Seems like I could never get sick of talking about wingdams. At the contest last week on P2 lots of boats had success cranking dams. I was just wondering what everybody’s favorite crank to chuck out there is… fat or thin bodied, rattle or no rattle, big or small. When I was a kid it seemed like all we ever threw was Bombers, but I can’t even find bombers anymore unless I mail order them. I’m wondering what are the favorite’s of IDO’ers for chucking to the wingies.
JP
I have been having luck with Bomber 7A’s and I like them better than 6A’s. 7A’s seem to cast better and run a little deeper over 6A’s.
Haven’t tried Rapala DT10’s because everywhere I look they have been out of them. Professional fisherman David Fritz (mr. crankbait) claims DT10’s cast the best out of any crankbait on the market. Next yr for sure I will try these DT10’s.
One thing that helped me alot this yr cranking WD’s was boat position when fishing them. I found moving around with the trolling motor helps vs. anchoring and casting to the same spot as I sometimes do when pitching.
I like to start at the tip and cast it at different angles. I then cast parallel to the face (starting upstream) and slowing working each cast towards the dam until I start to bump it.
I am still learning how to fish them correctly so I am sure others may have better ideas.
1/2 oz lipless Gizzard Shad by Live target or a blade bait. Pretty much all i use any more on the WD’s
Long line trolling cranks parallel to the wing dams can be pretty effective at times. Generally I start near the shore, cast the crank bait upstream of the wing dam, and start trolling towards the channel. I’ll bring the boat closer to the dam until I start to tick the rocks and then hold that boat distance above the dam. If I start pounding the rocks too hard, I’ll move upstream from the dam a bit or reel in some line. Snagging up is almost a certainty if I’m hitting the rocks too hard. Just a light tick seems best. Or you don’t even have to tick the rocks… just get the crank down somewhere close to the dam.
Medium deep drivers to shallow running stick baits work fine. It all depends on the depth of the dam and the amount of line you have out. If you want to fish the top of a shallow dam, shallow divers are best. If you want to fish the base of a deep dam, then you’ll need a deeper diving crank.
This technique is much easier to do when one can see the ripple line of the wing dam to aid in boat positioning. I don’t even try this when it’s dark.
Boone
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Medium deep drivers to shallow running stick baits work fine. It all depends on the depth of the dam and the amount of line you have out. If you want to fish the top of a shallow dam, shallow divers are best. If you want to fish the base of a deep dam, then you’ll need a deeper diving crank.
Boone
Thanks captain obvious. I’ll have to try some of those medium deep drivers you mentioned 
Nothing new for me Jason. Bombers, flicker shads and DT’s. Those DT’s are heavy enough that you could cast them in a tornado and still have them hit the spot every time.
I keep checking lurenet for specials on bombers. They come up every now and again.
Gander usually has a decent selection of bombers. Seem to find them on sale quite often. One of my other favorites is the Bill Dance fat free shad.
We are right at that transition where both cranks and big plastics or swim baits will get bit. So I like to start mixing it up now as the water temps start to drop.
-J.
Rapala DT series baits and a new favorite is the Rapala Crankin’ Rap 
I just picked up some Rapala DT’s and Bombers in September, both have worked well. Those DT’s Cast a MILE, especially if the wind is at your back, but into the wind they were awesome. The larger size DT worked real well for deep edge of dams.
I am pretty new to crank bait fishing wing dams on P2, but those baits were a very big improvement to all of the other cranks I tried throwing.
Hoping to get out tomorrow night or Friday.
Quick question for you crankbait masters.
How early and late in the year do you start cranking? And do you find the crank bite to be tied at all to low/high flow?
I was figuring with the colder temps, that a fast moving crankbait would be too much.
Maybe I’m just old school.
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Quick question for you crankbait masters.
How early and late in the year do you start cranking? And do you find the crank bite to be tied at all to low/high flow?
I was figuring with the colder temps, that a fast moving crankbait would be too much.
Maybe I’m just old school.
When the ice comes off – when it ices up too much to cast! Walleyes are so much more aggressive as a predator fish than most people give them credit for. The key is timing of their feeding patterns. A finicky walleye in 38 degree water may be a peck of a bite during the day on the bottom of 18 fow, BUT, may be feeding on the top 2 feet of the water column at night and just crushing big baits.
I put a lot of cranking info in this report:
April crank report
Randy, are those live target lipless cranks like rattle traps? Are you fishing them similar to that of a blade, small lifts, etc.
Thanks
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Randy, are those live target lipless cranks like rattle traps? Are you fishing them similar to that of a blade, small lifts, etc.
Thanks
Are they like a rattle trap? – Yes and no. For a generic term, I would say yes since more people know about rattle traps than the Live Target line. Live Target has a better body design that balances much better in the current. I use them vertical exactly like a blade bait, plus cast/retrieve. For years I tried to use Rattle Traps for the same application. They work, but spin and flip over too much in the current. The live Target tracks so much better.
Also, the 1/2oz size is perfect. Just a tiny bit smaller than a #5 rattle trap, but the weight is distributed perfectly.
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