Get Crankin'

By Mark Tyler

If you were to sneak a peek into the rod lockers of bass anglers all across America, you would almost certainly see a common theme. I'll bet every one would have at least one type of crankbait tied on. In fact, if fishing lures were food groups, crankbaits would be the fruits and vegetables: no meal would be complete without them.

Crankbaits are used year-round in most parts of the country, but here in the West, their use is more seasonal in nature. Typically, they're most effective from February through June, when active fish are using shallow-water areas. Bass living in most of our Western waters seem to spend the rest of the year vacationing down in the deeper portions of the lake--usually far too deep for effective crankbait fishing. That's why springtime is prime time to get crankin'.

Wobble Wisdom

Most Western waters feature relatively clear water with good visibility. When fishing crankbaits in clearer water--meaning, two to eight feet of visibility--use a bait with a very tight wiggling action because the water displacement is much more natural. Some crankbaits that fit this criteria include the Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap and Rapala Shad Rap. Both are long-time Western staples. Lipless crankbaits like a Rat-L-Trap and Luhr-Jensen Sugar Shad also fit into this tight-wiggle category.

Tight-action cranks feature a slimmer design, which allows them to move quickly through the water with minimal resistance. It's nice, because fishing one all day won't wear out your arm like some of those wide-wobbling, deep-diving cranks.

The Luhr-Jensen Speed Trap is my personal favorite. It has a superb, tight-wiggling action that keeps running true no matter how fast you burn it back, and I love to fish it fast! The short, square bill deflects off cover and comes through weedbeds very well, which minimizes snagging. The Speed Trap comes in some phenomenal colors, too. I have a bunch of different colors in my tackle box, but I could probably get by with four: Delta Craw, Chartreuse/Blue, Clearwater Flash and Green Sunfish. If the fishing gods only allowed me one crankbait to fish, though, I would definitely choose a Green Sunfish Speed Trap.

When you're cranking, it pays to remember that crankbaits are very sensitive to line diameter. The diameter of your line not only affects the action of the lure, but how deep it will run, as well. Thicker, heavier line buoys the lure up and keeps it higher, while thinner, lighter line allows the bait to dive deeper. In a shallow-water environment like California Delta, I will usually use heavy line like 20- to 25-pound Berkeley XT, to help keep the bait from running too deep. Heavy line like that will also keep a Speed Trap running right where you want it: three to five feet deep. Besides, you'll need that heavy line to pull out those Delta hogs!

When fishing highland reservoirs, where I'm casting to rocky points or along bluff walls, I'll select a lighter line. To get the full depth potential out of each bait, I'll usually choose 10- to 14-pound mono. As a rule of thumb, in almost any cranking situation, you just can't go wrong throwing 14-pound green Trilene XT.

Rods, Retrieves

I like using 7-foot rods for crankbaiting. The longer rod makes it easy to fling the lure out there for big distance, and that's important when fishing clear-water reservoirs. The longer rod also gives you more leverage for wrestling those bruisers out of the shallow weeds and cover. My personal preference is a 7-foot medium or medium-heavy Kistler Rod. Kistlers have nice, fast-action tips that help both in casting and hooksets.

And believe me, that fast tip is important. No matter what brand of rod you choose, make sure it has a fast-action tip. This softer tip is more forgiving, and will help you land those bass that are barely hanging onto the treble hooks. Replacing the stock trebles will also help. I use Daiichi treble hooks because they're extremely strong, with a wide gap and incredibly sharp points.

Lastly, consider your retrieve. When I first begin cranking an area, I vary my retrieve until I can determine if there is a certain speed or cadence that triggers more strikes. I'll make 10 casts reeling very quickly, 10 casts with a medium retrieve, then 10 casts with a slow retrieve. Let the fish tell you how they want it that day. It's really easy to get into a rut with a crankbait and simply chunk and wind it all day, but if you can force yourself to concentrate on varying your retrieves, you will get more strikes.

Also, be creative. With a tight-wiggling crankbait, you can rip through grass, bounce off structure and snap it through cover. Don't be afraid to get aggressive with them. Make your crankbaits look erratic or injured. To a bass, that's a creature that's just plain begging to get eaten.