Casting with crankbaits: questions...

I'd like to try casting crankbaits over submerged brush/structure but I have a few questions. Any input is appreciated....

1. Since I'm casting and not trolling, am i better using a 200 series bandit or a 300 series? I'm worried that a 200 may not go deep enough to run closely above the brush. On the other hand, a 300 may be too deep? :confused:

2. Bandits seem to be the bait of choice, but has anyone tried the Wally Marshall Crappie Cranks?

3. Any tips in terms of retrieve or other specific factors in successfully running these over suspended brush? I will be casting from boat docks and not from shore, so I'll be standing over deeper water.

Any help will be appreciated. I'll be at LOZ Nov. 1-4 and want to give this a shot that weekend.

Thanks!

Loz,

I don’t know if any of this will help but it is what I have learned this year.

1. Since I'm casting and not trolling, am i better using a 200 series bandit or a 300 series? I'm worried that a 200 may not go deep enough to run closely above the brush. On the other hand, a 300 may be too deep? I prefer the 200’s and have been doing some trolling with cranks this year but this should hold true for casting also. I noticed the smaller the diameter of the line the deeper the small cranks tend to dive. Since you are fishing brush you may want to experiment with some of the super lines with there smaller diameter I would think they would work well and allow the bait to dive deeper. I have one rod with this type of line on it and I can cast further with it than the 4 pound Wally Marshall line I also use. Being able to cast further out past the brush pile and bring the bait back over it would give you time to get the bait deeper. I have also experimented with adding split shot sinkers to the line to get them deeper, this works but requires adding a little at a time to get to the right depth. I like to put the weight 1 to 2 feet up the line from the crank. Lastly and this seems to work real well so far is to use a drop shot set up on the crank bait. I do not think this will work well for you since the weight would be in the brush but it is worth mentioning. I am looking at the bottom depth, the depth the fish are at and running the weight on the bottom with the bait suspended above the weight at the depth the fish are suspended at.
2. Bandits seem to be the bait of choice, but has anyone tried the Wally Marshall Crappie Cranks? I use both the Bandits and the Wally Marshall cranks and can not determine one is better than the other, Bandits have more color options and I have some of each. My favorite is the Norman Cranks, simply because I have caught more crappie on the Normans. I know someone will not agree with this but in my experience color matters and I have two go to colors and they are both Norman colors that will produce when the others will not.
3. Any tips in terms of retrieve or other specific factors in successfully running these over suspended brush? I will be casting from boat docks and not from shore, so I'll be standing over deeper water. Check your PM I am sending you the info on the Normans I use.

I am not an expert by any stretch of my imagination but have caught crappie this year on cranks and noticed that I am catching bigger crappie with the cranks compared to the regular crappie jigs I use.

Thanks for the info, PoleBender. That information and your PM info was great. I'll give the Norman cranks a shot since running to Wal-mart will take a lot less time and I'll end up spending a lot less that I would if I stepped foot in a Bass Pro or Cabelas. I can't walk out of either of those stores without spending less than a $100 -- a kid in a candy store.

I was glad to hear your comments about the line diameter, too. I'm casting 10 lb. test/2 lb. diameter yellow braid, so that should do the trick.

Thanks again!

Any additional input from fellow crank fishermen is welcome, too!!!!

I throw wally marshall crappie cranks,and rapalas, I use 8lbtest any color back off the bursh piles and work from the edges in then back out again I use a bouy to mark the brush. I have found shad color works on stockton real well but for some reason not on tablerock. go figure blue/yellow or blue/silver on tablerock works well. I throw well past the brush then reel fast to see how deep the lure goes if I hit the brush I slow down a little and just try to bump the top of the brush bam another crappie.

Pole Bender is 100% right...color can really matter...I was out a couple weeks ago...we were pulling 4 cranks....all bandits...one color out fished all others...did not matter which depth...200 or 300 series...that color was catching fish while others were not....The person I was out with that day prefers bandits, but I really prefer the Bomber Fat Free Shad as I catch them casting much more than I do with the others, but just as well pulling....They are a great little crankbait and I think the crappie like the profile much better...The Norman's are my second choice and then Bandits....And I totally agree that a higher percentage of the fish you catch on cranks will be bigger fish...Good Luck

Thanks Beagle (welcome back, by the way) and Chad.

So what's the deal with the retrieve?. Is it just a continual retrieve to get the bait down to its prescribed depth (or the brush)? Or, is there any variation to the retrieve at all, i.e., periodically slowing down/speeding up?

I'm assuming it's just a steady retrieve but wasn't sure and don't know if you can go too fast when retrieving???? Does it matter if you keep your rod tip up or down in terms of hook sets, etc.?

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Originally Posted by LOZcrappie

Thanks Beagle (welcome back, by the way) and Chad.

So what's the deal with the retrieve?. Is it just a continual retrieve to get the bait down to its prescribed depth (or the brush)? Or, is there any variation to the retrieve at all, i.e., periodically slowing down/speeding up?

