Fishing tip of the week

Fishing Tip of the Week

Tuesday, 10 January 2023 12:32

Angles are key when fishing crankbaits
There are many important keys to fishing crankbaits that can make a huge difference; success can be luck or skill. I choose skill as my key to catching fish on a crank bait. Skill, however, comes with time on the water and understanding what the key issues are to having successful days in the early winter fishing. There are many issues to being successful when fishing crankbaits. None are as important as establishing the correct angle for your crankbait presentation.

Angles can mean the difference between catching or not, and you must establish the correct angle according to the many factors and water conditions in order to be successful. You establish the correct angle in several ways, and there are many considerations in finding the correct angle. Many times, inexperienced anglers just make circles around the area they’re fishing until they find the correct angle.

Experienced anglers account for the natural elements.

What’s on the bottom, the depth of the structure, the wind moving the water or is there current from dam draw, is it hard bottom or not. These all help you determine the right angle to move your crank bait to get a strike. During times of strong current draw is generally the easiest time to find the correct angle as the bass will face into the current behind the structure so they can ambush bait as it moves with the strong current. Current does many things to help you catch fish. Not only does it position the fish, but it causes bass to be active and feed, making catching a little easier.
If you have ever watched a fishing show, you’ve probably noticed that a tournament angler, when fishing strong current, is generally fishing a crank bait from the front of the boat, throwing to the back. This allows them to position the boat above the bass and bring the bait across the face of the fish positioned into the current. Hence, knowledge is everything here as they know this is how the bass will be positioned in a strong current.

Use your electronics, find the fish, establish the correct angle, and you will be more successful with a crankbait.

-Captain Mike Gerry