Story by Hunter Sales | Photos by Tanner & Travis Lyons
There are not many places in the world that are better known for cranking than East Tennessee. Growing up here, I had a front row seat to hearing about handmade balsa crankbaits and all the intricate details that make a good crankbait fisherman who he is. Today, we’re going to take a dive into the different types of crankbaits, when to deploy them, and other keys to becoming a better crankbait fisherman.
To start, we have to draw a clear line between winter/early spring crankbait fishing and deep-water/post-spawn cranking. Post-spawn cranking is all about reaction bites, big baits, and typically deeper-diving baits. In winter and early spring, the water is colder, fish metabolism is slower, and they’re only looking to feed during prime opportunities. Winter crankbait fishing starts getting good when the water temperature drops down into the mid 50s. With the right approaches and conditions, this bite will remain productive even as the water drops into the low 40s and all the way through the pre-spawn phase.
We’ll dive into the type of baits that exist before we look at how to use each with success. In my experience, three types of cold-water crankbaits deserve a spot in your tackle box. The first is a round-bill, wide-body, plastic crankbait. These have a wider wobble and typically dive deeper than their squarebill brothers. Moving on to the squarebill crankbait, these can be either wooden or plastic baits, have a wide-body, and a wide, aggressive action. They dive shallower than most other crankbaits and deflect off cover well. Finally, you have a flat-sided crankbait. These are most often balsa baits with a short, rounded bill and have an extremely tight wobble. Flat-sided baits typically reach the 2- to 7-foot depth range.
Let’s talk about round-bill, wide-body crankbaits. The first one that comes to mind is a Spro RkCrawler or a Storm Wiggle Wart. These baits get the call when I’m targeting 8- to 12 feet of water in early winter or late spring. Water temperature in the 50s and wind help to create a good bite for this style of bait. Because the water is still warm, sun is not crucial. Some of my best cranking days have happened in the first hour of daylight in early winter on these baits. The 45-degree and steeper banks that are being directly hit with wind are the best areas to start. I typically opt for a St. Croix Victory 7-foot-2 medium-heavy moderate rod, a 6.6:1 Seviin GS reel, and 12-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line for these baits. The 12-pound line will allow the bait to dive to an acceptable depth and the 6.6:1 reel helps me to slow the bait down after bottom contact is made.
I probably don’t throw squarebills enough. I will throw a squarebill in early-spring through the pre-spawn. I’ve had some really good days throwing a hand-carved squarebill around wood cover and dock posts. Sun is crucial to making this bite happen. When the water is still below 60 degrees and the fish are looking for a warm place to nest, they will pull up onto isolated wood cover and a squarebill can be an effective way to put a bait in their face. The aggressive action will trigger reaction bites, and the squarebill comes through cover well. For this technique, I bump up to a 7-foot-2 medium-heavy moderate-fast St. Croix Victory. The extra power in the tip allows me to work the bait through the cover without getting hung. I will also up my line size to 15- or 17-pound Seaguar InvizX depending on the weight of the bait. I stick with the 6.6:1 gear ratio Seviin reel and often find myself reeling very slow with this approach.
Probably the most under-utilized style of crankbait is the flat-sided bait. A balsa flat-side has a special place in my heart and will stay on my deck throughout the winter months. The Rapala Ott’s Garage Tiny 4 is probably the most popular mass-produced model today. These baits really shine in finesse situations. Cold water, light wind, and clean water are some of the specifics that help a flat-side to excel. I look for areas that are receiving direct sunlight on rock banks. These areas hold enough heat to cause fish to slide up and sun themselves during the winter months. I usually opt to throw these baits on a spinning rod. I can cast them further, control the bait throughout the retrieve, and it allows me the benefit of having the drag help to land the fish. My rod of choice is a 7-foot-1 medium St. Croix Physyx with a 2500 Seviin spinning reel, with a 10-pound Seaguar InvisX leader that is long enough to prevent the braid from impacting the action.
If you’ve read this far into the article, you’re well on your way to figuring out wintertime crankbait fishing. From now until March, some of the biggest bags will be caught this way. Read these tips, get a few different crankbaits on your deck, and hit the water. Let me know what questions you have! I’m going to be sharing a YouTube video on some other cranking keys soon, so make sure you’re following me there as well!
Hunter Sales – Angler Profile
