Can anyone tell me why I am loosing fish when pulling cranks. They come to the top of the water and after a couple of flops they come off. What am I doing wrong?
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Can anyone tell me why I am loosing fish when pulling cranks. They come to the top of the water and after a couple of flops they come off. What am I doing wrong?
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They are obviously (probably??) only mouth/lip hooked or they would have a harder time throwing the crank.
You may not be reeling them in fast enough :dono (so that they are sliding across the water on their sides)
That's the only things I can think of.
Early spring I had the same problem when vertical jigging using a 9' Sam Heaton super sensitive rod. I switched to a rod with more backbone and it quit happening.
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Probably trolling too fast.
I was pulling 300’s @ 1.8 with 65’ to 85’ of line outQuote:
Originally Posted by spindle
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What I first thought of was that the drag is too tight and when they flop they aren't able to pull line and instead tear loose. I experienced the same on some 6' rods with too much backbone. Also, are the rods straight back or out the side? I ran mine at 90* mostly so the bend of the rods could take some of the punishment. I like rods that have tips that bounce when they're at work. Look at the crank bait rods that the pro bass guys use and you'll find that they are close to parabolic. They also set the hook by just turning further sideways from where they already were. If the fish are mostly lip hooked, you might try slowing down just a little and see if they don't commit a little better. I have pulled em as slow as .9 mph on certain days but my best results, where I fished, was about 1.3 to 1.5. Sounds like you have it mostly right and just need a little fine tuning of you technique.
I would have to say our landing ratio is very good crankbaiting , compared to other methods. Let's assume your using proper rods , and correct angle . Your speed is within specs, and 300s come with plenty sharp enough hooks. We try to get the fish to the top quickly. Size determines how fast we bring them to the boat . The Bigger the fish, the slower and steady we bring him in . To slow -you may lose him , to fast- very likely to loose him. Had a buddy with me the other day who is a great, single Pole fisherman . He'd never trolled cranks. We lost several good fish , before he got the hang of it . Then he got the rhythm down and it was game on .
Once on the surface, waterski them in, by reeling fairly fast.
I found that small diameter monofilament stretched more as it got saturated. I switched to braid with a fluorocarbon leader and rods with a little more backbone. Also switching from stock hooks to Gamakatsu trebles on my crankbaits helps hook up to land ratio.
Jim
This ^^^^ or try stopping the boat,keep your rod tip close to the water and reel slower so they stay down and don't surface till there by the boat.Quote:
Originally Posted by bfish
I vote lower the rod tip and crank it fast as ya can and sling em quickly ….but then again I do ski them as well depending on my attitude for the day when they are a long ways off ….rotfl
I keep the rod tip as high as I can to keep their head up as to not get a mouth full of water. On a 14' rod I hold it straight up. On a 5' rod I hold it above my head.
X2 on this.Quote:
Originally Posted by wilbur
I too lost more fish than ever pulling cranks last Friday which I am new to cranks. Had new B&M 16' power troller rods and 5:1 reels, it was really buzz killing losing so many. I started turning the troller off which was running at 1.7 mph. It seemed to help some, but I brought a few in that were foul hooked around the mouth. Was I trolling too fast?
1.7 is not fast by any stretch. Cranks are typically ran from 1.5-2.5.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammmerhead
I don't lose many crappies trolling. Once they hit the surface, ski them in. If they do get a mouthful of water immediately slow your retrieve.
If you get one that will not surface, keep it slow.
Make sure your drags are loose, and you have a limber enough rod. A mono leader helps as well if you're using braid. There needs to be some give when a fish strikes, or the bait will just be ripped free, if the fish can even get enough of a bite on it to get hooked.
Like he saysQuote:
Originally Posted by bfish
If using braid, real slow and steady, if you reel fast and hard, the no stretch braid will yank the bait out.
I was running the poles from the front and out to the side with 3 oz weights that were on 12" of wire. The weights were bouncer style. Line counter said 20 feet so Im figuring around the 15 foot range once you factor in a 3 foot, 10lb mono leader. Maybe I just horsed them too much, but I havent fished with this much weight and this long or stiff of pole. Gonna have to get better or just remove the weight and long line them from the rear. Oh, I am running 30lb braid and Im doubting 3 foot mono leader gives as much as a whole spool of it like on the rest of my rods.
