Salt Water Crankbaits texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout It is a well-known fact that larger red drum eat mullet, pinfish and other finfish. It is an equally well-known fact that baitfish imitating plugs produce good catches of redfish. However, what is not so well known is that one of the original fresh water baitfish imitating hard baits - the crankbait - produces redfish in saltwater equally as well as it does black bass in freshwater. Since the use of lipped divers is relatively new to saltwater, few coastal anglers are very knowledgeable about them. And, the handful of anglers who have tossed them in the brine have by and large done so under very specific conditions. However, what has been largely lost on the crankbait's crossover to saltwater is it's versatility. Regardless of water depth or cover type, it is likely there is a crankbait built to handle the situation. If there's not, a few simple modifications usually remedies the problem. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRANKBAITS There are a variety of different styles and types of crankbaits, each of which is designed for a specific purpose. For starters, there are lipped and lipless crankbaits. Lipless crankbaits, such as RattleTraps and Cordell Spots, have long been used in saltwater. It is the lipped versions which are just now making an appearance. All lipped crankbaits dive. The depth to which they plunge is based on the lip itself. The longer the lip, the deeper the bait dives. This lip also helps the bait “bounce” off underwater obstructions, allowing it to be worked through fairly heavy cover. When working a crankbait under such conditions, a wider lip is helpful to help prevent hang-ups. Although all lipped crankbaits dive when retrieved, various baits will float, sink or suspend when the retrieve is stopped. With the exception of baits worked in the deepest of bays, floating models are the best choice for most saltwater applications. This floating characteristic is especially helpful when fishing over a bay bottom covered with oyster shell or other such structure. In this instance, the lure can be reeled down until it makes contact with the bottom. However, stopping the retrieve the instance the bait makes contact with the bottom allows the bait to float up above the obstruction without fouling. Furthermore, the “bang and stop”-style of fishing often results in strikes just as the bait begins to ascend. Crankbaits also come in a variety of shapes and sizes - from long and skinny to short and fat and everything in between. The dimensions of the bait's body not only determines what type of baitfish it imitates, it also dictates the bait's inherent action. All crankbaits have a `wobbling' action. The wider the bait's body, the `looser' the wobble and vice-versa. A final consideration when choosing a crankbait to throw in saltwater is color. Like all modern-day lures, crankbaits come in a full palette of colors. The most popular colors are those that imitate natural baitfish, such as silver/black, silver/blue, white, and other `natural' colors. However, some anglers, particularly those fishing on shallow, marshy estuaries, believe shallow waking crankbaits mimic small crabs. In those situations, color schemes such as chartreuse/blue/orange, brown/orange, or natural crawfish are good choices. TACKLE FOR CRANKBAITS Although crankbaits can be thrown with any type of tackle, they perform best when attached to baitcasting tackle. Practically any baitcast reel typically used for inshore duty will fit the bill. However, most anglers will need to spool with a bit heavier line than they may be used to. For crankbait fishing, 12-pound test should be considered the bare minimum, with 15 to 17-pound test being optimal. Rod selection also needs to be tweaked in order to get the best performance from crankbaits. Most rods used for inshore fishing in Texas are simply too limber to get crankbaits to perform properly. A good choice for crankbait fishing is a 6 ½ to 7 foot baitcasting stick with a stout backbone, limber tip section and fairly slow action. CRANKIN' TECHNIQUES As mentioned earlier, crankbaits can be used at virtually any depth found along the Texas coastline. The key is finding a bait that runs at the proper depth for a particular situation. This isn't as difficult as it sounds, since baits are rated for their ideal depth range. Anglers can also adjust the depth a lure dives by changing the size of line they use. The heavier the line, the shallower the lure will run. The other key element is ensuring the bait runs straight. Since crankbaits track back directly to the rod tip, this is much more crucial than with other types of hard baits. If the lure veers to one side or the other, its tracking can