There’s no better time than the present to start cranking
up late summer largemouth. Summer heat can slow things down,
especially if you haven’t made the adjustment and picked
up the pace. A crank burned over or through the right cover
can appeal to a bass and its wound up metabolism and get noticed
when other methods come up empty. When it doubt there is no
doubt; you might as well chuck a shallow or deep running crank
and see what you can come up with.
Suitable cover includes weeds, the greenest and healthiest looking
stuff you can find. Wherever you find good weeds you’ll
probably find bass. They hold plenty of preferred forage all
season long, and is the main reason bass can be found hanging
out in and around all of the vegetation. The challenge is to
put together a presentation that is appealing enough to get
their attention and is where the right crankbait in the right
place can really produce.
John Janousek used a confidence to nail this nice late
summer largemouth
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Crankbaits are designed to imitate numerous types of
forage like minnows, shad, bluegills, and crayfish. A
crankbait worked across the top of a weed bed is more
likely to mimic baitfish while a crank banging into the
bottom might be more apt to represent a crayfish. The
idea is to duplicate what they’re already munching
on and try to make them think they’re doing the
right thing by scarfing up your bait.
Speed is a key and now’s the time to apply maximum
warp. Everything is moving faster including their prey,
so bass are already in tune with a quick moving target.
That being so there are still times to slow down and work
a little slower, like after the passing of a cold front.
Tough times like might call for something else and could
include using a jig worm, or maybe a drop shot rig, or
dead sticking a weightless Slurpies Dipstick worm. Steady
weather conditions and warming trends are another story,
and is when you can load the boat with the right crank
bait. Finding the right crankbait is a process of trial
and error (at least to start with) and it may take some
extra casts in more than one area to figure out. Team
Crestliner member John Janousek has his time tested favorites
and knows that what he’s throwing works; it just
has to be in the right neighborhood. |
“What I start with depends on just how deep I’m
fishing and what I’m trying to accomplish. Shallow water
cranks like a #7 Fatrap, Dt-6, or maybe a Rattle Trap are perfect
for burning the tops of weed beds. If I’m trying to work
the deep edge of the weeds I might use a DT 10 or a DT 16.”
Burning the tops of deeper growing weeds is a classic mid to
late summer pattern that can produce big results. Cabbage weeds
that grow to a couple feet under the surface are perfect for
burning a crankbait through. Cast the bait in as far as you
can and get your rod tip down and start cranking. With the rod
tip down you get a better feel for what’s going on and
puts you in the right position for setting the hook when you
do detect a strike. You’re also going to hang up with
plenty of weeds but that’s part of the program and the
price you’ll have to pay to get bit. Baitcasting equipment
is preferred for the technique and will give you the leverage
you need when you do hook up with a heavy duty bass. St. Croix’s
Avid Series model AC66MM is a 6’6” medium action
rod that’s perfect for throwing the lighter baits and
has a light tip that will get you some distance and yet has
plenty of backbone for getting a fish up and out of heavier
cover.
Weeds that top out a little deeper can be worked with baits
that are designed to dive to a specific depth
like the DT Series which has variations that can run at four,
six, ten, and sixteen feet. The deeper running baits are good
bets for working the deep edge, especially the base. Parallel
casts are preferred because they can keep you in the zone a
lot longer but you may have stay off the edge and cast into
the flat and work it back out, especially if the fish are schooled
up tight in the weeds. In that case you can try pitching it
to the tops of the weeds and crank it slowly until you get to
the edge and then speed it up to get the bait to dive down the
face of weed bed.
Summer bass will typically school up and if you find one chances
are there’s more in the area and it may pay off to work
a bait through the same area over and over again. One of the
keys to successful cranking is sticking with it and not giving
up, and it can pay to be persistent. Many times it’s not
the first cast, or the second, or even the third that gets bit,
but maybe the tenth or even the twentieth, all through the exact
same area. Maybe it takes that long to get their attention or
to get into position, or maybe they just get mad, whatever the
case multiple casts to the same spot can result in more fish
hooked. See you on the water, with a crankbait.
Ron Anlauf
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