Crankbait guru's...i have some questions

So drove down this morning to Sardis to try pullin cranks again. Waters up alot more than last time I was there. Only got to fish for a couple hours before thunderstorms ran us off. Only caught 4 short fish.....so my questions

1. Do you look for fish and what depth or just throw baits different depths and let fish tell u how deep?

2. Are there specific areas cranks work better?
I followed the areas along channels this morning from clear creek back toward dam.....is this correct or backward thinking?

Any other tidbits be great too...Ive read 1st 80 pages of the crankbaits 101 sticky as well....

Tom

White crappie tend to roam following shad. If you see balls of baitfish on your sonar, the fish will be close by


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Not sure I can offer anything that's not already in the crankbaits 101 sticky. It is an absolute wealth of knowledge. I also need to say that I've never fished or been on Sardis, About 300 miles away is as close as I've ever come to it. That said, I can tell you some of what has worked for me pulling crankbaits in Summer over the years. I also need to say that I mainly fish for black crappie, because that's the predominant species in the lakes I fish.

First thing I do is identify the depth of the thermocline with my electronics. Fish just aren't going to spend time in cold, low oxygen water. You can automatically set that level as a maximum depth, though it can get deeper as the day progresses. If you're fishing below that, you're just wasting time, effort, and gas. Next divide the lake into areas or sections based on depth, so you're not looking at the entire body of water at one time. Pick a cove, a segment of the main lake channel, or the deepest basin by the dam, then see if you can find schools of baitfish above the thermocline. If nobody's home, move on to the next. The shad will school and the crappie will school under them. The Black crappie tend to me more randomly spaced than White crappie, which will be in tighter schools, often associated with channels. Pay attention to wind or discolored water lines from wave action, as either one could help concentrate fish.

Make sure to set your lines at different lengths to vary the depths your lures are running. Unless you know how deep those lures are running, you're fishing blind. Eliminate water until you start drawing strikes, then concentrate fishing around those depths. Lure color matters, until it doesn't. Some days they only want one particular color, so don't be afraid to mix it up until you hit on the right one. They'll tell you want they want & what they don't.

Be persistent. Some days it won't make sense why you're not catching, until you hit that right depth, the right spot, the right color, or all three combined. Pay attention to what color draws the most strikes and what depth they come from.

I hope something here triggers some success for you. I'm certainly no expert, but I've been pulling crankbaits for crappie since I was just out of high school (1980) and I can't remember the last time I got skunked. Determine the correct depth, concentrate your efforts in the strike zone, and cover water.

Good fishing & have fun.

Jim

Thank you guys for your info and time. I appreciate it

I will keep after it....its eay to get frustrated tho

I'll add to what Yak Fish said (all great info, sir!):
Color often changes during day primarily based on light level. At Sardis, speed matters. I often fish slower early morning until bite dies. Then I speed up by .2 to .4 mph and bite turns on again. Sometimes I have to slow back down after 1 pm. Finally, bite is much better for me if all pulling poles are in rod holders on back of boat.