Several reasons exist for the soaring popularity of crankbaits; the main reason is
SUCCESS. I can safely say, "Crankbaits catch bigger fish." Why? I can't answer that
question for sure. There are many theories ranging from "crankbaits attract the more
aggressive fish," assuming aggressive fish are bigger, to "crankbaits can be presented to
fish that don't follow the traditional walleye habits," thus those fish are older and larger. Whatever the reason, I've seen crankbaits over the years take larger fish time and
time again. Adding the baits' success to the simplicity of use, it's easy to see why the
popularity of crankbaits has sky-rocketed in past years.
Because of their basic uses in trolling and casting, crankbaits can be over-simplified.
Make no mistake, the degree of crankbaits' success depends on your knowledge of them.
The foundation of effective crankbait fishing is very simple; know the depth your
crankbaits run. Until this knowledge is in hand, all the other crankbait questions are
very insignificant. After all, if you can't get the bait to the fish, how could color, shape,
action, or models of crankbaits make any difference whatsoever?
To answer the depth question, I contracted with ten of the leading crankbait manufacturers to test and document the exact trolling and casting depths of 200 of the most popular crankbaits. When the initial testing was completed, I went a step further and tested the depth of each bait on five different line sizes at 10-foot increments of line length. This crankbait depth information is now available in my "Crankbait Depth Guide & Calculator."
In the process of testing, which took 18 months, I learned much more about crank- baits than just the depths they may run. Here are some of the hard facts learned about hard baits:
While testing 200 crankbaits, I discovered that crankbaits fit neatly into two broad categories of lures which perform similarly within their groups.
The major factor that causes lures to dive is the surface area of the lip. The larger the surface area, the deeper the lure will run, providing the line-attaching eye is in the lip rather than the nose of the lure. Angles and shapes of the lips are not critical; size is the determining factor.
Line diameter regulates the depths lures will run when trolling or casting. The depth relationship is constant and a tool for controlling depth. For every line size decrease (such as #10 to #8), your crankbait will run about one foot deeper. The opposite is also true. For every line size increase, the lure runs about one foot less. The very shallow running lures and the deepest running lures may vary slightly from the "one foot" rule per line size. Use line size to control depth. For example, if your favorite lure runs at 17 feet on #8 line and you want to use it at 15 feet, change to #12 line. Remember, as you go to heavier line, casting distance decreases.
Of the 40 fish that hit the crankbaits being tested, only six fish were caught. They were all caught while running 17-pound test line. We actually had more hits on eight and 12-pound test line but couldn't hook them because of the line stretch. These 40 strikes occurred directly below our research boat and were captured on our graph paper. Several times fish would grab the lure and take it completely out of the cone angle of our chart recorder. Most of these hits (on #8 and #12 line) went unnoticed by the researcher holding the rod; however, all strikes on #17 line were detected. Because of the tremendous stretch in light monofilament line, I recommend heavier line and extremely sharp hooks when trolling.
Trolling speed does not influence lure depth within the lure's performance range. A crankbait pulled from one to four mph will not vary in depth. At less than one mph, most lures begin to rise. Over four mph, they also rise because of line resistance (drag). The exceptions are the speed-controlled lures like the Rat-L-Spot, due to gravity. The slower you pull these lures, the deeper they run. For this reason, we tested these lures at a fixed speed of 2.5 mph. Each lure has a best performance/speed range. Generally, deep diving lures should be run slower more than shallow running lures. Select those lures that operate best at similar speeds when trolling. During the casting research, all lures ran shallower with a faster retrieve.
When casting crankbaits, the average comfortable cranking speed for a bait casting reel is 100 cranks per minute. Although 100 cranks per minute is an average cranking speed, actual lure speed is dictated by the reel's gear ratio. The style of a lure dictates the most effective gear ratio.
To help anglers choose the proper reel for the style of baits they prefer, we converted retrieve ratios to miles per hour. At the average 100 cranks per minute on the 3.8:1 reel, retrieval speed is about 1.6 mph. The best lures for this speed are the deeper diving crankbaits. With the 5.2:1 medium fast retrieve reel, retrieval speed is 2.1 to 2.2 mph. This is the all-around choice. By cranking slower or faster, an angler can cover the widest variety of speeds. The fast 6.1:1 reel speed is 2.76 to 2.7 mph. This reel will easily move a bait at eight to 10 mph at maximum cranking speed.
If you're trolling a tight, oval-shaped or circular pattern in order to stay on a school of fish or a tiny piece of structure, lure choice is once again very important. On the inside rods, select lures that operate best at slower speeds, while outside rods should be set up with "faster" lures. This will produce the proper action on both sides of the boat throughout turns.
To tune a crankbait to run straight, bend the line-attaching eye in the opposite direction that it's running. Always start with slight adjustments and keep testing. Use a needle nose pliers.
The amount of line out has a great influence on a lure's depth. A shallow running lure will achieve its maximum depth on a shorter line. A deeper running lure requires more line.
After testing 200 lures, we determined that a 100 feet of line will let a lure achieve 80 percent of its maximum depth. At 120 feet, lures will run at or close to their maximum depth. With any slight gain in depth with additional line out, though you give up fish- hooking ability because of line stretch. If a greater distance from the boat is required because of clear water, use planer boards or side-liners to get the lures away from the boat's path rather than more line. It's important to know the length of line for successful trolling so fish-catching patterns can be repeated. There are several ways to accomplish this: count passes on a level wind reel, use a slip-bobber knot on the line, or put a line counter on the rod.
The position of the rod tip, or rod angle, has the least affect on lure depth. When 100 feet or more of line is out while trolling, the rod tip can be 12 feet above the water or six feet underwater and the lure maintains its same depth. We tested a variety of shallow to deep-running lures to settle this theory for casting. On casts from 75 to 100 feet with each lure retrieved at the same speed, we held the rod as high overhead as possible. Then, we cast the same distance and retrieved the lure with the rod tip touching the water. The procedure was repeated with the rod completely submerged to the reel. The results were the same in all cases. The lure ran at exactly the same depth! If a lure is cast only a short distance and cranked instantly upon splash down with the rod tip held high, depth can be controlled by retrieval speed. If the line between the angler and the lure lays on the water, the angler loses control of depth; the lure will seek its natural depth, regardless of rod angles.
Trolling below suspended fish doesn't produce. Of the 40 fish that struck lures being tested and charted, all came from below the lure. Some traveled up as far as 30 feet to hit. Only the fish observed on the graph below the lure's track struck while those graphed above the lure did not react!
One of the biggest surprises from our testing dealt with rattles. More and more crankbait manufactures are molding BB's in air chambers within their lures. Thirty-five of the forty fish that hit the lures being tested along with the six that were caught, grabbed lures with rattles. All were captured on graph paper while the lures were running directly below our research boat. These lures accounted for all action and ran from eight to 32 feet deep. The only thing constant in 88 percent of the cases was that the lures were equipped with built-in rattles.
Editors Note: This article is one of the 50 questions Mike McClelland answers in his new book Walleye Trouble-Shooting, click here to order.