Crankbaits

Cranking on Guntersville. We will break down our cranking into two groups, depending on what we will find on the bottom. Grass or no grass?

    Grass. Well this is going to be the case about 70 percent of the time, if you are cranking in depths of under 12 foot. Which is where the bass are. Get out a nice long rod of about 6.5 foot or longer with a medium action. Spool it with 12 - 17 pound line. When cranking over grass I tend to use slightly heavier line than I would if cranking on open water. Even when cranking over grass growing in 12 feet your ideal running depth will be less. This is because the grass may top out at 7 feet under the surface. Try several baits till you find one that will make occasional contact with the grass during a steady retrieve. If you are hanging lots of grass, either try a shallower running crankbait or slow down your retrieve. But remember that cranking slow is not as good in summer as it is in the colder months, they like it faster.  Varying line size is a very crucial step for running at the perfect depth. As you may know, once you feel the bait hang the grass you can usually stop winding, allow the line to go limp and float free. Try fishing several sizes in each area till you are feeling grass but hanging very little. 

    No Grass. Well in most cases you will either be fishing in water over 10 feet deep or in an area where grass cannot grow. Getting deep with your crankbait becomes very important when fishing in areas containing little or no grass. Bottom structures such as drops and points as well as cover such as stumps or rocks will be where your bait must run. In open water you need lighter lines and a bait that will contact the bottom in the area you are fishing. Open water in 6 foot maybe ideal for a medium runner or fourteen pound line. However, to productively crank places that are more than 10 feet deep you must try lighter line and deeper baits. Colors I will cast will be: Chrome blue, Fire tiger, shad, white blue back. As I have mentioned before, my cranking rod has a snap to change crankbaits easily. I also have removed the spit ring from the baits I intend to use. Ultra sharp hooks are a must.

The two maps above show a way to approach newcrankbait water. The red arrows show places to try a very shallow running crankbaits. The blue is marking medium runners and the black are the deepest cranking. I most cases you will have to try several depths before you can eliminate an area.

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