cranking for bass...

[CALVINIST]

Sorry if these questions seem dumb but I'm rather new to targeting LM and want to learn more. I have fished much more for walleyes in my life but must confess that I enjoy fishing for LM Bass. Basically I'll fish for almost anything!

Anyway, assume you are using the profile of the DT series, bomber, or Manns and fishing in 10-20 FOW close to a reef or shoreline and fishing the break. Are the bass always tight to the structure or do they suspend? Example, Could I catch bass on something that gets down only 10-11' in 15 FOW?

What water depth (or distance from the weedtops) do you fish the following cranks in?

Cranks that run...

just subsurface to 1 foot

2-4'

4-8'

8-12'

You get the idea. Just some general principles on bass location in relation to structure and what works for you while cranking would be appreciated much.

[CarlWBL]

Calvinist,

In the spring, I love to throw shallow running crankbaits while the vegetation is just starting to get green and still below the surface. I love my DT3 Flat, which has a flat lip that bumps through cover nicely. I also use this bait in the summer to cruise over weeds that are in 8-10 fow. Lots of times the weeds in a clear lake will be about 4-5 feet high in this depth range, and a shallow runner that goes down 3-4 ft is great to bump off and run across the top of the vegetation. With the same thought in mind, I also like to throw a DT 7 or a DT10 in 10-15 feet of water where there is weeds.

If you find a weedline and you think the fish are close to the bottom or near transition areas, I often throw a crank parallel to the weedline and try to bump it off the hard bottom or get close to the bottom. Typically, you will want to make as long as a cast as possible, as cranks have a window of which they will remain in the appropriate depth range, and that window gets smaller with a shorter cast. Sometimes this is okay if you are trying to bring the crank down a ledge.

I have 1 DT 16 that I have thrown a few times with no success. Hopefully someone can help me out as well with that lure.

Carl

[Timmy D]

Love throwing cranks!

For me, most of my crankin is done with big, deep diving cranks. I am using it to not only locate fish, but it is a great tool to find the lay of the land, so to speak. Just casting around an area you can find weed egdes, hard bottom spots, soft bottom spots, rocks, drop offs, etc. So much valuable info can gathered.

For this application, bottom contact is very important. I am throwing baits that dive deeper than the water I am fishing so I am sure I am feeling what the bottom is doing. Most of my best areas are hard bottom areas, you can really feel your bait deflecting off the rocks or off the bottom. This will often draw a reaction strike.

I'm sure somebody cranks for suspended bass, but not this guy. They can have them. There are easier fish to target.

[polarsusd81]

Suspended bass can be a bit more difficult to catch but a very effective tool for them are lipless cranks. I have had a pretty good run this year with the Strike King Red Eye Shad, possibly my new favorite lipless.

[PerchJerker]

Last week a guy near me was muskie fishing over 30 fow just off a reef and landed a 14" largemouth on a big muskie crank that only runs down a couple of feet. Point being that bass was up very high in the water and not very close to the structure. I think there were small baitfish near the surface, thare was a lot of activity up there in several different areas of the lake.

[serpent]

timmy d is right. I fish cranks that dive deeper than

the water I'm fishing. If you find the hard bottom areas

hang on, its fantastic fishin. If theres weeds I fish one that will just touch the weeds. It gives it an erratic movement and triggers the fish to bite.

[hhguide]

if you get caught on a weed: either let your crankbait sit there or really rip it free that often triggers a bite!

[CALVINIST]

Thanks for sharing...every little bit of info I can glean helps.

[BassProAddict]

I know fluorocarbon sinks better than braid but I'm El Cheapo and I don't want to lose cranks so I go with braid.

Am I missing out a whole lot here?

[MNBassGuy]

In my opinion both braid and flouro are the wrong choice for cranking. You want something that has a little bit of stretch to it like mono or copolymer. I would also recommend a rod that is a bit lighter action, if you can afford it, a fiberglass rod. The combination of the two will keep you from reacting too quickly and ripping the bait out of the fish's mouth.

Another thing to keep in mind is that as a general rule, the lighter the line you use, the deeper your crankbait will run.

[Timmy D]

I always crank with flouro.

I am using a rod design for crankin, these rods are very forgiving. I lose very few fish, and like most, I tend to get a little excited when a fish bites and probably set the hook to hard. I cannot think of a bite I've missed from pulling to hard. Lately, any lost fish are from break offs.(My fault for not retying as often as I should, but, when a school is going, the last thing on my mind is retying.)

My thought is if you are using a crankin rod which is soft and forgiving, then add a line that also streches maybe a double negitive. (Which for me doesn't equal a positive in this example.)

I really like the added sensitivity the flouro give for feeling my way around an area.

This is just what I has worked for me and I have confidence in it.

[hhguide]

I'm with timmy d I have a rod that doubles over when I get the hook on a crank thats my give i like the flouro line for the sensitivit also.

[EBass]

I have an E-Glass rod from Gander with 20lb braid. I like it. I figured if I rolled with mono and a noodle for a rod that would be too whimpy. Maybe I'm wrong?

It does help to have a stiffer rod to rip off of weeds. My noodle rod bends to easy. It's a MH too.

[CaptZ21]

I like the Loomis cranking rods, and almost always use flouro for most scenarios. The reasons for using flourocarbon are several. First of all the rod is designed to be forgiving, with a softer tip and more parabolic action it is able to soften any hard loads, and the flouro can be heavy wgt such and still attain deeper depths because it is thin for its wgt and it sinks. Also flouro is more sensative, helping you differentiate betweeen clipping weeds and soft bites. The lack of stretch in flouro is very helpful when ripping weeds say with a Mag Wart, it will help you rip throught the weeds where with mono you would have too much stretch to do this. Most of my fishing partners, many of whom fish cranks often agree with this observaton. Good luck

[BassProAddict]

So is braid HORRIBLE and just plain wrong for cranking?

