Fishing With Crankbaits
Crankbaits work great for a variety of fish: all types of bass, walleye, Northern Pike and more. They are designed to run along the bottom of the lake or river. They work best around trees, stubs, rocks, wood piles, bowies, and just about any type of bottom save a grassy are weedy bottom. However, using a high test line, you can muscle it out of the weeds if you don't mind the hassle.
Despite having two Treble Hooks-- these lures are contact lures-- meaning they are made to bounce off structure and you will get more bites when you use them this way. When you retrieve these lures, they will do a nose dive, this almost makes them snag proof because the body of the lure shields the hooks. The length and size of the lip will determine the depth the lure will run at. Most manufactures will include this information on the package. Because you want the lure to run on the bottom, choose a crankbait that will run at the depth of 8 feet if your fishing in 8 feet of water.
Cast the lure well past your designated spot. This will give your lure time to reach the desired depth when it reaches the strike zone. I prefer a slow action rod with 14 to 20 pound test. Slow action rods are more flexible: this will give the fish a little more time to swallow your crankbait when you set the hook. A fast action rod ( which is a stiffer rod ) will have a faster hook set, this can often cause you to miss bites because your jerking the bait out of the fishes mouth. However, medium action rods work pretty good as well. I also prefer monofilament line because it will stretch and this will also prevent you from missing hits.
Another good thing to know is that the diameter of your line effects the depth that your lure will run at. Ten pound test will run deeper than 14 pound test when using the same lure. The thicker line just has more buoyancy.
I always have had the most success with the crankbaits that have good side-to-side action. Look at your lure in the water and make sure your getting good side-to-side action. I also like crainkbaits that rattle, especially when I'm fishing in dirty water.
Author: Jamie L Roberts
I have been fishing for a number of years and I have acquired some proven techniques that I believe will help most fisherman. You can read my blogs at http://fishermansbox.com