Just started chasing walleye this past year and am learning a lot from the postings. One thing I haven’t heard and have troubles with is keeping crankbaits down when working the deep ends of the wingdams. Are there any baits that run that 15′-18′ range in fast water or is lead the best option. Curious how you all handle those situations. Just thought idea ask before I send off my yearly stock up order. Thanks, Ben
Try a three way rig. This consists of a three way swivel, a bell weight with 12 to 18 inch dropper line, and a shallow running crank bait with one to two foot of line to the swivel.
There are two baits that I run when I want to get deep and in fast current. Before I get into the baits themselfs I will talk about the line.
One key thing when dealing with current and deeper areas is you have to think about your line diameter. If your fishing with 10 lb mono or bigger you will not be able to get your baits to dive that deep. The one solution I have found to this is to use fire line or power pro. If im using power pro I will go with the 10 lb test, if its fire line I will usally go 8 lb test. The diameter of the 8 lb line is that of a 3 lb test mono. With the thinner line there is much less drag therefore it will allow the crank to dive deeper. Now onto cranks.
The 2 cranks I use mostly is the Jointed shad rap in size 5 and the PLASTIC billed hot n tot. The shad rap excels if your dealing with faster than normal current. Such as about 2 to 3 mph gps. Even with current like that and going upstream they will not foul and go out to the side like most baits will. The hot tot will also not foul out at these speeds either as long as you use the ones with the plastic bill. There in lies the problem because they have now discountinued all the plastic billed hot tots.
Some of the longer deep billed cranks will also dive deep enough but most of them will not run in fast current.
Hope this helps and if you have any questions just give a shout. 
Lots of baits will work that deep for you, the rapala taildancer is one
By the way Lead is a good option also, as is the 3 way rig. With the 3 way rig you can also fish live bait with it. Lead core can be a very effective tool. It is also much more effective than long line trolling if you are working a short trolling pass. One other option to think about is hand lineing. Not sure what type of current your talking about but if it is the current like what would be by the dams in the spring this can be very effective also.
i use salmos to get this deep. they have floating supper deep runers and deep runners. google salmo and each lure gives the depth it gets with a specific line test. i have now turned to using slamos over rapala, but the problem is the variety at stores is not very big. hopefully with the chubby darters becoming so popular, this will make more stores carry salmo products. next i was at FF last week and they had some new 2007 rapalas in and i picked a couple up. they are deep diving and go to 20 feet. like what was posted earlier, line choice all plays into the depths they run also.
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Lots of baits will work that deep for you, the rapala taildancer is one
Dito!!
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If you do not have it, go out and pick up the book “Precision Trolling”. You can find it Here. It gives you the running depth of most crankbaits, and will help you refine your presentation.
This book is a great guide to running depths of cranks. It is, however, flawed when it comes to trolling on the river. When trolling upstream your crank will no go as deep as it will in calm water. Just the opposite is true when running downstream. How much this difference is depends upon the speed of the current flow but in some cases it can be dramatic.
For deeper water I like to use larger sized shad raps (nos. 7, 8, and even 9), Hot-N-tots in 1/4 oz., and the larger size wally divers. As was written earlier in this post the use of braids is a huge advantage when it comes to getting deep with cranks.
I do not recommend using lead around wing dams because with lead you snag more often. Three waying can be very effective in these situations and it is one of my favorite techniques. Handlining is another effective alternative, especially when the water is running fast.
Good point Gatorhunter. 
Good post Gator! I have never handlined but to be honest most the fish we catch on cranks are in that 8-14 foot range and its pretty easy to get most running good in them depths. Like you say the river runs a bit different than the book will show.
How deep of water do you usually go to hand lining??? I have always thought of it as a deep water method but looks like a good way to get a stick bait right were you want it.
Can you explain what handlining is again for us dummys 
Sorry Garvi, I will try but have never done it myself so someone else will hopefully tone in here also. Anyways what I have seen is you run about a 2 lb weight on a mainline that you control by hand as far as depth. You use clips to attach your baits to the main line. You keep the weight tapping bottom and depending on what baits your running you have to adjust where the clip is and the amount of line out from the clip.
Say your using a stick bait that runs a foot down for every 10 feet of line out. Usually you would run 2 baits of your main line so one would be clipped 1 1/2 foot up from the weight with 15 feet of line out. The other would be clipped 3 feet up from the weight with 30 feet out. This will keep both baits right on bottom where you want them. Close to downrigging from what I have seen. Again I might be missing a few things but hope it gives you an idea 
To be honest I have usually run a 3way when this presentation is working!
You can handline effectively in any water deeper than say 10 feet. I think it really excels in areas with drastically changing depths. It is much easier to keep the bait right where you need it when handlining because you are always in direct contact with bottom. Sometimes the start/stop of the cranks caused by lifting and dropping the line can put a few more fish in the boat too. Handlining also lends itself well to hovering in heavy current in a high prbability spot, like the tip of a wingie.
Here is a link to a past thread on handlining with some useful info. What is handlining
Thats some good handlining info
Thanks for all the info. As the only family member to branch into chasing eyes this forum has really helped accelerate my learning curve. Handlining looks like something that could be real effective in the spots I am having troubles getting down at. I have tried three ways and get hung a lot. Will have much to test when the ice leaves. Ben
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