Favorite Cranks – Open Basin Trolling

I’m interested in keying-in on some tullibe and lake-shiner patterns on a number of smaller northern MN lakes this summer. If my fishing companions will allow, I’ll be pulling more cranks this summer than ever before, and am interested in others’ suggestions who also key-in on pulling out in open-water. I’m thinking really broad here, interested in working up some new baits in different ways.

I think I’ll classify my request into two categories:

-Deep day-time patterns (leadcore, long-lining big-billed baits, etc.)

-Shallower night-time patterns

Care to share favorite brands, sizes, colors for each pattern? I have my baits and biases in the usual suspects for brands and color, but I don’t want that to sway anyone else’s suggestions.

Joel

Two points:
1. don’t forget DRs. When you get dirty water, lots of grass & weeds, then DRs are about all you have left.

2. First to consider is IF you can match the forage base color condition. This is when a large collection of friends who are also testing light/forage combinations is a great benefit.
Second is that some colors just seem to trigger no matter what is going on. So, I’d keep shad, perch, firetiger, pearl, black, silver gloss, and crawdad in all body forms. I usually put down the basics and if one triggers, then i try to refine it.
I expect this to be an interesting and timely conversation.

Snap weights are a good option too. Some of my favorite baits simply will not run as deep as I would prefer. If you have the trolling bible, they go over a few different options. It’s worked well for me over the last few years. Plus it’s cheap; snap weights give you results without having to buy an assortment of new gear or baits.

If you want to mix it up, fish a Mann’s C-4 Elite with 2oz snap weights. The 50/50 method ought to get you down 20-25 feet. Huge wobble, wide profile, and the bass guys come up with way cooler colors. With a little bit of lead tape you can make them neutrally bouyant as well for the wide “S” turn stalls.

Check out the “American Shad”, “Aurora Black” and “Ghost Minnow” patterns.

Mann’s 2012 Catalog – Go to Page 4

Deep Taildancers, Deep Thundersticks, Deep Reef Runners. My top three picks.

I’ve had good luck with Tennessee Shad patterned Rapala HJ 12’s after dark on a couple of those up north lakes.

On the shallow side of things, a guy can’t go wrong with the Rapala Husky Jerk…and it would be a shame to neglect mentioning the good ol’ Rapala Original Floater.

Thanks for the responses. If I look at that compiled list, it comes together as below:

-Shallow Patterns – Husky Jerks, Original Floating Raps

-Deep Patterns – Deep Taildancers, Deep Thundersticks, Deep Reef Runners, DR’s, Mann’s C-4 Elites

In the lakes I’m looking at, I’m specifically targeting fish that are either day or night-feeding on tullibee. In the case of LOW, emerald shiners as well. I’ll likely be adding Clackin’ Minnows and X-Raps onto the shallow bite end of the equation, especially at night, but my biggest question is color patterns on those lakes both day and night?

I’m pretty well stocked on purpledescent, tennesee shad, and hot steel; as well as perrennial favorites like firetiger, perch, etc. Any other favorites for you guys who target walleyes eating those roaming schools of baitfish? Tim – what do you like for colors on Mille Lacs as I know you pull cranks out there quite a bit?

Joel

I love Tennessee Shad at night in the fall however for suspended fish chasing tulibees I give the nod to:

Deep Taildancers: purpledescent, firetiger (bleeding tiger), blue flash,purple clown flash, rainbow trout flash, silver flash.

Reef Runner 800’s: purple prism, chrome/blue, purple demon, blue hawaian, wild thing, eriedescent, mooneye minnow.

Salmo Hornet, and Bullhead are really good on ML in the basin during the day with LC. LOTW anything purple worked well last august for me. Fickershad, Shad rap, and tail dancers were the best.

Hot steel HJ behind lead is a proven deep water producer. Also run behind snapweights to get down to depths over 30. I also have had luck running deep water with F13s behind lead in some of those super clear norther waters.

here’s a thread from a year ago on the same subject. Answers were somewhat different…

http://www.idofishing.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=ftlgeneral&Number=1015750&fpart=&PHPSESSID=

Joel, as you know when the bite is on, you could troll a stick and get bit. But I focus more on what works when the bite is very nutural to negative. In that case the Live Target Rainbow Smelt Koppers Smelt

For shallow, my money bait has been the Gizzard shad in 1/2 oz. Haven’t been on a body of water yet that the Blue Ghost hasn’t done me well. Gizzard shad

The Mississippi River Killer-

Red Chrome Tiger!

