pliers or fishing themed multi-tools. line clippers have also evolved into multi-taskers and the lanyard hung tools from brands such as Berkley and rapala Clippers come with crankbait tuning notches built into their bodies. However you tune your baits, don’t overdo it, lest you ruin the tracking or compromise the structural integrity of the line tie. as Swindle notes: “Most of the time, when tuning a crankbait, less is more.” also, smooth and steady pressure works much better than impatient wrenching. For one thing, too much ill-directed force can lead to over-adjustments that mar the bait’s performance. also, where treble hooks dangle, careful movements and measured force are always the best policy. Seasoned anglers can feel their baits running correctly or not so, but if you need a visual cue, just tie on a bait, drop it next to the boat and watch how it performs. omori has a swimming pool at his home and, well, his baits spend a lot more time in the water than he does. “i call it the ‘test tank’,” omori joked. “You have to have crystal clear water. on a lake, you have to have a calm surface with little wind to be able to see (the bait). Most of the time on the lake it’s not that clear, so i do it at home.”
as omori points out, the type of rod, reel and line you’ll need for cranking depends on how you’re fish- ing. Variations are many, but depth is the most impor- tant element, so he breaks it down with a shallow-vs- deep analysis. anglers can build upon these principals to fit their specific preferences. “if you’re throwing a shallow running crankbait and making a lot of short casts, you don’t want more than a 7-foot rod, because it it’s too long, it’s hard to make accurate casts,” omori said. “But if i’m fishing deep-diving crankbaits, i want to have like a 7-10 – the longest rod you can get – so i can have more casting distance.” omori goes with a low gear ratio reel for deep- diving cranks, so he doesn’t wear himself out wind- ing. Conversely, in the shallow game, his 7.3:1 reel lets him cover water quickly, retrieve at a zippy pace and make the most casts possible. For deep water he likes 10-pound fluorocarbon, because it sinks faster than the 20-pound he uses in the obstruction-heavy shallows. “For shallow diving crankbaits, i’ll use shorter handle reels and for deep-, i’ll have longer handle reels, so i can have more winching power,” omori adds. “if you (fish crankbaits) all day long, you’ll see that those little things make a big difference.”
THE RIGHT OUTFIT
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