Funny how things change in pro bass fishing. A half-decade ago, we were all lamenting the fact that crankbaiting had pretty much fallen off the radar.

That was when the tours packed their schedules into the early- and mid-spring. Spinnerbaits and jigs were the main weapons and the tours were all about flipping and pitching in cold, stained water.



A few years later the schedules spread out and other techniques gained marketshare. Cranking made a comeback, the role of finesse fishing grew considerably and "new" baits like frogs and swimbaits all gained ground.

But last season (2009) was different once again and two techniques – flipping/pitching and cranking – absolutely ruled the roost. In fact, the two techniques were a factor in 40% of all Top 5 finishes.

Furthermore, the cranking numbers are pretty astounding. The crankbait was a factor in 15% of all tour wins, plus 22% of all 2nd- through 5th-place tour finishes. Combined, cranking was a factor in one of every five Top 5 finishes.

Certainly scheduling is a factor. There were no Lake Erie events in 2009, so tube-dragging and finesse fishing dropped. And both tours visited Guntersville, which is crankbait heaven.

Plus, several tournaments hit the post-spawn just right, which is easily seen in the monthly breakdown, where cranking was a factor in nearly one of every two Top 5 finishes in May. But note too that cranking played big in February (a factor in 32% of the Top 5s), when the Bassmaster Classic visited the Red River and the FLW Tour fished Guntersville.

And the growing trend toward crankbaiting shows in the tackle market, where a literal explosion of new tools seeks to capitalize on the crankbait craze. Examples would include lures like the expansive Rapala DT series and Lucky Craft RC series, or mid-geared premium cranking reels like the Abu Garcia Revo Winch and Quantum Energy PT "Power".

The Data

The tables below show pattern information compiled from each tour-level event in 2009. Table 1 illustrates frequency at which techniques were cited by Top 5 anglers. "Wins" represent the winner's technique(s) and "Place" represents the 2nd- through 5th-place finishers' technique. "Total" groups the data sets together and represents the percentage that technique was cited in total Top 5s for the year.



Table 2, found below, illustrates which techniques were used during the months of competition for all Top 5s. For example, flipping/pitching was a factor in 26% of the Top 5s in February, but only 4% of the Top 5s in June.

Observations

> As noted, flipping/pitching and crankbaiting were clearly the two dominant techniques on the 2009 tours. That differed greatly from 2008, when they were a combined factor in 20% of the Top 5s.

> Finesse fishing's representation dropped by half from 2008 to 2009 (13% in 2008, 6.5% in 2009).

> Fishing jigs and tubes deep, which includes football-heading, made a decent showing, considering the lack of Lake Erie events. That's largely because both tours fished Kentucky Lake, where a deep jig is a huge factor (although crankbaiting played a big role at Kentucky Lake this year).

> July was the most diverse month, with only three techniques failing to warrant a mention. That's largely because the Forrest Wood Cup was at the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pa., where the field threw just about everything they had in the boat.

> It's interesting that topwater wasn't a factor in any Top 5 until July. That could be due to scheduling – neither tour visited the Savannah chain – but it could also be a signal that topwater is fairly unreliable until true summer schooling activity begins. And once again, nobody seems to be throwing buzzbaits.

> There's a been a trend at Kentucky Lake toward throwing big spoons. That's represented by the 12% "heavy metal" figure for June.

> Swimbaits made a sizable showing in March. That's when the Bassmaster Elite Series visited Amistad.

Notable

> To view the Winningest Patterns story from the 2008 season, click here.