that run perfectly straight to maximize depth and remain in the strike zone. around bridge columns, floating docks or piers with wooden support legs, Swindle tunes his cranks to run right or left so they swing under the topside cover. Such tactics, he notes, are not without their hazards. “if the bait’s running too hard, it’s not naturally deflecting off the wood, so it’s going to hang more,” he said. “When i tune a bait to run up under a piece of structure, i want it to be open water so it can run under there and know that the chances of it hanging are less.” now when it comes to cranking riprap, ticking that bait off the top of the rocks is standard operating procedure for most. That certainly works, but making the crankbait swing in from a lateral approach gives the fish a different look, so try tuning it to one side or the other. Swindle maximizes a good stretch of riprap by tuning one crankbait to run left and another of the same model and color to run right. This way, he can fish down the stretch of rocks, turn around and fish it the opposite direction with the other crankbait. A key factor in selecting crankbaits is the wobble – some shimmy tightly; others shake like their tails are on fire. Both have their time to shine and Swindle keeps it simple with this rule of thumb: “The colder the water, the tighter the wiggle; the warmer the water, the wider the wiggle,” he said. “in warmer water, the bait fish are moving faster.” You can do a simple experi- ment at home to see for yourself. Buy some minnows, put them in a minnow bucket and sit them outside (during cold weather). let that temperature get down to the upper ‘40s and then bump that bucket, the minnows won’t swim fast at all – they’ll just barely flex out. They’re not explosive, even when they’re fleeing from some- thing. That’s the type of (crank- bait) vibration you’re looking for in cold water.
Issue 5
October 2012
But if that minnow bucket was warm and those minnows were all feeling good and energetic, if you bumped that bucket, they’ll dart from side to side. That’s a harder vibration, which comes back to a wider wobbling crankbait.
When adjusting his crankbaits, omori finds that needle nose pliers usually do the trick. others may opt for tuning tools – those little notches on the sides of
HOW TO TUNE
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