Clackin' Cranks - opinions?

[mainbutter]

I've got two of these guys waiting for opener. Has anyone had a chance to throw these yet? Opinions?

I haven't even had a chance to throw clackin raps or crankin raps either, but heard good things about them last season. It will be interesting to see how combining the aspects of both lures performs.

[itchmesir]

when was the last time you heard a minnow or sucker clack as you put it on a hook?

[AaronM]

When did fish get ears? The sound produces vibration which is a primary method of feeding for fish. It's not the sound, in my belief, its rather the included vibration that produces the sound that draws the fish in. Take my two cents for what it is, but like everything in this world they have a time and a place. Will they produce any more fish for you in a given situation than something comparative? No. When the time calls for them, will they catch you fish? Absolutely. It's not the what, it's the when in fishing.

[Nick Kuhn]

I have some too I am yet to try. If nothing else they are a little heavier and should let you cover more water. I know head to head my brother was outfishing me clackin rap to red-eye shad.

[PerchJerker]

I have some clackin raps and like them at times, although overall I've done better on other rattle baits the last couple of years. Try them for sure, but if they're not working then change it up and see if something else works better. The clackin raps are a lot heavier and have a different action from the other rattle baits I use.

[slipperybob]

Don't fish like sheepshead have an ear like organ?

[RumRiverRat]

When did fish get ears?

Largemouth Bass have always had them.

5 Senses of the Largemouth Bass

The Largemouth Bass has the same five senses as most other game fish. Sight, sound, smell, taste and the lateral line. The Largemouth Bass uses each of these different senses to different degrees depending mostly on the water clarity and environment that they live in.

Smell and Taste

Smell and taste are likely the least used senses of the Largemouth. They have a poorly developed sense of smell due to the low number of olfactory folds contained in the nasal passages. The nasal contains 15-20 of these folds compared to 120 or more in some other game fish. Unless the water is very dirty or murky the bass will not rely on this sense nearly as much as others. The sense of taste is a bit more difficult to measure. Although many anglers use scented lures, sprays, gels or concoctions to doctor up their favorite lures, this practice is mainly to cover human scent more then to entice the fish to bite. But, I do believe that by adding scent to a lure it makes the fish hold on to the bait longer then they would with out the scent or taste.

Hearing

The hearing of a Largemouth Bass is a bit better the smell or taste but it is still not their main sense. They do not have “external” ears like a human but rather they have inner ears. These inner ears are made up of tiny bones that can pick up even the most subtle of sounds such as the click of a crayfish. It is for this reason that many anglers add rattles or some other means to add sound to their lures and baits.

The Lateral Line

The lateral line of the Largemouth Bass is much more utilized to find prey and hide from predators. The lateral line is basically a line of pores that extends from the gills to the tail along both sides of the fish. These pores are actually nerve endings that can sense very minor vibrations. By sensing these vibrations the bass can determine not only if prey or food is present but also help them detect if there are predators in the area. It is amazing that a bass can even tell how big something is through theses nerve endings. When sensing prey, the bass can detect them at some distance and they can swim in closer until they can use their best sense, sight, to move in for the kill.

Sight

The sight sense is the most used sense of the Largemouth Bass. In clear water they are able to see upwards of 30 feet. In dirty water it is much less and that is where the other senses kick in. The position of the eyes is key in this sense, a bass can see in every direction except back and down. The bass is also able to see colors very vividly. Many lures contain the color red, this make sense due to the fact that it not only seems like blood but the color red is also the easiest color to see up to about 10 feet deep. In water deeper then 10 feet bright colors are easier to see.

If an angler takes all these senses into account, you should be able to see that a loud, smelly, vibration ridden red or bright colored lure may be the best place to start when hunting for the Largemouth. Try a combination of any of these and the results should be stellar.

As have Walleyes

Fish Sense – Do fish have ears?

Fish have most of the five senses we do: vision, hearing, taste, smell but not touch. However they do have Lateral Line, which we do not. This 5th sense allows fish to find and detect the size of the their predator or prey, swim in compact schools and determine speed and direction of movement, as lateral line perceives movement and vibration in the surrounding water .

Fish are able to see brightness and color. Large Mouth Bass appear to have good color vision, and when near the surface of the water on a bright day, these fish may have the same range of color as you do. Some fish, like Walleyes, are limited to shades of red or green, However if the fish cannot see a certain color (as color is filtered out by water depth) they can identify an object.

Fish do not have external ears. They do however have an inner ear, and can hear sounds. Unlike vision and hearing they do have a highly developed sense of smell. Salmon for example, use this extraordinary sense of smell to track the odor of their home stream, from hundreds of miles away. Using smell, as with their lateral line, fish can detect predator or prey.

It is believed that fish do not have a highly developed sense of taste, although some fish taste food before eating it.

Tips from the fish sense, don’t bang you’re tackle box when fishing, because the fish will hear and feel the vibration and avoid the area. For Bass in muddy water, use noise making bait, or stink bait for those fish that react to smell, such as the Catfish.

[Slabasaurus]

The biggest game fish I've landed to date was on a firetiger clackin rap.

high 30" pike weighing 12lbs. Interestingly it's the only pike I've caught at night, and it was definitely after 10:30pm when I landed that one.

I've also caught plenty of smaller pike and a few largies on em too.

It's not usually the first thing I use, but it's definitely been successful.

[OnAFly]

I've got one. I never use it because I don't want to lose a TEN DOLLAR LURE!

Too pricey for me when the Rattlin' Rap does the trick for a third the cost.

[whitebassman]

I've had trouble with fish tossing the lure, mainly bass that is. And its not when they jump, but while they are in the water, shortly after hooking. Not sure if my technique is it (haven't had trouble with other cranks), or that particular clacking rap, or if hooks are poor, but they feel sharp.

So far DT4's are producing just as good for bass for me.

For eyes, I favor Lindy Shadling's anyways.

[BartmanMN]

Pike were slamming my firetiger clankin rap on Friday night.

[Ed Carlson]

The Clacking minnows cast very nice in the wind.

I ditched the goofy rear hook right off.

Have yet to catch a walleye on it though.

Drum like them apparently.