be adjusted by bending the line-tie eye in the other direction. Learning how to use crankbaits under various situations is also crucial to an angler's success. While these baits can produce fish with a steady retrieve, there are a few techniques that can up the odds in certain situations. Shallow - Although shallow water is often the last place anglers consider throwing crankbaits, shallow water most often presents the most options for crankbait fishermen. One of the simplest and most effective shallow water methods of tempting reds with crankbaits is waking shallow water lures just below the surface. Mann's 1- is a perfect bait for this situation. Designed to run in less than one foot of water, the 1- has a wide wobble and can effectively imitate a small crab riding the tide over a shallow flat. Another shallow water technique is banging baits off bottom structure. When using floating models, anglers can run the bait down and allow it to bang into shell and rock on the bay floor before pausing the retrieve and allow the bait to float upwards slightly before continuing the retrieve. Most often, the strike will occur as the lure rises up in the water column. When fishing over unobstructed sand or mud, anglers also have the option of digging a crankbait across the surface of the bay floor. The dirty water “trail” left by a digging crankbait often attracts reds, and trout for that matter. Whether banging or digging, it is important to select a crankbait that is designed to dive at least as deep as the deepest portion of the flat over which it is being fished. Mid-depth - In water measuring 4 to 8 feet in depth, bottom banging and digging are still possible, but a little more difficult. More often at this depth, it is helpful to find vertical structure to either bang the bait off of or retrieve the bait parallel to. The Bomber Fat Free Shad is a good choice when trying to reach the bottom of a mid-depth flat or attempting to bounce off piers and bridge pilings. The Cordell Big O is another good choice, especially for working the upper portion the mid-depth water column. Suspending crankbaits are also productive in mid-depth bay waters. Whether working over a reef or alongside a pier, suspending cranks such as the Bomber Flat A and the Smithwick Rogue are good choices. These suspending lures can produce good catches of both trout and reds, especially when the fish are somewhat lethargic. Deep - Most neophyte crankbait fishermen are most comfortable throwing crankbaits in deep water. This is usually because the feel the odds of getting “hung-up” are greatly reduced in deep water. However, deep water produces a few challenges of its own. For one, there are fewer crankbaits models designed to dive deeper than 10 feet. Secondly, it is more difficult to judge what depth a crankbait is running at. That said, crankbaits can still be deadly effective in deep water. Drifting deep “holes” while fishing cranks with a steady retrieve will produce results. However, it is usually more productive to locate some deepwater structure to work the bait around. Jetties represent perhaps the best opportunity to produce good deepwater crankbait bites on the Texas coast. In fact, over the past couple of years, no fewer than two major professional redfish tournaments have been won by anglers throwing deep diving crankbaits along jetty structures. The Rebel Deep Wee-R is a good, all-around choice to deepwater duty. The Bomber Deep Flat A has a narrower profile and tighter wobble and is a better choice when imitating flat-sided baitfish such as pilchards. CRANKBAIT ALTERNATIVES Shallow water anglers who are still too skittish to throw hard-plastic, treble-hook laden crankbaits on the flats have a couple of alternatives. The DOA Chug Head, which is designed to be fitted over a soft-plastic tail and rigged with a weedless worm hook, is most often fished as a popper. However, by turning the head upside down, the Chug Head turns any soft-plastic into a weedless crankbait. Another alternative is the Hydro-Worm jig head produced by Carolina lures effectively allows a soft-plastic to dig along the bay bottom, just as a crankbait would. However, both the Chug Head and the Hydro-Worm are negatively buoyant, meaning they will not float over bottom debris, so they are best used over clean bottom. In short, regardless of what type of water you like to fish, there is a crankbait on your local tackle store shelf that will give you one more alternative. And, with end of summer fish being notoriously “lock-jawed,” sometimes the “lure-less-thrown” can produce results when the old tried-and-true cannot. texas saltwater fishing, texas fishing, wadefishing, wading, bay fishing, speckled trout, redfish, snook, tarpon, texas redfish, texas speckled trout