I never like to free=swim crankbaits unless the fish are suspended. Buzzbaits can be effective day or night, these could even work fished over the trees you have planted. Keep throwing it over and over to aggravate the fish. The XRap is a good bait and should be fished underwater just like you'd fish a Zara Spook on the surface, if you know how to do that? It's simply twitching the rod tip gentle, while pulling the bait with the rod, stop and then repeat. Many strikes occur during the pause. Good luck. Johnnie

Guys... just to drive the point home again, "contact is critical" no matter what type of lure you are fishing. Just to elaborate, even a topwater bait (buzzbait, frog, etc.) if you can make contact with a clump of weed, a branch, ANYTHING, you will trigger more strikes.

Crankbaits are the same. You want that lure bouncing off of rocks, branches and whatever else is down there... I promise you, if you do, you will catch more and bigger bass. Yes, you will lose some lures, but there are different types of crankbaits for different types of cover.

When you come in contact with something on the bottom "stop", let the crankbait rise a little and then begin the retrieve. You can get a really good feel for this if you find a shallow area where you would be able to see the lure underwater. Just make a short cast, reel it in slowly and when you hit bottom (or whatever) stop the lure and watch how it will rise. If you can find a shallow branch that is submerged, make a cast past it and bring the crankbait through the branch. When you hit the first limb, “stop” and wait for the lure to rise over the branch, then repeat. You should be able to bring the crankbait all the way through the branch without getting hung up.

Something to keep in mind, if you do hang up, “do not apply too much pressure” this will only dig in the hooks. Simply keep a bow in your line and gently shake the rod (again do not apply a lot of pressure, as you just want to shake the lure so the hooks release). Keep a 1 or 2 ounce salt water sinker in your pocket with a big snap clip so you can attach it to your line if you get really hung up. All you do is clip the sinker onto your line, let the weight fall down to the bottom and it will make contact with your lure. Most of the time it pops free when the sinker hits the lure, if not, do the same thing I described above, just gently shake it and the sinker will do all the work. The only difference is that once it pops free, you want to raise your rod tip to lift the lure from the branches and start reeling in your line so the sinker doesn’t drag the crankbait back down into the snag.
Hope this helps… good luck!

This is going to considerably change the way I pick out my crankbaits. One good thing about fishing where I do is that there are no snags. Granted this also means there is no structure to target either

The resivoir I fish is made up of rocks on the bottom. I've never been snagged on the bottom (u really feel those rocks when u get closee to shore though). I should be fishig a deep diver...bouncing of the bottom nonstop! This could also be why I was having so much more success with the jig compared to these lipless crankbaits.

Man I wish I could spend a couple weeks fishing with a few of u guys! It also goes to show what may be considerd common sence to u pros is ground breaking to us newbies. I just gotta keep askin the right questions!

Hey,

If you ever want to come out to Long Island, I'll take you out on some of my favorite lakes. Remember, we all were a newbie at one time... I just got started fishing saltwater again (for fun) and it's a like starting all over again. I find myself asking questions that to the average salty are common knowledge... however, if I don't ask, I have to wait to figure it out on my own and sometimes it's much easier to just ask.

One additional thing to keep in mind about those crankbaits is selecting the right depth range. If you want to work an area that is 10' deep, you might want to find a crankbait that only runs to 12' on 10# test (10# is standard line size when manufacturers rate their lures). If you get a crankbait that dives too deep, the will tip forward from too much downward force when the make contact with the bottom. The other problem is that they will make "constant contact" with the bottom; you want one that will just intermittently bounce and make contact. If you have rocks in that lake, crankbaits can be the deal.

Keep asking those questions... and if it makes you feel any better... whenever I personally answer a question, I like that fact that it makes me think about the little details that I sometimes forget about. It helps make me a better angler and I'm sure the other guys would agree...

Good Fishing...

BC

No way buzzbaits are for night only. I have been haveing tremendous luck in the morning with buzzbaits. Work them close to edges and around sunkin trees. Next time your out get the 1/4 ounce white and chart. that should help i have even caught crappie with mine. stay safe.