Crankin for Crappie

When the water warms up in Late May through August, just want to know if any of you start running(trolling) crank baits (like Bandit 200's 300's) for Crappie, and if you have any success. I had some success in SC (Santee Cooper) by accident. We had a small fishing tournament for LM Bass in May about 3 years ago. (Retirement group, most of us had Pontoon's) So, we fished from a pontoon trolling crank baits at the lowest speed the 140HP motor would run. We did catch some LM Bass, but was surprised with the 12 crappie we caught while trolling, all were nice size. Probably we were going too fast, but think our baits were down about 10-15ft in 20ft of water. So, if anyone does some crank bait fishing for crappie, I'd like to know how you set up to do it here in KY.

That's what I specialize in my guide service along with longline trolling. Many folks here who do very well pulling cranks learned it in my boats.

Crankin' is what we do down here in 'ssippi after the spawn til Fall. Good fish being caught during the Summer! Check out the MS Board sticky "Cranking 101"

I'm new to this technique as well and have been wondering how this works. What kind of crank baits do you mostly use(color, size, depth range, etc). Do you push them out the front of or pull them from back of the boat or both; what speed do you mostly run when doing this? Any info will sure help me out and others too maybe.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/missi...-cranks-101-a/

Most crank pushers/pullers I know use 2oz trolling weights, run @ 1.8mph and use Bandit 300's ... they use 12ft-16ft rods (most "push" out the front, but may have a second or third person in the boat that "pulls" out the back .. and use shorter rods) and many have line counter reels on their rods, spooled with 30lb test braid (10# test diameter) with a 5ft leader of 6lb test mono.

They fish Green River Lake and start "crankin" when the surface temps get above 70deg ... and the Shad schools are suspended out in open water.

They use the weights to cut down on the length of line out, and to be able to make shorter turns. They'll sacrifice a hung bait, rather than break a rod or attempt to retrieve the bait ... hence the 6lb test leader. You troll with a 2oz weight and there's no "stopping" the boat for a hung-up lure !!

I've pulled cranks for crappie, but haven't pushed them. The one thing I can't get my mind around is if you are pushing with a long rod and several rods out .....How exactly do you handle that if you are going almost 2 mph? Seems like it would be trying to bend the rod backwards under the boat with the risk of getting in the trolling motor.
I'd like to try it out but might have to get out with someone experienced handling the "stuff" that happens.

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Originally Posted by BobB

I've pulled cranks for crappie, but haven't pushed them. The one thing I can't get my mind around is if you are pushing with a long rod and several rods out .....How exactly do you handle that if you are going almost 2 mph? Seems like it would be trying to bend the rod backwards under the boat with the risk of getting in the trolling motor.
I'd like to try it out but might have to get out with someone experienced handling the "stuff" that happens.

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You can't use your typical spider rig rods for pushing cranks. They are just not heavy enough. Southern Crappie Rods has a 143T and 122T (14'/3 piece--12'/ 2 piece) that are made for handling up to 2 ounces of weight. The cranks I push with are very shallow runners or more stick-bait types that don't displace a lot of water like 200/300/c55s.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

You can't use your typical spider rig rods for pushing cranks. They are just not heavy enough. Southern Crappie Rods has a 143T and 122T (14'/3 piece--12'/ 2 piece) that are made for handling up to 2 ounces of weight. The cranks I push with are very shallow runners or more stick-bait types that don't displace a lot of water like 200/300/c55s.

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The Southern 143T is exactly the rod I was considering ..... Do you push as well as pull cranks? A lot of the info I got to get me started pulling was from reading your and others posts.
I like the idea of having better control and being able to make shorter turns by pushing.

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Originally Posted by BobB

I've pulled cranks for crappie, but haven't pushed them. The one thing I can't get my mind around is if you are pushing with a long rod and several rods out .....How exactly do you handle that if you are going almost 2 mph? Seems like it would be trying to bend the rod backwards under the boat with the risk of getting in the trolling motor.
I'd like to try it out but might have to get out with someone experienced handling the "stuff" that happens.

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There is quite a bend put in the rods, for sure ... but, that's why they use longer rods out the front. I'd have to ask, but I "think" the guys I know are using BnM PST's.
I've only been twice with the guys I know that push cranks, and the first time I was using two 7' rods out the back ... and the second time I was using two 12' collapsible rods out the back. Both times were with 2oz weights & 300 Bandits.

I mostly "push" jigs in my boat ... 1/2oz weight @ 0.6-0.8mph ... but I plan on trying a bit of crank pushing this year. I don't have the variable speed/24V TM or batteries to maintain 1.8mph for very long, so I'm gonna start out with the minnow shaped cranks & deep diving cranks of a smaller size than a Bandit 300; and I'm going to use whatever weight & speed it takes to keep the line at a 45deg angle. That way I can tell how deep the weight is running (by multiplying however much line I have out below the surface of the water times 0.6 ... which is how I determine the depth of my jigs when I'm pushing them). I did try this once before, with small cranks & 1/2oz weights ... and I did catch a few Crappie & a catfish ... but only a couple of hours of that and my battery was barely strong enough to keep the depth finder on when running at any appreciable speed. It was an old 27series though, and has since been replaced with a new 29series ... so I'm hoping to get a bit more pushing time out of it. If that isn't sufficient, I have another 29series battery that I can bring along.

Thanks guys, that's a lot of helpful information to get me a good idea on the proper gear needed to get setup. I can see it's going to be an expensive venture so I'll just have to ease into this for now to see how goes.

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Originally Posted by BobB

The Southern 143T is exactly the rod I was considering ..... Do you push as well as pull cranks? A lot of the info I got to get me started pulling was from reading your and others posts.
I like the idea of having better control and being able to make shorter turns by pushing.

