Since maachuu was wondering about pushing crankbaits, I thought I would start a thread and let everybody know any tips I have.

I use a 12 ft trolling rod to push with. On the end of my line I have a snap tied to hook my crankbait on. Up the line around 4 ft from my snap, I have a loop knot tied in my line to hook my weight to. I use a 3oz bank sinker. The sinker has a 6 inch leader tied to it with a snap on the end of the leader. I'll hook the weight to the loop knot when I'm pushing and I can remove the weight when I stow my rods. That cuts down on lots of tangles. I push off of the front rod holders and angled out far enough to keep everything away from the trolling motor. If you have a trolling motor transducer, you can usually see your baits on your depth finder, showing your depth. One good thing about pushing is the fact that you can use any type of crankbait and run them at any depth. I still prefer to use a deep running bait though due to the fact that they have more of a wobble and put off more of a vibration. Although I've caught fish on Rattle Traps and even horsehead jigs while pushing, I've done better with Bandit 300s.

If you want to stay busy, push one pole off of each side of the front of your boat, then have a planer board off of each side, then six poles off of the back pulling cranks.