Crankbaits

Fishing crankbaits is by far one of my favorite methods of catching fish. Believe it or not, a crankbait will work in both saltwater, and freshwater, simply because of the lifelike design of the bait, as well as the tight wiggling motion that the plastic bill on the front of the bait produces. This bill causes the lure to move quickly from side to side as it spoons through the water, giving the look of a distressed bait fish which all predators find irresistible. These baits have been around for a very long time, starting back with the original lure from Rapala Crankbaits, the minnow plug. They have evolved a lot since Lauri Rapala came out with his first lure, but the general design and fish catching prowess has stayed the same.

Crankbaits come in a lot of different varieties ranging from the flat sided and flat bodied, or lipless crankbaits, as well as the fatter broad bodied style of billed crankbaits. Both types have their own place and time, and depending on the environment that you are fishing in, you are going to want to test which has it’s place on that given day. Fish tend to change their minds a lot, and could be keying in on baitfish one day, while picking off crustaceans on the bottom the next, so ensuring that you remain versatile is key.

There are a lot of different ways to fish crankbaits, but for the most part you are going to want them to appear out of nowhere, either by means of bringing them over a ledge, or by running them across where an eager fish is waiting for a meal. To get the ultimate strikes from fishing with a crankbait, try banging the plastic bill up against a submerged piece of structure and allowing it to deflect off. This method doesn’t work quite as well with lipless crankbaits because of the large plastic bill on the front of fat bodied lures giving them the ability to bounce off and quickly recover. It doesn’t matter where you are fishing, or what you are fishing for, if you give the lure a pause after it bangs against something and then continue reeling, you are going to feel hits as solid as a freight train.

For the most part, these lures aren’t really expensive. You could easily get every crankbait you needed for less than $30 and be ready to go fishing. During the spring and fall seasons, fish are actively feeding on smaller baitfish so this is going to be the best time to get use out of that $30 investment. You can get away with using them year round however, the best times that I have found in the types of waters that I like to fish are using them during the spring or fall periods in the year. If you are planning to learn a little bit more about crankbait fishing, you may want to consider picking up a lure banger, or something that can help you dislodge the bait if it gets hung up on something your plowing it through.

There is a little trick when you are fishing with crankbaits and get it lodged onto something. Instead of pulling hard against the lure trying to dislodge it, while only burying the hooks deeper into the structure, try taking the rod in one hand and tightening down the slack. Next, between the reel and first eyelet, grab the line and pluck it like a guitar string. Make sure your hand holding the rod and reel is steady because the action you are placing on it will cause it to move. Plucking the string a few times will cause the crankbait to free itself, allowing you to reel it in and try again. This has been a lifesaver for those times when the fish have only wanted my expensive custom crankbaits.

Tagged as: crankbait, crankbaits, Fishing, Fishing Lures