I'm assuming it's just a steady retrieve but wasn't sure and don't know if you can go too fast when retrieving???? Does it matter if you keep your rod tip up or down in terms of hook sets, etc.?

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LOZ depending on the size of the lure I usually go steady then when I feel the bursh I stop wait about 1or 2 count then real slow or a short snap of the rod. then slow steady reel. then wait then reel. sometimes they follow the bait to the outer edged of the brush piles. I always hold the rod level or down a bit.usually a long sweap instead of a jerk will set the hook, doesnt have to be hard. some times a secong hook set is advised its east to tell if its not a crappie. some times the bite is just a heavy drag like a limb its fun.

I like fiberglass crankin rods. Slower action that doesn't tend to rip the hook out. I use a 7' rod for shallower baits and a 7 1/2 when I need to get deeper.(I am looking for an 8ft. crankin rod right now.) I do a lot of "kneelin and reelin" to get the baits deeper. Helps to get a smaller bait down to deeper structure.

I use 8lb. flurocarbon line. I don't like braided line for cranking as I find it too sensitive and I react too quickly and have a tendency to yank the bait out of the fishes mouth.

I generally use a slow, steady retrieve but you really just have to experiment to find out what mood the fish are in. Sometimes they want slow, sometimes fast, sometimes steady, sometimes with a pause, etc. You get the point.

I generally try to run my bait so that it just ticks the top of the structure. Most of the time I find that the bounce, pause or deflection off the structure triggers the strike.

I always cast my cranks with a baitcaster as I am more accurate that way.

Most of my success lately has been on the Bandits. The bill is shaped such that it deflects off the structure well with less hang ups than some of the other baits. However, I also use a variety of other baits, depending on the depth requirement and the size of the bait the fish seem to want that day.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that what works one day will not necessarily work the next. Don't give up! Keep experimenting with different colors, shapes , sizes, depths, retrieve speed, etc.

The first thing I always do when I buy a crankbait is to change out the front hook to make sure it is red. Seems to make a difference to me.

I strongly believe that crankin draws a reaction from the bigger fish.

Hope this helps. I am no expert, but this has been some of what I have found in my limited experience.

I agree with Mr Baker...I do not think braid is the best here....you need some stretch in the line or you will lose too many fish...As for the retrieve....it is different all the time....But as Beagle said get down to the pile and bump it a little ...stop and go....many times that little pause is when they will nail it...Other times when they are real agressive you need a bait that will just get above the pile and keep it coming and they will nail it going by....When you are catchin crappie on cranks they are active....Its a reaction bite so the key is making them angry enough to hit it....Good Luck...

More great info, guys. I'm off to buy some crankbaits this evening.

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd heard that crankbaits were more effective in warmer water. What is your experience with water temperature? Crankbaits were a favorite of mine when for bass fishing but have never used them for crappie. Just bought a couple of 1/16 oz Rapalas (what it says on the box)... Eager to give them a try.

Drove down to LOZ last evening to pick up some gear for the Kansas trip. Took the boat out for the last hour of daylight. Only fished one brush pile nearby. Caught 9. The first 6 came on a crankbait. The last 3 came verticle jigging.

Started throwing a crankbait at the depth I normally catch them on, on that particular brush pile. For the first 15 min. not a bite. Then caught a 12" while bringing the bait up to the boat. Hum, I think, maybe I am fishing under them. Start throwing the bait a little shallower. Catch 5 in the next 15 minutes.

In the first 6 I caught on the crankbait, I had 3 that were 12"+, 2 that were 11"+ and one 10".

Just to test my belief that cranks produce larger fish, I went to the jig. The 3 I caught on the jig were all around 10". Had I already caught all the big ones on the crankbait? I was going to go back to the crankbait to see if I could catch another larger fish but it was getting dark and I was too lazy to get out my running lights so I just went home. Will have to leave my experiment for another day.

Anyway, had fun for a short while.

Boy that makes me eager to give this crankbait stuff a shot. I have a couple of good places of brush to cast to from our condo docks and I'm eager to try it.

So, what's your schedule the weekend of the 3rd? Will you be in Kansas hunting birds or down at LOZ hunting specks????

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Originally Posted by LOZcrappie

Boy that makes me eager to give this crankbait stuff a shot. I have a couple of good places of brush to cast to from our condo docks and I'm eager to try it.

So, what's your schedule the weekend of the 3rd? Will you be in Kansas hunting birds or down at LOZ hunting specks????

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Right now it looks like Kansas.

If you're around, give me a call. I'll PM you my cell number. You're more than welcome to join me on our docks or I can come up your way -- whatever works!

If not, knock 'em dead in Kansas! I hope you have good luck! No problem, at all.

I'll be back down at LOZ next for Thanksgiving weekend and probably the weekend after Christmas (or the weekend after that). We're usually down there one or two weekends a month and I fish in about any weather. Heck I caught quite a few last winter with gloves on and my deer hunting heater!

Take care,