Baits & Gear
SPRO Rock Crawler: https://bit.ly/2ZzsoBA
SPRO Little John crankbait: https://bit.ly/3w0N15P
Gamakatsu EWG Treble Short Shank: https://bit.ly/3A6NTaf
Dobyns Champion XP 704 Crankbait Rod: https://bit.ly/3jZCVxC
Dobyns Champion XP 764 Crankbait Rod: https://bit.ly/3jZCVxC
Shimano Chronarch MGL 6.2:1 Casting Reel: https://bit.ly/38UWjpe
Sunline Sniper FC: https://bit.ly/3hn3tHt
Hey guys. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Drew Cook here with BassResource and we're talking about wintertime crankbait fishing. If there's not ice on the lakes where you are, you can still catch 'em cranking. And I believe if there wasn't ice, you would catch them out there. But it's one of those times that it's normally a lot tougher to get bites. It's cold, it's tougher for the angler to stay out there and fish.
My main go-tos for that time of year are gonna be shallowish crankbaits, like the Little John, and this is a flat-sided bait, so it doesn't have near as much action as a round bait. And the bill on it, you can still run it into rocks and everything, because you're gonna have to make these fish bite. You know, it's cold, they're lethargic, but it's a really good time for fishing. A lot of times you catch some really big ones in the wintertime.
So I'm gonna throw that on either a 704 Dobyns Champion XP or, if I'm making, you know, a fairly long cast and, you know, trying to cover a lot more water, I'll throw it on a 764 crankbait rod from Dobyns. And I'm gonna throw it on with a 6.2:1 gear ratio reel and 14-pound Sunline Sniper. It's just a great all-around combo for that.
And this is gonna be something you're gonna fish on those rocky banks, maybe like a dam at your local lake, something that the sun can warm up to make the fish be up there, or any type of rock or hardwood that is in the sun. Because that sun heating up those rocks, it makes a tremendous amount of difference to those fish and they'll gravitate to it as the sun gets up, the closer they get to those rocks, the warmer it gets and the more fish that are gonna get up there.
Like every bait with SPRO, they come stocked with Gamakatsu hooks, so you don't have to worry about having any issues with the hooks or changing them out.
But one thing to keep in mind in the wintertime is, a lot of times you have to slow down. So you're not just cranking a crankbait, going down the bank like you normally would, you might be just, you know, slowly reeling in.
These are for the shad eaters. You have to make a decision or see which one's better on the fish that are eating shad, or the crawfish eaters. And there's gonna be a difference to possibly a difference in size, how many you catch, or which one's better at catching more.
So for my crawfish imitation, it's gonna be the Rock Crawler. And this is gonna be the same type retrieve that we just talked about right there. It's gonna be a lot slower. What you gotta think right here, with this SPRO Rock Crawler, is you have a jig that you could reel. If that makes any... Instead of hopping a jig down the rocks, you're reeling this, imitating the same thing. And don't be afraid to stop it. Reel it into something, reel, stop. A lot of times, they'll be tracking your bait and whenever you stop it, they might not be hungry, but they run into it. And when they run into it, their instincts are to open their mouth and eat it. So it doesn't matter if they're hungry and they're eating it or if they're just doing it because you're making 'em. As long as they're eating it it's fine.
That one, I'm gonna throw on a Champion XP 764 crankbait rod and my line will vary a little bit, but most of the time, it'll be 12-pound Sunline Sniper, 6.2:1 gear ratio reel.
I know I just said it, but you really have to slow down in the wintertime. Most of the time, slow is best. And I'm not saying you can't go out there and catch 'em while you're reeling the fire out of it, because it does happen but slowing down and really thinking about where the sun is, what banks the sun's hitting, and how long the sun has hit those banks, and if you have any springs, you know, a spring in a creek, that creek's probably gonna be easier to catch fish in because they're not gonna be as cold. They're, you know, kind of more stable than anywhere else.
You gotta imagine all the metabolism is slowing down, they're not out actively, you know, chasing bait and it makes it a little bit more stingier but a lot of times you catch really big ones in the wintertime. So make sure you try out these, the Rock Crawler and the SPRO Little John whenever you go out there this winter.
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