Does anybody have consistent success pulling crankbaits in the early pre spawn period when the fish are staging in the mouths of creeks before moving up shallow? I know most guys don't start until June but I'm eager to try it out.
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Does anybody have consistent success pulling crankbaits in the early pre spawn period when the fish are staging in the mouths of creeks before moving up shallow? I know most guys don't start until June but I'm eager to try it out.
never tried it ,would like to know myself
Caught them last yr. in 56 degree water.
I don't know why you wouldn't, they still eat bait fish year round
yep
Gonna be pullin some of them cranks MR Dux painted for me when I get there in late march. They worked good last fall.
I pull cranks behind a "Carolina" style set up. That means putting a weight (like 1/2 oz egg sinker) on the main line followedby a bead and then a swivel. On the other end of the swivel, tie about 1 1/2' to 2' leader (I mostly use 10# fluorocarbon leader material). On the business end of the leader, tie on the crankbait. This time of year I have found moving about 0.5 to 0.8 miles and hour works much better. As the water warms, I gradually increase speed. About the maximum speed is 1.5 mph.
This photo is from two days ago. The crappie was on a Matzuo Nano Cranker and 1/2" shy of the lake record. I hope this helps.
Attachment 192783
Great info. Thanks! How much does that 1/2 oz sinker affect the depth your cranks run at speeds of .5 to .8?Quote:
Originally Posted by TETF
The local boys I know of use rods from 7' to 20' long ... line counter reels spooled with 30lb test braid ... swivel on tag end of braid ... 2oz trolling sinker attached to swivel ... 5' of 6lb test mono leader with a clip or swivel attached ... then a Bandit 300 crank. Trolling speed of around 1.8mph is the norm. Best I can remember is this setup with 45ft of line out will put the Bandit down around 12ft deep.
... cp :kewl
Any idea why they don't just let out more line to achieve 12 ft depths. I figured the sinker would be used to get deeper at slow speeds like less than 1mph. I'm totally new to pulling cranks but at 1.8mph I wouldn't think the sinker was needed?Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
The way this weather is you might be dragging them on top the ice.Quote:
Originally Posted by chaunc
I'm totally new to pulling cranks, myself ... and I've only done it twice (in a friend's boat, using their equipment) ... so I have no idea why this setup/speed is used, other than it works (and those doing it this way are friends and probably pass the info along).Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappiehabits
It might also come to a trade off between the weight and another 100ft of line out, in order to achieve the same depth. There's also the situation where you cannot stop moving forward when using weights (or it's not particularly a good idea) vs being able to stop when just using longer lines out (but, boat traffic can quickly nix that idea, too).
I think the high speed is maintained to create a reaction bite, as much as keep the bait at a specific depth. We've even caught Crappie no longer than 5" at those speeds & on a bait that has a body length half the size of those fish :Rofl
Give the gang on the KY state forum a hollar about how they rig for pulling/pushing cranks, and I'll bet you'll get several more/different setups and speeds to consider. Don't seem to be any "one size fits all" deal, when it comes to how to do it. Everyone seems to try different ways and settle for the ones that work most often for them.
... cp :kewl
I pull cranks year round. It's all good. Slow early spring and late fall cooking in the summer 1.8-2.4
Thanks guys!
This is my thinking and may not be the norm...I consider this technique to be more tightlining rather than longlining. In this colder weather, I am fishing the river channel where it's 18' to 25' deep. I locate them on my sonar using a combination of 2D, Down and Side imaging. Once I find them, I set the depth to their depth, which has been from 2' to 8' from the bottom. I can easily cover that much range using spider rigs with 1/2 oz and moving at 0.5 to 0.8 mph. The line will be slightly be pulled back with drag. I use 12# super braid as my main line.
The question was about pulling cranks so I was responding to how I used cranks in pre-spawn conditions. In addition, I also use jigs on the same rig and also double jig rigs. The bottom line is this...all the crappie I am finding are chasing bait in open water river channels mostly close to the break lines. Everyday is different and these fish do not stay in one place, like they do when they relocate into trees. Therefore, one must not think that any one technique is the cure-all. Keep an open mind every day and change until something works. Hopefully this helps.
X2 well said buddy well saidQuote:
Originally Posted by TETF
Great information in your post, much much appreciated.