Thread: Comments on 1st time pulling crank baits....

Did my first pulling crank baits for crappie on Sunday,local lake Patoka Lake in southern Indiana. I learned a lot and managed tocatch seven keepers. Caught 20 or so crappie but most were in the 6” to 7”range, very surprised that these small crappie would strike large crank baits.
Anyway I’m hooked on pulling crank baits LOL, it is a lotof fun. I caught all these fish in 8' to10' FOW, on chrome or pink crank baits, pulled at 100’ behind the boat and at1.0 to 1.5 MPH. I did move to deeper water and saw a lot of fish on the graphbut didn’t get a single hit. These fish were deeper in 24 to 28' FOW andsuspended at 15' to 18' FOW, I don't know if the 200 Bandits were getting done to that depth?
Boat traffic was horrendous, jet skis everywhere, not tomention a lot of guys wanted to inquiry about what I was doing so they simplypulled up and started talking LOL. Nonetheless pulling crank baits is awesome fun,looking forward to doing it again.
Wonder if it works at night, when there is little to noboat traffic
Lessons learned:
- HighVIS line is a must. I used Suffix braid on all 4 rods and the two with high visline was a lot easier to detect line
- Goodrod holders w/the rod trigger seated so it locks the reel into the rod holder –one 3LBS white bass and my rod was in the water, luckily it floated long enoughto allow a quick grab
- Iused all 8.5’ rod lengths out of the back of the boat and they work great butfrom the side of the boat it would have been easier to use different rod lengths
- Aftera fish hook up don’t stop trolling to land the fish, this only took once to getthe crank baits tangled.


Hereis a boat pic…

Get you some 300 series baits. they will get down deeper. get a couple of longer poles for outside corners.