jb_adams

At this point, I'm leaning towards dull hooks as my main problem. I missed a few last night on my favorite bait, the Zara puppy. It finally dawned on me after a nice sized bass inhaled the bait and only a split second later before I could set the hook good, he spit it out. I always reel down just after a strike to reel in the slack and then I set the hook. I usually loose the fish just after hooset and not halfway to the boat. So, logic tells me it's gotta be the hooks. I checked the hooks and they do feel a bit dull. I'll sharpen the hooks and try again. I'll be sure and check my crankbait hooks for the same problem.

Not to plug my own thread but...that's not a bad idea. If someone would supply a write-up or something, it would be good newbie content under the FAQ or something. Too bad I don't consider myself a newb and I'm having this problem. Going out tomorrow, hopefully I'll lip-land some fish with some of these new techniques everyone has mentioned.

Isn't the Lowrance X96 the same unit? I'm pretty sure Lowrance makes Eagle units as well. Looks like the Lowrance has a slightly better resolution and clarity for only $30 more.

Thanks RW, that's pretty much what I was thinking. I'm not pumping the rod but I have a nice firm hookset. Not jerking their lips off but I do sweep the rodas often as I can. Sometimes I jerk the rod upwards because I wasn't thinking. I'm trying to teach myself to sweep. I cannot seem to anticipate the fish jumping and I think that's my biggest problem. Usually I can but these little buggers swim up and jump faster than you can say "FISH ON!" Within 3-5 seconds, these fish are jumping completely out of the water. So, I'll ease off on my hookset a bit, bury the rod down when needed and reel aggressive enough to balance line strength, the fish's energy level, and surrounding structure. A good example is computer fishing games. If you reel too fast, the line breaks or the fish get's away. If you reel too slow, you get slack and the fish gets away. There is a balance to be achieved and I need to find the balance based on rod, bait, fish, and angler. Thanks guys! These are great suggestions. Last night, I was very concious of my hookset and retrieve. Not that I got to use any of it but I was prepared! Spent more time tracing electrical issues and cursing a dead battery and busted fish finder. Ruined my whole trip and bass were schooling big time! Can't practice as well without a good trolling motor battery. Next time.....

After looking online, I realize that Eagle is the same thing as Lowrance but maybe with less features. I was looking at the X96 but I don't have confidence in it's ability to track realtime. The Humminbird 535 & 565 supposedly can track a jig up to 30ft deep in real time. That's more of what I would like on the bow eventually. For the price range, they are both within the budget but the 535 & 565 seem to be the same unit. Any thoughts?

This is a crankbait rod. It's a St. Croix Avid series "crankbait" rod. If I recall correclty, it's a medium heavy fast action or medium fast action. I can't recall for sure at the moment. Besides, the DD14 is not that large of a crankbait.

I borrowed my father-in-laws 18ft. flat bottom boat and his sonar (fish finder) is broke. It hasn't been working and last night, it died. So I'll replace his ($80) sometime soon. In the mean time, I want to go ahead and buy a decent sonar that I can transfer to my boat when I get one. This unit will be mounted on the trolling motor in the future but on the flatbottom boat's steering console for now. I'm thinking under $200 for now. Anyone have any suggestions? Eventually I want to get a nice Humingbird Sideview but that will be after I buy a boat. For now, a decent small screen unit is fine. I just need something for depth, water temp, and decent for finding fish. Thanks!

Here, use this one....it's more effective! ;D Showoff...... Welcome to the forum AJ!

Thanks guys. I usually don't try to pull their lips off. Although I did jerk a 3 inch perch clean past the boat one day when he jumped on my Zara puppy! ;D I've leared to reel down and then set the hook. That took a while to remember instead of just setting the hook. Over the last few years, I've never really had a problem with loosing fish. Just this summer is when it's become a problem. I've had fish jump many times before and it's never been an issue until now. I've heard the "act opposite" bit before. When he dives pull up, when he feels like he's about to jump go down. I'll try that next trip. It's getting really frustrating because I am just now starting to find the fish better on my home lake and that in itself is no small feat. When you finally find them, you definately don't want to loose them. I read somewhere not long ago that Mike Iconnelli wanted my lake banned from the FLW tournament series because it "sucks too much". That's how hard my lake is to fish. :-/ I think the main thing is to pay more attention to the fish and adjust rod & line tension from there. Guide the fish in like a radio controled airplane or something.

