I'm not familiar with the ways of the crankbait. I fish a rat-l-trap here and there, but not the same as a DT. I just purchased a Rapala DT-4 and had some questions.

1.  How often do these lures get hung up?

2.  What can I do to avoid hang ups?

3.  Any tips/techniques I should know?

4.  Anything else you can tell me would be great.

Thanks,

- Aaron

Crankbaits are pretty straightforward. Think like a baitfish around predators. It has to act spooked. You can work them fast, slow, and anywhere in between. The most popular method is stop and go. You crank em then you let it sit for a couple seconds, then you crank it again, etc...DT-4 dives around 4 feet I think, so it shouldn't get hung up too much. The nice thing about a shallow diver is that you can run it over shallow weedbeds and get some minor snags. The minor snags are good because when you pull it free, it often triggers a reactionary strike from bass. Most bass are caught on that technique for crankbaits. The only thing cranks usually get realll snagged on that you have to cut off are on trees. Weedbeds are generally easy to get out of. You just need to find your comfort zone and what seems to catch the most fish for the retrieve. The whole goal is simulate a baitfish. Hope this helps. Happy Fishing!  

the dt series cranks are awesome!!!!!

i was fishing a pretty clear lake from shore & i could see the bass about 7 feet from shore just hanging out....i was throwing a bomber crank & kept swimming it by but the bass could care less...then i tied on a DT and slowly reeled it past(it doesnt suspend,i dont think) & the bass killed it the second it got near him, on my first cast!!!!!.....ive been sold on those babys ever since...

^^^^minnesota anglers got the tecnique right^^^^

There are some great threads from times long past. Chris is a great wealth of knoledge when it comes to crankbaits. We sure do miss him.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1128775970/0

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1129970015/0

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1146285012/10#10

Thanks for those links fluke. Thats great stuff in there. About that "stop and go"...thanks for correcting me Volpster. I'm not totally familiar with the DT series, I just know that Rapala usually numbers there crankbaits based on diving depths.  8-). Yea definitly read those threads. Chris' posts are like articles in Bassmaster magazine.

Beware once you start catching lots of bass on CB's ur in trouble bc there addicting and the baitmonking has so so many to choose from and they get pricey

The sooner you accept you will lose some crankbaits, the better you will be fishing.

As pointed out above, a DT 4 is only going to get hung up maybe 4 feet down, close enough to work it free running the rod tip down to it. Don't use fluorocarbon line with those, as it sinks too fast and is more likely to tangle on bottom than the bait itself. Balsa baits float back off a snag pretty well if you'll pause it and give it some line. If that doesn't work gently zip the line back & forth to make the bait rock off a snag. Next, pull the line fairly tight with two fingertips, leaving some slack below your fingers, then let it go like a bow shooting an arrow.

Jim

Beware once you start catching lots of bass on CB's ur in trouble bc there addicting and the baitmonking has so so many to choose from and they get pricey

Bait Monkey demands minimum 2 of each