CRANKBAITS IN THE BAY
At one point or another, we have all probably fished a crankbait for largemouth bass. Even though we hear of the fantastic action they produce in the bays many of us are still hesitant about tying one on when fishing for bay bass. All I can say is, you don’t know what you are missing.
Let’s begin with the basics. When should we be fishing crankbaits? Although cranks can work year round I have found that as the waters warm up the crankbait bite gets better. From the data I have collected over the years, I have noticed a spike in action when the water temp reaches 63 degrees. That does not mean that when it hits that temp that the bass in your preferred body of water will pounce on your offering. There needs to be certain criteria present to improve your odds when cranking in salt. For me, water depth is very important. I like 5’ to 10’ where bait and structure are both present along with moving water. These factors seem to be present very often in the area known as the Tidelands in San Diego Bay. The Coronado Bay Bridge support pilings create a perfect ambush spot for bay bass feeding on the many bait balls that cruise the area. In particular pilings number 10 through 14 which are located in 5 to 10 feet of water. Another thing to look for is Eel grass. Although it can be a pain in the rear to fish, Eel grass holds large quantities of bass, especially in Mission Bay. Use your electronics to determine the edges of these grass lines and work your crankbait parallel to them. Rock structure is also productive for cranking. Again depth is key, you need to match the depth your fishing with the crankbait you are using. Since I don’t like losing my baits by the dozen I pay close attention to the depth of the structure and choose a crankbait that rides just above it. As for tides, I find that it does not make that big of a difference if it is coming in or going out, just as long as there is movement.
Now that we have that covered, let’s talk about the equipment that works best. When I am throwing crankbaits I take into consideration a few things. The type of structure I’ll be fishing and the size of crankbait I will be using. I will alternate between the following two combos. 7 foot med action casting rod with a soft tip paired with a high speed reel with 17# fluorocarbon line. This rig will cover 80% of the situations you might encounter. If I am throwing a deep diver (12’ +) I will use a 7.6’ to 8’ casting rod and bump the line up to 20#. I like the longer rod to ease in casting and to handle the pull of the larger bait. When I fish very heavy cover I may throw my baits on braid with a mono leader to reduce the chance of losing my crankbait.
Working your bait can be as easy as casting and reeling, but there are a few tricks I like to use. One that has worked really well for me is making a very long cast and cranking fast then stopping and letting your bait float all the way back to the surface then repeating this over and over. You will very often get smashed while the bail floats back to the surface. I also like to toss my baits as close to hard structure as I can. The pilings at the tidelands are perfect for this. I cast so close to them I often ricochet off the cement. When fishing the Eel grass reel your bait and if you feel it get caught in the grass then rip your bait out with a sweeping motion of your rod and be ready to get hit when your bait breaks free.
Last but not least the baits themselves. Any crankbait will work but there are a few that I find work much better than others. For working depths down to 10’ I like the following baits:
Strike King KVD Square Bill in clear ghost sexy shad and river minnow patterns.
Rapala DT series in Pearl gray shiner and old school patterns. My personal favorite is the Storm Arashi Square bill in black/silver shad pattern.
For depths below 10’ I stick with the Rapala DT series in baitfish colors
I hope the next time you find yourself hitting the bays you will give crankbaits a try. The strikes are awesome and believe me, one fish and you too will be hooked.
By Aldo Gonzalez