Trolling cranks in snaggy waters

[Zambookamike]

I know this is quite risky trolling cranks in snaggy waters but there
must be a few people with tips and tricks around. Ive been buying cranks and stickbaits like they are going out of style this winter and Id like to keep the majority of them back in the tackle box after Im done.

Where I mostly fish its snag infested but since I discovered the floating rig, Im actually catching fish and not logs

[yarcraft91]

I have found that Hot-n-Tots rarely snag when trolled through submerged standing timber. Removing the front trebles, or at least one of the 3 hooks on the treble, from stickbaits also helps reduce snags.

This summer, I'm going to experiment with trolling cranks on short leaders behind very light bottom bouncers, theory being that the bouncers will lift the line above snags.

If you have zebra mussels like we do, it's best to use superlines, not monofilament. Mussels cut monofilament to shreds very quickly in snaggy lakes.

[capnlee]

I frequent a pretty snaggy lake and I have found that lures like Wally Divers and Reef Runners that run with the nose way down tend to snag less often. I don't generally remove one of the trebles, but I do clip the barbs for when I do snag in timber. One of the best things I have in my tackle box is my lure retriever. It is similar to this one:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=44428&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults

It will pay for itself on the first or second use.

No matter what you do you are going to lose some lures, but you have to pull your cranks through the forest some days to get the fish to bite.

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"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!"
Homer Simpson

[OOC]

If the water is relatively shallow use heavy mono.The stretch will help if you hang up.The heavy line will allow you to pull the baits out of the snag.If zeebs are a problem use a heavy flor-carbon leader. Buy baits out of the bargain-bin until you get the hang of it.Leave the planer boards at home.

[OOC]

If the water is relatively shallow use heavy mono.The stretch will help if you hang up.The heavy line will allow you to pull the baits out of the snag.If zeebs are a problem use a heavy flor-carbon leader. Buy baits out of the bargain-bin until you get the hang of it.Leave the planer boards at home.

[OOC]

If the water is relatively shallow use heavy mono.The stretch will help if you hang up.The heavy line will allow you to pull the baits out of the snag.If zeebs are a problem use a heavy flor-carbon leader. Buy baits out of the bargain-bin until you get the hang of it.Leave the planer boards at home.

[mikgyver]

when I get hung up I release the line and let the crank float out on its own. I can get about 75% of my cranks back without having to go back.

[Burr]

There are lots of things to do, most likely what you eventually will arive at will be a combination.

One possibility - fish a snag infested water as a co-angler in either the FLW or PWT. That way you will get to see what some other, presumably good fisherman, do to keep their tackle.

On Devils Lake, I cast right into the wood - sometimes I think it's kind of nuts. Well, not so much after the fish start biting, then it's not nuts anymore - it's just what you have to do.

Put on higher test line, so you can really pull hard to try to get it back. Most of my casting rods for Devils are 20 lb super lines. Not what I'd like to have, but I only lose a couple three cranks a day instead of 15...

Float em out if there floaters. Nose down is better than a flat running profile. Clip the forward facing hook on the treble (but you will lose hookup's by doing this). Troll slower - it seems like slower is easier to bounce off objects and come free. Sometime, you just don't really need to be down that far to get the bite either, pull a shallower running bait - see if that will still get bit. Use scent, erratic action, be by the structure, but not 'in it'. And yeah, $2.00 crank baits are easier to part with than $8.00 crank baits.

[yarcraft91]

Just another word of experience, this time about superlines...

I run PowerPro 30 pound when trolling snaggy water. Zebra mussels don't cut it. When I got hung up the first time with PowerPro, my plan was to pull until the hook bent and get my lure back. You don't wrap this line around your hand and pull! That's a good way to get cut, so I wrapped it around a hemostat. I was amazed how easily the line broke at the hemostat- maybe a 5 pound pull, consistently. I had to wrap the line around a larger diameter object (net handle) before I could pull hard enough to straighten the hook without breaking the line. Now I carry a piece of 1" wood dowel for the purpose.

[Bill Krejca]

Three items will help you: heavier line, some kind of retriever on a cord with chains, etc, to catch the hooks, and a wooden dowel to wrap around the line.

[l]

Just a couple of other items:

I've never used them but there is a replacement split ring deal designed so you just lose the treble & get the bait back. Its strong enough to hold fish. Don't recall the name but they are supposed to work as intended. They have been discussed here.

Again, I've never done it with cranks but you could swap out strong trebles with lighter wire ones that straighten easier. Works for fishing crappie in wood...

With 20 lb fireline, I've straightened Mag Wiggle Wart treble points - not always...but 20 lb fireline & 30 lb power pro have saved me a bunch of money...lure retriever too.

When you lose one, sometimes they float up to the top and you can spot them.

Last & kinda obvious but sometimes you can do a troll "turn around" and pull the bait free from the opposite direction if the give slack - let it float off doesn't work. Kind a bummer if you try it w/o pulling lines and snag another...

[Klaas Act - Rich Ziert]

Try a tight wiggle lipless bait such as the Bayou Boogie.

[eye4]

For shallow rocks, it's hard to beat Little Rippers (not the deep style) and Thunderstick Jr's. I've found that Husky Jerks just snag too much. For brush and woods, 30 lb Powerpro on a big reel like a 6600 AbuGarcia is more important than the brush. You can lock down the spool with your thumb and rip it out of there or destroy it.

[l]

Oh yeah - and the 1st few times you try a lure retriever do it under calm non-windy conditions especially if alone and you will be sold. Trying to use one the 1st time with much wind or waves may not be pretty...

Get as vertical as possible when using the retriever. In a pinch, the wrap around lead strip weights on some marker bouys work pretty well. Just wrap the weight around the line in a loop/circle.

Good Luck

The early bird may get the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese.