Thread: Crankbait techniques

I know of four "techniques" that work :

Topwater - casting & retrieving - trolling - jigging

When fish are feeding on the surface, commonly called "jumps" ... topwater lures work. Poppers, jerkbaits, and surface plugs with a jig on a trailer line work very well, when the surface feeding is consistant. Casting & retrieving a jerkbait, blade bait, lipless crankbait, or shallow running crankbait will also produce. Trolling crankbaits, blade baits, lipless crankbaits, & deep diving cranks w/jig trailing on a leader line ... around the outer areas of the "jumps" ... may also produce. It's not usually advisable to troll through the jumps, themselves, until they have ceased their activity. Jigging a blade bait, spoon, jig, etc. in the area can also be productive.

The type of lure you are using is usually going to dictate the retrieval technique used. But, there are multiple techniques that some lures can be used for .... for instance, the blade bait. Something like a Silver Buddy, Kastmaster, or Cicada can be used with cast/retrieve - trolling - jigging techniques. Shallow & deep diving crankbaits can be trolled, cast/retrieved, and even used as a carrier for a jig on a leader.

Knowing, or figuring out how deep the main school of fish is ... is key to deciding which technique will present the lure at its optimum performance depth, as well as which lure to use to get to that depth.

Topwater lures are usually best used in a jerk/jerk/pause retrieval.
Jigging lures work when lifted quickly, a couple of feet ... then allowed to drop back down on a semi-tight line.
Crankbaits, lipless cranks, spoons & blade baits .... when cast or trolled .... usually work best when a constant speed is maintained.

The job, of any of these lures, is to imitate a fleeing or injured baitfish. Your job is to correctly identify the current situation, mood & activity level of the fish, and select the lure & method that will present that lure to the strike zone of those fish.

... cp

Thanks for the info there. I tried fishing with some spoons today, wasn't to sure how they are suppose to move in the water, it seemed to just wave from side to side like a crank bait. Is that how it is suppose to move or did i rig it wrong on my line? I only know to jig a spoon, to let it drop to the bottom then jerk it upwards, pause to let it drop then jerk it upwards again.

Crankbaits i either reel them constantly or do a jerk jerk pause, that goes for the shallow and deep ones. I can feel the deep ones hit the rocks and stumps, but i am cautious about pausing it there for fear of it getting caught.

You did right, with the spoons. Yes, they basically do just wobble side to side ... it's what causes the "flash", which is the attracting quality (minnow imitation). Jigging a spoon would work the way you describe using it .... but, it's probably better to let the spoon fall on a slightly tight line, otherwise you may not feel/notice a hit.

Pausing a diving crankbait is a good technique, too. But, since White/Hybrid/Striped Bass are all pretty much open water predators ... you might want to use a crankbait that doesn't dive deep enough to get into the rocks/stumps. That's pretty much a Black Bass technique, for when they're in/around that kind of cover & in ambush mode.

One thing that may be a good thing to have, if you use crankbaits around rocks/stumps .... is a "plug knocker" (lure retriever). There's different types ... but, the one I have is basically a piece of pipe filled with lead & has slip in line guides on the side ... attached to a 50ft piece of nylon cord, that wraps around a short piece of wood. It was a local made thing, that I got around 40yrs ago. I think I paid around $8 for it, back then .. but it saved me well over $200 worth of lures, during my Bass fishing days. It didn't work on EVERY occasion ... but, often enough that I wouldn't fish a crankbait without having it with me !!

.. cp

I've been experimenting more and more ways to move the crankbait, Especially with the deep divers. I'm wondering what the difference between jerking the rod to the side and jerking it downward do? Common sense tells me it just jerks the bait more toward the bottom to hit stuff. My problem with using the deep crankbaits in the morning is trying to differ between hits and running through weeds. But the info you passed along allowed me to land my first bass with a crankbait today.

Good for you, Chris.

Now ... as to "jerking" a deep diving crankbait ... it might be better to just change the speed of retrieval, to change the speed/action, rather than actually jerking the rod one way or another. Save your "jerking" motion, to rip the bait thru the tops of weeds ... or for the hookset ... and for topwater baits & shallow diving jerkbaits.

... cp

I find that rather than just jerking my spoon 2-3 feet I use the rod tip to more or less just flip it a short distance. I maintain a slight feel that way.

interesting gunner, i haven't had much luck with the spoons, its hard to tell whether i have a hit and i jerk it out of the fish's mouth, I'll try the flipping motion and see if it works.

Try a blade bait, and if you are using spoons a kastmaster spoon with the white sinthetic fur hanging off of the bottom of the split ring rite by the trebble can be good. White in general is my go to color for hybrids no matter if it is river or lake fishing. One other thing is that hybrids love is chicken liver, and crawfish that have the hard shells wilted like with a damp cloth. It is a soft craw after you are done wilting it. Here is one thing I have found in river systems that work using a cigar float with a weight on it, the largest I can get and use a hook with a shad body or grub on it or a jighead that will still support the float in the current of the river.