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No doubt pushing cranks gives you more control of your lines and allows you to fish shorter stretches of productive water than pulling does. As a guide, my issue is sitting a couple of clients up front with 3 rods apiece when they have zero concept of what I'm trying to do. For clients, the pulling is much more client friendly.

All the trips I've done by myself and with friends so far this spring have been pushing small cranks (Arkie 220s) and roadrunners/jigs with the 143T and 122T Southerns. It has been productive.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

That's what I specialize in my guide service along with longline trolling. Many folks here who do very well pulling cranks learned it in my boats.

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I'm looking forward to be added to that list!!

Are you keying in on structure still as much when cranking or more on transition patterns? I know that sounds stupid to ask but looks like you would be loosing a lot of lures going over a lot of structure with crank baits:dono

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Originally Posted by Ky Slab

Are you keying in on structure still as much when cranking or more on transition patterns? I know that sounds stupid to ask but looks like you would be loosing a lot of lures going over a lot of structure with crank baits:dono

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You are keying on transition patterns, not structure. Run cranks in open water and let the fish tell you what depth you want your bait. At $5 to $7 a crankbait, it's wise to stay away from stumps and brush! The strike by a crappie on a crank is a reaction strike based on the wiggle movement. The fish scatter after the spawn, and that's when cranking gets hot! I'm no expert by any means, but we have a lot of 'em down here that I've learned from. Go to that thread link mrdux posted for the MS Board and you'll find out about everything you need to know! A lot of reading, but a tremendous amount of info! GOOD LUCK!

When I pull cranks I am looking for the bait fish first. I will start looking on drop offs or on deep flats next to a channel. Once I find a good pile of bait I will try to set my cranks out to run above the bait.
But beware this can be a little addictive. Once started buying cranks it hard to stop you will end up with 4 or 5 of every crank bait that they make and still think that you need more. You may need to take out a second mortgage to cover the cost but it's only money

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by kenja

When I pull cranks I am looking for the bait fish first. I will start looking on drop offs or on deep flats next to a channel. Once I find a good pile of bait I will try to set my cranks out to run above the bait.
But beware this can be a little addictive. Once started buying cranks it hard to stop you will end up with 4 or 5 of every crank bait that they make and still think that you need more. You may need to take out a second mortgage to cover the cost but it's only money

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

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You are right, kenja. Bait balls are the key to look for. And we have some hardcore crankers down here is 'ssippi say that if you ain't got 400-500 crankbaits, you're a little short! It can get expensive.....REAL FAST!

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Originally Posted by Ky Slab

Are you keying in on structure still as much when cranking or more on transition patterns? I know that sounds stupid to ask but looks like you would be loosing a lot of lures going over a lot of structure with crank baits:dono

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I'm most of the time running as close to breaks as I dare. I lose a lot of cranks in a years time, if that's a problem, you don't need to be playing the game. That's why I paint a big portion of my own cranks. Later, as the water temps get steamy, I'm going to be off-shore looking for baitballs and suspended fish. This is where most newbies to cranks fail. Too much emphasis is placed on maximum depth on the cranks. Lots of times I'll be in 20-30 feet of water running cranks 8-10 feet deep. Those baits are going to be exactly where my electronics tell me to put them.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

No doubt pushing cranks gives you more control of your lines and allows you to fish shorter stretches of productive water than pulling does. As a guide, my issue is sitting a couple of clients up front with 3 rods apiece when they have zero concept of what I'm trying to do. For clients, the pulling is much more client friendly.

All the trips I've done by myself and with friends so far this spring have been pushing small cranks (Arkie 220s) and roadrunners/jigs with the 143T and 122T Southerns. It has been productive.

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I saw a deal on the Arkies this winter and bought quite a few of them. Hadn't tried them before, but am going to give them a shot. I also have some of the C55's which may be too big for pushing.

There's a small lake near me that I want to map ..... Maybe I'll get out there late spring and do some mapping and pushing.

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Originally Posted by BobB

I saw a deal on the Arkies this winter and bought quite a few of them. Hadn't tried them before, but am going to give them a shot. I also have some of the C55's which may be too big for pushing.

There's a small lake near me that I want to map ..... Maybe I'll get out there late spring and do some mapping and pushing.

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The 220 Arkies, Rattle Traps,Shad Raps, any shallow runner cranks is fine. I WILL NOT push 300 Bandits, c55s, or any other deep runner cranks. It's added depth you don't need and the load on the rod is more than is needed. Your depth should be controlled by the weight above the crank.

I'll split it up a little cranks on side roadrunners or twister tail the other at different depths and let the fish tell me the better bait to use....:twocents

I started pulling cranks specifically for crappie on Green River Lake 7 years ago after catching a few giant slabs while trolling large deep diving crankbaits for walleye and hearing about some guys in Mississippi that were targeting crappie with Bandit lures. There were only a couple people doing what I was doing on that lake at that time but it has since taken off like wildfire during the warmest summer months. Its funny how you still pic up tips and tricks from fellow trollers and I would highly recommend a full day or two will a local guide that specializes in crankbait trolling such as mrdux as it will greatly shorten the learning curve if you're serious about pursuing this in the future. I troll with different lures year round and I find it to be some of the most addictive fishing that I've participated in.

I recommend reading the forum thread on pulling cranks on the MS page from beginning to end BEFORE you buy a single piece of equipment to save you some money in the long run. Don't limit yourself to just one brand or style of crankbait either. Some of my best days have been on lures that fish in a particular lake probably haven't seen cross their face before. The experimenting involved in trolling is half the fun.

Dutch522, many thanks for the reference to the MS Page forum on this. Must be over 1000 posts. A lot of good info showing rigs, bait selections, tips, and usage for various situations. Also, will try to get with mrdux for a trip this year sometime in May or June.

Later, Jim