Lure Blog #6

Crankbait time?

Crankbaits or plugs as many of us know them is a descriptive term coined by our American cousins. It implies that the lure is cast out and cranked back. Used in this manner you will catch “active” fish, but with imagination they can provide the opportunity to fish around and above weeds or snags that often hold predators.

Andy with a Bewl Water Rainbow Trout, caught on a “shallow” diving mini crankbait.

Choosing a crankbait to suit your needs requires a little thought, how deep is the water? Is there any weed or snags to avoid? What species are likely to be present?

Obviously depth will narrow your choice, if weed is also a factor then select a buoyant “fat” alphabet plug. These allow “contact” to be made with the weed, as soon as you feel resistance pause, at this point the plug will “back up”, followed by a short, sharp snap of the rod tip will break any remaining debris off the lip and hooks, this manoeuvre can also “trigger” a take! This shape of lure has a “tight” side-to-side swimming action that that really attractive to Perch.

Andy’s 3lb Perch caught on a shallow diving crankbait.

If the area is clear of weed then a long “minnow” bait offers a more subtle, less vigorous swimming action, this wobble is far more appealing to big Pike. Another facet of these baits is they respond very well to being twitched or jerked, this sees them dart and flicker “on the spot” like a dying fish, this tactic will catch a lot of fish when the water is warm.

Note the different sizes of lips on these crankbaits, from left to right Deep, Mid-depth & Shallow

When picking crankbaits look carefully at the lip size, shape and angle, this will tell you a lot about its depth capability and swimming action. Big lips obviously drive baits deeper while lips angled steeply downwards create a more vigorous swimming action that keeps them swimming shallower, not initially what you’d expect.

So there you have it crankbaits are fantastic baits for warm water predator fishing, a time when fish are fired up and prepared to strike lures above their heads. What’s more they’re exciting baits to fish with such realistic finishes and colours it’s hard not to end up with a boxes full of em!

Angling guide Rikki Cooper

Rikki Cooper Angling Guide

I recently spent an enjoyable day on Bewl Water with my good friend Rikki Cooper who is now a permanent feature on the reservoir. We spent the day chasing all of Bewl’s predators Trout, Perch and Pike in Rikki’s customised lure fishing boat.

As a team member of the Team England Lure Squad, a level 2 angling coach and tutor who specialises in predator fishing, Rikki is able to guide and teach you about this fascinating style of fishing. Rikki can be contacted via his Facebook page while his web-site is under construction.

Tight lines.
Andy Lush

Andy owns The Friendly Fisherman in Tunbridge Wells [TN1 2PS], his shop as you would expect is full of everything a “lure angler” will need. Andy is available to offer advice on all things lure and fly fishing related.