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Bass 101  The Basics   © 2006  Bass411.com
Section 1 – Bass Fishing Lures
	1.4           Crank baits
		1.4.1       Introduction
			Crank baits are among the most popular lures on the market and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and functions. The main intent of a crank bait is to mimic live bait swimming through the water and produce a reaction bite from the fish.
		1.4.2       Physical Description and Rigging
			Crank baits are typically made up of a main body made from either plastic or wood, with a plastic or metal lip on the front to force it to dive down into the water when retrieved. The line is attached to an eyelet mounted on the nose or lip of the lure, and they generally feature 1-3 sets of treble hooks dangling from their belly and/or rear. See figure 5.
			Usually a split ring acts as an interface between the lure and the line to allow the bait to wobble from side to side more naturally.
						Crank baits come in all colors and patterns, many designed to be as effective on the fisherman as they are on the fish.
			Figure 5
		1.4.3       Fishing Techniques
			As the name suggests, crank baits are a cast and retrieve type bait. Although it is not that simple, the straight retrieve is the basic goal of every cast with a crank bait. Stop and go retrieves can also be quite effective.
			When fishing around cover, it is best to use a floating crank bait. When the bait hits the obstacle, simply stop, allow a slight amount of slack and let the bait float back and up from the obstacle, and then continue the retrieve. It’s surprising how much cover a crank bait can get through, despite all the hooks sticking out of it.
			Fish strikes can be hard, leaving little doubt, or may be very subtle, like the lure has picked up a plastic bag or something. Keep pressure on the fish and try not to allow it to jump, as the hinge action of loose treble hooks provide an excellent way for fish to shake the lure and get enough leverage to get the lure free. Take care when landing fish hooked with a crank bait, as they are the number one lure for hooking fishermen, as well.
			A long, soft forgiving rod with a nice even taper makes a good crank bait rod, as the stiffer rods seem to be too “hard” during a bite, and pull the bait free before the fish is hooked.
		1.4.4      Applications
			Crank baits can be used in a number of ways, most often along weed edges or rocks. There are as many conditions for crank bait use as there are crank baits, and there is one for every situation. Models come in positive, neutral and negative buoyancy with lips that cause them to run from 1 to over 20 feet deep with a normal retrieve. One trick for getting a little extra depth from a crank bait is the “kneel and reel” method in which the angler kneels on the deck of the boat and puts the rod tip down into the water during the retrieve. Retrieving the crank bait to dig up the bottom or bounce of obstacles is also a very productive method. Generally, rely on your electronics or experience for selection of what depth to fish at, and choose a crank bait suitable for that depth.
			Crank baits seem to work best under cold front conditions in the summer and anytime in fall.
		1.4.5       Summary
			Crank baits are an easy to fish lure and most fishermen will have a bunch of them in their tackle boxes. And a bunch is what you need, because each crank bait is made for specific depths and functions, and if you want to have all your bases covered, you’ll need a wide variety.
			Author's Ratings:
				Versatility - 3.5 Ease of use - 6.5 Effectiveness - 5.5 Big Fish Factor - 6.0
	1.5     Plastic baits

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