smokin_joe

Thank you both for your insite...I'm starting to see why the Crig works better for me...that is that I usually cast shallow and work it down the slope...do either of you use topo maps ? any pointers ? I can usually find the obvious things with my electronics and maps...like roadwarrior states roadbeds and the likes I have trouble with ....some of what I run into is that many of the lakes here are just "bowl shaped" a point can be few and far between and if there is one everybody is lined up or has lined up to take a swing. It is true though, much of what I do with a crankbait is is runn from shallow to deep ...I will however being changing that mind set ...thanks again.

Hi everybody , I'm looking to improve my crankbaiting skills, fishing deep water structure and relying more on my electronics to find fish. I will be making a return to fishing local tournaments this comming spring and I really want to get the facts straight before spring comes around. I find it strange that I consistantly catch fish with a carolina rig, but fall short on the crank baits ? Baits I use well and I am comfortable throwing are the deep wee-r . fat free shad in fingerlength and jr. sizes and the cc shad and shad raps...Any ideas or hints that might make me a better deep water cranker would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

Well, I will share my experiences and hopefully it will help... I have a lot of square billed crankbaits and as far as crankbaits go they are my favorite crankbaits to fish....You may see a lot of talk about power fishing or (crashing) timber ...these are the kinds of baits being used to do this ...don't be fooled by the passing terms that some may use for this ...it's not a new idea,people have been doing it for years (since before you and I were born)...square bills are mostly warm water wide wobbleing lures as you probably already know....the bill helps it deflect off of cover....some of my favorites are the bomber square-a , rebel wee-r, bandit model 100 and the norman mad "n" . what i do is I find a spot with laydowns, a gravel/stoney bottom or a stumpfield ...throw it like you would a spinnerbait into the cover....now instead of reeling it in...pull your line in a sweeping motion enuff to get the bait to dive down and knock on the wood ,but use some feel and just bump it...you don't wanna dig into it (you'll get hung up) hence the pulling motion instead reeling...now hang on to your rod cuz your gonna get some violent strikes ...when the bait knocks into the wood it will deflect and as you reel slack out it will start to back up....this is usually when that poor little plug gets abused...this is a post spawn pattern....these baits have a searching motion to them in open water...pick one that dives about a foot deeper than the bottom and let it dig a lil using a stop and go retrive...when you bump into to something good (i.e. a rock) stop it for a sec and start again.... The good ole trap...In my opinion the best types by far are the cotton cordell 1/4 oz super spot and the rattlin rapala in 3/8oz or 1/2....the reason being is that these two models allow you to use (and come with) hooks that are the same size and larger and do not get caught on eachother...ALWAYS have one of these baits tied on if you fish tournaments or simply just enjoy catching fish any time of year...however this bait shines in the cool waters of spring....I slow roll it along the bottom so that it is bearly or just every so often bumps the bottom...this is a pre-spawn pattern that can be used wherever fish are stageing in any depth of water and it's dynamite....return to this and see if they will pick up on this pattern again right after spawn as well....use 1/4 oz in the shallows and the bigger ones in weeds and deeper haunts and points....good lcuk

Nick, rigging is one of my favorite things to do ...Here in Ohio in the summertime it is one of the most consistant producing technics I use...Here are some things I have learned and maybe they will help you...7ft. med/heavy baitcasting rod or better...a pretty fast reel 6:2:1 ....use steel or brass weights, you'll get a better feel of the bottom...I always use a brass clacker and atleast and 8mm bead before my weight in that order ...the clacker i dont believe produces much of a difference in strikes, but it sure saves wear and tear on your knot ....now pick a soft plastic any soft plastic lure and a wide gap hook to match ....my favs are 4"zellamanders in tradtional pumpkin/greenpumpkin...6"mossy pumpkin zoom lizards and 4"centepedes .... now for the tricky part line and leader length .... I find that the lighter the line i can use the more fish I catch and i use 1/2 oz sinker in 5-10ft of water and 3/4oz in anything over 10 foot...you may need to make adjustments according to cover...same goes with leader line...the length of your leader may need to be shortened depending on whats on the bottom....just like with any technic let the fish tell you how they want it....I find that 15-17lb test monofilament for main line and a 10lb leader line of 12 to 18" in length is my most productive... However...you may need to bump the leader line up if the terrain is rough, as well as going up to 20lb test for your main line....the longer your leader line is the slower your lure moves, the shorter it is the faster it moves...the idea is to make a lil chase scene ...try to keep contact with the bottom or the cover at all times with the sinker ...dragging it straight toward you much like you would a texas rigged worm...watch your line just like with jig and worm fishing ...sometimes they grab the sinker lol..when that happens try to finish the cast letting your lure settle back down in the same general area of the strike....This is a great follow up bait for deep diving crankbaits when you have one come loose on you and an awesome "dog days of summer" bait....Many days i have had a fish come off on a crank bait and followed it up with the rig, never to pick the crank bait up again for the rest of the day....I throw it it anywhere and everywhere I wud throw a crank bait that dives 5 feet or better ...hope this helps and I truly hope you catch a lot of good ones with it...It takes a time or 2 to get used to it , but once you do it is something that you will always want to have tied on best wishes

By miles, the cavitron is the slowest and most coveted buzz bait on the market...They used to make them with a clacker on them...I was glad to see they were back in business after taking 3years off from fishing tournaments. Too bad they dont make the ones with clackers anymore...It is my go to buzzer and made of the finest components...If you want the wally-mart far inferior product then the bleeding shad series with the holes in the blade is ok...Those striking king 3 balde jobbies don't cut it for me, the 2 forementioned products by far outfish any other buzzers I have owned , including a few of my own attempts at making a better buzzer...when the cavitron came a long I gave up