Among the popular ways of bass fishing, fishing with a crankbait is a topper. Crankbait is a gorgeous but straightforward lure. It works wonders when used in the correct situation.
However, due to the crankbait’s small hooks and the fact that fishes love to jump, your crankbait fishing may turn into a disaster without a proper setup. In this piece, I am going to discuss the topic of how to rig crankbait.
A brief discussion on how to rig crankbait
Crankbait is a well-known bass fishing lure. When you throw the baits into the water, they float and do nothing until the crank is turned. So, the crank provides the lure’s action, causes the lure to go down, and attracts fish. That’s why they are known as crankbait. Crankbaits are called the bread & butter of the bass angler.
The market is packed with crankbaits of various sizes and colors. However, they all have some common attributes. There is a diving lip or bill at the front that helps the crankbait to glide through and get down in the water. You can get a rough idea of the diving depth of the lure.
A larger and longer bill dives deeper. On the bottom side of the crankbait, there are two large treble hooks. This might make you wonder, “Hey, these will snag weed or pieces of wood easily!” This is not the case. The crankbait travels with the bill first and head down position that saves the hooks from snagging. Although crankbaits often hang up with this type of fouling.
What rod, reel, and line suit best for crankbait fishing?
When fishing with a crankbait, you need to take special consideration regarding the rod. A crankbait rod is different than a jig rod, frog rod, or worm rod. The crankbait rod must have flex in it. The anglers want to add a little bit of delay while fishing with a crankbait. If the rod is stiff, it will cause trouble for the fish to cope with the lure’s travel path. A soft and flexible rod solves the problem.
There is a specific rod designed for crankbait fishing available in the market. It would be better to have one. Crankbait rods offer more perfect catches. They permit the fish to move around with constant pressure even when it is hung up on the crankbait. You can recognize when a fish has swallowed the bait while using a crankbait rod. Besides, setting the hook is simpler too.
However, suppose you can’t manage a crankbait rod. In that case, you can pick a medium action or fiberglass rod that has the capability of handling big fishes and provides enough flexibility for crankbait fishing. Besides, it should be long enough to cast at long-distance and get maximum diving depth. 7-8 feet is a good range for the crankbait rod.
When choosing the reel, choose a comfortable one that suits the rod. Alow profile reel will be sufficient. The most important thing is the gear ratio. At the same time, doing crankbait fishing, maintain a slower gear ratio. 4:1 to 6.2:1 is a good range appreciated by anglers. Keeping a slower gear ratio will help in getting more power out of the bait, slow down the bait, and maintain your rhythm while fishing.
As for fishing line, fluorocarbon and braided lines are famous for crankbait fishing. For shallow crankbaits, monofilament is more appropriate. A lot of lines are required to make long casts. 10-15 lb line is a good range for crankbait fishing. If you are dealing with shallow running crankbaits, the requirement of a lot of lines becomes insignificant as you will be making shorter casts.
Rigging the crankbait
Most fishing stores have a machine for putting the fishing line on the reel under tension. Choosing the correct size for the fishing line is important. The end of the line needs to get threaded through the rod guides.
The bill of the crankbait has an attachment point. Most of the time, there is a split ring. Sometimes there is a little lining through which you can make a knot. Just tie your line to the split ring with a fishing knot.
The process is pretty simple. The key factor to focus on here is the ‘knot.’ The most heartbreaking thing about bass fishing is losing a fish after it gets caught at your rod. It happens due to some reason. But a common cause is a failed knot. So, it is obvious that you need to learn how to tie a strong fishing knot properly.
There are a lot of good finishing knots out there. Common knots include:
- Palomar knot
- Improved clinch knot
- Uni not
As a final note
Rigging the crankbait is an easy task for pro anglers. But for a beginner, it may appear a tough job to tie up a perfect fishing knot. The more you practice, the more you get efficient. I hope this article on how to rig crankbait will serve well.
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