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If you never tried or have had little success using crankbait
to catch bass, walleye or any of the pike family; read
on, I may convince you to give it a try.
To begin, let’s focus on bass, the largest member of the
sunfish family. During certain times of day, bass like
to move into deeper water. There are many reasons why
this “transition” from shallow to deep water occurs.
One reason is to get away from fishermen who pound the
shoreline with a variety of lures that bass see week in
and week out! When you cannot find the fish from shore,
look for deep-water structure. This structure includes
large rocks, areas of sunken forest, abandoned cars or
building ruins that were flooded by the Corp of Engineers
when constructing a new watershed or reservoir. Often
this information can be obtained from survey maps of a
lake or reservoir prior to impounding.
Once you have established the depth you want to fish,
select your crankbait according to its capabilities. Most
of you know that the larger the plastic “bill” on the
nose of the bait, the deeper it will dive. I like to paint
the number of feet a lure will dive on the belly of the
lure. This helps when it comes to selection time. If I
am fishing in 20 feet of water, I like to start with any
two brightly colored crankbaits. The reason for brightness
rather than color selection is to find a lure that will
reflect light in the darkness of deep water. The first
crankbait should run between 15 and 18 feet. With this
approach, I will determine if the fish are looking upward
in a feeding pattern from the bottom. If the first choice
fails, the second choice should be a crankbait intended
to imitate frantic baitfish bumping into structure. To
achieve this, I choose a lure that dives deeper than the
depth I am fishing. It will make small thumping sounds
as it hits solid objects. Also, if the lure strikes the
lake bottom it will cause clouds of silt, gravel or sand
to billow up in the water. This noise and vibration may
attract fish and provoke a strike. If I cannot reach the
fish because they are in 30 or 40 feet of water, I attach
a crankbait to a one-ounce Carolina rig. I then exchange
the worm hook with a crankbait. In a shallow situation,
crankbait color becomes vital as the lure can be seen
more clearly. Try to match the size and color of the baitfish
to the size of your lure. As with any crankbait presentation,
always start moving the lure quickly. If no strikes occur,
change your retrieval to “stop and go” or slow it down
to a ”crawl.” Once the fish indicate how they want the
bait, you have found the correct fishing pattern and,
as a result, will increase your catch.
Walleye and pike are two fish that strike a crankbait
in a variety of situations. Walleye like really deep water
so, once again, you must find a way to get your bait down
to the fish. Trolling lures behind a boat with a Plano
board at depths of 30, 40, or 50 feet is the most productive
way to catch walleye. For our shore-bound anglers, use
heavy weights attached to the line in a similar fashion
to the Carolina rig mentioned previously. Try various
speeds of retrieval until you find the speed they like.
Color is not as important to a walleye while scent or
fish paste on the crankbait can be an additional incentive
for them to strike at the lure.
Northern pike and pickerel will hit crankbaits at any
level. Remembering that the pike family prefers cold water,
the best pike fishing is during the fall and winter. At
that time, the fish get closer to the shoreline and feed
ferociously. Their teeth are sharper during the colder
months so use wire leaders or you will lose your crankbait!
Best crankbait color for any pike in my opinion is white
and red. Muskies should be fished with a lure presentation
similar to walleye. You should, however, upgrade to the
largest lures you can find. Ten or twelve inches are
not too small for a muskie! (NB: saltwater lures work
well). If you have feather dressed treble hooks even better;
muskies seem to like feathers! Lures retrieved over points
and drop-offs will bring these monsters out of hiding.
Just remember to carry heavy-duty gloves, long nosed pliers
and a damp cloth to handle these fish. If you are under
16, I strongly suggest you take an adult with you. Muskies,
like sharks, can inflict severe wounds unless they are
handled firmly and quickly. Take pictures and release
them promptly as muskies have a tendency to die quickly
if not returned to the water.
Tight Lines!
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