Post by cory on Jan 7, 2007 11:51:59 GMT -6
Crankbaits
By: Cory Dorsey
There are many lures out there that can be considered the most versitle bait out there, and the crankbait is one of them. Crankbaits offer anglers the chance to cover the entire water column using the same color bait, just with different diving depths. With the countless colors and patterns used on today's crankbaits, it is very easy to "match-the-hatch" and have a productive day.
Popular Colors:
Many of the popular colors used on crankbaits are ideal to imitate many different types of foriage. For example, a fire-tiger colored crankbait might be used to imitate a bluegill in one body of water, and a shad in another. Many of the popular colors include shad imitating colors like pearl, white, silver and chrome colors. Perch and sunfish imitating baits can be found in the colors chartreuse blue back, chartreuse black back, brown and chartreuse, and firetiger. Crawfish imitating patterns are the third popular color crankbaits can be found in. Because crawfish colors and patterns differ so much, the colors vary as well. Browns, oranges, khaki, blacks and blue will cover most crawfish types and colors. Having a good variety of these colors and styles of crankbaits in your tacklebox will provide you the opportunity to be a more versitle fisherman on the water.
Water clarity is also a factor when chosing a color. You may be trying to imitate a crawfish with dark coloration, but the water is clear. Those two things just don't mix. Try using an orange colored bait to allow the fish to see it better. Dirty water is the exact opposite. If you are trying to imitate a bright colored crawfish, you will be better off switching to a dark color such as brown or black. Again, this all boils down to the fish being able to see the bait.
Hooks:
Hooks are often overlooked when selecting a bait, but are an extremely important part of the crankbait. By switching out the standard hooks on a crankbait for a new set of stronger, sharper ones will make a great difference in the number of fish you land. By adding a red hook to the front, you might also increase your catch. The red coloration looks like blood to a bass and that means an easy meal. Never forget that better hooks mean less of a chance losing that monster bass!
Wobble Types
The wobble of a crankbait will often determine if you are productive or not. A tight wobbling crankbait will be best in 45-60 degree water, while a wide-wobbling crankbait will work best in 60 degree and up water temperatures. Tight wobbling crankbaits displace less water and can be worked a little faster than the wide wobblers. They are ideal for shallow water when the fish are actively feeding, when vibration is less needed than it is in deeper water. Wide wobbling crankbaits are well-suited for deep water fishing, such as during the summer season, because of their vibration. Vibration is the key ingredient when fishing deep, so wide wobbling crankbaits are the best. To determine when to use a wide or tight wobbling crankbait is easy, because it normally relates to the depth you are fishing. If you are fishing 1-7' deep a tight wobble would be good. Anything deeper 7' deep is a good time to use the wide wobbling style. You may need to experiment with wobble types in different depths to see what works. Always let the fish tell you what to use.
Cover and Deflecting
Cover is one of the only places that crankbaits will produce. Cover holds baitfish, and you know what baitfish attracks! If you are fishing trees and laydowns in shallow water, square bills are best to use because they allow the bait to deflect off a limb or stump without hanging up. That can be related to fishing any type of cover if you are deflecting your bait. This presentation is a dynamite choice any time of the year because fish can't resist it. What fish doesn't want an easy meal? In fact, what fish won't eat an easy meal? When deflecting a crankbait, you are doing just that, providing an easy meal. When your crankbait deflects off a limb, let it sit for a few seconds. This imitates a stunned baitfish. Bass can't resist this!
Line
Line is arguably the most important thing as far as equiptment is concerned. Light line allows you to get that crankbait down an extra foot or two.
Ike says, "A Norman Deep Little N on 12 lb. line will run approximately 10.5 feet. On 10 it will run 12, on 8 it will run 13.5, on 6 in the 15 range. On 14 it will run in the 9 range on 17 it will run about 7.5 feet and so on and so on. On an average expect about a foot and a half depth change with every line size change."
That just goes to show that line is key in getting that bait deeper.
Rods and Reels
Many anglers think of crankbaits as a bait that should be tied on a medium-heavy to heavy action rod for power and a high-speed reel to horse the fish in. That is where they go wrong. Medium action rods delay your reaction time when fishing a crankbait which allows the angler to land more fish.
Reel speeds are also important. You will not always want to slow-roll that crankbait do you? That is why a medium speed reel is a good reel to use. It does not allow you to burn the crankbait like many anglers do. A 5:1 to 1 ratio is a good reel to use because it allows the crankbait to produce the action it should which drives bass crazy.
Cost
The cost of a crankbait can be outragous at times. They can sometimes cost $20-30 for the same bait you can pick up for $5-6. You will often find custom crankbaits to be twice as much of the price of a normal crankbait. This is because of many things, material being one. You might pick up a custom crankbait for $15 and see the same pattern the next day for $3-4. The thing is, the custom crankbait might be balsa or some other type of wood, and the cheaper crankbait is more than likely plastic. Wood crankbaits are obviously harder to produce, because most of them are hand-carved or done on a lathe. Custom crankbaits are also hand-painted and extremely detailed. You can pick up a quality crankbait in the price range $5-10, sometimes cheaper. Shop around and compare bait qualities and brands in different prices to see which one works best for the price.
I cant believe I forgot that!! I'm going to add that right now. Thanks a million for the help.
