Crankenstein!

from BB-Lures.com

There are a lot of different styles of lures that can be categorized as a crankbait. Today I am only going to talk about "regular" billed crankbaits.
   The regular billed crankbaits are very popular, and their are many different brands and styles.
   Manufacturers of crankbaits make sure that there are many colors available. Actually, too many colors, and while some people may like all those choices, other people shutter at the daunting task of trying to choose one or two that they could afford. We'll take a look at what you can do to try to narrow the choices down.
   In order to determine what different colors of crankbait you will need, you will have to consider what water you are going to be fishing. The clearer the water is, then the more realistic or natural the color needs to look. I am planning on getting a couple more custom painted crankbaits this year due to the fact that I have some lakes that I fish that are very clear. There are a number of places on the internet that you can find that will custom paint your crankbaits for a fee. I have seen prices anywhere from $15 to $50 just to paint them, if you provide the lure. If you don't have the money for custom painted baits, then search for over the counter lures that are natural looking. There are some very good ones out there, so don't settle for something that you won't be able to use. The more stained or muddy the water is, the darker the lure should be, but sometimes you need to try bright baits,  like chartreuse. One lake that i have fished quite a number of times, I have a special color of worm I use, it is very stained, and I like a watermelon green and lemon laminated senko to do the trick on this lake. I like to call this my color for that lake, and I even hide it from my bass buddies from this lake.
   Most manufactures of lures offer choices in depths, from shallow wake baits to crankbaits that fish all the way to twenty feet plus. There are several things that you can do to the lures to make them fish differently. The line you use can change the depth that the lure will run. Thinner line will run deeper, so if you wanted a crankbait to go deeper you need to use smaller pound test of fluorocarbon to accomplish that. Likewise, if you want the lure to run more shallow, I would use monofilament and heavier line. How you hold your pole will also affect how deep a crankbait will run. Lower to help the lure run deeper, and higher will help to run more shallow. I have seen guys point their pole into the water to get it deeper. I have held my pole as high as twelve o'clock to keep it shallow enough to miss, or barely skim over a particular piece of cover.
Have you ever wondered why the pros can catch fish, while you continue to struggle to catch fish? Even though you thought you bought the same lure that they are using? Many times you may be using the same baits, but they know a few little tricks to help them catch more fish. I am going to talk about some of the modifications you can do to your crankbaits.
    There are several things you can do with the bill of a crankbait to try to improve your chances of getting more bites on your lure. You can heat up the bill with steam and adjust the bill with needle nose pliers. This will take trial and error, and can really affect the depth your crankbait will go. It is best to have a pool handy to test them so you know how the changes you made affect the bait. If you are new to fishing, or if you are not very much into do it yourself kind of thing, you may want to pass on this modification because you can really mess up the action of bait if you do not do it right. One of the next things you can do to improve the action and to improve success is to file the bill. If you want the bait to have a tighter wiggle, then you want to make the bill thinner, or more sharp on the edges to make the bait perform this way. This will really improve the bite in the spring and the fall. These are the times when you want a tighter wiggle. In the summer you want a wider type of wobble.
You may also add weight to your lure to make it run deeper. I have a crankbait that I have added a tungsten weight to the front hook keeper to make it go deeper. You could add weighted tape to you lure to make it go deeper. You must keep in mind that anything you do to modify a lure may affect the action of the lure, so you want to test it out in practice.
You may want to change the hooks on your crankbaits. Some manufactures have a reputation for using good hooks, others do not. If you buy cheap crankbaits you will want to change the hooks to a more dependable and sharper brand. You may want to change the size of the hooks, again be careful about changing the action of the lure when you do this. You also have to be careful of putting hooks that are too big they may tangle alot during the cast.
   Once you have modified the crankbait, you need to test it, to see if it still has the action you want it to have. Then the true test will be to try it out in the lake or river.
   There is nothing that can replace time in the water, so get out there and fish!
Joe Minor
Inside Bass Fishing Pro Staff