I've been a bank angler my entire life but just got means to get on the water. I hated throwing diving CB's from the bank since I didn't like the angle and snagged often so I stayed away from them. Now that I'm on the water I want to throw more crankbaits but I don't have a lot of confidence knowing where/when to throw them. It's weird being so limited for so long and now having the freedom to explore and fish an entire lake. Most of the water I fish ranges from 5-12 ft of water with some parts over 15. I have a Dobyn's FR 705CB I just got that I'm using for smaller treble hook lures and was told it's a good rod for medium diving CB's among other things. Any pointers of what to look for and ideal conditions would be appreciated!  

Do you have electronics or not? That will make a huge difference in being able to detect what parts of a lake make appropriate CB territory.

4 minutes ago, Sphynx said:

Do you have electronics or not? That will make a huge difference in being able to detect what parts of a lake make appropriate CB territory.

Yup. Although I probably need a lot more experience with it before I understand it better but the basics seem pretty simple. Just trying to learn how to identify different structure. 

This time of year I'd rather throw a medium diving crankbait than a shallow.  For me I will use them when the water is deep enough or vegetation is deep enough to not get all tangled in the mess.  On summer days I'm all about getting my lure out of the sun.  If I can get below the penetration line with a medium that's perfect.  Or along shaded sides of vegetation and shoreline. 

 

In all honesty the best way to figure it out is have one tied on all the time and throw it when you can, see if it works. 

 

Does your lake have a rip rap dam ? Thats always a good place to target with cranks .Paralel cast .

Check out 'A Rare Insight into Crankbait Fishing' above.

Crankbaits are great tools for both catching fish and learning a lake. If you can figure out beforehand what depth the fish/bait are holding at, pick a crank that will dive to that depth, or just above it.  If you don't know what the bottom is made up of, or where it changes, pick one that will dig into the bottom on the retrieve. You can target the water above the weeds with a shallow runner, or learn where they stop growing.

My favorite places to throw medium divers is around rip rap. Pausing the retrieve when the lure bangs into the cover will both trigger strikes and allow the bait to float up and back away from snags.  The other area I like is shell beds. I fish it very similar there.

I don't throw them because I have way too many veggies almost everywhere I throw.  Have thrown them in reservoirs up north in deep water with standing timber and riprap.  I florida I throw swim jigs instead.

Crankbaits are very good lures to use in rivers.