel will help you throw bigger crankbaits as well,  a lot of people think slower is better, and lot of times it is, but don't ever be afraid to experiment.  Look at Rick Clunn again, he uses a 6:3:1, and varies his retrieve.  By staying with the same reel with all of his crankbaits and his fishing he is able to adjust and know exactly how much line he is reeling in, and adjust from there.  Also, you can not reel a bait faster than a fish can swim.  Granted, it depends on the fishes mood, and how far and how fast they will swim to catch your crankbait, but don't be aftraid to speed up as much as you like to slow down.  This is especially true in clear water, and sparse cover, in lakes such as Bull Shoals or Table Rock Lake.  There have been times when I had to reel the bait as fast as I could to produce a strike, and it works best when you are hitting the cover with the bait.  The reel you use is up to you, but remember, the lower the gear ratio the easier it is to reel the bait.  You will be able to fish bigger, deeper diving baits on a lower gear ratio reel much easier, but do not be afraid to experiment.  On average for almost all crankbait fishing, pros use a  6 1/2 feet medium action rod, or a 7 feet rod, and a 5:0:1 reel.  Most reel companies make either a 5:0:1 or a 5:3:1 reel.  The Lews is the only 4:3:1 I know of.  The 6:3:1 and now 7:0:1 is made by most companies, but will wear your arm off quickly if throwing big baits.  Experiment, and practice.

 

Tuning crankbaits:  To tune a crankbait simply move the eye of the bait left or right.  You have to get a feel for this.  Use a pair of needle nose pliers.  If the bait is moving right, move the eye to the left.  If the baits is moving to left, move the eye to the right.  Sometimes you can experiment and get the bait to move slightly left or right, if you want the bait to run into cover and under a dock.  This sometimes works well at Lake Travis or Lake of the Ozarks for example.  The better your crankbait is tuned, the deeper it will go.

 

Achieving the depth, and Hitting your cover:  No matter what crankbait you have, you will never be able to cast far enough and get a DD22 or deep diving crank to go 20 feet.  The max is 18 feet, and that’s with 8 pound fluorocarbon line.  The best way to know exactly how deep you can get crank to dive is to get hung up.  Then take your lure retriever, and count it down or mark your line that is attached to the retriever and measure how far down it is.  There are many companies trying to make a deeper diving crankbait.  The DD22 by Bill Norman is the best action and greatest running depth.  There is the Lucky Craft CB200, the Rapala DT16, the Manns 20+, and Poes 400, but all will vary in diving depth between 14 and 18 feet.  It depends on line depth and length of cast, but a strong fluorocarbon 8 lb test will help you get the crankbait down further.  A good quality reel and a longer rod will help you cast farther, making your dive deeper.  Hitting your cover will help you catch fish.  Understanding boat positioning and angle is very important on where to generate and how to generate a strike.  If you see a stump 16 feet deep on a point, position the front of your boat 10 to 12 feet from the stump hopefully facing the wind, but that doesn't always work out.  Make an 80 to 100 yard cast if possible and crank at a moderate speed.  Your crankbait will make a moderate dive and achieve maximum depth about 20 yards out from the boat, and you should tick the stump right before the crankbait comes back to the boat.  A crankbait travels back to the boat as shown in the diagram, not in a perfect U shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is important to know that you will not achieve maximum depth of your crankbait, exactly in the middle of your cast.  On all other crankbaits, you mush experiment with casting length the type of crankbait that your are using, and the line depth in order to make contact with the cover.  The heavier the line, the shallower your crankbait will run.  Almost all of the time, you have to make contact with the cover before you will get a strike, and it will always help to generate a strike.  You will catch some fish in open water, especially when very close to cover, but making contact with the structure and the cover, will put more fish in the boat.

 

These are some very basic things to know to get you started in crankbait fishing.  There are many articles out there that talk about specific crankbaits, and when to use them.  Just remember, use a moderate action rod, and low gear ratio reel, and start out with 10 lb test and adjust from the there.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Learn from experience and learn to trust yourself and fish what seems right at the time.  The more and more you learn with crankbaits you will gain experience and be able to fish the moment and pick out a crankbait, reel, rod, and line size that you know will work for that situation.  Once you figure how to put the equation together, you will catch a lot of fish, and maybe win some tournaments.  The Bass + Location of the Bass + the right Presentation for the Bass will = Bass in your livewell!

 

P.S. 

Careful with those sharp hooks, and when casting with other people close together, DON’T HOOK YOUR BUDDY!

 

One time my friend and I were in the front of the boat together, I was tossing a DD22 and he was throwing a Rapala DT16(Awesome crankbait with awesome hooks).  Well we only got to fish for about 30 minutes cause he stuck his crankbait in the side of my head!  Not fun spending two hours in an emergency room with a doctor digging a crankbait out of my ear hole!  Now I know how a bass feels, do they feel pain?  Good question, they are cold blooded………………...what do you think?