- Joined
- Mar 7, 2013
- Location
- buford ga
And the feel of the line hitting the obstruction is a signal to slow down. Then, when the lure hits the obstruction, you give it a few inches of slack, then retrieve it slowly past the obstruction; then you begin the process all over again. Most strikes occur during the two or three seconds between when you slow the retrieve and when you start retrieving again at a normal speed. Another thing that can cause a diminishing wobble of a crankbait is a bass. If a bass takes a crankbait from behind, you will not feel the bite. Instead, the wobble goes away. You should set the hook. At least fifty percent of the fish that strike a crankbait take it from behind and are not felt by the fisherman. Instead, the fisherman feels an absence of wobble. This phenomenon can happen anywhere, but it often happens after the lure has left its running depth and is getting nearer the boat. As the lure nears the boat, set the hook anytime you detect a subtle difference in wobble. More than likely you will catch a fish, but when you do not, the hook-set costs you nothing. When fishing a crankbait you are feeling for three different sensations. The first is the feel of the line hitting structure or cover. This feel alerts you to the fact that it is time for you to finesse the crankbait through cover. The second sensation is the feel of a bass taking the lure from behind. This feel tells you to set the hook. And the third sensation is the granddaddy of them all: a bass tries to take the rod and reel away from you. For many bass fishermen this is the only feel they know. These fishermen are not even aware that they are missing well over fifty percent of their strikes. Is there a difference in the feel between a crankbait sucked in by a bass and the line touching structure? Generally yes, but having said this, all crankbait fishermen from time to time set the hook on a twig, a small limb, or a weed. There is some structure that tends to feel like a bass has just vacuumed-in the bait, but most structure feels enough different that an alert fisherman knows when to set the hook and when not too.
A standard crankbait runs through water with a downward sloping profile. The bait is continually trying to dive deeper but buoyancy and the line are continually forcing the bait toward the surface. The combination of these three forces causes the bait to run with a distinctly downward tilt and at a constant depth. Also, mark this well: water friction causes the treble hooks to tuck in under the body of the bait. Thus, seldom is a hook the first thing to hit structure or cover. The line hits the cover first, then the lip, then perhaps a hook. Tucked hooks do not drop until the crank bait stops.
When the line hits structure, you feel it and this is a signal to slow-down. This slowing causes the lure to rise so that it clears the obstruction without hanging up. Sometimes, after you slow down, the lure's bill still hits the obstruction. This is a signal to stop the retrieve totally, pause, then give the lure about three inches of slack.
When you give a standard crankbait slack it backs up and it rises. When you give a crankbait slack it goes upward and in the opposite direction at a forty-five degree angle. This causes the lure to clear the obstruction. Then you begin a slow retrieve and the lure goes over the top of the obstruction.
You should not consider yourself a crankbait fisherman until you have mastered this technique of finessing a crankbait through a brush pile.
WHEN YOU GET HUNG UP
When you first detect that you are hung-up, do not try to pull the lure free with force. If this is your approach, too often you will bury the hook deeper and make the lure harder to retrieve. Instead, give the lure slack, and position the boat so that you can pull the lure free from the opposite direction. Most of the time, this will free the lure. If it does not, while still pulling in the opposite direction from the hang-up, put pressure on the line and see if you can pull it free. Put as much pressure on the line as you can without breaking the line. While this pressure is on the line, twang the line several times as if it were a guitar string. Often the pressure and the twang will cause the lure to free itself. When it will not, it is time to use a plug-knocker.
Use a lure knocker in a last ditch effort to retrive your crankbait,sliding it down the line and knocking it against the lure and obstruction to free it.
When a crankbait gets hung, and it will not come loose using the techniques described in the preceding paragraph, snap the lure-knocker onto the line, holds the line straight-up with tension, and lowers the lure-knocker until it comes into contact with the crankbait. Then he bounces the lure knocker up and down; giving it slack, then taking up the slack. About 90 percent of time the lure-knocker will free the lure. The remaining 10 percent of the time you may lose your lure. But if your going to lose the lure anyway, what do you have to lose in trying to free it? Also remember this: If you do break-off, wait a few minutes and see if the crankbait floats to the surface. It will surprise you how often the crankbait's buoyancy will cause it to free itself as soon as the line breaks. Good crankbait fishermen don't lose nearly as many lures as you might think.
A standard crankbait runs through water with a downward sloping profile. The bait is continually trying to dive deeper but buoyancy and the line are continually forcing the bait toward the surface. The combination of these three forces causes the bait to run with a distinctly downward tilt and at a constant depth. Also, mark this well: water friction causes the treble hooks to tuck in under the body of the bait. Thus, seldom is a hook the first thing to hit structure or cover. The line hits the cover first, then the lip, then perhaps a hook. Tucked hooks do not drop until the crank bait stops.
When the line hits structure, you feel it and this is a signal to slow-down. This slowing causes the lure to rise so that it clears the obstruction without hanging up. Sometimes, after you slow down, the lure's bill still hits the obstruction. This is a signal to stop the retrieve totally, pause, then give the lure about three inches of slack.
When you give a standard crankbait slack it backs up and it rises. When you give a crankbait slack it goes upward and in the opposite direction at a forty-five degree angle. This causes the lure to clear the obstruction. Then you begin a slow retrieve and the lure goes over the top of the obstruction.
You should not consider yourself a crankbait fisherman until you have mastered this technique of finessing a crankbait through a brush pile.
WHEN YOU GET HUNG UP
When you first detect that you are hung-up, do not try to pull the lure free with force. If this is your approach, too often you will bury the hook deeper and make the lure harder to retrieve. Instead, give the lure slack, and position the boat so that you can pull the lure free from the opposite direction. Most of the time, this will free the lure. If it does not, while still pulling in the opposite direction from the hang-up, put pressure on the line and see if you can pull it free. Put as much pressure on the line as you can without breaking the line. While this pressure is on the line, twang the line several times as if it were a guitar string. Often the pressure and the twang will cause the lure to free itself. When it will not, it is time to use a plug-knocker.
Use a lure knocker in a last ditch effort to retrive your crankbait,sliding it down the line and knocking it against the lure and obstruction to free it.
When a crankbait gets hung, and it will not come loose using the techniques described in the preceding paragraph, snap the lure-knocker onto the line, holds the line straight-up with tension, and lowers the lure-knocker until it comes into contact with the crankbait. Then he bounces the lure knocker up and down; giving it slack, then taking up the slack. About 90 percent of time the lure-knocker will free the lure. The remaining 10 percent of the time you may lose your lure. But if your going to lose the lure anyway, what do you have to lose in trying to free it? Also remember this: If you do break-off, wait a few minutes and see if the crankbait floats to the surface. It will surprise you how often the crankbait's buoyancy will cause it to free itself as soon as the line breaks. Good crankbait fishermen don't lose nearly as many lures as you might think.