By Jim Crowley
Jim@hookandhunttv.com
www.HookAndHuntTV.com
I am so ready to go fishing. I think I have gone over my lures a dozen times already. Checking them out making sure everything is ready and then double checking just to make sure. I am really excited about some of the lures that have come out, late last year and early this year. They are actually better tools for certain things that I like to do. Years ago when I was fishing tournaments, one of my favorite techniques was to throw crank baits in and around wood. During those years I did a lot of experimenting with rods, reels, line and different crank baits to see which came through cover more effectively. It is NEVER just the lure that works but the combination of an assortment of elements that come together to make that lure effective and more enticing to the fish. Throwing crank baits in those "odd" places has always been a specialty of mine, so to speak. Let's go over some sodalities of the technique, what is involved and how you can excel at it. The technique in itself frustrates a lot of people because if the proper gear and lures are not used, you hang up or snag, a lot. There are ways to get around that frustration, so let's get started!
Shallow water cranking is one of the few techniques where I still use monofilament line. I have used the same mono for years for this technique and it's always suited me fine. I use 15 pound test, green Trilene Big Game. I am cranking shallow water cover, so there is no need for lighter monofilament. I want the lure to run shallow and I want less stretch in the line. I also want line that floats and keeps the lure more buoyant, that's why I do not use fluorocarbon for this technique. The idea is to have the lure run into and deflect off of the cover being fished. Lighter line, has more stretch and can cause the lure to dig into the branches instead of deflecting off of them. Also, the Big Game line is much more abrasion resistant, which is a necessity for this technique.
Rods and reels for this technique are also important. I prefer a 6'6 medium moderate action that has more of a parabolic action to the rod. The parabolic action gives more with the strike which in a lot of cases is a hard reflexive type of strike that is associated with shallow cover orientated fish. The lure runs close to the fish, it deflects off a branch and the fish even though it's not hungry, darts out to grab, the seemly injured prey. For this technique, it's important that you know that this approach will catch a lot of inactive or inactively feeding fish. Their instinct betrays them to the sight of an injured food source. The hard slash/strike becomes a hook up more so than not due in part to the action of the rod. Also the style of the hooks comes into play, more on that later. The reel speed has always been important to me with this technique. I like a lower gear ratio reel for this technique as well as for all my cranking except for lipless lures. I use the Pflueger Trion which has a lower 5:2-1 ratio compared to a 6:3-1 which is probably the most popular reel purchased. The slower reel helps me to keep the lure in the strike zone longer, and also aids me in not "over cranking" an area if I get in a hurry or excited by catching fish. A lower gear ratio also shows off the side to side roll of the lure I am using and helps to displace more water which can entice the fish to hit my lure. Two things must happen for you to catch a fish. First you must attract the fish, than you must trigger it to bite. One of the best new lures on the market will do that, and was perfectly designed for this technique!
The new Rapala DT FAT (www.rapala.com) is the lure I have been waiting for when it comes to shallow water cranking. There are several reasons for that and here is the analogy of that lure. Built from buoyant balsa wood, the wide or fat crank displaces water with a highly seductive rolling side to side action. It also has a square lip which is the key to any lure for this technique. There are basically two types of lips for crank baits. Round lips which roll over cover and square lips which deflect off cover. For this technique, we want a lure to deflect, thus enticing the instinctive reflex strike we described earlier. The DT fat runs 1-3 feet deep. This shallow running lure with square lip and tied to 15 pound line with a slower gear ratio reel, and forgiving yet powerful rod, will give you the set up you need for this technique. Rapala also added the sure set treble hooks which each have one elongated hook that incredibly seems to attach itself to numerous short striking fish. A great design!
The technique itself, in my opinion, takes a systematic approach. This technique as stated earlier is for shallow, cover orientated fish. Bass on lay down logs or by brush piles, etc. Boat positioning is critical as well as your first cast. If you're fishing a laydown log, analyze where you will place your cast and try to see options you will have once the fish is hooked. You will have to muscle them out from the cover to play them in open water. So see what your routes are for doing that. Cast to outside branches first and then work your way into the heart of the cover. It's a step by step process to check and thoroughly cover all your casting and fish holding options. Once a fish is hooked, get it away from the cover, step on the trolling motor to pull your boat father away if necessary, so you can fight the fish away from that thick cover. Wear the fish down before it gets to the boat. Some anglers try to rush this and more fish are lost at the boat because some fisherman refuse to let the bass fight the rod instead of fight them. Let the rod fight the fish, that's in part what it was designed to do.
Cranking wood cover is still over looked by a lot fisherman and remains a favorite technique of mine through out the year. It's a different look, a different approach, takes more time and effort and is a developed skill. However, it puts quite a few fish in the boat and some rather big fish as well! The time of year is upon us to get the boats out, or walk the bank of your favorite pond. So grab rod in hand, put a smile on your face and get cranky!