Yo-Zuri 3DB Deep Crank Review

The Yo-Zuri 3DB Deep Crank  is a great bait to use for targeting offshore bass that have moved into their summer patterns, and will work all the way through fall. 

I see this bait coming into play on larger river systems, where bass will hang in the deeper holes and ledges during the late season as they hunker down for winter. 

The bill of the bait was very durable, which allows it to be ground along the bottom in to hard bottom to generate a reaction strike out of the bass.

Fishing the 3DB Deep Crank doesn’t take a special trick, nor was any tuning needed on the bait, as I removed it from the packaged tied it on and went to fishing! 

Anytime I’m fishing a deep diving crankbait, I like to use a longer rod; so, I can make long casts. This will help me get the most depth out of the bait. 

I will pair a lower gear ratio reel (max 6.2:1) on this, as I can really slow my retrieve down to keep the bait in the strike zone longer and not burn out my wrist and arm as quickly. 

The Yo-Zuri 3DB Deep Crank dives 12- to 15-feet, I was able to throw it on Lake Minnetonka to target bass holding on isolated rock spines, or areas where the hard bottom transitioned to underwater vegetation. 

I fished it on 15 lb Seaguar TATSU Fluorocarbon, which helped keep it from getting hung in the weeds that were topping out at 12-feet. 

READ RELATED: 6 Best YoZuri Baits for Cold Water

As the weeds begin to die off this fall, or if I’m looking to use this bait to fish offshore structure that is in the 15- to 18-feet range, I would downsize to 12-pound-test Fluorocarbon to hit those depths.

The 3DB Deep Crank set itself apart from some of the other deep crankbaits that I’ve fished over the years for several reasons…

  1. It ran true out of the package. I know some tuning may be needed eventually on any crankbait, but it is important they come true out of the package.
  2. It casted like a bullet, being able to achieve maximum diving depth means getting your bait out there.
  3. The action of the bait was just right in my opinion. It had just enough action to it, to trigger a reaction strike, but at the same time, if I slowed my retrieve up, the bait would still interest a tight-lipped bass.