River crankbait design questions

[Microsal]

I do a fair amount of float fishing in local rivers with lots of shallow water and a fair amount of current. Mostly catch spotted bass or largemouths (10-15 inches). It is hard to find a crankbait on the market that is small enough for the fish and still be able to cast on baitcasting reel. I want a wooden bait that the body is small and dives to legitimate 2-4 feet on 14lb. test. I need it to dive quickly to overcome the current. I am hoping for some help on the theory behind it, i.e. lip-size-relative-to-body, angle of lip, wobble type, etc. I know this will take some experimenting. There just isn't a bait in stores I have found that works well. Thanks in advance for any help you could give me.

[dark star]

I cant suggest any one lure ,maybe one of the Rapala;s could do what you ask.Have a look at the hard bait photos section see if there is a lure there that you think might fit the bill and pm who made it they could help you out

[Travis]

Fished the very similar style of river often during college. Just a series of riffles and quick pools. A lot of clay troughs, and lay downs everywhere. Every rain would wash new trees into the creek. Some areas just massive log jams. Spots were not too picky on lures from my experience, especally in fast moving creeks and rivers. They just sit back and wait to pounce as stuff zips past. I used a medium action to medium heavy BPS extreme rods teamed with shimano pro max or daiwa 103HL or 103PVA reels many times but typical went ahead and used the spinning rods (my least favorite). If using mono cut down on the pound test for fast current. My typical cranks were Bomber Model A's in model B02A, Fat A's in B05F, Cordels Big O 1/4 ounce size, and by far my favorites Rapala Fat Raps 05 models. A few lead suspend strips on lip will help also. I assume since you have a lot of current then pretty clean bottom you have a lot of "river" rock. I always wanted to be digging a crank through that stuff. I always wanted a deeper diving crank than the actual water depth. But if wood bait what you want the orginal balsa B's probably best bet.

[onlybass]

Take a look at the Sweet Pea made by Zoom on Bubbajackstackle.com.It is small and heavy for its size.Also see Little PT on Flatshad.com.Not as weighty as Sweet Pea and runs a foot shallower.Blackjackcustomtackle.com has a version similiar to Little PT.I throw Sweet Peas and Little PT with 15lb P-line flourocarbon on a 7 foot glass by American Rodsmiths.Reel is Team Diawa TDX.Flourocarbon sinks and you will get a little more depth for a given lb test than mono.The rod action/power has alot to do with a light bait's castability.You must use a quality reel.You may find letting the bait hang 1.5-2ft from rod tip before casting helpful.Hold a crankbait "level".The tail is 0/360 degrees,the top of the back is 90, nose is 180 and belly is 270.A lip at 180( Bagley DB series) will run the deeper than 225(Bagley DKB series) and 270(Mann's 1-minus) will run shallowest.Weight and weight placement,lip width, lip length,lip thickness,body shape, and body material are additional variables.I have no association with any brands mentioned,just trying to give specific examples that you can look at and consider.If you can't throw a 5A Bomber effectively and reach 4ft depth,the problem lies somewhere with your equipment and line.

[jerkbait]

Travis is right on. How many of us on this board have been hooked on bait building trying to reproduce a design by Bagley. Their Killer B series had a short round lip with a near 45 deg angle. I am doing a kayak series of baits this winter and have been targeting 1-3' depth range with square lip. Once you get a body shape you like stay with one type of wood and vary the bills and added weights til you get what you want. Keep bills short and make sure the weight is very low for good performance in current. Send pictures when you get started. These guys are great and can help you tweek your design.

Jerk

[Big Splash]

For fast deep diving the lip should come straight out the nose of the bait, with a little downward angle. The line tie should be below the C.O.G., or even out on the lip.

[Microsal]

Thanks for the help. Iam wanting to make this bait myself, just for kicks. I have a friend with all the equipment. The rivers are loaded with log jams and mainly gravel or sandy bottoms. I fish from a canoe on these trips, so a short rod is more convienent for storage and acurate, low casts. I need the relative heavy line for the debris and to be able to hold on until can paddle upstream to retrieve hung up lures. I have tried several lures suck as small bombers, little n's etc. None of these seem to run well in the current or the lips or too small and cause the lure to hang up. It seems hard to find any small body lures( because targeting small fish) with adequate lips or designed to run deep enough. The current will definitely cut diving capabilities down. Thanks for the advice on design. Please send me any more information or ideas you guys might have.

[Kinpo]

I would suggest using a cedar or redwood for the lure body. We made one that was 1 inch long, 3/4" high but 1/2" wide w/ a small metal lip from Jann's. This bait when finished was easily casted w/ baitcasting reel w/ 15 lb line. The best thing is you can actually bend the lip at an angle best suited for the conditions. For example, mine will run subsurface to about 4 foot deep, depending on the bend of the lip. These lips are amazingly durable, I have thrown the same lure since 1997 without any problems. Use the longest screws possible and clear coat the base of the lip along w/ the entire lure. Use size 6 hooks w/ at least 1/2" screw eyes. This lure will weigh more than enough to cast w/ baitcaster and even against the wind without sacrificing bouyancy. They usually have wide wobbles and dive quickly. Hope this helps. I have posted one a little larger than this on the hardbait photos--Kinpo

[LaPala]

I'm a bit biased toward Rapala Lures but check the new DT series out, it's designed to dive fast. You can study the design & come up with your own version.

this is a DT#04, dives to 4 feet

I'm in no way associated with this company either