[ocf1]

No, braid can be awesome for ripping it through weeds. Also i believe i have a bit better feel with braid than flourocarbon.

[Deitz Dittrich]

BPA-I would not use the word horrible. If matched with a soft enough rod it can be fine. ANd it all really depends on the angler as well. I only use braid on my cranking rod in the fall when my intention is the rip weeds. Otherwise its floro for me. I just loose to many fish with braid.

[BassProAddict]

Ok DD I hear you.But as I've mentioned, El Cheapo me doesn't wanna lose lures.I'm using 17lb fluoro on my pitching gear.

Is 17lbs fluoro a good test for crankin' line? Or am I safer with my 12lb braid?

Am I too chicken to decide on this by virtue of fear of lure loss? I mean am I gonna catch way less fish coz of this fear?

[polarsusd81]

I use braid for a lot of different applications and have only found a couple where I prefer to run copoly rather than braid. On my crankin stick I am currently running 30 lb spiderwire braid, and it is on a 7'-0" MH Moderate action St. Croix Pro Glass. The rod is soft enough to be able to use the braid in my opinion. I think I have only lost 4 or 5 fish that I have hooked this year with the combo. A couple of them even were my fault cause I thought I just had a heavy clump of weeds wrapped up until it jumped and through the hook, and both of them did have weeds wrapped up. I have put a couple hundred fish in the boat this season on it and it has worked great for me.

If I were using a glass/graphite composite or a 100% graphite rod, I would probably run mono or copoly for the little bit of stretch. In my opinion, the rod choice is much more important than the line choice for cranks.

If you are more comfortable with braid, go ahead and use it. You have to remember that just because someone says this is the best for me, it won't neccessarily be the best for you. Look at your situation, and fish with what works best for you and your budget. For years before I got my glass rod, I fished with my MH Fast graphite stick for cranks with 30 lb spiderwire and still did fine. I lost a few more fish, but I still caught a lot too.

[Deitz Dittrich]

BPA-IF I had to choose between those two lines, I would use the braid... 17 lb floro would be really stiff and I bet you would loose some action to the cranks.. not only that but they wouldnt dive as deep because the line thickness...

[BassProAddict]

Right now, I'm set to receive my Abu REVO Premier which will serve as my crank setup paired with my beautiful 6'6" G.Blanks Medium and fast action rod.

I have two braids I can load on it my 12lb Spiderwire or my 12lb Fireline Crystal.I'm not gonna get anything started by which brand is better so I'll limit the question to what are the DISTINCT properties of each of these lines (especially in relation to cranking).

Thanks.

[CALVINIST]

My understanding is that fluorocarbon and copolymers have very little stretch. Then why not just use braid? Is it because the difference between very little stretch (flouros and polys) and braid (no stretch) makes a big difference in loosing fish?

[Cecil]

Actually flourocarbon has MORE stretch than monofilament. The big difference is that typical mono has an elastic property to it that you feel. It takes flouro longer to contract especially when wet as it absorbs water a little bit.

I think the main advantage to using flouro when cranking is the depth it gets you on your baits. Flouro sinks and you don't have the "arc" you get with mono or braid which float. If you can imagine the "arc" from your rod to your crankbait when it reaches maximum depth, the less arc (or weight pulling up on your crank) the deeper your bait will go.

I have had situations where I will use Fireline when throwing crankbaits, but that is only when the only way that I can get them to bite is by ripping it through the weeds.

[TonkaBass]

CALVINIST that is a very good question. Most the time bass are in the cover, largemouths anyways. To catch them, your crankbait should deflect and bounce off cover. There are a few lures out there that I have used that you can consistantly catch bass without hitting anything. For the most part they cant stand something behaving in an odd manor and acting wounded and out of place!

[MNBassGuy]

Actually flourocarbon has MORE stretch than monofilament. The big difference is that typical mono has an elastic property to it that you feel. It takes flouro longer to contract especially when wet as it absorbs water a little bit.

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one, mate. Here's a few references:

From Bass Pro Shops:

"Minimal line stretch is another impressive fluorocarbon feature. Still not on par with most superlines, fluorocarbon beats monofilament when it comes to the stretch factor."

From Stripers 24/7:

"But stretch can also be perceived as a disadvantage of mono, since it may reduce the sensitivity needed to detect subtle strikes, as well as limit the angler's ability to set the hook solidly in certain situations, such as when bottom fishing in deep water. Mono also absorbs water, and can lose as much as 15 percent of its rated breaking strength when saturated. Lastly, mono weakens considerably under repeated exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays."

"Fluorocarbon also contains more material than mono, is non-porous, and has a harder finish. It's virtually a solid material that's denser than water. That means it sinks and doesn't absorb water, the latter quality enabling it to maintain its rated breaking strength whether wet or dry."

From Rick Tillson's HSOforum:

"..Due to the make up of the line it becomes virtually invisible under water. This allows it to be a top choice for finesse fishing or used for leader material. Fluorocarbons typically have less stretch than monofilaments which again makes the selection of your rod action very important."

From Bassresource.com:

Yet another advantage of this space age line is that fluorocarbon has less stretch than typical nylon or copolymer monofilaments.