Ever read about or heard someone say "It's important to make long casts when fishing crankbaits"?
This is very true statement that carries more than one meaning.
Yes, it's important to make long casts when fishing crankbaits - but why is it important?
It has a lot to do with the retrieval path of a crankbait.
**For the purpose of discussion, this article is focused on crankbaits with a bill, or lip**
Crankbait Characteristics
Crankbaits mainly consist of three things; the body, the bill, and the hooks.
This particular topic zeroes in on the body and bill of a crankbait.
Crankbaits, especially billed crankbaits, sport a light, hollow body that floats.
There are ways to limit the buoyancy of a crankbait, such as buying suspending lures or using adhesive weights but by in large most billed crankbaits float.
This is a good thing too because it allows your crankbait to rise above things that it may otherwise dive under and get hung up on.
The bill, or lip, on the other hand is what makes the crankbait dive.
It's the bill that gets the lure down to it's running depth.
A crankbaits running depth is usually found on the package it comes in and says something similar to "Dives to 4-6 ft.".
The combination of pairing a floating body lure with a bill used to make the lure dive to deeper depths creates a bit of a conflict of interest.
This puts the two always at war with one another - one part of the crankbait wants to remain on the surface while another part wants to dive to the bottom.
For anglers, this often equates to less time in the strike zone - which in crankbait terms means less time at the lures designed running depth.
Here's why...
Crankbait Retrieval Path Explained
Unlike a jig or other lures that have a natural fall rate, a crankbait retrieval always starts at the surface.
As soon as you begin reeling, the bill of the lure starts digging into the water to dive deeper.
You don't immediately get to the rated "dive depth" of the lure.
It takes time.
Remember, the bill of the crankbait is what makes the lure dive deeper - and it is constantly at war with the buoyancy of the crankbait body as well as the water resistant nature of fishing line.
After adding all those things up you end up with a retrieval path that looks something like this....
The upward trajectory that the crankbait takes at the end of the retrieval is the result of you "pulling up" on the crankbait when reeling.
That's why a crankbait feels so heavy at the end of the retrieve.
By reeling, you are literally pulling up on a lure that wants to keep diving.
All this results in a curve-like retrieval path.
How Does This Relate To Catching Fish?
As hinted on above, this curve-like retrieval equates to less time at the desired running depth.
So, as anglers we have to make sure we're taking this into account when targeting fish.
Focus on these two things:
Maximize time at desired running depth
Cast beyond your target
Maximize Time At Desired Running Depth
The easiest way to keep your crankbait at its rated dive depth is to make long casts.
A longer cast gives your lure plenty of time to dive and then run at its desired depth.
This often means fine tuning your gear.
If using a baitcaster, make sure your reels braking and spool tensioner is properly set.
An easy tackle change for longer casts is to use lighter fishing line.
To get to desired running depths faster you can also switch to fluorocarbon line to take advantage of its sinking properties.
Another easy way to keep your crankbait at the lures desired running depth and in the strike zone is to keep your rod tip close to the water when reeling.
Cast Beyond Your Target
If you have a spot, or waypoint picked out that you intend to fish, another way to ensure your lure gets into the strike zone of a fish is to cast beyond your target.
Check out the below picture...
Remember, crankbaits follow a curve-like retrieval path.
If your cast lands directly on top of your target where you believe the fish are holding (in this case around submerged timber) your crankbait will more than likely miss the fish due to the time it takes to dive to its running depth.
However, if you make a cast beyond your target you've now given your lure time to dive to its running depth for proper interaction with the cover and the fish.
In Conclusion
This may sound like a lot but once you put it into practice and begin noticing for yourself how your crankbait is running it will all make sense.
For shallow diving crankbaits you may not notice much of a difference.
However, once you start fishing crankbaits in the 8-20+ foot range the importance of making long casts and understanding when your lure is at its running depth becomes paramount.
Consider applying some of the pointers listed above and you may find that you, and the fish, like crankbaits a lot more than you thought!
Time to go catch 'em!
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