Quote Originally Posted by flatbottomarky View Post
Thanks for all the info guys, been crappie fishing for many years but never tried anything like this, it sounds interesting to try on one of my local lakes. Didn't know the best way to avoid tangles, which I'm sure will happen often enough anyway. thought fish might pull off if I kept going, but it makes sense keeping the lines tight would help avoid tangles. I have 4 stroke 40 that will idle pretty slow and quiet may try this and trolling motor to see how each works. Lot of knowledgeable here, good site for sure.
From what I've seen & experienced in my limited time pulling cranks ... once the fish comes to the surface, you want to hold the rod high & keep the fish coming on its side (skiing on the surface) with a fast retrieve ... then net or hoist the fish into the boat. My experience has only been with 2oz weights & a 5' mono leader between the main line braid & crankbait ... so, if you hang up, you keep going or risk having all the lines pulled to the bottom. With the boat going at approx. 1.8mph ... even from 15' deep, the fish will be pulled to the surface rather quickly. It can then be skidded across the water's surface with a fast/steady retrieve.

Some fish will get the "bends" from the rapid removal from the depths, and may require "fizzing" of the air bladder if you intend to keep them alive for any length of time; for whatever reason (tournament weigh-in, possible later release, etc).

... cp