Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing Lures

The amount of quality tackle available to the bass angler can be baffling. It doesn't take long before your tackle is unmanageable.

Crankbaits are among the hardest to manage with all the hooks and the upkeep crank baits require. To get the best results, change to high quality hooks and keep them sharp for instant use at all times. To be effective, crankbaits should be tuned to run straight. It is impossible to keep a large number of crank baits in top condition.

Rusty hooks are a never-ending problem for many anglers. If the angling situation calls for a certain size and color of crankbait and yours are not tuned or in poor repair, what do you do? You have to take the time to replace or sharpen hooks and maybe replace split rings or fish with it as is, which is always a bad choice. If that sounds like you, then it should be time to go back to the basics with crankbaits.

First, you don't need dozens of crankbaits in the boat with you all the time. One way to keep them organized is to use three boxes for your crank baits. One for shallow and small cranks, one for medium cranks and the last for deep cranks. You can always keep some extra in your truck.

Try to stay with two or three basic colors of cranks in all sizes. Crawdad, shad and chartreuse variations will meet almost all angling situations. You don't need every color under the rainbow, and you will catch more if you stay with the basic colors. Base your color selection on the predominate forage for that water. Chartreuse cranks seem to be the best choice for off-colored water and low light conditions.

It is most important to keep sharp hooks on deep cranks since you are going to have limited time to detect a strike and furthermore you are going to have to set the hook through a distance underwater. More of a problem is that a fish may not be going in a direction that will take up slack so you are not only trying to get a hook set, but also fighting slack.

Other variations of cranks that dive are those that suspend for periods of time when you stop the retrieve. This is an excellent option since most strikes with any bait, including a crankbait, occur when you begin a stop or start action.

If you are going to seriously fish a deep crankbait, you should consider the advantages of using a snap for attaching the plug to the line. This gives you an advantage of not only being able to change plugs quickly without retying each time, but also gives your bait another pivot point for greater wiggle on retrieve.

A common concern for folks using a crankbait is that they are going to hang up. You are going to hang up, so it is wise to use sufficiently heavy line to feel comfortable that you are going to be able to get most of your lures loose.

There are many different ways to work a crankbait and using the right presentation can improve your day's catch. Here are three of the very best techniques for crankbait fishing: burn, stop-n-go, or yo-yo

Burn - is by far the most popular method, a fast steady retrieve covering a lot of water. Many professional fishermen use this method, prefering to call it 'locating'. It will allow you to make a lot of casts in a short period of time, thus improving your chance of finding an area where fish are holding. This is an early spring favorite for covering shorelines were bass are spawning. A high-speed reel is highly recommended when burning a crankbait. Most reels today come with 5.3 to 1 ratios and are sufficient for this method. However a 6 to 1 ratio is better on your arm.

Stop-n-Go - this refers to when you reel in a crankbait, slow or fast, stop the reel every 3 or 4 cranks of the reel handle. This will cause the lure to fall for a second simulating an injured baitfish. You can experiment with this technique by changing the rhythm of your pause.This is a perfect technique to use where there is a target to throw at. If there is a laying log or a dock, run the lure up to the log and pause the bait before and after the structure. Be ready for a strike soon after.

Yo-Yo - Up and down, a very effective technique for deeper water presentations. Use your rod tip to make the lure rise and fall over structure. Keep in mind some crankbaits will fall at the rate of 1-1/2 ft per second. This will help you count the lure down to a certain depth. A good example is suspended fish at 15 feet on a graph. You could count to 10 and the bait will most likely be right in the zone for a strike. If a school is holding in deep water of a major point, try the technique and cover both sides of the point. It really helps if you know the depth of water on each side. If you're in 20 foot of water, you may want to Yo-Yo the lure from 5 to 15 feet.

Remember, the size of your line will effect how fast a lure sinks. Heavy line will slow the fall rate down and small diameter will speed it up.