Bass Fishing Tip of the Week 11/18/08: Fall Crankbait Tips

Crankbaits in the fall can lead to a heavy bag at the tournament weigh in. Shad are often prevalent and active during this season and migrate from deep to shallow waters. This migration also causes their predator the largemouth bass to follow.

Crankbaits in the natural shad patterns such as silver black back often perform better than the bluegill or greener hues this time of year. When fishing for bass using this lure tie on several different diving models so you can vary the depth to find out what depth the bass are staging at. I usually have a #9 shadrap, then a DT14 and DT16 Rapala tied on so I can quickly change rods to cover all the depths at one particular location.

Shad usually cruise along in compact schools. They can be as shallow as 6-8 foot of water or go as deep as 30 feet. The 30 foot depths are almost impossible to work the crankbait in, so narrow your waters to ledges or flats of 15 foot or less with these lures.

Over the years I have definitely noticed that these lures consistently produce larger fish than a Texas or Carolina rig at these water depths. It's probably because many of these fish are accustomed to those types of baits and the bigger fish don't often see a crankbait at these depths. The action is also quite different and mimics a fleeing shad.

Line and rod selection are key in getting both the right depth and getting hooked up. Smaller diameter lines such as 10-12 pound test are a big plus in that the action of the lure is better and the crankbait will dive deeper. A more limber or lighter action rod is also a must! This allows the bass to inhale the bait easier as the rod will give with less force.

My all around best technique for the crankbait is a quick retrieve on the 1st 5 turns of the reel to get the lure down, then a steady retrieve all the way back to the boat. Couple this with the lure bumping the bottom every now and then (not digging deep into the bottom) will often trigger a nice strike!

So if your into catching more and bigger bass try the deep diving crankbaits and I'll almost guarantee you'll do more catching with less fishing!

Largemouth Herald