hey all.... i typically relly on spinner baits for bass and pike...(or a slow soft bait presentation) but ive discovered crankbaits to be great.... on silver lake the other week thats all the pike wanted.... what kind does every1 prefer and how do u all fish them..... also any colour/size/brand/technique...... ect thx
jebby
crankbaits
Hey Jebby,
Depending on the situation that you are faced with will depend on the crankbait that you will want to use.
If you are fishing around laydowns/brush piles or even dock pilings you want to make sure that the crankbait has a square bill on it and not a round bill. The square bill will not get hung up as much as a round bill crankbait.
If you are fishing deep weedlines or open water then the round bill is betteras it also gives you a different wobble to your bait as oppose to a square bill.
I typically use 4 types of crankbaits. Lucky Craft RC 1.5, 2.5 Bandit 200 series, Poe's Balsa wood crankbait and the custom Krankbaits from a local tackle company.
Use your crankbait more and you will find that they are a great fish catching bait. Also, don't be afraid to modify the bait. Adding red hook on the back, a suspend dot etc. I sometimes will go as far as drilling a little hole on the side and add a finishing nail in the bait. Filling the hole with expoxy. The nail will give the bait a different retreive everytime. It will appear to the bass that the bait fish is either dying or weak. This I found works well during cold front situations when the bass are lethargic. Bass get lazy and will eat if it's easy for them to catch. The nail in the crankbait gives the bait that appearance and the bass with attack it.
Sorry for the novel, but I hope that it helps you out when deciding what kind of crankbait to use.
Good luck,
Pete
Depending on the situation that you are faced with will depend on the crankbait that you will want to use.
If you are fishing around laydowns/brush piles or even dock pilings you want to make sure that the crankbait has a square bill on it and not a round bill. The square bill will not get hung up as much as a round bill crankbait.
If you are fishing deep weedlines or open water then the round bill is betteras it also gives you a different wobble to your bait as oppose to a square bill.
I typically use 4 types of crankbaits. Lucky Craft RC 1.5, 2.5 Bandit 200 series, Poe's Balsa wood crankbait and the custom Krankbaits from a local tackle company.
Use your crankbait more and you will find that they are a great fish catching bait. Also, don't be afraid to modify the bait. Adding red hook on the back, a suspend dot etc. I sometimes will go as far as drilling a little hole on the side and add a finishing nail in the bait. Filling the hole with expoxy. The nail will give the bait a different retreive everytime. It will appear to the bass that the bait fish is either dying or weak. This I found works well during cold front situations when the bass are lethargic. Bass get lazy and will eat if it's easy for them to catch. The nail in the crankbait gives the bait that appearance and the bass with attack it.
Sorry for the novel, but I hope that it helps you out when deciding what kind of crankbait to use.
Good luck,
Pete
Jebby,
As already mentioned, you should always vary the retrieve even with a spinnerbait.
Remember unless the bass are aggressive and are in a feeding mood, bass are very lazy. If they are not in this mood it takes a lot for them to strike a horizontal presentation.
This is why most anglers will go to a slower vertical presentation when bass at lethargic. However, by downsizing your crankbait and using a stop and start retrieve you can trigger a strike.
Another thing to remember when fishing with a crankbait, is to make mulitple casts to the same target. Bass will strike a bait even if it's not hungry.
However, to answer your question, always vary your retrieve. This will increase your catch ratio for sure. The key however when doing that is to remember what you did during that cast when you get a strike because the bass will tell you want it wants. For example, if it's a crank, crank, stop, crank crank stop type retrieve or a crank twitch, stop, crank twitch stop type retrieve. If you get a strike on a type of retrieve, make sure that you duplicate that same retrieve because that's what the bass are telling you.
Most of the times, it's on the pause of just after the pause that the strike will occur.
I hope that helps you out. Let us know how your made out.
Pete
As already mentioned, you should always vary the retrieve even with a spinnerbait.
Remember unless the bass are aggressive and are in a feeding mood, bass are very lazy. If they are not in this mood it takes a lot for them to strike a horizontal presentation.
This is why most anglers will go to a slower vertical presentation when bass at lethargic. However, by downsizing your crankbait and using a stop and start retrieve you can trigger a strike.
Another thing to remember when fishing with a crankbait, is to make mulitple casts to the same target. Bass will strike a bait even if it's not hungry.
However, to answer your question, always vary your retrieve. This will increase your catch ratio for sure. The key however when doing that is to remember what you did during that cast when you get a strike because the bass will tell you want it wants. For example, if it's a crank, crank, stop, crank crank stop type retrieve or a crank twitch, stop, crank twitch stop type retrieve. If you get a strike on a type of retrieve, make sure that you duplicate that same retrieve because that's what the bass are telling you.
Most of the times, it's on the pause of just after the pause that the strike will occur.
I hope that helps you out. Let us know how your made out.
Pete
Crankbaits
I vote for the white Big O as well. Caught an 9 pounder on one at Fitzroy last year. Okay, the pike may have been more interested in the perch that hit it first 
but it was the Big O I landed him on.
but it was the Big O I landed him on.I'm just another beer drinker with a fishing problem!
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clown worship
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Badger Shark
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I was always a live bait kinda guy but this year I decided to take the advice of a guide from Crotch Lake last year and I started buying lures. So Clown Worship and I make a run to Le Barons every Thursday and stock up. I have received very good advice from the employees there. One person in particular reccomended trying the Rapal X Raps, man was this a good thing. I have already caught more fish on these in one outing than any other lure. and they catch anything except I havent caught a cat on them. I strongly advise buying a few of these beauties of different colours they really work. And also the BIG O. 
"MAN WHO CUT OFF RIGHT EAR, HAVE ONLY ONE LEFT
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clown worship
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Scotty Chaos
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Pike eat anything! I found personally that Husky Jerks and Smithwicks work really well consistently!