Pulling Cranks 101

If you have a MK TM, one thing you can do is tighten the cable tension screw located in front where the cables come out the foot control to where the TM won't turn when you take your foot off of it but will still be fairly easy to turn with your foot. This will allow you to take your foot off the control and stand up for example and work the fish into the net, assuming your in somewhat open water. I don't particulalry like to use the big motor to troll, it limits you to the drivers seat for steering too much for me. You see IPilots on the swap meet from time to time, keep an eye out for one and I will too..

Dutch do what I did, I called a local boat dealer and ask for the best price out the door he could give me and saved almost $90 bucks doing that way, he sold me the trolling motor for $1299.00 plus tax, they list for $1379,plus tax here in NC. Plus you don't have to pay shipping costs then either

What, if any, diffence in the Okuma line counter are you all noticing who are using the 30lb Powerpro or other comparable braid as opposed to 10lb mono and how are you adjusting your line lengths to compensate for this?

My opinion is no noticable difference since the 30# braid has the diam of 10# mono..

Went trolling for the first time with crankbaits. Didn't find the crappie but caught a mess of bass and catfish, guess i just got to keep at it till i find them.

Look for the shad balls and other baitfish on your FF....where they are thats where the crappie usually are.

Thanks! G

Wow, this is the best thread I've read in a LONG time. I think its going to get expensive one though. If there are any Vetrans on here Bass Pro will give you a 10 % discount or so I've been told heading up there next week to find out will let you know.

Thanks,
Mike

Show your military ID and a lot of times they will give you the 10% anyway, but it's really the 15th - 25th of each month..

They always give me the Mil discount but I have to tell them to do it.

Maj they know me and you by name. I have been given the discount out of uniform on any given day.

One thing for sure, if you guys ever stop going to BPS, I'm gonna sell my stock before it crashes..

very good read and very informative.

This is prolly one of the best thread on the net, period.
Here's a little input from a rookie, go fishing!! Go figure out what works for you, how you want your boat set up and all that. Another piece of advise is to go where they are catching em, dont matter if they small go where your odds are good and get some experience. Have pulled 3 times before today and all 3 were on a lake that was dead slow, not much fun and not much learning either. Went today and couldn't even get a 4th rod in the water for catching fish, 5 rods when pulling cranks is alot when your by yourself.
Will post some more from a rookie stand point as this venture progresses.
Good luck guys, hope yall are having as much fun as I am.

have seen it stated where some guys use cheap line as filler on their Okuma 15 reels below the good stuff, and my question is "how" to do you attach or tie the two different lines together? What knot do you use?

Really doesnt matter. I just use the same knot I tied my baits on with, tie it on one side and leave a loop and then tie it on the other and pull em together.

Jim I use a blood knot to tie mine, hope this helps

I use a Uni-knot for 10lb clear Trilene XL to 10lb hi-vis P-line.

another dumb ? about this topic:
Most of you guys use the Okuma 15's, and how do you let the line/CB out, cast it out or strip the line off the reel to the length/depth you're after?

I do it both ways, I pull from the sides of my boat and if I can cast it I do. The outside pole and the inside pole on each side are pretty easy to cast the center 2 not so much.

I pull 2 off the back sides and 2 directly out the back and I usually flip out 10-12 fol and let the crank do the rest, flip the switch when out enough. Doesn't take that much time and no birdnest...

[QUOTE=E-Z Poleholder;1593798]I pull 2 off the back sides and 2 directly out the back and I usually flip out 10-12 fol and let the crank do the rest, flip the switch when out enough. Doesn't take that much time and no birdnest...[/QUOTE)

Thats the way I do it also.

Darn long thread but worth the read. Thanks for all the info. I hope to have my stuff in by the weekend so I can start getting my boat set up for pulling.

long but good, thanks. made me spend 300.00 more, im sure im not the only one. i spider rig a little bit, all i have 16' rs so i had to oder two 12'rs bunch of bandit 300s [25] and braided line. plan on having three on each side 16' 12' 8' hope the 16'rs will work [B+M pro staff]

They will... I have an 18'. It is a little cumbersome, but spaces everything nicely. Can run 4 each side 18, 12, 6, and 5 1/2 pointing up

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Originally Posted by E-Z Poleholder

I pull 2 off the back sides and 2 directly out the back and I usually flip out 10-12 fol and let the crank do the rest, flip the switch when out enough. Doesn't take that much time and no birdnest...

