Shallow Running - Crafk Baits - Bass Lures - Minnows

When & Where to Fish 'Em Super-Shallow Crank Baits..........

Special Note in Using Crank Baits

As to crank baits each bait has a different wobble speed to them and in cold water use crank baits with a slower wobble and when the water is warmer, around 80 degree, the use of a faster wobble action bait that dives deep. Remember fish are more active in warmer water especially the bass.

When & Where to Fish 'Em Super-shallow crank baits, bass lurer, minnows and plugs can be used in an amazing number of common bass fishing scenarios. Here's where you should be fishing 'em, plus some inside tips guaranteed to increase your strike percentage.

Warm runoff -- When warm, murky water enters a reservoir system via runoff from creeks and ditches in early spring, a super-shallow crank is your ticket to the lunkers. Head up a tributary arm to the source of incoming water -- a quick check of your boat's surface temperature gauge often reveals the muddy runoff to be 5 to 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the creek arm. Cast the plug around stumps, logs and rocks. Bass, having limited visibility in stained water, will hold tight to these objects; most strikes will occur the instant the bait bumps cover. Runoff from warm spring rains can trigger a mass emergence of crayfish. Root a craw-patterned shallow diver slowly around bass-holding cover.

Brush piles --You're probably thinking, "Run a $5 or $6 crank bait through a brush pile? No way!" But a properly-presented super-shallow diver is a deadly alternative to a jig or spinner bait in this snag cover. Working close to your target, use a short underhand pitch to deliver the lure just past the brush pile, then reel s-l-o-w-l-y until you feel the bait contact the cover. The instant it hits wood, pause, allowing the bait to float upward just enough to clear the obstruction, then resume the retrieve. Clipping the leading hook from each set of trebles will reduce hangups when cranking brush piles.

Submerged weed beds -- Milfoil, hydrilla and coontail beds attract droves of bass in warm weather, and a super-shallow crank is a great alternative to a jig, worm or spinner bait. Gun for the most active bass first by "waking" the lure over the top and along the outer edges of the bed. If this fails to produce, swim it just under the surface with a stop-and-go retrieve. Bass commonly feed on small bluegills in thick weed beds. Try an orange or fire tiger lure to mimic this forage.

River bars -- Gravel and mud bars swept by moving water are perfect places for bass to intercept bait fish schools. Cast a stubby-billed crank in a shad pattern upstream and retrieve it quickly along the bar. Small bass will often chase a school of bait fish on top of a river bar when feeding, but for the big bite, bump the bait against current-breaking stumps or rocks on the downstream portion of the bar, where the structure begins to taper into deep water Flats -- Good places for a quick limit in summer and fall. Grind stubby-lipped lures around scattered stumps in 1 to 3 feet of water. Flats are often criss-crossed by a network of shallow ditches lined with stumps and brush. Root the lure through this cover for a lunker bass.

Mud lines -- In clear lakes, a band of muddy water often forms against a bank buffeted by high winds. This creates an ideal shallow concealment opportunity for bass, which move into the murky zone to feed on crayfish uprooted by wave action and bait fish forced into shallow water by wind currents. Cast a short-lipped crank in a craw or shad pattern right against the bank and retrieve it slowly into clear water -- if it makes it that far without being eaten by a bass. This pattern is most reliable when the wind is out of the south or west.

Man Made Areas or Erosion -- Large chunk rocks deposited along levees and erosion-prone banks provide a haven for crayfish and bait fish. Deep-diving crank baits, Texas-rigged worms and jigs often get trapped between the rocks, but super-shallow cranks ticked over the rocks can produce monumental strikes. Target heavy cover area of ambouse around dams during the initial minutes of current generation. A major forage movement usually takes place when current sweeps down the rocks. Murky water? A fire tiger lure and noisemaking rattles will help bass find the plug.

Pollution Right Before Our Eyes

By Bob Santangelo

In this story the names have been changed to protect the guilty. My story begins a few years back when a local tackle store employee told me where I could find some excellent smallmouth fishing on small creek running through Joliet, Illinois. This employee was also kind enough to tell me what bait the fish were also very interested in consuming. Sure enough his information was perfect in the matter of ninety minutes I landed thirteen smallies from 8-18 inches. For the rest of the fall I enjoyed that spot and was anxious during the entire winter months to return the following spring.

When early spring arrived this was one of the first areas I visited but unfortunately when I returned the fishing was poor at best. One particular area which was the most productive of all I could not catch a single fish! I justified this by telling myself it was early yet and the water temperature was still to low. By July 4th weekend I still was questioning what happen to the fish?

One day something rather unusual caught my eye has I walked along the shoreline I noticed an oil slick behind me as I picked up my feet. Chemicals were emerging from the banks of the sand as I disturb it with my footsteps. Finally the light went on in my head I said "This is why maybe there are no longer any fish in this area." A former police officer I decided to do some snooping around and it was quite obvious to me where to start looking. I began behind the ABC Company {not really the name} to my amazement I found seven different hoses one of which was four inches round coming out of the bank from behind the building.

I began ripping through the underbrush and worked my way up to where I believed the hosing had to be coming from. I inspected the foundation of the building and confirmed my suspicions a few hoses were exposed visibly to a crazy person who would crawl through the crap to look. I followed another hose from the building to the water edge and found a liquid that was very obvious heavier than water being drained from the hose and streaming along the bottom of the creek. Of course all smallmouth fisherman carry a camera so I began clicking away.

When I got home I made some calls and eventually ended up on the phone with the Enforcement Compliance Branch of the EPA. I fax over some pictures and before you know it in the matter of few days' two criminal investigators and Chemist from the EPA met with me at the site. The Chemists was needed to not only take samples but to bag evidence and if you remember the O. J. Simpson trial "chain of evidence" is important in obtaining a conviction. We all grabbed some fishing poles and went wading for not smallmouths, but proof! After my little tour the investigator took photographs, and the chemist collected vials of water, soil, and plant samples. In ten days or so the EPA received the tests results and returned back to company ABC with a warrant to search the premises. Just as we thought there were chemical solvents being dumped into that waterway the EPA halted that action immediately!

I am sorry to report even years later this area still suffers the ramifications of those deliberate acts! The legal process takes forever and in this case justifiably so. The long-term damage to the environment and the aquatic life will not be known for years. I can provide you with first hand knowledge if you ever happen to come a cross a crime like this taking place please do not hesitate to report the violations to EPA. A more common occurrence that we are likely to see is people dumping from their cars or trucks just copy down their license number. Then contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction and report them. As a matter of record as the complaint in this case the EPA shielded me from the defendants that were being charged. My name was protected from being used in open court so you do not have to be concerned about your identity being revealed. As the complaint I demanded a voice and some input as to the punishment or I in my case I threaten to show up in court to speak to the judge. As a result of my persistence I was assigned a caseworker by the courts that kept me informed as to what was happening through out the trial unfortunately over that period of time the caseworker died and it did complicate things slightly. Still, I was able to voice my opinion to the courts and I requested as part of the settlement the defendants not only should have to pay damages to clean up and restore that environment. I felt it was absolutely necessary that defendants also pay for the cost of the restock of that fishery with older adult breeding smallmouth to begin the process of restoring the numbers back to their previous levels as soon as possible. Nevertheless I keep a careful eye out on that area so that nothing changes if you visit the site now all hoses have been removed except for one, which supposedly only removes water from the creek, which I protested about.

In closing I have to admit since I discovered the ISA I feel more focused as I am sure you do that we as a group are obligated to step forward and be the guardians of not only the waterways but the environment as a whole.