I would like to take a few minutes to try and help out fellow anglers who are either new to fishing, or are just having trouble catching fish on crankbaits. There are several important factors which must come into play for one to be successful with crankbaits.

The 2 most important factors when crankbaiting are the depth at which the fish are holding, and their location in relation to structure.. You must know the depth in order to choose one that achieves that depth and remains there during the majority of the retrieve, and the location so you will be able to make the proper presentation.

Referring to depth, a suspended bass will be VERY difficult to get to bite a crankbait because in order to be effective, one must "Bounce" a crankbait off of some form of object.
I.E.Tick the tops of weeds, bump the stump, dig bottom, etc.

You must bring the lure either above the fish, or on the same level of the fish, because they can not see directly below or behind themselves.

When fishing a particular piece of structure or cover, make a long cast past it, and bring it back so that your lure is in the strike zone at the moment it reaches the potential bass ambush point.When it bumps the cover, pause it or give it a sudden burst of speed. This will trigger a strike.

You can fish a crankbait effectivly on almost any form of structure. Points,flats,ledges,dropoffs,roadbeds,riprap,sandbars,Etc.

One of my favorite techniques when fishing flats or the backs of creeks is to take a crawdad colored crank that runs about a foot deeper than the bottom, and reel it steadily causing it to churn bottom and stir up a commotion. I have caught some really large bass doing this.

If you have been catching bass on a certain size and color of crankbait, and they stop hitting or slow down, try simply changing colors.
Trust me, it works.

Let the fish tell you what they want. Listen to them. Don't be afraid to try different sizes, styles, colors and retrieves untill you find what the fish want.

Try this sometime. Take 3 lures of the same color, but in three different sizes, and try the following retrieves.

 

1.Slow and steady. 2.Slow and steady, pausing when bumping cover. 3.slow and steady, then "rip" the lure when contacting cover. Then try a medium retrieve with each above technique.
See which one catches you the fish.

Color is also a factor, but mainly lies in what you have confidence in and what the primary forage fish/bait is in your area.

Wood vs. plastic.

 

Plastic cranks are pretty much uniform. One Excaliber wiggles pretty much like the others, as does Bomber,Rebel, ect.
Wood, because of the difference in densities in different pieces of wood, no two wooden cranks will have exactly the same action. I prefer wood because it does produce a more erratic action.

Cranking Equipment:

 

This is another area that is important.

Reel:

I prefer a slow retrieve reel, like the Pflueger Trion LP Cranking reel. It has a 4.3:1 Gear ratio which is absolutly ideal for dragging a big, deep running, hard pulling crankbait through the water. The slower ratio makes it easier on the  angler, and presents the bait in a more lifelike manner.It also will not bind up as easy as a fast reel.

Rod:

An E-Glass or all Glass rod is an absolute must for a serious crankbaiter. I like the Falcon Crankbait rod, which is A graphite composite. You need the limber tip and flex these rods have in order to help land the fish.Many fish are lost due to too stiff a rod.
Line:A good line is a must. You want one with minimul stretch in order to achieve a good hookset. You also need the right # test. 10# test is what is recommended by most manufacturers, and their depth ratings are based on it. However, you can expect that for each lb test you increase, you loose 2 feet of depth. Adversly, if you drop below 8 lb test, you also begin to loose depth. I use 12 myself.

Use sharp hooks: This can NOT be overemphasized. Sharp hooks catch more fish.

Tuning A Crankbait:

 

Fortunatly, most of the premium baits available today usually do not need to be tuned before use. However, if your bait should begin to run off to on side, tune it as follows.
Hold the bait in your hand facing the bill. If the bait runs to the right, bend the eye SLIGHTLY to the LEFT. If to left, bend to RIGHT.Repeat until bait runs true.


Crankbait Types: There are three basic body types which I will talk about.

1.Potbellied: (Mann's depth series, Bomber Fat A, Bagleys B Series, Bandit, Etc.). My personal favorite style. These lures are built bulky, and produce a wide, hard wobble.As much as 6 inches, based on lure size and retrieve speed. They are designed to resemble bluegill and pearch.

2.Flat, or Slim baits: (Excaliber Fat Free Series, Bomber Flat A, Shad Rap, Ect.). These baits are slim, trim, and sleek, and are designed to best immitate shad.They produce a tight, fast wooble/wiggle, and are better when fish are not as agressive.

3.Lipless Cranks: (Rat-L-Trap, Ect.): These have a very tight wiggle, and rattles, and are designed to imitate baitfish in general.They work well anytime the water is above 55 degrees.


Crankbait Depths.:
Here are the basic catagories of depth for most cranks.

Super Shallow: 0-2feet
Shallow:2-4 feet
Medium:4 -6 feet
Deep:6-10 feet
Extra Deep:10-18 Feet.

You can generally tell the average running depth of a crankbait by the shape and position ot the lip in relation to the body.

Example. A Bait with a short narrow bill at a hard angle down from the body will tell you it is a SS or S runner. A moderate angle down from body, a medium/deep runner. A long wide bill straight out from the nose is a XD runner.

Types of wooden crankbaits:
Cedar: Not very common.Ony Poe's makes these. A heavy, almost neutral Bouyancy.

Balsa: The most Common.A lightweight wood used by Bagley, Rapala, and most makers. It is Extremly Bouyant.

Jelutong:My favorite. Bouyant, Lightweight and Produces a good action.Not as common as Balsa, but more so than cedar. Bouyancy of Balsa, strength of Cedar.




TIP:

When Fishing submerged weeds within 3 feet of the surface, try fishing a Lipless crankbait on a fast retrieve reel and heavy line(17-20#).The heavy line will help slow the fall of the lure and keep it out of the weeds, and the reel will burn it back. A Super shallow running crank will also work with this tip.



Good Fishing,
Charles Graves