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Deep Diving Cranks

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I am looking for deep diving cranks that I can get down to 20' and beyond. I have tried most of the off the shelf stuff like DD22, 20+, DBIII, etc. I can't get these baits deeper than 17'. Most of them are lucky to run 12' out of the box.

I am looking for tips as well as lures. I know some of you build deep lures. Please send me an email or PM, whatever the rules of the board allow. Thanks.

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Switch to a longer rod, shove the tip under the water when cranking in.

Best thing you can do is spool up with fireline or powerpro line.

You can gain as much as 30 % in depth with these changes.

Well trolling for sure, cast would be less.

10lb has 2lb mono. Dia. less water drag on the line, plus the no strech will help with the hits at that depth.

Feels like a ton of bricks.

Also remember that the depth your locator shows you is at the transducer, not the water surface.

On a ranger 620 it is a 2 foot differance.

Water is really 22ft. if the finder reads 20ft.

Hope this helps, Rich

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I made some very deep dives for trolling in Lake Nasser in Egypt for nile perch,they were pretty big about eight inches or so nessecarily big ! for such huge fish.With three heavy duty hooks plus big metal bill naturaly it was a sinker as well,this I think was what got the effect I wanted the bill was a big square shaped one I got the idea from looking through Rollie and Helens gatalogue can't remember the name of the lure,impossible to cast and retieve though just too resistant, so really only a trolling thing I'm sure a modified smaller similar lure would be good.

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According to the precision crankbait handbook, only one crank will reach depths of 20ft and only one 10lb test or less. That crankbait is the Luhr Jensen Hot-lips express T.A. in 3/4oz.....caution, there are two styles, trolling (straight lip) and cranking (curved lip). I'm not a fan of most colors they sell, but that's easily fixed :D However, after reading a book entitled "what fish see", I've since learned that colors at certain depth depend on many factors, such as tint of water, light penetration, and amount of suspended particles in the water. I've cranked the hot lips express, and they crank a heck of a lot easier than mann's 30+ cranks. Might want to give them a try. I play around with hollow brass cranks designed for northern pike and musky but work equally well for bass. Canadian wiggler is the name, relatively cheap at about $3 and if you add a feathered treble, you may be pleasantly surprised at the action. It's simple countdown cranking but I can bounce it along the bottom at 30ft with a 6.3:1 reel. If you're considering 30ft and beyond, better forget cranking and think vertical presentations such as jigging spoons, silver buddies, tailspinners, etc. I'm unsure of the type of lakes you fish, but each lake has an activity zone. My lake runs to 180 ft in some places, but good luck finding any living organism beyond 120ft range....even the lake trout and stripers! You might want to determine the age and type of your lake to get a better feel for oxygen zones. A good graph will show you the thermocline, and fishing beyond the thermocline is pretty much a waste of time. MOST fish that are deep are suspended, and you'll need dynamite to get them in the boat! Just my 2 cents on this matter.

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A downrigger or a three-way swivel and dropper weight of probably 5 or 6 ounces will easily keep you where you need to be too. I can tell you that the 3/4 ounce Hot Lips do dive as deep as they say and more. I run 30# Power Pro which is 8# diameter for steelhead and will often fill the plug bump bottom in 30' of water. Michael Jackson...best color there is for steelies that deep...black with silver speckle.

Jed

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Start by switching to a fluorocarbon line like Seaguar...line is heavier than water and sinks, should get you an extra foot or so. Definitely works on warts and rogues. After that go to weights...start with suspendots, usually on the belly between the lip and first hook hanger. When you have about the right amount of dots and the bait runs the way you want, remove the dots and weigh them. Then drill out the bait and replace the dots with the same weight in lead (or just less) and epoxy in place. Remember the epoxy will add weight, the hole will remove weight, and water temp will affect the amount of weight needed. Generally you want to add a little less...much easier to slap on an additional dot than remove weight.

Manns used to make a bait called the 30+ which was popular in TN/AL, you might check some shops in that area. It is a WAY big crankbait. Generally, I would much rather c-rig or vertical fish bass holding that deep.

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