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I started toying with the spool tension and can cast it usually around 50-60 ft with no birdnest... Just a little quicker and I'm impatient

That comes from fishing with ES.Rofl

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Originally Posted by MO' MONEY

I started toying with the spool tension and can cast it usually around 50-60 ft with no birdnest... Just a little quicker and I'm impatient

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Ok what am I doing wrong, I have tried this 4 times now and have yet to even see a crappie. I have caught catfish, stripers, white perch til I'm tired of em, but have not seen or heard or smelled, or cooked a crappie doing this yet, what am I doing wrong, helppppppppppppppppppp

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Originally Posted by warbird

long but good, thanks. made me spend 300.00 more, im sure im not the only one. i spider rig a little bit, all i have 16' rs so i had to oder two 12'rs bunch of bandit 300s [25] and braided line. plan on having three on each side 16' 12' 8' hope the 16'rs will work [B+M pro staff]

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That's the same setup I use. Gives good line separation.

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Originally Posted by quikcarl61

Ok what am I doing wrong, I have tried this 4 times now and have yet to even see a crappie. I have caught catfish, stripers, white perch til I'm tired of em, but have not seen or heard or smelled, or cooked a crappie doing this yet, what am I doing wrong, helppppppppppppppppppp

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It could be the depth you are fishing, crappie feed up if your bait is below them they will ignore it.

I grew up in Arkansas and what they call Crappie here in MS we called White Perch there. Soooooo, my question is: you said 'I have caught catfish, stripers, white perch til I'm tired of em'. What is the difference in NC? or here for that matter??
Aslo, maybe just me, but when I catch a bunch of cats, I reel in a few feet until they quit so much. I feel I have a better chance in finding the ones I'm looking for..

dont be skeet to try different depts and amount of line out and here in tn i troll till i catch a fish and will keep running over the same spot using the bread crumb trail on my fishfinder,and sometime i catch a couple fish every pass once i find them.when i first started i would troll the edge of the river channel and only caught 1 crappie in a month ,and then i started working creeks (channels and flats)and started catching fish and most fish are now crappie.another thing i use the 200series most of the time when most people said use 300 and now they are what i prefer.dont know ur waters but i have been catching fish in 10-12ft of water with 40-80ft of line out

Quote:

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Originally Posted by quikcarl61

Ok what am I doing wrong, I have tried this 4 times now and have yet to even see a crappie. I have caught catfish, stripers, white perch til I'm tired of em, but have not seen or heard or smelled, or cooked a crappie doing this yet, what am I doing wrong, helppppppppppppppppppp

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I have fished from 9 to 16 feet based on the charts in this thread, I have used bandit 200's and 300's all different colors, not sure but think I may be pulling them out of their mouths, I have had hits and the fish didn't stay stuck, not sure

u using new or used baits,i bought a bunch of my baits used and was losing alot of fish earlier this year and put new hooks on and it changed everything ,started catching again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by quikcarl61

I have fished from 9 to 16 feet based on the charts in this thread, I have used bandit 200's and 300's all different colors, not sure but think I may be pulling them out of their mouths, I have had hits and the fish didn't stay stuck, not sure

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by E-Z Poleholder

I grew up in Arkansas and what they call Crappie here in MS we called White Perch there. Soooooo, my question is: you said 'I have caught catfish, stripers, white perch til I'm tired of em'. What is the difference in NC? or here for that matter??
Aslo, maybe just me, but when I catch a bunch of cats, I reel in a few feet until they quit so much. I feel I have a better chance in finding the ones I'm looking for..

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People call drum white perch in KY, and drum LOVE crawfish colored Bandits...

they are all new and I replaced the back trebles with the red, don't lose any of the other species I hook up so I am not sure

Lots of people try to set the hook on a bite, which rips the hooks out of the soft crappie mouth. Try just picking up the rod and reeling when ya get a bite

Thats what I do Mo, I never set the hook because I figured with the speed I was trolling they set themselves.

Can someone save me some time searching threads? I wanted to know if anyone removes one of the treble hooks on their crank baits. I was pulling them yesterday and I did not like the damage the upper hook was doing to the fish. I was thinking of going with only the rear hook. I enjoy pulling cranks but do not like the damage done to fish that I am releasing. (only keep bigger crappie)

By removing the front hook you will change the way the bait will act when pulling. Action will definately change.