I wish I had this problem. Call me "No fish Tom".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cane Pole
I’m not buying that!!
I don't think anybody has said this yet, but how are your boated fish hooked up in relation to the fish? Basically, are they hooked to the rear treble but deep, or just at the lip or lips, or is the bait fully swallowed or half way swallowed?
Sometimes these fish will short strike, just like on a jig, and their paper mouths can't take the resistance while cranking. So, if alot of your fish are getting hooked on the rear treble, try slowing down some. And the same for swallowing whole, you might gain by speeding up some. Regardless, the number one rule is don't change nothing if you keep catching boating fish!!!
And lastly, disregard anybody that mentioned keeping your rod tip down when reeling them in!! Rod tip up, high noon, and a nice steady pace. If they go under, don't panic, slowly work them back up on top. Good steady pressure and pace. They will try to shake off from time to time, just stay the course. And never never never turn your trolling motor off!!
Good luck...
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90% of the fish we boated were lip hooked on back treble.Quote:
Originally Posted by bandchaser
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That tells me that either they were not in a very aggressive mood, or you were going just a tad bit too fast. My guess would be the former, or possibly a combination of the two. Who knows :scratchhead ... maybe next time it'll be a whole other story.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2004Rhino
And lastly, disregard anybody that mentioned keeping your rod tip down when reeling them in!! Rod tip up, high noon, and a nice steady pace. If they go under, don't panic, slowly work them back up on top. Good steady pressure and pace. They will try to shake off from time to time, just stay the course. And never never never turn your trolling motor off!!
When I'm fishing by my self I tend to skip,em, and keep the trolling speed up.....But after fishing with my wife for 28 years this is what I've observed.
The only time her rod tip is up is if she casts, we've got rod holders but she likes to feel the bite,so she sits backwards with the rod straight out the back of the boat.(sigh) When she hooks a fish she tells me to slow down,(I do) she reels slowly with the rod tip down only lifting it as the fish slips into the net. She puts about 8 out of 10 in boat(walleye and crappie) with her methods. I used to try and change her ways,but I gave up about 27 years ago.lol
I see people doing this quite a bit, but I don't get it. It's like hand-lining the fish. Why not use the rod to fight the fish? :donoQuote:
Originally Posted by Central Minn
While were on cranks, what are your go to colors and approx. what month or water temp do you stop the cranks and go back to the jigs?
You don't want to fight them too much, there's a reason why they're called PAPER MOUTHQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Well, let's see... you have been advised to reel slowly, and reel fast. Use mono for stretch and use braid because it doesn't matter. Troll slower or your speed is fine... or even troll faster.
Use a more limber rod and use a stiffer rod.
I think all the bases have been about covered.
Tom
All methods are correct depending on the fish catch at the time - LOL!!
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So, it's a typical CDC thread. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by T_om
Now all we need is for somebody to bump this thread in about ten years.
But that's the fun part. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by wannabe fisherman
Dont forget rod tip up not down,lol.If you get the fish between the lines were you want him point the rod tip down.Sometimes the tip is down to the side of the boat and underneath the water.If you can get them coming in with water rushung through there mouth they are less likely to put up a fight and shake[emoji6]Quote:
Originally Posted by T_om
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Some start cranks at 50deg and end at 50deg .... others start at 70deg :donoQuote:
Originally Posted by Hammmerhead
"Go to" colors change every day, and sometimes several times a day :Doh:
Many folks never put the jigs away, and some even use both at the same time.
Mustad triple grip treble hooks! :)
I just started pulling cranks this past weekend. The two colors I used and had consistent bite was salad bar & mad cow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammmerhead
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Right after the spawn once water temp gets above 70 is when the trolling bite here starts to pick up, and continues through the fall until it dips below 65 or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammmerhead
Temps here were blazing hot in May, spawn only lasted a week and cranks were producing early. Normally June is when people start trolling.
Jigs work all year when presented at the right time and place.
As mentioned, colors vary. Trial and error.