Crankin for BASS in shallow to medium waters

[sandmann]

Hi everyone,

 

I had great success with Large mouth bass last summer using all sorts of soft plastics (ex: senkos). This year I would like to change it up and try some different techniques. How effective was crankin for large mouth in medium to shallow during optimal conditions? Are crank baits a high producer?

 

TIA

[MCTFisher9120]

Meh, I only tend to catch bass in the 1lb range with cranks...i'll need to experiment more with them also as i like to use soft plastics also.

 

Good luck with ur post

Edited April 24, 2009 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[pike slayer]

up in the sault here we dont have large mouth but we have great smallmouth fishing and i swear by crankbaits. i suggest trying the #8 xrap slashbait or the #6 xshad rap. im sure between here and there colours and water conditions differ. i found a jerk, jerk, jerk, pause.... jerk jerk jerk....pause works best and each day is different depending on how aggressive the fish are.

[bare foot wader]

learn how to use crankbaits....watch some tourney's and see how many pro's rely on them....

 

they are good to use in medium and shallow water....it depends on the particular cover you are fishing....they are great around rocks and timber....but also weeds as well if you are able to run one through loose weeds, along edges or ticking the tops of the weeds

 

I think they shine in deep water structure and especially for suspended bass too....once you get the depth dialed in where the bass are holding you can get deadly results.....crankbaits are also pretty snagless once you learn how to bounce them off cover....you can fish them through a tree just like a spinnerbait....stop reeling when you feel the bump against the cover and let your bait ride up over it or float up a bit....a good quality, technique specific rod will help you feel crap better

[sandmann]

bouncing off of cover......that technique seems very good. I've seen the square tipped divers in action on the web and ya they were bumping into all sorts of things without getting snagged. I'm glad to hear that cranks are heavily used by the pros. I actually just got a brand new st. croix tlb big cranker, just have to learn how to use it now LOL.

 

Anyone else with info/experiences on crank baits?

Edited April 23, 2009 by sandmann

[bucktail]

I have een using the ultra shallow model cranks in water from 6 inches to 2 feet deep more and more.

Seems that a fat body and wobble is a really good alternative to a spinnerbait.

Bomber has a good line up of cranks that run 1-2 feet deep.

[limeyangler]

like pike slayer said....not many bodies of water up here with Largies, but awesome smallie fishing....ive always had good fishing with topwaters/ mepps spinners/ wiggle warts...bounce 'em off the rocks....and a plain slip bobber with a nightcrawler. I had some success last year flipping a jig with a leach at the shallow weed and rock areas too.

[Greencoachdog]

Why not try a Buzzbait (ya gotta love that name!!!)

 

I swear, throw it 99 times without a hit, and on the 100th cast you catch a fish... yer ready to throw it 99 more times!!!

[pike slayer]

or throw an xrap once and catch a fish saves you the other 99 tosses!

[singingdog]

Cranks can be very productive, especially fished "combat style": bouncing them off the bottom, structure, rocks, trees. Don't be afraid to fish them in shallower water than they are rated for: a Rap DT 10 is great in 4-5' of water because it will be in contact with the bottom most of the time. Most folks see them as a "cast and crank" bait, but they require a lot of attention to fish hard and not snag. Once you get them down, slow down a bit and wait for it to hit something. As soon as you feel the log/rock STOP and drop your rod tip. The bait will float up and slight backwards, avoiding snags. This is also where you will get lots of hits. Get a good plug knocker: it will save you some $ while you are learning to fish them.

[ohhenrygsr]

[bucketmouthjohnny]

Well, I am a jig man and plastic baits, but a crank should always be close at hand here's a link to where i stayed last summer, my daughter and i posing with a small 4 lb 12 oz bucket, caught on a white crank, http://www.goldenbeachresort.com/about/brochure/ Hit one shoreline and altarnating between a tube and crank, nailed probably 20 plus bass , probably more, in about an hour or so. It was a smallish weedbed about 6-7 fow, just had to throw the crank out, and start reeleing till you felt the weeds, then just let her float up for 2/3 seconds, and usually when i start it back i sweep the rod to get it erraticly moving, most bite happen right after that so make sure you have reeled in most slack. A white crank is a staple in my largie arsenal, give it a try!!