Crankin Ky Lake

Quackrstackr and I decide to try to catch some crappie on cranks Sat after our last trip was a total fiasco with 3 foot waves and bunches of crankbaits left hung on bottom structure. We hit some main lake bars but the lack of current really hurt us there. The fish were scattered all over the place with maybe 3 here then one there. We ended up on a ledge in a major bay that had done well for us in the past. Again, they were scattered but we did hang with them long enough to catch 22 keepers. Tim and I have both been painting some really off-the -wall colors and combinations to try. We caught all but a couple of our keepers on our custom combos. We didn't lose quite as many as the last trip but enough to make it painful. It's hard to take when you start catching fish on one you painted that happened to be the ONLY one like it then break it off. That's why I take pics of all my new combos.

I am spending this afternoon changing line on every one of my trolling reels to Trilene Big Game Solar 12 pound test. The Mr. Crappie 10 pound I spooled onto my reels just a couple of days ago let us down BIG TIME. It might be OK for longlining but isn't made for getting cranks back from bottom snags.

Here's qs with one of my custom colors which happens to be a taxidermy paint for fish mounts. I had 2 of them and we both caught fish on it. Guess there will be more of it in the works this week.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps4d0b6e8b.jpg

Mrdux I took your advice and bought some c55's to paint. Hope I can get em like you do. How do you choose which color scheme you want?

Mrdux, I have lost a few there also I was using 10 lb suffix pretty tuff but after lossing $50 i thought about switching only problem i could see with that was it almost pulled my boat backwards before i could get the 10lb to break if it was more i guess i would have had to cut it i am affraid i would have to cut several if i go to 12 for none of mine just pulled off whats your thoughts on this? also what tools do you use to paint your cranks?

Have you all tried tying on your hooks with 6# test line and doing away with the snap?

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Originally Posted by Monark King190

Mrdux I took your advice and bought some c55's to paint. Hope I can get em like you do. How do you choose which color scheme you want?

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I just sit down with an airbrush and a shelf full of paints and experiment. I do have a basic idea what I want and it usually involves colors or patterns I DO NOT have in my tackle boxes. I do start out by painting the blanks opaque white then laying my colors on that. I've been painting several pearl white over the opaque white then using pearl colors like the one shown. It gives a different look and those baits do look awesome in the water.

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Originally Posted by ccollins

Mrdux, I have lost a few there also I was using 10 lb suffix pretty tuff but after lossing $50 i thought about switching only problem i could see with that was it almost pulled my boat backwards before i could get the 10lb to break if it was more i guess i would have had to cut it i am affraid i would have to cut several if i go to 12 for none of mine just pulled off whats your thoughts on this? also what tools do you use to paint your cranks?

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We never stop the boat for a hung up bait so we have little trouble breaking them off.

I use a Badger Renegade Velocity airbrush at 25 psi. I use mostly Createx airbrush acrylic paints that I thin with reducer or Polytranspar taxidermy acrylic paint. I paint my taxidermy fish with lacquer paint thru an Iwata Custom Micron B airbrush. That is a $100 airbrush vs a $550 airbrush. I don't need the detail I can get with the Custom Micron for crankbaits that I'm going to lose in a couple of trips anyway. I seal all my cranks with Devcon 30 minute 2-ton epoxy then rotate them over night on a rotisserie. All my glitter is added to the Devcon once it is mixed well and before it is brushed onto the baits.

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Originally Posted by ifish

Have you all tried tying on your hooks with 6# test line and doing away with the snap?

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That sounds like a good idea. What kinda knots?

Yeah sounds like it would work

I guess its the same concept when I tie jigs. Just with paint.

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Originally Posted by ifish

Have you all tried tying on your hooks with 6# test line and doing away with the snap?

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Definitely cheaper than using these : Ultimate SmartLink Titanium Rings 6pk :twocents

... cp :kewl

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Originally Posted by CrappiePappy

Definitely cheaper than using these : Ultimate SmartLink Titanium Rings 6pk :twocents

... cp :kewl

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I bought some of those and while they do work, they are more expensive than the baits I risk losing. I could see them on a $25 bait that a bass fisherman is chunking but not on a $2 chinese piece of plastic.

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Originally Posted by ifish

Have you all tried tying on your hooks with 6# test line and doing away with the snap?

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I haven't seen that done, Buddy.

While I want to save all the baits I can, I can see using the line to tie the hooks to the bait as a nightmare for getting yellows, catfish, bass and other trash fish off the bait. I am guilty most times of taking the pliers and grabbing the shank of the hook and just shaking those fish off the bait.

Doing that with mono on the hook means I'm spending time retying constantly. Spending time occupied by repairing baits is time I'm not paying 100% attention to the trolling motor and the boat heading. Inattention to that is more hang-ups and more lost baits as well as lost fishing time.

I guess it's a pick your poison deal. I hate losing baits as much as the next guy, just not enough to keep me from being out there risking them to the bottom.

Great job mrdux. :ThumbsUp:ThumbsUp:ThumbsUp

Why will a regular lite wire single hook not work on cranks or will it we catch and release most fish when pulling cranks and they can get pretty torn up sometimes .

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Originally Posted by ccollins

Why will a regular lite wire single hook not work on cranks or will it we catch and release most fish when pulling cranks and they can get pretty torn up sometimes .

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Mine are mostly released to the ice in the livewell. I think a single hook would work but your hook-up ratio would have to be much less than with a pair of trebles. I'm amazed when a fish hits one of my cranks so hard it almost yanks the rod out of the holder but it doesn't hook itself.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

Mine are mostly released to the ice in the livewell. I think a single hook would work but your hook-up ratio would have to be much less than with a pair of trebles. I'm amazed when a fish hits one of my cranks so hard it almost yanks the rod out of the holder but it doesn't hook itself.

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Dux, I'm starting to think that some of those hard hits that pull the pole way back and then gone are actually dragging cranks over Asian carps. whatchoo think?

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Originally Posted by BIGBADDAD

Dux, I'm starting to think that some of those hard hits that pull the pole way back and then gone are actually dragging cranks over Asian carps. whatchoo think?

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It's possible that some of them are. I've foul hooked several of the Asians. A while back I brought up a scale the size of a golf ball on one missed strike. Ask Buffalo13 about one I hooked a couple of years back. It was either an Asian or an underwater jet-ski.

I still think several are game fish that got lucky and didn't get hooked by a face full of red hooks.

I took my wife out Sunday afternoon for her first trolling trip. She wore my butt out!! We did hook several fish that stayed on for 1/2 the trip to the boat then just came loose.

Glad someone caught something. I made it out for just a couple of hours yesterday so I went after the green carp. Not so much as a sniff. Could be because the ledge I was fishing was absolutely loaded with freaking asian carp. Of course, by the time I ran back to the ramp and got my bow out of the truck then came back they had all gone down. I couldn't even shoot a carp. LOL