06-19-2008, 04:07 PM
[cool][#0000ff]I have been tubing Starvation since the mid 1970's. If you watch the weather reports...and don't trust them...and be careful...you shouldn't get it trouble. Good advice for all waters.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Crankbaits come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some are topwater or shallow runners. Some are floater/divers. Some suspend at whatever depth you quit reeling. Some dive to several feet and others dive many feet deeper. It usually depends on how the lure is weighted and the size, shape and angle of the "bill".[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I began using weight to sink floating crankbaits over 30 years ago. I experimented by putting a floating size 5 Rapala on about 3 feet of leader, with a 1/4 oz egg sinker on the line, above a swivel. I would cast it out into about 20 -30 feet of water, where the bass were schooling during warm summer days and letting it sink to the bottom. Once it got there, I would give it some slack to let the floating lure rise up a few feet. Then I would crank it down quickly with the reel handle and let it go again...if it did not get clobbered. Something about the "injured fish" action that got the bass all hot and bothered.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Since then, I have used the same system to troll floating or shallow running crankbaits much deeper than they would normally run. Other anglers hook a crankbait behind a downrigger ball, on leadcore line or behind a set of pop gear. Same thing. Get the lure into the ZONE to catch fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fishing from a float tube...or shore...you can't hope to cast far enough to get even a deep diving crankbait deep enough to run for any length of time in the zone where fish might be holding...when they are anything but shallow. So, you need to add weight without messing up the action of the lure.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You can get 'er done by just pinching on a split shot...or even by adding a dropper and tieing on a small weight of some kind. You can add a torpedo sinker, with loops at either end, and tieing the line on one end and the leader/lure on the other.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]One of my favorite ways to add weight to a crankbait is to tie a leadhead jig a couple of feet ahead of the crank. This not only adds weight, but an additional fish attractor. Fishing for wipers this way has resulted in some doubles. But, otherwise the fish will sometimes hit the jig and other times hit the crank. However, with this rig, you are more prone to get snagged if there is structure on the bottom. A slim sinker on the line is the best way to get the extra depth without increasing snags.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I generally prefer to fish crankbaits that are designed to run at the depth I need to fish...or a bit higher in the water column. The ones in the picture will dig down to about 6 or 7 feet, after a long cast and a fast "crank down". They dig in the mud in shallower water, which can sometimes be effective...if you don't find a snag. In deeper water, the fish will sometimes come up a couple of feet to hit the lures, if they are in an active mode. If the fish are sitting on the bottom, in 12 to 15 feet of water (typical of walleyes), they usually will not come that far up for a crankbait. You gotta bang them on the nose with it. That is where sinking a lure to their depth can make a difference.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Crankbaits come in all sizes, shapes and colors. Some are topwater or shallow runners. Some are floater/divers. Some suspend at whatever depth you quit reeling. Some dive to several feet and others dive many feet deeper. It usually depends on how the lure is weighted and the size, shape and angle of the "bill".[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I began using weight to sink floating crankbaits over 30 years ago. I experimented by putting a floating size 5 Rapala on about 3 feet of leader, with a 1/4 oz egg sinker on the line, above a swivel. I would cast it out into about 20 -30 feet of water, where the bass were schooling during warm summer days and letting it sink to the bottom. Once it got there, I would give it some slack to let the floating lure rise up a few feet. Then I would crank it down quickly with the reel handle and let it go again...if it did not get clobbered. Something about the "injured fish" action that got the bass all hot and bothered.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Since then, I have used the same system to troll floating or shallow running crankbaits much deeper than they would normally run. Other anglers hook a crankbait behind a downrigger ball, on leadcore line or behind a set of pop gear. Same thing. Get the lure into the ZONE to catch fish.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Fishing from a float tube...or shore...you can't hope to cast far enough to get even a deep diving crankbait deep enough to run for any length of time in the zone where fish might be holding...when they are anything but shallow. So, you need to add weight without messing up the action of the lure.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]You can get 'er done by just pinching on a split shot...or even by adding a dropper and tieing on a small weight of some kind. You can add a torpedo sinker, with loops at either end, and tieing the line on one end and the leader/lure on the other.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]One of my favorite ways to add weight to a crankbait is to tie a leadhead jig a couple of feet ahead of the crank. This not only adds weight, but an additional fish attractor. Fishing for wipers this way has resulted in some doubles. But, otherwise the fish will sometimes hit the jig and other times hit the crank. However, with this rig, you are more prone to get snagged if there is structure on the bottom. A slim sinker on the line is the best way to get the extra depth without increasing snags.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I generally prefer to fish crankbaits that are designed to run at the depth I need to fish...or a bit higher in the water column. The ones in the picture will dig down to about 6 or 7 feet, after a long cast and a fast "crank down". They dig in the mud in shallower water, which can sometimes be effective...if you don't find a snag. In deeper water, the fish will sometimes come up a couple of feet to hit the lures, if they are in an active mode. If the fish are sitting on the bottom, in 12 to 15 feet of water (typical of walleyes), they usually will not come that far up for a crankbait. You gotta bang them on the nose with it. That is where sinking a lure to their depth can make a difference.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[signature]