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Thread: Being in Tune! Crankbait Tune!

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    Default Being in Tune! Crankbait Tune!


    Ask yourself this question: Have I ever tuned anything in my life? If you’re like me, your answer is probably “no”. Our minds tend to immediately conjure up thoughts of pianos, guitars, banjos, and juice harps when we hear the word “tune”. Yes, there is actually something called a juice harp but that is another story for another time! We simply fail to think about all of the things we have actually “tuned” over the years. If you have ever changed spark plugs in your car, tinkered with a carburetor on an old lawn mower, changed the oil in your outboard, or souped up your kid’s mini-bike, then chances are, you have tuned something in your life!

    The definition of “tune” that we will discuss in this article is: to adjust (a motor, mechanism, or the like) for proper functioning. More specifically, we will be talking about “Tuning Crankbaits”!

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    To the average fisherman or person that doesn’t use crankbaits on a daily basis, the thought of tuning a crankbait seems strange. In fact, many fisherman that use crankbaits every day do not understand that they do not come “tuned” out of the box. This article aims at helping fishermen understand the importance of properly tuning a crank bait in order to get the best performance possible.

    Before we begin, it is important to understand that we are specifically speaking of “Lipped” style baits. These baits (even the ones designated as floating) will dive to certain depths based on the amount of line that is played out from where it enters the water back to the bait. If a lipped style crankbait is not properly tuned, the performance of the bait and depth to which it is set to run can be greatly reduced.

    The easiest way to tell if a crankbait is tuned properly is to put it in the water! Sounds simple right? First, one of the key things to understand is how you should affix your line to the bait. It is important to know that a vast majority of these baits are designed to be ran with a loose connection. What I mean is that they are NOT designed (tested would be a better word) to have the line tied tightly to the bait’s connecting point. An example of this would be the use of something like a fisherman’s knot. There are certain knots that can be utilized (Rapala actually sends out an information sheet specifically showing you how to tie this type of knot), but the most common way is to use some sort of terminal tackle. This could be done with a duo-lock style snap or a snap swivel. For me, I prefer the duo-lock because it has a larger end allowing the bait to move as designed. I am not concerned with line twist because crankbaits (by themselves) do not tend to perform loops in the water. Fish on the other hand can do some strange things. For this reason, my brethren to the south tend to run snap swivels. Not necessarily because of the fish they are targeting, but rather the non-target species that will hit their lure and then corkscrew in the water causing sever line issues.

    Have you ever started reeling in a crankbait and the faster you go, you notice it pulls to one side or comes out of the water way before it is supposed to? I know that I have! The reason for this is simple: the crank bait is out of tune. Fortunately, there is a simple way to remedy this issue!

    In order to tune a bait you must first know what the bait is doing in the water. The best way to accomplish this is to affix your bait to a spinning or casting rod and throw the bait out about 15 or 20 feet. Retrieve the bait in a straight motion with the tip pointed down towards the water. This should make the crankbait dive. As it dives, watch what the lure is doing. Does it tail off to one side or the other when you pull the bait? If it does, then your crankbait is out of tune!

    You might think that the easiest way to test your current tune would be to let out a small amount of line and then lift the rod tip while your boat is trolling in a forward motion. Unfortunately, due to turbulence that is produced by your boat, the trolling motor, your kicker motor, or your main engine, this is not the recommended practice for tune testing a bait. Sitting in an isolated area with little to no wind or chop will allow you the best vantage point to observe the baits as you cast and retrieve them.

    The easiest way to explain how to tune a bait is to move the position where you connect your line to the bait. More specifically, it is the “pull point” of the bait. Usually this is in the form of some sort of ring or metal loop attached to the bill of the crankbait. Which way you move it depends on the direction bait moves in the water as you test it. This explanation is given “as you look at the bait”. If your bait is planning out to the left, move the pull point slightly to the right. I use the word slightly because it doesn’t take much to change how the bait reacts in the water. Continue to test the bait as mentioned above until you are satisfied that the bait will run as true as you can make it! It is definitely a trial and error process.

    Until recently, there really has never been an easy way to make fine tune adjustments to the pull point of a crankbait. I’ve probably tried everything in my boat. Pliers, plastic handles, even a Barbie doll shoe (my daughter was having a fashion show on board) have all been used with some varying degrees of success.

    Off Shore Tackle has recently come out with a new “OR40 EZ Crankbait Tuner” that makes adjusting crankbaits a whole lot simpler.

    For a tournament angler, time on the water is precious. Because of this, we choose to tune all of our crankbaits during our off time. This new tuner allows us to make fine adjustments to the pull point of the bait without producing damage to the pull point. The key feature that sets the EZ Crankbait tuner apart from other tuners is its unique tension adjustment setting. A simple adjustment on the dial allows us to set the applied tension similar to a torque wrench. Once that tension is reached, the jaws will snap. Once we find the correct tension setting for a specific bait, we can quickly work through several baits in short order.

    For more information, pick up a copy of the latest “Offshore Tackle Release” and the checkout article from Mark Romanack on page 4. For a video demonstration please visit: https://www.facebook.com/offshoretackleco/
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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    I think that this be the best presentation on this topic that I can remember Being in Tune! Crankbait Tune!

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    tlefire is offline Crappie.com Legend * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Outstanding........and yes, I can play a juice harp
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    Quote Originally Posted by tlefire View Post
    Outstanding........and yes, I can play a juice harp
    It is a team thing at my house. I get juiced and wife harps about it.
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    Thanks for info, I just started pulling some last year.

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    Nice article Rich.They will be available soon, we are still finalizing the instruction sheet and the rest of the packaging for them. Stay tuned for more info (pun intended)!
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    Excellent information! Thanks!
    "A voyage in search of knowledge need never abandon the spirit of adventure."

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    Good read.....tuning is very important when you consider the fact that pulling 8 or more crankbaits anywhere from 2 to 4 ft apart.....they need to run true to keep from getting tangled up. And then when running true they run closer to desired depth etc and just perform better. Good article Rich.

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    I didn't even consider that one G. When pulling cranks, my mind is conditioned to pull them behind planer boards. As a result, they are spread out so we are less concerned with tangles due to imporper tuning as we are to not achieving the correct or desired depth based on the dive curve.

    I forget that we have tons of guys that pull cranks with varying lead length and rod lengths behind the boat. Tuning becomes even more important for the reason you mentioned. Thanks for the reality check!

    The swivel information was added because, at one point in time, I asked MrDux (Doug) why some people have issues with twisting. That is when he told me it wasn't so much about the lure twisting (a good crank shouldn't) or a crappie twisting or death rolling in the water, but rather the non target species doing a corkscrew. It made a ton of sense after his explaination.

    Of course, a year later, I'm fishing a walleye tournament, I hook a giant channel cat, and by the time I get it up, I have to cut 100ft of line off my reel due to line twist. I simply looked to the sky and said "Thanks for the info Doug"!
    I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"
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    bend the eye in the direction of the side that runs lowest in the water.
    Crappie bite twice a day. 15 minutes before I get there and 10 minutes after I leave.
    The two loudest sounds are a gun that goes bang when it is supposed to go click and one that goes click when it is supposed to go bang.
    If you rob Peter to pay Paul, you can generally count on Paul's vote.

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