A few other crank questions

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Didn't wanna hijack the other thread.

I'm kinda new to cranks too. This was the first year I'd ever used them, and I had a blast especially in May and June. Bombers in a orange crawl were best.

How do the pros use them? Are they diggin the bottom on every cast?? Or do they often cast in open water to find suspended fish too?

This year, the only technique I used was casting parallel to the bank and lettin it just eat the floor up. Sometimes I'd burn it. I lost one very large LM this year because I forgot my net and was chicken lip her in with the DD-22 in her mouth. But I've not used any other technique except diggin the rock.

I've had absolutely no luck whatsoever with rattletraps (blue/silver chrome), and I've given them a fair shake. I've tried slow, fast, yo-yo, deep, shallow...nothing. Don't know what I'm doin wrong there.

 

[username]

Most of the fish I catch on crankbaits are burning it at a pretty fast pace and most of the time I'm digging the bottom up. I like to fish river & creek ledges with'em where I'm casting them in about 5-7' and bringing them off into the channel. The DT16 Rapala is a killer bait for this as it dives very rapidly as opposed top the DD22 which takes while to get down.

Dont give up on those traps. If you fish Priest, try red crawfish patterns in February & March and you'll catch some pre-spawn hogs in very shallow water. Like 6-12"

 

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I do fish Priest often. I've let up a lot lately because of the heat.

I don't have a DT16 in the box, but I will after this week.

 

[bowriter]

I'll just tell you what I know. I don't fish cranks much expecially the big, deep divers. But the last couple years I have had to learn a little something about them.

First thing I learned was that the rod is extra important. Second thing I learned was sometimes you burn that sucker down deep as soon as it hits the water, then slow down and fish it just like a jerkbait. That's what I had to learn. I was use to just bumping and pumping and reeling right along.

But I truly hate cranks and next to someone who really knows how to fish one, I am Ned in the first reader.

 

[username]

Newsome, Go ahead and pick up a good lure retreiver too if you fish Priest. I actually use the DT10 alot as well for burning up those 7-10' flats up there and have had a lot of good results on the black & red crawfish color at night. The white green back is usually what I throw in the day up there. Beware of a 15lb hybrid!

 

[Headhunter]

I have made several posts along this subject. This year I have one good day, (only tried 3 times) fishing a drop off, hump, etc.
I was fishing a 700 series bandit. I caught 2 that were within an ounce of 5 lbs on my boga grips, 3 that were close to 4 and 15 or 16 from a 1lb to 3lbs. If you fish priest go ride the river channel or look at a map for humps. If you have a quaility depth finder, look for the baitfish and the bass should not be far away. One thing to remember is the oxygen content on Priest is terrible this time of year, I would guess from Bryant grove toward the river I would not fish over 18 ft deep very much. Also remember the fish can hang right on the drop or they can position where you need to anchor on top of the drop and throw a worm over the drop and bring it back up or they can be right in the middle of a flat area (I will usually roam these areas with a crankbait, a Poe's 300, 400 or 400P, which the newer ones are terrible to try to get to run correctly, a Mann's 30+ crankbait, or now the bandit 700) I can fish down to 11' with a poe's 300, to 16' with a poe's 400 or to just over 20' with poe's 400P, these depths are with a cast and retrieve. I like to throw a plastic worm, a large spinnerbait or one the above crankbaits. If you spend time you can find "schools" of bass on Priest. I do not have any luck if my crankbaits are not digging the bottom, and I will try many different retrieves, just try to make sure that the crankbait is in contact with the bottom. I prefer a texas rigged worm over anything (do not be scared to try a 4" worm, some days they are the trick) or even a 10" worm, and I do not really like deep diving crankbaits, but I have caught a world of fish on them. Here is a picture, several years ago, gone from the house an hour or so and we came back with these (I have posted before)

Here is a texas rigged worm day with my dad, we let go over 50 bass that day including 4 that over 5 lbs.

 

[Headhunter]

Newsome, my favorite rattle-trap is a 1/4 oz silver tennessee shad color. I fish it in the spring where there is a lot of wind blowing into a bank, the more wind the better. Try that next year. I do change the hooks and put a #4 and a #6 gamakatsu treble hook with the larger hook on the back of the rat-l-trap.

 

[Headhunter]

Before anyone wants to get upset, the first picture was when there was basically no length limit on bass in Tennessee and the limit was 10 per person per day. Me and a buddy caught the fish along with about 20 more that day.

 

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Very good info HH. Thanks.