(Robert Hamilton is a former Bassmaster Classic champion and full-time BASS tour pro and industry consultant with over 30 years of on-the-water experience. He's not sponsored by any tackle or gear manufacturers, so he's uniquely qualified to deliver unbiased, behind-the-scenes reports on specific types of fishing products. An avid outdoorsman himself, he understands your need to buy the best product available within your budget.)
One of the toughest situations for any angler is landing a large bass without a net when the bass is hooked on a crankbait or jerkbait.
Since I won the Bassmaster Classic using a variety of baits which included several crankbaits, I've been tagged as a crankbait specialist. Although I'm comfortable fishing crankbaits, the reason I won that tournament was because of my knowledge of structure-fishing and how to use the right system for each particular technique.
What I can say is that in my seminars, one of the most-asked questions from the audience is: How do I keep from losing fish on a fast-moving bait with treble hooks? That's the topic of today's segment.
Several Theories
We're spoiled today with great rods and reels, specialty hooks, and low-stretch monofilament lines. With all of these great products, you'd think that the fish didn't have a chance.
I'd guess that the average weekend angler or bass-club member catches 80% to 85% of his or her bites on single-hook baits like spinnerbaits, worms and jigs. That percentage goes down to 60% or even 50% when the angler starts using lipless lures, crankbaits and jerkbaits.
Because of the lower strike-to-land ratio, the angler typically shies from using these multi-hook lures later on. That's a huge mistake because when the water temperature's between 50 and 85 degrees, these lures excel.
As I've talked about in previous articles, when you figure out the right depth and speed on these lures, they can become the most productive tools in your tacklebox.
Every pro angler has his own theory and system on crankbait fishing. I've heard Ricky Clunn state that he reacts so quickly on a hookset that he takes the lure away from the fish.
I usually agree with Rick on most topics because of his vast knowledge, but after watching Glen Lau's video and seeing an angler never react to a bite on a crankbait, I have to disagree. A largemouth can suck a bait in and spit it out in less than a quarter of a second. I don't care how quick an angler is, I don't believe any of us can react that quickly.
My interpretation of what Ricky stated is that by slowing down his reaction time on a hookset with a moving, treble-hooked bait, he hooks the fish better and lands more of them.
Loss Analysis
To understand how we can have a higher strike-to-land percentage, we need to first see where and when the fish are typically lost.
Years of experience show me that I lose fish on treble-hook baits at two different times – on the initial jump, as well as around the boat. Although I still lose an occasional fish, by using glass rods, I land more than 95% of the fish that bite. I've had full seasons in which you could count on one hand the fish I lost on a crankbait.
Most of the older anglers grew up fishing fiberglass rods and remember their first graphite rod. Mine was a Fenwick HMG that cost over $100 (a huge amount at that time). I remember thinking after using that rod for a while that I'd been missing bites that I never knew I had. I could also feel bottom structure like rock, gravel and shellfish that I never knew was there.
This rod opened the door for me to learn to understand structure. I thought it was the best new product since the plastic worm and in most cases it was. However, I started losing more fish – especially on crankbaits.
Obviously I wasn't the only one. Sometime in the early '80s, writers started printing articles on fiberglass cranking rods. Old-school anglers like Rick Clunn, Gary Klein and David Fritts used fiberglass rods on crankbaits and still do today. Why? Because they work.
Remember earlier when I said fish were lost two places? There isn't a lot we can do about the initial jump except to use a soft-action fiberglass rod that'll absorb the head shake. Around the boat is where the rod becomes more critical. A bass, especially a 3-pound-plus fish, will surge away when it gets near the boat. This is where most bass are lost. Here's why: A well-hooked bass with two trebles in his mouth could be caught on a pool cue. It's the borderline-hooked fish that we lose.
Now, here's the deal. Graphite rods bend to a certain point and when they reach that point, or their peak load, they snap back. When graphite fibers hit their max load rate they recover very quickly – in essence they pull the hook out of the fish's mouth.
Fiberglass fibers never fully load to their max which means they flex and recover slowly, so you'll still catch a large percentage of big fish that are barely hooked.
The other reason fiberglass catches more fish is that because of their slow reaction time and lesser 'feel' than a graphite rod, the bass has the lure deeper when he's hooked. This helps on the initial jump.
Ricky was right to a point, and knowing him like I do, he may very well react too fast – he's that special of an angler.
I've always believed that my friend Paul Elias should have the label as being the best crankbait fisherman to come along. However, lost fish have haunted him in tournaments he had the opportunity to win. I believe he'd tell you that key fish have cost him many wins and a lot of career earnings, yet he continues to win.
I've talked with him on several occasions about graphite vs. fiberglass, and he's still a believer in the graphite rods. You can't argue with his success. However, my money's invested in 7-foot fiberglass rods and I still have some of the old Fenwick glass rods from the 1970s. Some of them have been stripped and re-wrapped several times, but they continue to perform.
I should say, too, that although this article's about rods, be sure to use a premium, round-point hook and a medium- to low-stretch monofilament. Cone-point hooks puncture instead of cut, and thus seal up behind the barb. This helps with lost fish. Low-stretch mono helps with your feel and it also allows a deep-diving bait to reach its potential depth.
Using this system will help you, the angler, land more fish. I hope this helps.
Now, here are my choices for the best 7-foot cranking rods available.
Final Lab Report: Fiberglass Rods
Tennessee's Robert Hamilton, Jr. is a former Bassmaster Classic champ and, like all fishermen, can't get enough gear. To suggest equipment to be tested in Hamilton's Lab, click here to send him an email.