I believe the most important factor when choosing a crank bait for open water trolling is the action of the lure and the vibration of the lure. I prefer to use more subtle style stick crankbaits (Rapala husky jerks, max raps, original floaters, Yozuris stickbaits, Reef Runner Ripsticks, Suspended Rogues etc…) that have a loose wobble when the water temps are cooler and I’m fishing open water under 20 feet. Why? Because that’s where these type of baitfish that you are mimicking typically live.

As the water temps warm up, I move towards more moderate action style cranks (Troll Tos, Rip Sticks, Minnow Raps, X-Raps, Jointed Raps, Salmos, etc…).

And when water temps hit 60 degrees or more, I move to the fast action style cranks (Deep Tail Dancers, Deep Thundersticks, Reef Runners etc…).

Next comes depth control – you have to know how to get your crankbait at the desired depth and where you are marking the arcs on your graph. This can be very tricky when using leadcore with different leader lengths and snap weights.

Last for me is color choice – it’s important but not as important as the other two factors above. On Mille Lacs while fishing early in the year – May to mid June – I have more success using bright colors like firetiger. Mid June to July, I move towards more chrome color baits that give off a flash. Aug – Sept I move towards dark colors (purples, blacks) or white colors.

My color choice has a lot to do with water clarity and how that crankbaits looks in contrast to it’s background. The more walleyes that can see my crankbait, the greater odds I have getting bit.

Awesome post! Spent some of last night going through your Mille Lacs open basin reports, alot of information out there, and the hard-won experiential type too.

Brad – I know you’ve taken this pattern to other bodies of water than just Mille Lacs. My biggest question is in your experience, how well does Milly serve as a “guide” for your efforts elsewhere? James and I had a similar pattern going for that Lake of the Woods show (below) – but being a more stained body of water I think we were able to get away with more. Thoughts?

I’ve used this open water trolling method on many other bodies of water utilizing what I’ve learned on Mille Lacs.

Here are the questions that you should ask yourself:

1. What is the forage base of the body of water? Tullibees? Gizzard Shad? Shiners? Ale Waves? Perch? Etc…

The MN DNR Lakefinder website has some good info. and can help determine the forage base.

When you figure out what the forage base consists of in your body of water, now try and match your crankbait to the forage base. Long sleek baits such as Deep Tail Dancers and Deep Thundersticks look and swim similar to tullibees. Reef Runners are a dead ringer for ale waves. Shad Raps, Flicker Shads, Thundercranks mimic gizzard shads. You get the idea…

2. Where will the baitfish be located? Determining factors include time of year, water temp, time of day, water clarity, weather (wind, precipitation, temps), bug hatches, oxygen levels, thermoclines, weed growth and fishing pressure. The more thought you put into this, the faster you’ll locate them.

3. Get a map of your body of water and look for the following:

– Consider the deepest depth a weed bed can grow in your body of water. This marks the end of sunlight penetration and you’ll often times find this depth is productive all around the lake on structure as well as in open water.

– Look for areas of structure or cover that has quick access to deeper water. Baitfish will continue to swim at this same depth as that structure while in the open water.

– Look for long, consistent trolling depths or flats where you can pull your cranks. To me, fishing contours or structure and running your cranks near the bottom is not open water trolling. It’s a different presentation and therefore another strategy involving other trolling tactics.

– Scout, scout and scout some more. If you don’t mark them – you won’t catch them. If you find schools of baitfish, odds are the walleyes are close by. Have the attitude that you are there to eliminate unproductive water. Get out a map, get a game plan and mark down your scouting runs before you hit the water.

– Consider it a challenge and a puzzle that you need to figure out. Somewhere on that body of water are suspended walleyes feeding on baitfish. It’s just a matter of time, persistency and patience until you find them. Once you find some good sign, now it’s just a matter of figuring out which crankbait, trolled at what depth, at what speed and which colors produce the best results.

Best Two Posts I’ve read in a long time.

We use the same system on salmon on Michigan. Nice to see it summarized for eyes…

Thanks, Brad.