A Whole Lotta Crankin’ Going On, Part 1 – Deep Diving Crankbaits
By Chip Pillow, Lucky Craft Regional Pro Staff

Being from Memphis I have to give a little nod to Jerry Lee Lewis with the title of this article. With that out of the way, over the last couple of months I have been besieged by requests for a review article like the previous one's I've written, only this time focusing on clarifying the many different models of Lucky Craft crankbaits. There was this part of me that was excited that I get to talk about crankbaits. I mean for me they ought to be called "crack-baits" because I am addicted to fishing (and buying) them. On the other hand there was this part of me that was a little dumbfounded as well. Because Lucky Craft has a large selection of crankbaits, I was being asked questions about baits I was not incredibly familiar with. Ok, so what does one do when confronted with an issue in which there is little clarity? You guessed it! Go buy more tackle and go fishing. Parenthetically, my wife has a hard time conceptualizing how these trips were "research". However, I must press on in the interest of "science" (told you they should be called crack-baits).

So after several trips to my local tackle shop, multiple trips to the lake, and talking with other Lucky Craft pro's I have decided to break the articles into multiple parts. In this article I am going to focus on Lucky Craft deep diving crankbaits. By deep I am going to include baits that dive deeper than 10 feet. These will include Lucky Craft as well as the Rick Clunn Lucky Craft cranks sold exclusively at Bass Pro Shop. Part II will focus on the "Signature Series" of Lucky Craft baits. By their very nature, the signature series dives relatively shallow (e.g. less than 10 feet). This article will cover the poplar SKT line of baits. In Part III of this series I plan on discussing the Lucky Craft "fat" line of crankbaits.

Flat CB - In all of these review articles I have tried to stress how Lucky Craft baits are specific tools for a specific purpose. Lucky Craft crankbait lines are no different. The Flat CB series of crankbaits are designed for open water applications, such as ledge fishing or long tapering points. As the name implies, the body of the bait is narrow which allows its action to take advantage of Lucky Craft's realistic finishes by giving off an iridescent reflection as it oscillates in the water. The narrow body also displaces a lot of water as the bait is moving through the water.

Another aspect of the Flat CB's that make is shine in open water is Lucky Craft's weight transfer system. All of us have been there. We are out on our favorite ledge and there's a good wind providing that perfect chop on the water. With visions of 4 pounders dancing in our head, we rare back and fire our favorite crankbait, only to have it "helicopter" in the wind and land about 40 feet from the boat. No good! The weight transfer system in the Flat CB crankbaits addresses this issue. As the angler draws and fires the Flat CB, the internal tungsten weight is positioned into a cavity in the tail of the bait. With the tungsten weight in the tail, the CB is far less likely to spiral or helicopter, thus allowing for far greater casting distance and far fewer backlashes. Once the bait hits the water, reel in the slack and give the CB a good pull to start its decent. This pull repositions the internal weight into the nose of the bait. With the weight repositioned, the CB dives at a very sharp angle allowing for maximum time the bait is in the strike zone. Once bottom contact, or maximum depth, is achieved, the tungsten ball moves toward the center of the front cavity providing the bait with a natural swimming position while also giving the bait great deflective action off of stumps and rocks.

A final advantage of the Flat CB internal weight transfer system is the unique sound the bait possesses. The positioning of the primary tungsten ball provides the Flat CB with a deep, throaty "thud" sound. This sound is similar to the old style "one-knocker" baits. A second tungsten ball, which is stationary and much smaller, adds a little more volume and a slightly higher pitch. Thus making the Flat CB a loud and flashy bait that is an excellent bait to excite a school and trigger aggressive strikes from active as well as inactive fish.

The Flat CB comes in 4 different sizes: the MR (2.5", 3/8 oz. and dives to 4-5 ft.) the DR (2.5", 1/2 oz. and dives 9-10 ft.), the D 12 (3", 3/4 oz. dives to 12 ft.), and the D 20 (3", 3/4 oz. dives down to 20 ft.). The DR and MR come equipped with #4 hooks, while the D12 and D20 come with #2's. The variance of models allows the angler to target the specific depth range at which the fish are positioned.

A great, but often overlooked, deep cranking pattern is to swim the Flat CB through deep trees to catch suspended summertime bass. While this is not your "typical" deep cranking pattern, this approach can be highly productive during the dog days of summer. BASS and FLW Stren pro Doug Vahrenberg (www.dougvahrenberg.com) told me he uses the Flat CB to target bass in trees. He likes the Flat CB's because the bill design minimizes hang ups while banging the bait through deep trees. Doug will use his Humminbird Side Imaging to detect the specific depth at which the fish are holding in the trees and then use different models and line sizes to achieve the desired depth. Notice the picture below. You can see the tree, which is well off the bank, where Doug caught the fish using this technique. That's the kind of fish that will make your morning fun!

