In order to successfully use crankbait to catch fish, you must understand the depth of the water where the fish are located and the dive depth of the crankbaits. Many angler fail to catch any fish when they use crankbaits because the crankbaits are either too high in the water relative to the location of the fish, or the crankbaits are too low in the water relative to the location of the fish. If the crankbaits are too high in the water, the fish cannot reach the crankbaits.
If the crankbaits are too low in the water relative to the fish, then the fish cannot reach the crankbaits. Thus, you must understand how each of these factor (the shape of the bill of the crankbaits, the type of fishing line that is used, and the speed at which you retrieve the crankbaits) affect the depth at which the bait will dive. The water features different depth zone, and each depth zone features different type of crankbaits that should be used.
Pick the Right Crankbait for Shallow, Mid, and Deep Water
In the shallowest portion of the water (between zero and five feet deep), you should use squarebill crankbaits and wakebaits. Squarebill crankbaits has short bills and are deflected off of any wood and cover in the water without snagging upon the branches of the trees or the cover in the water. Furthermore, when you use squarebill crankbaits, you should use a slow to medium retrieve speed for the crankbaits to remain in the shallowest portion of the water.
In the zone in the middle of the water depths (between five and ten feet deep), you should use round bill crankbaits. Round-bill crankbaits are useful for hunting rocky points and brush piles in these depths. In the deepest portion of the water (any depth deeper than ten feet), you should use long-bill divers.
These types of crankbaits are designed to reach deeper portions of the water and to grind against ledges and humps in the deepest portion of the water. In order for long-bill divers to reach the deepest portion of the water, you should use thin fishing line with the crankbaits, as well as a consistent retrieve speed for the crankbaits. Furthermore, you should use these depths with these types of crankbaits because fish do not randomly move in water.
Instead, fish tend to stack in certain depths in relation to the amount of light, the amount of oxygen in the water, and the availability of food in those depths. Therefore, understanding where the fish are located and using the correct type of crankbaits for those depths is essential. The type of fishing line you use will change how the crankbait performs in the water.
Because monofilament fishing lines has some stretch and buoyancy, they will help keep shallow-running crankbaits high in the water column. Fluorocarbon fishing lines will help you to find the mid-depth fish quickly because of the quick sink rate of the line. Braided fishing lines will provide more sensitivity to your crankbaits so they are a good choice when you are fishing in grass.
Additionally, depending on the type of crankbait you are using, your retrieve speed will change. You should burn lipless crankbaits over flats to create flash in the shallow water. However, you should use a slow retrieve to allow deep-diving crankbaits to grind along the bottom.
The change of the season and the time of day will change the location of the fish. In the spring, the fish will be in the shallows due to the floods in the river. Therefore, squarebill crankbaits will work best on the warming flats in the spring.
In the summer, the heat from the sun drive the fish to the ledges in the area. Thus, using extra deep crankbaits will help you to find the fish on the offshore ledges in the summer. During the fall, the fish will begin to become more aggressive around the bait schools.
Therefore, you should burn lipless crankbaits through the bait schools. In the winter, you have to slow down your retrieve speed to allow the suspending crankbaits to tempt the fish in the clear water. Additionally, during the time of day, the fish will prefer to be in the shallows at dawn and dusk.
However, they will be more found using deep-diving crankbaits at the height of the day in the middle of the day. The rivers will have currents, however, the depth zones in the rivers will be the same as in other bodies of water. Flats and riprap areas will require squarebill crankbaits to target the fish.
The points in the river will require mid-depth divers so that the crankbaits will not hit the bottom of the river. Lastly, the ledges will require long-bill divers that will grind along the riverbed. A medium-action rod will help to deflect the crankbaits and a longer rod will help with deep reaches in the water.
Additionally, cranking the bait too fast will take the fun out of fishing with crankbaits; therefore a half speed retrieve will allow the bill of the crankbaits to plane well in the water. Finally, the fish will move to areas of shallower depths in the water when the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water drops below the thermocline in the summer.