Long known as a crankbait expert, tour pro Paul Elias has probably forgotten more about banging hard-body baits off cover and structure than many anglers will ever know. He earned his cranking stripes with a win at the 1982 Bassmaster Classic, where he relied on a deep-diving plug. He's a favorite to place in the money whenever conditions point to a crankbait bite.
Asked to share his knowledge about how to extract more performance from crankbaits, Elias pointed to the value of tossing them into places where getting them back can be an iffy proposition.
Breaking off snagged crankbaits can be costly (in monetary terms) and time-consuming. It can also dash the hopes of an angler who has faith in a particular bait.
Snaggy Solution
Every bass angler with even an average level of experience with crankbaits knows that some baits have an almost magical ability to catch fish. They’ll go to any extreme to retrieve those special plugs, even if it means messing up a good spot.
“Crankbaits work best when they’re bouncing off something,” Elias said. “And that means you’re going to get them hung up.”
He said he’s found the solution to the woes associated with snagged cranks.
“The ‘smart’ split rings in the Ultimate LureSaver Titanium Release System are the best thing to happen for crankbait fishermen,” he said. “I don’t throw a crankbait now without them.”
Ultimate LureSaver split rings are designed to enable an angler to pull a bait free from an object that has grabbed one of the lure’s treble hooks. The split rings are offered in seven wire strengths so they surrender a lure’s hook before the line reaches its pound-test breaking point.
To free a snagged crankbait that has its hooks hanging from an Ultimate LureSaver split ring, the angler points the rod at the snag, thumbs the spool and pulls steadily until the hook separates from the lure.
Ideal At Red River
Elias said his most recent tournament experience with the break-away split rings was at the Red River Bassmaster Central Open Nov. 10-12. He didn't make the cut, but he did put two limits in the boat and credited the rings with helping him fish confidently in the thick cover.
“The system was ideal at the Red River. I was in a lot of heavy timber and it was hard enough to maneuver the boat, much less work the crankbait," he said. "I was fishing a square-bill bait and had to cast it back into places where it was pretty hard to get the lure back every time.”
He selected rings that would give way before he hit the breaking point of his 17-pound Trilene XT line.
“I really like them for shallow-running crankbaits – like the Mann’s Baby 1 Minus. I can throw it back in places I would never have thought about throwing before I found those rings,” he said. “I don’t know how many crankbaits I’ve saved in the two years I’ve been fishing the rings, but it’s a bunch.”
Don’t Mess Up A Good Thing
In addition to saving baits that otherwise might be lost, the system enables anglers to free snagged lures without disturbing a good spot.
“You don’t have to bang the boat into the cover to go after a bait that’s hung,” he said. “The rings also work great for deep-cranking. When you’re on schooling fish on brush piles or stumps and you hang up, it makes you sick.
“With this system, you don’t have to go in and spook the fish to get your lure back.”
Before committing to the Ultimate LureSaver system on his tournament crankbaits, Elias did extensive testing on 700-acre Lake Eddins near his home in Mississippi.
“It’s full of big fish – I mean 8- and 10-pounders – and a lot of timber. I’ve caught a bunch of 10-pounders and never had the fish pull the split ring apart.”
He also said he’s increased his hook-to-landing ratio by rigging his hard baits with Gamakatsu EWG hooks. He prefers medium-action Quantum PT rods.
“A flexible rod saves a lot of fish, but just because you have a mushy-action rod doesn’t make it a great cranking rod. You need the fast tip, but also a lot of backbone to cast into the wind and to lift a 3-pound fish.”
Notable
> Elias recommends 7’10”- to 8’0" rods for open-water fishing and a 6’6” stick for close quarters for extra control over his casts. Quantum is making a 7’10” Paul Elias signature PT model.
> He and his family continue to clean up the damage Hurricane Katrina wrought on their property in Pachuta, Miss. The monster storm toppled 15 large trees on their land and one of them, a 100-year-old red oak, fell onto his home. “We hope to be back in the house around the end of November,” he said.
