As my good friend and noted outdoor book author, Tim Tucker once said, “Over the past decade, the deep-diving crankbait has won over a legion of followers that stretch from one end of this country to the other. Crankbait fishing has become a real art to dedicated diving lure fishermen, who have taken the time and effort to learn it’s intricacies. These knowledgeable anglers have taken the crankbait from it’s “dummy-bait” reputation to an advanced form of angling.
In the hands of a talented fisherman who understands the principles of advanced deep-water crankbaiting, these diving baits are the most versatile of all fishing tools. With the proper education and enough practice, it’s possible to catch bass in place you could never reach — places you had avoided — or places where you never fished before.
With this in mind, I’d like to devote today’s column to the art of fishing these high percentage lures.
With super deep cranking, you need to understand the laws of physics. There are four requirements for extra-deep cranking — a long cast, light line, long rod and proper bait. A long rod that’s seven to seven and a half foot in length, accomplishes eight tasks, it allows:
- for more casting distance
- you to cover more water
- your bait to achieve greater depth
- the bait to stay in the strike zone longer
- you to move more line quicker
- for a better hook-set from a distance
- provides an even shock absorber action, much like a fly rod
- and finally, it allows more leverage on the fish during the fight.
When fishing, keep in mind, that whatever line test you use, consider the actual diameter of the line. My choice for deep cranking is Magnathin, which has the smallest diameter for each pound testing rating. Example: 12-pound test Magnathin has an outside diameter of about 8-pound test regular monofilament.
Alright, now let’s discuss the final part of those four requirements and that’s the proper lure.
Things to look for in a crankbait can be: a lip that allows it to dive vertically quickly, rather than horizontally; the ability to dart off objects without hanging; and maybe some rattles or sound chambers for added attention.
Other factors to consider are buoyancy, size, and overall design. With the latter in mind, note that there are times when a tight, fast-wiggling crankbait is more appealing to the bass than a wider, slower wobble. Other times the opposite is true. This is something you will have to experiment with.
Something else I’ve found out is that I seem to have better success in colder water with fat-body baits and with flat-sided baits in warmer water.
A discussion on deep-diving crankbaits would not be complete without talking about the best type of reel for this application.
Over the past 15 years or so, reel manufacturers have made tremendous strides in increasing the take-up speed of their products. Today five-to-one and even six-to-one hi-speed reels are as common as knee-high tackle boxes. But with all of this, don’t get the idea that faster means better when it comes to crankbait fishing.
More speed does not necessarily translate into more depth. You need to realize that the high speed reels are moving your lure almost twice as fast as a slower ratio reel will.
Don’t make the mistake of believing that the faster you crank, the deeper the lure goes. Two critical things happen when you try and burn the lure with a fast retrieve.
First, it effects the action of the lure and secondly, it won’t run at the same depth. Once you overcome the buoyancy factor of the lure itself, it will run at its deepest from that point. To gain maximum depth control usually requires a moderate, comfortable retrieve.
Let me tell you why a lower gear ratio reel works best for this kind of fishing:
- lower gear ratio means slower retrieve speed and more power
- it forces the angler to fish a crankbait at a slower speed
- it maximizes depth and lure performance.
- lower gear ratio takes less effort to retrieve with high resistance lures
- it causes less fatigue on the angler
- 4.4:1 (4 point 4 to 1) works best for deep-diving crankbaits, and is ideal for best lure action and speed.
Slower retrieves allows the lure to achieve greater depth by allowing the bait to work vertically, not horizontally — allowing a more deliberate, natural bait action as it digs the bottom and bumps structure — and it keeps the bait in the strike-zone longer
