what is best direction to crank

[ken]

Which way would you throw down a bank to get the best results. Into the sun or away from the sun (clear water lake)?

[parker]

I remember hearing KVD saying on the bass pros that he casts with the sun at his back so the fish cant see his boat

[bassinholic]

I remember hearing KVD saying on the bass pros that he casts with the sun at his back so the fish cant see his boat

I think it would be the other way, for if the sun is at your back you will cast a shadow, fish would see it before ya even get your bait in the zone. Course I could be wrong.

[parker]

I remember hearing KVD saying on the bass pros that he casts with the sun at his back so the fish cant see his boat

I think it would be the other way, for if the sun is at your back you will cast a shadow, fish would see it before ya even get your bait in the zone. Course I could be wrong.

i think he said it had to do with the sun shining in the fishes eyes blinding them

i hope i dont have it mixed up

[bassinholic]

I remember hearing KVD saying on the bass pros that he casts with the sun at his back so the fish cant see his boat

I think it would be the other way, for if the sun is at your back you will cast a shadow, fish would see it before ya even get your bait in the zone. Course I could be wrong.

i think he said it had to do with the sun shining in the fishes eyes blinding them

i hope i dont have it mixed up

To be honest, if your worry about which way to throw a crankbait with the sun up, I personally dont think it matters...just chunk and wined, for if the fish are there and are hungry, they'll eat....now the trick is how you place your feet on the deck...thats the secret.

[parker]

i completely agree with you on that
i dont like to over complicate things

[Guyle]

crank it towards your boat.

[parker]

crank it towards your boat.

i kinda like when mine is getin pulled the other way

[bassinholic]

i completely agree with you on that
i dont like to over complicate things

I think that at times we do, I mean as anglers we will tweak every detail that we can, but some things are just meant to be simple. Now retrieve is important with a crankbait, such pauseing and retrieve rate. How you cast it either parallel or away from the bank. I personally feel that if you go parallel with the bank your bait will be in the strike zone for those shallower fish longer and may just get the bite of a life time. Unless you are keying on a piece of structure that is off of the bank, i would say place your boat close to the shore, cast out and figure what retrieve and depth the fish you are looking for are at. Figure out what depth those fish are holding in and just slay them.

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

Sapp used to say he preffered flippin with the sun in his face to avoid casting his shadow on the fish..... makes sense for close range flippin and spooky fish...........

but for crankin....... I doubt it makes a difference either way.....



remember, a bass only has the brain the size of a pea,,, making him only slightly smarter than the average angler

K.I.S.S....

[TOPSTICK]

keep.it.simple.stupid =kiss im going back to this method
cofidence is #1

well i like to try and bring the bait with the wind if there is wind...

[toefungus_Hog]

I would say towards the fish.. but im a smart donkey!

[TritonBrent]

crank it towards your boat.

hahaha, good advice Guyle!

[PeninsulaTile]

parallel the bank or the prefered depth, stay in the zone longer.

[Greg_Cornish]

crank it towards your boat.

The guys a bank fisherman. Crank it toward you definitely.

[YZKEN250]

Hey this is a drug free site. You guys dont need any crank.

[Andy Giannini]

Death comes from above. Shadows can spook fish, especially a quick snap of a cast. The fish probably has you pegged for a heron or some other predator.

The sneakier a guy can be the better.

.02 A.G.

[Greg_Cornish]

Last year I was in Rodman slough. I saw a lay down log in about two feet of clear water with a few branches sticking out. On one of the branches sat a big blue heron. I said to my partner, "Damn that'd be a nice place to throw a Senko if that heron wasn't there. That'll keep the bass away."

He commented, "Yeh, if the was anything there he'd have scared it away."

I threw my Senko 2 feet from the heron and he squawked and left before it got there. Within 1 second my line ripped sideways. Fish on. 4 lbs.

[Andy Giannini]

Cool story, but remember herons are sneaky! They move slow because they are hunting.

I watched Bass spook in shallow water because I turned my head with a brightly colored baseball cap on.

The shadow thing bugs me bad enough, that I have crouched and run the troller motor pedal with my hand, and pitched sideways to get the bait over. (On a real good spot, not all day.)

But keep in mind, I am a little weird.

A.G.

[Bill K]

I work all angles, just in case. But for the most part I believe I have read to start with pulling the lure with the current and/or wind direction as the bass will by watching and facing said current or wind to ambush bait, etc coming with it. That is the first direction to start with, but work various angles, as mentioned, to cover all base's. Just a thought. Bill K

[David Rogers]

I was wondering if anyone was going to say it and Bill K. did, from what I have read and watched on DVD (KVD's Latest) is you want to toss the crank bait, jig or worm where you are pulling it into the current, the fish are pointed into the current, weather it be a lake with wind or a river system like the Delta the fish will point there nose into the current and as you bring your offering over, next to or below them they can easily jet out and grab it, this is expecially good for fast moving lures like crank baits.

[Shad*Wizard]

Over the years, we figured out the shad on the California delta will more often than not, run with the current...VanDam on the BassPros knows this too...He will cast up current and bring it down as the bass are facing into the current...He hasn't figured the shad out all the way yet but he's getting pretty close!!! Har! Him, Horton, and Iaconelli are as good as they come for applying shad movement to catching bass...Red-Eyes on the drop, I liked his report on bass hitting the lipless on the fall...Detail, detail, detail, VanDam has to be #1 for attention to detail...

Shad also hate swimming into waves driven by wind...We know this for a fact, Sugar Cut showed us this many times...We'd try to run em' into the wind and they wouldn't go...Good old Sugar Cut, a nice place during the day but man could it get scary at night in January at 2 a.m. in the morning...Plus those gill netters would move in up there too...Clip, Clip, Clip, slice goes the net!...My 25 hp Tohatsu hated running into their nets...

Ah, the good old days!...

If Kacie barks, it's a fish!

Team KacieFish...

[M. Warner]

the kneel and reel is the best method for cranking, catches way more fish.

[Shad*Wizard]

OOps, forgot about Clunn, he's a wizard too!!!...

[Cooch]

Which way would you throw down a bank to get the best results. Into the sun or away from the sun (clear water lake)?

Personally, I don't think it matters Ken, especially if you fishing a baren bank. I do though think it is important to follow what Bill K said, fish it from various angles. Fish in open water, are liable to hit a crankbait from no matter what angle it comes from.

Now if'n ya got a variety of cover on or off the bank, whether it be trees, pylons, docks, grass etc, fish positioning is key. Once ya discover the prime pattern and presentation, then ya can focus on that particular cast. Once again, as mentioned by Bill K, ta figure this out, you must make a variety of casts to determine which is best that triggers the most strikes.

I think a lot of anglers tend to "micromanage" their fishing, long before they ever dicsover first what the pattern is. I don't believe for a moment that there is a wrong or right way to cast a crankbait, until the fish tell you what they want first.

[optichamp]

I work all angles, just in case. But for the most part I believe I have read to start with pulling the lure with the current and/or wind direction as the bass will by watching and facing said current or wind to ambush bait, etc coming with it. That is the first direction to start with, but work various angles, as mentioned, to cover all base's. Just a thought. Bill K

Yesterday I went to one spot where I'd previously caught a PB. Throw the crankbait. Nada. Hmmm...that was a good cast. Try Again, different angle, good cast. Nope, nothing. Last try at one final angle - wham! 4 lbs. The first two casts passed within two feet of where that 3rd cast got hit. If you think the spot is good try it more than once.