All good suggestions. That's what I was looking for. As far as hook sharpness, that shouldn't be an issue. They are all sharp. Only baits I have where hooks are lazer sharp are chatterbaits (won't go there....different subject) I think the drag setting was too tight, I was setting the hook too hard (Bill Dance syle), and the hook was coming out because the hole was too big. This has happened on several baits. Lately the only I've had bass on is a small Zara Puppy and this new Norman DD14. I haven't caught a fish on a jig or plastic in a while. (sad) I'll try a lighter drag setting, lighter sweep style hookset, and as far as line, I'm using Yo-Zuri hybrid. I may switch over to Berkley Vanish but last time I tried it, it broke too easy. It was the gold colored line. My buddy said he tried it and it was junk. He uses the clear now and he said it was much better in the same size line. Any other suggestions?

I've used buzzbaits many times without the trailer but I missed a lot of fish. I still miss some with a trailer. It just depends on how big the fish is and how much they bite it. If you fish dirty or stained water with bigger bass (like the one's you were catching), I'd try the 3/8oz too. The 1/8oz might be too small for them. I like 1/8oz because it will produce numbers because of it's size. If it's just a matter of weight size and not overall size...it's a mute point. Sounds like you had them dialed in that day. I've tried a black buzzbait before and never seem to have much luck. I haven't given up on them though. Come to think of it, I haven't really tried it on the pond yet. I guess I'll have to do that because that water is really dirty. Black 3/8oz might be just the thing. Thanks for the report RW, I've been eyeing these Cavitrons for a while now. I know they are worth the money from what everyone else is saying.

I'm having problems landing bass. Yes.....that's a BIG problem! :'( :'( This has been getting worse all summer. Just yesterday I missed two nice tournament sized bass. By that, I mean they were pushing 3lbs +. At my lake a few of those will win a local jackpot. I can set the hook, it's keeping them on the hook that's troubling me. When they jump, they get off. I lost those two yesterday on a Norman DD14. How can two treble hooks fail me? Must be me right? I think it's like a golf swing, bad habits creep in over time and eventually get bad enough for you to know something is wrong but you don't know what it is. So I guess I'm trying to power them into the boat to keep them from coming off and I reel down the slack when they jump but it's not enough. I have my rod facing around 45 degrees up I guess when I should be burying my rod tip towards the water and letting them fight a little more and try to trurn them when I feel they are getting close to jumping? Should I adjust the drag down a little? I use medium light, medium, medium heavy rods and I seem to be having problems all across the board now. Not just my medium light action rod anymore. What can I do to keep from loosing fish?

Ditto on that quote.I don't throw buzzbaits much and seems like i'm missing out. Like I said in my post above. I never threw a buzzbait until this weekend. When I saw that explosion on the top of the water, I knew I was hooked on this style of fishing. Talk about fish hammering a bait. That's just good topwater fishing. They'll do that on just about any topwater bait. Yep, it's a rush alright. When topwater fishing, every cast, every inch, every chug could be a hookset opportunity. Be ready to reel down and set at all times. Just like jig fishing. I've found that medium heavy action rods work best for buzzbaits. NEVER use a buzzbait without a trailer hook for those short strikers. I've caught more bass on the trailer than I have the main hook. Some days a buzzbait is the only thing that will catch a fish and some buzzbaits are the only ones that will work. The bass in my avatar was caught on a Strike King white "tri-blade" buzzbait. It was the only one they would bite on. I tried a few others and no luck. When I went back to the one that worked, it was on fire! I agree, it's all about the noise and it's also all about color too. It needs to look like a shad is chasing a bug or something. I think white and black are the best colors although I've had strikes on chart. yellow. White just seems to be the "green pumpkin" of buzzbaits. Clackers work sometimes, quiet gurgling works sometimes, squealers, ploppers, size, etc. I've seen where a 1/4oz would catch where 3/8 oz would not. I prefer the smaller 1/4oz because it seems to be more consistent in producing numbers. (edit) I just looked at their selection....that 1/8oz red blade with a white/grey mixed skirt looks like an excellent clear water bait for pressured bass. Heck it would work for stained too! The red gets the reaction instinct of blood and injured baitfish while the skirt looks more realistic than just plain white. I use a similar skirt fom a War Eagle spinnerbait and it's the only thing that works in clear water sometimes.

