Crank issues

[blue_healer_guy]

No there is nothing wrong with my sex life, but sometimes they glide off to the side and come to the surface. I mainly run deep divers and such and seem not to have problems with shads or the like. A buddy told me I should be using something other than a snap swivel. He says the part where you put the lure in is round, thus giving more freedom for tails/deep divers to work. Anybody know what he is talking about?

[Nodak7mm]

From what your saying, sounds like there "blowing out" to the side. One of two things: Out of tune or running to fast. I suspect they are simply out of tune. Use a crosslock/duolok and tune em up to run straight. Gently tweek the eye of the crank in the direction you want it to go..... Good luck..

[PerchJerker]

I agree, cranks running to the side need to be tuned, it is not the snap swivel that is causing that problem.

Don't run snap swivels on your cranks (they kill the action) but you can run snaps - I like speed clips, most guys like duoloks.

[blue_healer_guy]

Thanks guys, I'll try it. These cranks I just bought, about 15, only half worked out of the box.

[tunrevir]

I generally tend to agree with running duolocks and speed snaps rather then a swivel and even will tie direct at times to find the best action on a bait especially if it has a split ring on the lip, however, sometimes to tame down a wider wobbling bait a small snap swivel can out produce a duolock or speedclip. If I'm nightfishing then a speed clip or duolock is really handy however, sometimes a direct tie or swivel can decrease the action just ever so slightly and improve your catch. If you are fishing with others then experiment and let the fish tell you what is the best option. My .02...

Tunrevir~

[Mike Walerak]

I do use snaps, but overall I prefer to use the Rapala Knot to attach my plug to the line if I am not changing baits often.

mw

[Northlander]

What kind of cranks? Reef Runners? I have had many of them bad out of the box. I will use a small snap swivel at times. I guess because Im at times on Lake Superior trolling spoons and take the spoons off and troll cranks after with the same rods. I do agree the duolock snaps are the way to go though.

Sounds like your baits are out of tune. Take a needle nose and just slighty bend the eye back in the proper direction to straighten it out. Dont need much.

[blue_healer_guy]

Northlander, yep reef runners and little rippers. Bought 8 of each in different colors and only half worked out of the box. I'll tweek em and hopefully that will along with duolocs will work. Thanks again guys.

[Muddog]

Once in a great while you will notice that a crank bait dosn't run like it should. Sometime it is becase there is a water stream flowing sideways to the way you are heading. find the edges and you will find fish, 9X out of 10.

[Borch]

Quote:

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Northlander, yep reef runners and little rippers. Bought 8 of each in different colors and only half worked out of the box. I'll tweek em and hopefully that will along with duolocs will work. Thanks again guys.

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The reef runners are really touchy. Even when tuned perfect they will kick out occassionally. Especially at higher speeds. In fact this oten works to your advantage as the kick out can be a trigger for a strike. I use a lot of the little rippers.

[Muddog]

I read in-a fishing mag that reef runners are made to "kick out" once in awhile. A built in pump of the rod so to speek.

[Northlander]

I doubt that. Building a crank with a "Built In Kick Out" would be one tuff deal. How would you keep it consistant so it didnt foul all the time? Sounds like a way for RR or whoever wrote the article to justify how many RR's are untuned out of the pack.

[Team Otter]

Yet another sales pitch revealed.

[Muddog]

I went out to the lake last Saturday. I was thinking about what you said about reef runners. I didn’t have any in my tackle box so I used Tail Dancers (part of the same family of Lazy Ike-Banana baits). I found an area were the wind was blowing the surface water to the south across shallow water near a point which worked as a wind break. I would troll a TD 9 65’ back in 5’ of water, going from the calm water to the wind swept water past the point. In the calm water the TD 9 would be hammering the bottom but as soon as it made its way into the chop I would loss contact with the bottom. On the way back from the chop the calm the opposite would happen.

I find this to be a vary useful tool to find break lines that no one else looks for.

So when you are trolling along a large bar and all of a sudden you loose contact with bottom and find yourself going way to shallow to reestablish it. Keep in mine, you may have just found a fish magnet at the edges of this water flow.

[Muddog]

Oh! I all most forgot. Yes there were Walleyes along that break line Saturday. Slow bite! A lot of hits but few hookup and all fish that came to the boat were hooked outside of the mouth.

[Willy]

It is in the Oct., Nov., Dec., Walleye In-sider. I read it too. It is in an article called "Slippery when Wet". It's about banana baits.

[Muddog]

In-Fisherman. Oct-Nov. River Walleyes, too if your talking about them kicking out.

[Team Otter]

I read that too but I still don't buy the concept. There's too much unknown of a lure "kick-out" to call it a tried and true concept. A wider wobble, yes. Anything more than that I think is a stretch.

[blue_healer_guy]

Got an opportuntity to fish and tune up some of those kick outs this past weekend. It works but the fishin was slow. I almost wish I didn't have those cranks lately, not much luck. They are turning me into a lazy fisherman.

[blue_healer_guy]

Muddog, I see we fish alot of the same waters, if you ever need a partner let me know.

[Muddog]

I would be up for that but time is short. I don't Ice fish much. Next spring I'll look you up. I may need a partner on 11/11 pool #4 though. I'll talk to Tom M, and get back to you.