crankbaits

[slopmaster]

does anyone use the Cabela's RealImage Plus Jointed Rad Shad baits. I was just wondering if they are worth trying and how deep the 2 1/8 inch one ran. Thanks for any info

[BigWadeS]

I can't remember how deep that one runs, but I have a pile of cabelas cranks and love them. They are very life like and I have had good luck with them. What size of reef runner or rap is it similar too?

[slopmaster]

im not quite sure if it is similar to the #4 or #5 shad rap its one of them but if it runs similar to them i will have a good idea of how deep they run

[Fishin4Life]

Do you guys prefer the jointed cranks or the regular?

[BigWadeS]

Depending on the size of the lip I would say a broad longer lip on that size would be from 8-12 and short lip would be 2-6, should be a fairly close guess, some of mine also say on the bottom of the lip in small writing...

I prefer regular body cranks most of the time, especially if I am casting, in summer months I tend to use the jointed in warmer water...

[ocf]

i only use jointed when i am trolling

[PerchJerker]

I don't own and haven't used any Cabelas brand crankbaits myself, but have fished with guys that have some and they are satisfied with them. Occasionally I hear about someone who really prefers the Cabelas baits.

I don't use jointed shad raps very often, but I love casting them for walleyes on shallow rocks, and they make a great multi-species search lure when trolling, --- but other than that I don't get them out of the box very often.

I would say that for strictly walleye fishing I use non-jointed baits 2/3 of the time when casting, and 95% of the time when trolling. If I'm not specifically targeting walleyes then I use the jointed baits a little more.

[icollectfrogs]

My son was using the new Rapala deep diving Tail dancer last weekend in the perch color. It produced a 29" 27" 25" walleye in a couple hours on Mille Lacs. I had to go buy a couple more. I was using a reef runner and he caught 3 to my 1. Tail dancer went 29' deep the reef runners 27' deep. We were fishing the gravel and when those big walleyes hit you know it!!

[slick814]

I've got a bunch of the Cabela's Walleye Runners in different colors and sizes, and have found them to be every bit as good as the Reef Runners of the same shape, but about a dollar less per bait, so you can pick one or two more up for the same $$... Haven't tried the Rapala Tail Dancers, but they look like a nice deep diving lure, and I can't remember the last time that Rapala made something that didn't work...

[BigWadeS]

not sure if this is the right thread to attach this to or not but here it goes,

I am wondering for crank baits if it would work to attach them to a leader say 4 or 5 feet which is attached to a weight (bottom bouncer or lindy no snagg) to reach the maximum depth if they would still perform and swim in the manner...does anyone or has anyone ever done this with any success?

[PerchJerker]

BigWadeS

Yes, you can run cranks behind a weight like you described. You can also use a keel (bead and chain) sinker or a few split shot.

The action of the bait will be fine as long as you have a long enough leader (3-4 feet is long enough) and are going an appropriate speed for the bait you're using.

If I add weight to my cranks it is usually with a 3-way rig or with leadcore line. Leadcore is a little more advanced and technical but 3-ways are very easy to run and are very effective. My preference would be to use a 3-way instead of a bottom bouncer or Lindy No-Snagg.

[HEUY]

I would use a snap on style weight to get a lure to go deeper. I'm too cheap to buy the real thing so I just made some up myself. Especially with spinners they work well. I don't use 3 ways or bottem bouncers anymore. Sometimes it is nice to run only 50 ft of line with a 3 oz weight to get a crankbait to go s\as deep as you want it to. Helps if you are trolling along some sharper corners.