I took my 6yr. old son out for perch jerking this afternoon and we were on our way out of this cove. It's got deep water on the main cove and tree stumps etc. I've seen fish on the graph before in this area so I thought it would be a good spot to try out the new cranks. I tied one on today to give it a try. It's a Norman DD14 in my new favorite color...."rootbeer". I threw it a few times trying to adjust the tension knob on my baitcaster and I noticed the bait was running hard right. So I was adjusting the crank to correct this before I got to the mouth of the cove I was coming out of. Before I even got to the mouth, a bass just nailed a straight cast to the bank...nothing special retrieve. Talk about getting someone interested in crankbaits! ;D My third cast with this new bait and I almost landed a nice sized tournament bass. I was so geeked out over the ordeal after catching hand sized perch all day that I tried to "Bill Dance" the bass in the boat and lost him. He would have gone 18 inches or better easy. He was a really niced sized bass for this lake. SO.....needless to say, I started combing that area pretty hard. My only problem now is getting hooked up. I could feel nips and nibbles and I'd prematurely set the hook. I have to say, I love the new "rootbeer" color for clear water. It's pretty natural looking and within 10 mins. I almost landed 2 tournament keepers. The second one got off too. Gotta learn to drop the rod tip and let it run a little to keep from jumping. So.....I'll be using cranks pretty heavy now this fall. All it took was one lucky cast and now the baitmonkey is whispering to me.

Thanks! Sometimes....I even suprise myself on what I learned. I'm debating on going fishing right now. The weather is cloudy, 52 degrees due to a recent cold front, pressure at 30.31, a lot of gear to load up, a 30 min. drive, and I have to take my 6 year old. I'm thinking of going back to bed and gettng a later start. The poor kid will just complain about being cold and I don't want to turn him off to fishing.

I could see the topwater trick working. I've seen where you can tie on a small panfish popper on the back of a larger topwater and catch perch that way. I bet the top water trick would work but from my experience, you have to be careful with the cast. The leader gets caught on the trebble hooks of the "attention getter" bait. I bet you could catch a ton of fish if you use a weightless grub on the back of a topwater.

Why do hot dogs come in packages of 10 when buns come in packages of 12? One of those "who knows" questions I think. I actually think it will go 18-22ft depending on line weight. If you go to an 8lb, I bet you can reach 22ft if you swim it down slowly and not fast. I have three right now and I rarely use them. I like the D14 and the Thin Little N.

AH! You have crankbait experience....I have shakey head experience! Technique 1: I like to use them around structure. Basically, fish it like a jig. Throw it up next to a tree and let it sit for 10 seconds or so. Then slowly start pulling it off the tree or jig it a bit to give it some action. If the fish doesn't hit it within 5ft of the tree, chances are they won't or nothing is there. Technique 2: Find a brush pile or laydown in shallow water. Cast it just past the brush pile and work it slowly in front or along side the brush pile. If you're brave, drop it in the brush pile but chanced are, it will get hung-up pretty quick even if it's rigged weedless. Work from out to in and then try to stick it in side the brush pile. You can't get the boat right on top of the brush pile though. Try to stay 30ft or so back and flip it in like a jig. Technique 3: Boat docks! These things can work well on docks that are shallow or have piers. Same as tech. 1, fish it around vertical structure that holds fish. You just have to fish it slow. Slower than a t-rigged worm sometimes. The fish will tell you what they want, fast or slow. Technique 4: (search bait) Most don't use this as a search bait but you can. If you put a curly tail worm or a senko on it, you can fish it faster and just keep it above the bottom and somewhat swim it. You can fish it where transitions occur. Like chuck rock to rip-rap or weedbeds to sand flats, etc. Fish it fast to give it action and fish it like you do a crankbait....anything but slow and steady. Flick it, rip it, jig it, pop it, etc. My favorite plastic worm is the Renegade worms you can find on the bottom shelf at your local Wal-Mart. They smell like candy and hold up well. Plus, for a $1.50 a bag they are great! Motor oil is a good color. The black with hot pink tail is an awesome muddy water color. I've used Tiki Sticks on spot removers in the middle of winter and caught bass in 20ft of water or less on Technique 1. Shakey head is basically a t-rig with a vertical presentation for the worm instead of laying flatter. You just have to play with it and find what works. Unfortunately, that requires a lot of hours on the water. Don't stick with something that is not working. Try different things and experiment. Use your go to plastic on a shakey head and fish it the way you normally fish plastics. That might be a better method. Just for the record, I like Spot Removers but there are better hooks. I like the screw in kind because they hold the plastic so much better. Just haven't gotten around to buying any yet. Good luck! 8-)

