(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
John Crews developed a love of crankbait fishing growing up on the lakes and rivers of Virginia and North Carolina, and the skill set he gained largely carried him during the early part of his professional angling career.
“For the first tw2o years, most of my checks came shallow cranking,” he said. Once he’d learned other tactics, he never abandoned that first love, and his commitment to the craft is evident in his namesake lures like the Fat John and Little John from SPRO. He notes that fish tend to be “programmed to feed by feel, vibration and sound,” and the crankbait that worked a day ago – or even a few hours earlier – may not be the best tool for a given moment.
He also believes that it’s critical to use the right tackle. His favorite rod for shallow cranking is a 7-foot square-bill model from Cashion. He said that 7 feet is the perfect length for him, because any longer and he’s not as accurate and any shorter and he can’t generate the same distance. Having the right action to roll out casts, with enough backbone to swing a 3- or 4-pounder into the boat is a recipe for success.
His reel of choice has a 6.4:1 gear ratio, but if that’s not your speed he encourages you to go “faster, not slower.” A lot of times fish will hit a crankbait and run at you, knocking slack into your line. If you can’t catch up to them, they’re likely gone. He encourages anglers to pick a particular brand of line and stick with it to ensure that they know its properties over a variety of strengths. He likes 14-pound Sunline FC Sniper for most of his shallow cranking because it’s extremely supple, which allows his casts to be longer and more accurate. On occasion, especially in the fall if he’s fishing around wood, he’ll switch to a comparable Sunline Reaction, which has slightly more stretch.
Crews is of the opinion that most anglers don’t pay enough attention to their trebles, and don’t change them out as often as needed. “It’s real obvious when they’re not sharp,” he explained. He likes Gamakatsu trebles on his cranks. The round-bend versions, he said, are the most versatile, offering “more bite, less hold.” EWGs, on the other hand, don’t hook up as easily, but once embedded, they tend to hold better (that is, “less bite, more hold”). One trick that he’s noticed over the years is to rely most heavily on round-bends when the water and air are cold. He believes that fish have harder mouths in cold weather, and the extra bite pays off in ways that aren’t as critical during the “soft mouth” summer months.
He looks for “edges and angles” to crank, focusing on putting his crankbait “in whatever zone you’re trying to fish for the longest period of time.” He prefers to shallow crank in stained water, noting that “in clear water you need help.” It’s not that it’s impossible, he said, but requires wind, rain or low light to shine.
If you want to learn more about Crews' combat cranking tips, including how he analyzes shade for techniques other than flipping and pitching, check out his full video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
