Cranks

[Fever]

Going through cranks admitedly because I'm a bit bored, can't go icefishing today and I'm slightly addicted to deep cranking as of late. Anyway, over these past few seasons I've been accruing quite the collection and I was looking for any input as to what I could add this year. I have been targeting deep structure like sunken islands, humps, and points where I've found harder bottoms with rock, rubble, and sand anywhere from 14 - 20ish feet and I've had possitive results. Using the Rapala DT series (16 & 20), Spro little John DD, Strike King Pro 6XD, Bomber fat free suspending, Norman Deep Diver 22's and a couple Jackall deep series cranks. I'd like to add a few luck craft flat CBD series cranks but cant justify the 18.00 price due to possible pike bite offs. Looking at Cabella's X-Deep pork Chop cranks as a possible purchase. Currently, I'd have to say my personal favorites are the Spro Little John's and the Jackall's, with the Bomber fat free suspending a close third. Any other thoughts?

[Larson15]

The spro little johns are my favorite for deep cranking. I cannot justify spending the extra cash for anything more than these.

[RK]

Couple to add to the list would be Poe's 400s, and, if you can find them, Yo Zuri 3D cranks. The bigger Bandit cranks are ok too.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm (<--totally disinterested in the game now that all the Buffalo wings are gone...)

[TonkaBass]

I tossed the lucky craft a few times this past season and it got down to 19 ft for me but it didn't touch some of my other favs. The down deep fat raps are golden. I also like the dt16s a lot and the bandit 700 cranks are not bad either. That ddfatrap really deflects when it hits though, a lot more than any of the others. The 3/4oz. Hot lips express is a solid 20 foot diver too. Gets deep and catches them ok. How did you like the little john? I have yet to throw that one even though I wanted to.

[Larson15]

The one I forgot to mention is called the backstabber which is basically what its name implies. Instead of the first hook being underneath it is on top. I used this last year on a few rocky spots where I would always get hung up. They seemed to work pretty good.

[Fever]

I really like that spro Little John DD. It has tungsten rattles in it that kick out some deep thumping thuds and it casts real far because of that tungsten too. Also, hooks ultra sharp. Nice color patterns too. Price a touch high at about 11.99 or so.

[mozy]

You might want to take a look at the Mann's DD 20+ and 30+. I haven't used them yet, but plan to this summer. It will interesting to see they will hit anywhere near 30ft.

[TonkaBass]

I have tried them and the deep dark secret get down at 15 or 16 feet. Caught some nice ones on it, but sometimes the rocks give the bait action

[ssaamm]

Hellbenders and lazy ikes kick butt for the fish in their golden years.

[Deitz Dittrich]

as RK said, though the good ones are hard to get a hold of.. the old Poes 400 and 400+ are my mainstays.. I like the fact that they dont have rattles.. If you are cranking that deep, more than likely you have very clear water. No need for rattles.. Fat free shads also have got me a lot of fish.

[Irish]

How many people fish the classic Norman DD22s? They are the only truly deep diving crankbaits I own but that is mainly because of their low price. Haven't had much success on them but I don't think I have been fishing them in the right areas...

[Larson15]

For the money and the vast variety of color selection the Norman dd22 is a great bait that I have done well with. The only thing I dont like about them is that they dont get down as deep as some of the others I use. I can only get them down to about 17ft which for me means they get fished in 14-16ft.

[Fever]

Hey Dietz, I happen to really like the rattles or some type of sound chamber on a deep crank. I think of it as anything to get attention or cause a comotion down there. I will change up and cast a non rattling crank if I get no attention at all with a noise producing crank, or if I catch a few with a rattle then the bite stops, I'll switch it up in order to appeal to other fish that are in the area. I think even with clear water the light at 20 feet is less down there and the rattle has to help attract more attention. After reading your post though, maybe I'll try the non rattling cranks a bit more.

Thanks.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Dude, dont change because of me.. I am not saying I am right by any means.. Just from my own testing, I have done better on non rattle in clear water.. I seem to catch bigger fish on the non rattles.. I have even gone so far as to take rattle cranks and drill a hole and glue in the rattles.. WHich if done incorrectly can be costly.. LOL

[Cecil]

Yeah, he only knows how to drop shot...

[RK]

Yeah, he only knows how to drop shot...

Ouch...

[Wayne Ek]

Ya... and drop-shotting cranks is really, really difficult.

[RK]

Hiya -

I'm kind of with Deitz on the clear water thing. I fish some pretty clear water, and have done better on quiet cranks, which is why I like Poes and Rapala's DT series as much as I do. I think this is especially true when I'm fishing a crank slowly through a deep weed edge.

I've done the same thing as DD with drilling holes and squirting in super glue to freeze rattles in place. Works most of the time, but you wreck a bait or two once in a while.

That all having been said... There have been times in mid-summer when I've done better on big, loud baits. It's usually been after periods of stable weather when fish are pretty fired up, or when there's an algae bloom in otherwise clear water.

I'm pretty stoked about Strike King coming out with silent versions of their Series 5 and 6 cranks. I like them a lot, but have wished they came in a silent version. A silent Series 5 in their new Bluegill color will be pretty slick I think.

[Cecil]

There are times when silent cranks work very well.

The next big thing in cranks will be speed cranks IMO. There were a lot of guys cranking as fast as the baits would allow last year on some of the Elite tourneys. And not baits like traps, they were deep diving cranks. Takes reaction bite to a new level.

[Superduty]

The lowly balsa shad rap(not the plastic or suspending models) still puts a lot of bass in the boat. About as silent as it gets for a crankbait. Too bad they don't make a deeper diver.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Since someone else brought it up, its not a complete thread hijack..

I have dropshotted a crankbait.. And I did catch fish.. Just sayin.

[Superduty]

Since someone else brought it up, its not a complete thread hijack..

I have dropshotted a crankbait.. And I did catch fish.. Just sayin.

Not as crazy as it sounds. Trolling cranks with a a 3 way rig is a common walleye technique on the rivers.

[Irish]

3 way rig smacks smallies on the river!

[delmuts]

Hmmmm!! I'm trying to vision DD in his BassCat," back trolling!"

[Fever]

Well, I'm glad this thread took this route. I now have a slightly different view of my crank selection. I get what you guys are saying about rattles vs no rattles and the clear water along with the mood of the fish. I personally have fished more algae bloom lakes with my rattling cranks and really didn't think of it. Lucky I guess. I too have quite a selection of deeper DT's and will use them more often now in the clearer lakes. While I'm here, has anyone heard of a deep crank called "the dredger" It has along lip, and at the end of the lip, it has some lead formed around it. It also has hooks that completely rotate as to not give fish any leverage against hook shaft or swivel clip. I do have one but its still in box from late last fall and haven't used it yet. Looks like the idea of that one is to be on bottom or very close to it making contact no matter what. I like the idea of hte hooks rotating completely too.