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To begin, let us focus on the largest member of the sunfish family,
the bass. During certain times of the
day bass like to move into deeper water. There are many reasons why this
"transition" from shallow to deep
water occurs, one of which is to get away from the fishermen who pound
the shoreline with a variety of lures
that they get to see week in and week out! When you cannot find the fish
you are looking for from the
shoreline, start looking to deep-water structure.
The structure could
include, large rocks, areas of sunken forest, abandoned cars or building
ruins that were
flooded by the Corp of Engineers when constructing a new watershed or
reservoir. Often this information can
be obtained from survey maps of a lake or reservoir prior to impounding.
Once you have established the depth
you want to fish, select your crankbait according to its capabilities.
Most of you will know that the larger the
plastic "bill" on the nose of the bait, the deeper it will
dive. I like to paint the number of feet a lure will dive on
the belly of the lure. This helps when it comes to selection time.
If I am fishing in 20
feet of water I like to start with any two brightly colored crankbaits I
have to hand. The
reason for brightness as opposed to color selection is that I am looking
for a lure that will reflect even a little
light in the darkness of deep water. The first crankbait will run at
between 15 and 18 feet. With this lure I will
determine if the fish are looking upward and are in a feeding pattern
off the bottom of the water. If the first
choice fails the second lure of choice would be a crankbait that can
dive deeper than the depth I am fishing.
The reason is simply,
I want to present frantic baitfish bumping into structure. This lure
will make small
thumping sounds as it hits solid objects, or if it strikes the lake
bottom the lure will cause clouds of silt,
gravel or sand to billow up in the water. The noise and vibration will
attract fish and provoke a strike. If I cannot
get to the fish because they are in 30 or 40 feet of water, I attach a
crankbait to a one-ounce Carolina rig,
exchanging the worm hook for the crankbait. In a shallow situation,
crankbait color choice becomes vital, as
the lure can be seen more clearly. Try to match the size and color of
the baitfish to the size of your lure.
As with any crankbait
lure presentation always start moving the lure quickly. If no strikes
come, change
your retrieve to a stop and go or slow it down to a crawl. Once the fish
"tell you" how they want the bait, you
will have found the pattern to fish and will catch more of them as a
result.
Walleye and Pike are
two fish that will strike at crankbaits in many situations. Walleye like
deep water,
really deep water, so once again, you must find a way to get your bait
down to the fish. Fishing from a boat
is the most productive way to catch them, trolling lures behind a boat
with a Plano board at depths of 30, 40,
or 50 feet. For our shore-bound anglers, you should use heavy weights
attached to the line in a similar fashion
to the Carolina rig mentioned previously and use various speeds of
retrieval, until you find the speed they like.
Whilst I do not think
color is important to a walleye, scent or fish paste on the crankbait
can be an
additional incentive for them to strike at the lure.
Northern pike and
pickerel will hit crankbaits at any level, remembering that the pike
family prefers cold
water. The best pike fishing is during the fall and winter. At that
time, the fish get closer to the shoreline and
feed ferociously. Their teeth are sharper during the colder months, so
use wire leaders, or you will lose your
crankbait!
Best crankbait color
for any pike in my opinion is white and red. Muskie's should be fished
for with a lure
presentation similar to that for walleye. You should however, upgrade to
the largest lures you can find 10 or
12 inches is not too small for a muskie! (NB saltwater lures will work
well) and if you have feather dressed
treble hooks, so much the better, the muskie seems to like feathers!
Lures retrieved over points and drop-offs
will bring these monsters out of hiding.
Just remember to carry
some heavy duty gloves, long nosed pliers and a damp cloth the handle
these fish.
If you are under 16, I strongly suggest you take an adult with you.
Muskie's, like sharks can inflict severe
wounds unless they are handled firmly and quickly. Take pictures if you
have to and release them as soon
as possible as muskie's have a tendency to die quickly if not returned
to the water. |
