Crankbait 101 - DEEP WATER CRANKIN'

Crankbait fishing can be taken to the level of science. Some anglers use only these lures all year long and in every depth and structure. They are a lot of fun to fish and produce some awesome strikes. The water column has to be worked from top to bottom to zero in one active bass. Here is some great information for down deep.

As my good friend and noted outdoor book author, Tim Tucker once said, “Over the past decade, the deep-diving crankbait has won over a legion of follow­ers that stretch from one end of this country to the other. Crankbait fishing has become a real art to dedicated diving lure fishermen, who have taken the time and effort to learn it’s intri­cacies. These knowledgeable an­glers have taken the crankbait from it’s “dummy-bait” reputa­tion to an advanced form of an­gling.

In the hands of a talented fish­erman who understands the prin­ciples of advanced deep-water crankbaiting, these diving baits are the most versatile of all fish­ing tools. With the proper educa­tion and enough practice, it’s possible to catch bass in place you could never reach — places you had avoided — or places where you never fished before.

With this in mind, I’d like to devote today’s column to the art of fishing these high percentage lures.

With super deep cranking, you need to understand the laws of physics. There are four re­quirements for extra-deep crank­ing — a long cast, light line, long rod and proper bait. A long rod that’s seven to seven and a half foot in length, accomplishes eight tasks, it allows:

• for more casting distance

• you to cover more wa­ter

• your bait to achieve greater depth

• the bait to stay in the strike zone longer

• you to move more line quicker

• for a better hook-set from a distance

• provides an even shock ab­sorber action, much like a fly rod

• and finally, it allows more lever­age on the fish during the fight.

OK, now let’s discuss another requirement and that’s the size of the line. What’s important here is the size of line used, dictates depth not in regards to the pound test of it, but the actual diameter of the line. The larger the diameter of the line, the more depth-robbing friction that’s created as the line is being pulled through the wa­ter.

When fishing, keep in mind, that what­ever line test you use, consider the actual diameter of the line. My choice for deep cranking is Magnathin, which has the small­est diameter for each pound test­ing rating. Example: 12-pound test Magnathin has an outside di­ameter of about 8-pound test regular monofilament.

Alright, now let’s discuss the final part of those four require­ments and that’s the proper lure.

Things to look for in a crankbait can be: a lip that allows it to dive vertically quickly, rather than horizontally; the ability to dart off objects without hanging; and maybe some rattles or sound chambers for added attention.

Other factors to consider are buoyancy, size, and overall design. With the latter in mind, note that there are times when a tight, fast-wiggling crankbait is more appealing to the bass than a wider, slower wobble. Other times the opposite is true. This is something you will have to experiment with.

Something else I’ve found out is that I seem to have better success in colder water with fat-body baits and with flat-sided baits in warmer water.

A discussion on deep-diving crankbaits would not be com­plete without talking about the best type of reel for this ap­plication.

Over the past 15 years or so, reel manufacturers have made tremendous strides in increasing the take-up speed of their prod­ucts. Today five-to-one and even six-to-one hi-speed reels are as common as knee-high tackle boxes. But with all of this, don’t get the idea that faster means better when it comes to crankbait fish­ing.

More speed does not neces­sarily translate into more depth. You need to realize that the high speed reels are moving your lure almost twice as fast as a slower ratio reel will.

Don’t make the mistake of be­lieving that the faster you crank, the deeper the lure goes. Two critical things happen when you try and burn the lure with a fast retrieve.

First, it effects the action of the lure and secondly, it won’t run at the same depth. Once you overcome the buoyancy factor of the lure itself, it will run at its deepest from that point. To gain maximum depth control usu­ally requires a moderate, comfortable re­trieve.

Let me tell you why a lower gear ratio reel works best for this kind of fishing

• lower gear ratio means slower retrieve speed and more power

• it forces the angler to fish a crankbait at a slower speed

• it maximizes depth and lure per­formance.

• lower gear ratio takes less ef­fort to retrieve with high resis­tance lures

• it causes less fatigue on the an­gler

• 4.4:1 (4 point 4 to 1) works best for deep-diving crankbaits, and is ideal for best lure action and speed.

Example: A 6.1 reel retrieves ap­proximately 28 inches of line per turn of the handle; a 5.1 is 22 inches; and a 4.4:1 to 18 inches, which is ideal.

Slower retrieves allows the lure to achieve greater depth by allowing the bait to work verti­cally, not horizontally — allowing a more deliberate, natural bait action as it digs the bottom and bumps structure — and it keeps the bait in the strike-zone longer

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