Getting A Crank To15ft

[GDille]

Hey all,

I have been playing with crankbaits and getting down to 3 or 4 feet, where i like to fish them. But with the waters frozen I am not sure how deep the really can go. Does anyone have a surefire recipe to get a crank down to 15 ft. they said they would like to troll for walleye. Also how should I weight the bait? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

George

[BobP]

If you're talking about trolling versus casting, a bass crankbait designed for 10-12 ft will troll 15 ft depending on how much line is out, size of line. I suggest looking at some commercial crankbaits like the Rapala DT-10 or the Normal Deep Little N as models. So we're talking about a medium size crankbait 1/2-5/8 oz with the appropriate lip. Hold them up by the belly treble and see how they balance fore/aft. On a trolling bait, another issue is resistance to hook rash, which can be a problem on wood baits. I troll wood baits for stripers but that's because I build them, I don't buy them. If I were buying, I'd probably stick to plastic baits that are more rash resistant.

[mark poulson]

Copy a store bought lure that runs the way you want it to when you troll it.

And "T" your hooks, by bending two of them out until they face the opposite way and are flat, and you'll cut way down on hook rash. You have to find a brand of hook you can bend without breaking, or losing strength. I've had really good luck with Owner stinger hooks, which are welded so that one of the hooks is in line with the hook eye, so benging the other two hooks out makes for a treble with a flat side that automatically rides agains the belly.

[BobP]

Another option is the VMC Rapala Inline trebles from Cabelas that are designed so the tines swing equally on each side of the bait. Why all trebles are not like that is a mystery to me. I'm not a huge fan of VMC but they do offer some useful designs.

[GDille]

Thanks guys, I will look into the hooks, I have thought about buying some plastic bodies and just painting them. But most folks think its neat to catch fish on something that's handmade. I found an old bait I have that's supposed to get down that far and I'm also getting the bait the customer wants me to copy.

Thanks,

George