One of my favorite deep cranking patterns is when inactive fish are positioned "semi-suspended" just off the side of the ledge. I can see with my Humminbird that they are not actively feeding on top or right at the break, but are located several feet off the ledge just sitting there "floating". Depending on the depth of the fish, I will use the appropriate CB to plow off the ledge and when I feel the crankbait lose bottom contact I will stop the retrieve and allow the bait to hover right in front of the fish. After bouncing around on the bottom, the CB will slowly begin to wiggle as it rises in the water column. I will give the bait very slight pops on a slack line. Don't pull the bait with your rod and don't over pop it. Just a slight snap that will move the bait several inches forward. I want the crankbait to just sit right in front of these suspended fish. As is slowly rises, they can't help but want an easy meal. This technique will often ignite the most sluggish school of bass.

Rick Clunn - RC DD - Many times after a seminar I am approached by anglers with questions regarding Lucky Craft crankbaits. The one I hear most often involves something along the lines of "Why do that have so many different crankbaits?" As I noted in a previous article on Lucky Craft jerkbaits, the sheer volume of lures hanging on the shelf is enough to intimidate even the strong of heart. When you add the RC crankbaits from Bass Pro Shop, the volume, and confusion, seems to grow exponentially. In this section I'm going discuss and clarify the RC DD crankbaits. These baits are markedly different from the Flat CB and serve a very different purpose.

The RC DD comes in several sizes. For the purposes of this article I am going to limit the discussion to the following: 2.5 DD (2-3/4", 5/8th oz. dives to 10 ft), 3.5 DD (3" 3/4 oz. dives to 14 ft) and the new 3.5 XD (3-1/4 in. 1 oz. and dives 18-20 ft). The new 3.5 XD has a tungsten weighted bill and does not have rattles.

Notice the picture. The RC XD (on the bottom) has a slightly narrower bill compared to the CB 20. This design allows for a tighter wobble while achieving the same depth. Noted deep cranking expert, and Lake Fork guide, Tom Redington (http://www.lakeforkguidetrips.com/) loves the addition of the new bait for highly pressured fish. The FLW tour pro told me, "Combining the Flat CB D20 with the RC 3.5 XD makes a great 1-2 combo. First, use the louder and flashier D20 to excite the school and trigger the most active fish. Once the bite slows, switch to the more finesse 3.5 XD and you'll often be able to pick up additional fish after they have stopped chasing conventional offerings."

I have found Tom's advice to prove true time and time again. How many times have all of us picked up some good crankbait fish only to have the school shut down after several bites. We just assume the school has moved or is no longer interested. Here is where the XD can add some extra fish to the live well. There are even times when the bigger fish, especially later in the summer when they've seen every crankbait in three counties, only want the subtle action of the new XD. Then again Tom ought to know. He's caught more 10 lb crankbait fish than any one I know.

The other place I have found the 3.5 XD to be invaluable is when fish are extremely lethargic. For example, when the water temp is dipping bass don't want a loud, wide wobbling crankbait. With its tight wiggle and subtle approach, the XD is able to move into the strike zone without spooking fish. Slowly grinding this crankbait over ledges in the late winter, or early spring is a dynamite tactic; or using a stop and go retrieve after cold fronts can save your day. You won't catch many fish, but the ones you do catch often make the trip worthwhile.

Moving on to the RC 2.5 DD (2-3/4". 5/8th oz. dives around 10 feet) and 3.5 DD (3", 3/4 oz. and dives around 14 ft). These baits come in two different models: rattling and silent. The rattles in the RC series have an entirely different sound than the Flat CB. Instead of the deep thud of the Flat CB, the RC's have a smaller diameter ball, given the bait a higher pitched, busier, sound. In the picture of the RC 2.5 DD (bottom) and the CB 12, you can see how the RC has a wider, "stubbier" bill and has a smaller body size. This design gives the RC 2.5 DD and 3.5 DD a wider wobble. The characteristics make the RC baits an excellent choice in early post spawn to early summer, and then again in early fall.

If you own an RC I have two words for you: muscle bed. If you have muscle beds on your body of water, I have two letters for you: R. C. I am not sure what it is about this bait smacking across the top of a shell bed. I could probably fake my way through a very eloquent sounding answer involving wiggle, oscillation, lateral line and pork chops. But it would be nothing but blown smoke in a posterior direction. Seriously, I don't have an answer. What I do know is that if I happen to find a muscle bed, you can bet your hat I'm going to drag a RC across it. On the Tennessee River System of lakes, you can pull an RC across a shell bed in the post spawn and get your arm broken. Proof's in the Pudding. Remember the 2009 BassMaster Elite Series tournament on Guntersville? It seemed like half of the top 10 were throwing some form of RC crankbait on shell beds. When there was grass and shells mixed, it was lights out.

In conclusion, I want to say again that Lucky Craft crankbaits are specific tools for specific conditions. Hopefully this article has added some clarity to your deep cranking questions. If not, you can always do what I do: grab some Lucky Craft crankbaits and go spend some quality time on the water. Experience and time are the best teachers.