Trolling crank baits

I`ve enjoyed reading all the posts on these forums and appreciate how more seasoned fishermen help newbies with ideas and suggestions. I`ve fished for most of my life but not so much for crappie. It seems like trolling with crank baits is a popular way to find fish and cover a larger area.

I want to give it a try but have questions..?

I own a 14 ' jon boat equipped with a 2.2 Mercury engine and a Minn Kota trolling motor .The boat serves my needs to fish small to medium reservoirs here in Virginia.

My questions

1. Would 2 rod holders mounted to the stern be okay to pull cranks or would it be better to have them at the side?

2. This sounds stupid but do I troll with my gas motor or strictly use the trolling motor I have mounted on the stern? I read posts on here that trolling speed is critical.

Any other tips?


Thanks!

I would put one rod out to the side on each side or you could mount your holders at the back and turn them to the side. Remember line out is measured from where the line enters the water....so you have to add what's from the tip of the rod to the water to that amount. Trolling speed for crankbaits is 1.2 mph to 1.9 mph. Most trolling depth charts are figured at 1.8 mph with 10 lb. Mono

Click on this and start reading.... https://www.crappie.com/crappie/miss...-cranks-101-a/

Hopefully you have a depthfinder that has GPS .... so you can see what your speed is. Depending on the thrust of your TM, you should be able to get the needed speed for Pulling. You could also rig trolling weights ahead of your cranks to get greater depths at slower speeds, if necessary. Line counter reels are a plus for quickly setting out the proper amount of line, but baitcast or spinning reels will do the job (but may require a more "hands on" approach).

The biggest drawbacks (IMHO) to Pulling cranks, as opposed to Pushing cranks, is the 3-4x's length of line out it takes to get the depth needed ... the longer line means you have to bring the fish in from a greater distance, creating a greater chance of losing the fish ... and the longer line out means having to make much wider turns in order to avoid tangles. The one positive I know of is if you snag a crank, you can let the line loose for that rod, reel in the others, and then go back and try and get that crank loose.

Long lining for Crappie...