Well thanks to this thread, I picked up a few more crankbaits to add to my collection. Thanks baitmonkey....you never let me down! : So I bought more Norman "Thin Little N" cranks in "root bear" and a "smoke ghost". Also picked up a Worden's Timber Tiger DC-16 in "olive black lake craw". That thing is just mean looking! It has deflectors on the bill so it's supposed to be a great crankait for timber and rocks. It supposedly even backs up when it hits something. I read a few online reviews on it and they say it's an awesome crankbait and very versatile. I'll give it a try this Sat. on a new lake. Going scouting for a new place to fish. Thanks again guys for all the posts here. This has given me a newfound confidance in my crankbait collection and inspired me to start crankin'.

So basically just throw something and eventually......you'll get lucky!

There's a straight answer I've been looking for as well. I've heard that you can't just throw it and reel it in. I never knew if I was crazy for twithing, jerking, and such. I feel like I'm making the thing break dance instead of fishing....(if anyone still remembers breakdancing). As far as colors, Bill Dance says..."Why would your throw a bait that looks just like the other thousands of shad in the lake? Throw something that looks a little different but something the fish would want. Make it stand out instead of blending in perfectly". I think this argument has been debated a lot and will continue to be debated. I was just curious if everyone else feels natural in clear is the best way. I'm starting to agree with Bill Dance based on my own experience. Clost to natural but slightly different and slightly brighter yet still believable that it's real.

What colors? Before someone says natural or shad & bluegill colors for clear and brighter colors for stainded and muddy..... I ask my question again. Why is it that some bright colors work well in clear water? I know specifically a yellow with baby-blue backed Rapala works well in clear water. Or a yellow with purple back Norman D14 or Thin-N works. Why is this? Is it because it's something different the fish don't normally see? The old theory is that fake colors will get ignored in clear water but these bright colors work half the time.

Jigs have got to be an under-rated bait. Me and my partner do not catch many fish but if anyone catches a fish at all....it will be him and he will use a jig to catch it. I've tried jigs. I have a whole box with them. I have yet to catch a bass on a jig though. After reading the post above by Joe S., I'm determined to not let him show me up anymore. I think I know what I've been doing wrong now. Not watching the line close enough, not counting, not dragging and bumping like a crawfish, and fishing the jig too fast. I also don't fish cover thoroughly enough. Great posts guys!

I too suck at crankbaits. My new Avid rod is a 7ft crankbait rod. Says so on the rod. I can feel the crankbait wiggling but that's about it. I've set the hook before because I thought I had a small bass. I usually hang them up on structure or something. I can never seem to get them to crank on the bottom. I've tried slow starts & fast starts. I feel like I'm just swimming it through the water and not retrieving it the right way. I've heard of the idea of letting run into a tree or stump and then let it pause. I can't seem to get that working right either. Maybe one day I'll get better at them. As for favorites, I love the Normans in all series. Why? Because everyone I know that loves cranks loves the Normans. Plus they are made not too far from me so I try to keep the money at home! What are the appropriate colors for clear water? (I know natural but I'm questioning that now). Here's a reason. Most of the best crankbaits on my lake are brightly colored but the water is clear. Why is that?

Amen! No wonder all you guys like muddy water. They're easier to catch! ;D