Tuning Crankbaits

Like a piano your crainkbaits can get out of tune.  After repeatedly bouncing off of rocks and stumps your lure might not track straight anymore when reeling it in.  Lures that don't track straight might not look as natural in the water and cause you to get less strikes.  Many times  new crainkbaits right out of the box need tuning.  Tuning crankbaits isn't the most enjoyable thing to do, but it is pretty easy. The only tool necessary for tuning a crankbait is a pair of needle nose pliers. 

To tune your crankbaits follow the these steps.



Test your crankbaits in calm water

1.  Cast your lure into calm water and reel it in quickly with your rod tip pointing down towards the water.  As you reel it in pay attention to the direction your lure is tracking if it's running straight no adjustments are needed, if your lure is running to the right or left note the direction so you can make the proper adjustments.



Use needle nose pliers to bend the eyelet.

2.  If your crankbait is tracking to the right, you will need to bend the eyelet (the spot that you tie your line to) to the left.  If your crankbait is tracking to the left bend the eyelet to the right.  Make small adjustments, bending the eyelet too much could cause it to break.



 

3.  After you make the adjustment re-test your crankbait and make further adjustments as needed.
Some eyelets will be harder to bend than others, and might require the use of two pairs of pliers to accomplish.  When using two pairs of pliers use one pair to hold the edge of the lure lip and the other on the edge of the eyelet. 


Trial and error is the only way to really learn how to tune your crankbaits, but the time invested in tuning your baits will pay off with better success on the water.

If you like this article check out which this post on choosing a crankbait.

Which Crainkbait Should You Buy

 If you are new to fishing or just starting to think about using crankbaits, knowing which one you need can be a challenge.  Just taking a walk through your sporting goods store, and seeing aisles filled with crankbaits can be daunting.  So how do you know which one you should use?  The short answer...it depends on where you are trying to target the fish.  Are you fishing in vegetation, around stumps and logs, or are you trying to reach fish holding on deeper structure?  I am going to show you three basic types of crankbaits and some general situations where you can use them.   Lets take a look at these different crankbaits.


Lipless Crankbait

Most lipless crankbaits have about the same profile.  This profile produces a tight body movement that mimics a shad.  Some lipless baits have a weighted front to run nose down and fall more naturally.  Lipless baits are easy to use, and work great fishing in and around vegetation and bumping them along clean bottoms. Lipless baits can be used in virtually any depth of water with different weights and retrieval speeds.  These baits are typically meant to be reeled in fast.



 Shallow Running Crankbait

Shallow running crankbaits have a small lip, and are used to fish in shallow water with weeds or simply to target fish that are holding higher in the water.  These crankbaits will typically dive between 1-5 feet. With shallow running baits you're still looking to make contact with cover. Bumping into cover such as stumps or rocks commonly produces strikes when the bait deflects off the cover.




Deep Diving

  

Deep diving crankbaits are used to cover large areas of deep water, bouncing along the more shallow areas and getting down to fish holding on or near deeper structure. Most deep diving baits reach  between 14 and 18 feet, although you can get deeper using lighter line with extremely long casts.  Fishing deep diving baits in water less than their maximum depth is a good way to entice a bite, making your bait bounce along stirring up the bottom and bouncing off rocks will attract attention from the fish.  Many anglers use deep diving baits in the fall to target fish following baitfish around areas where deep water transitions to shallow.

This post only covers a few styles of crankbaits available.  Many other options are available with these types of baits.  Different body styles (minnow body, shad body, flat body) are available with different buoyancy's (floating, sinking, suspending) in varying lengths and color combinations.  When choosing colors remember, many of the colors are meant to attract the angler not the fish, although in stained and muddy water you can get away with using extreme colors.  When your fishing in clear water stick with natural bait colors.

As with any bait try different techniques,try reeling faster or slower, try creating action with your rod by moving it up and down while you reel or pause and pull the bait by sweeping your rod to the side.  Once you find what is working, repeat it until it is no longer working and then try other techniques.