Any recommendations on crank baits to trol

[NattyBoh74]

Wondering if anyone has any crank baits to use / troll this coming cold weather months. I guess I'll need some stuff that will go deep, but looks like people are catching then around 12-15' right now. I currently use jigs but looking to get some crank baits to get deeper, offer different presentations for the fish

[ronaultmtd]

Stretch 27s in red white...deep diving crystal minnows and XRaps...and Tsunami 6 inch soft plastic swimbaits on 1.5 oz jigheads in chartreuse and white are as good or better than anything you can pull...

[NattyBoh74]

Do you mean stretch 20s? Or possibly the 25s?

[ronaultmtd]

The number after the “Stretch” refers to the depth they are designed to run at when trolled with braid...a 27 runs 27 feet deep...

[HJS]

And then there's always the option of adding an inline sinker up the line a couple feet to make a crank bait run deeper. Then you won't need quite as many different depths of lures... just different weights.

[NattyBoh74]

The number after the “Stretch” refers to the depth they are designed to run at when trolled with braid...a 27 runs 27 feet deep...

Thanks I did figure that out but didnt see them listed online. Id just have to look more deeply. Now on a pedal kayak its not always possible to maintain say 3 knots to get the lure where it should be depth wise, seeing that trolling slower via peddling, would it make sense to get something that goes a bit deeper since I wouldnt be maintaining that proper speed to get it say 27' deep.

Basically what Im wondering is if a lure says it dives 25' @ knots, and I only go 1.5 knots would it only dive to 12.5'? These are approximations solely for this conversation, not realistic figures.

[ronaultmtd]

Even in a power boat, I have found that 2.8 mph indicated is optimal trolling speed...my 2016 Outback with turbo fins is pretty easy to maintain unless the wind and current is running against me...with a strong current the forward speed is “relative” as the water movement more than compensates for the reduced speed...the lure has excellent action...I depend more on the rod throbbing indicating lure action than the GPS indicated speed...the line angle and diameter has more to do with depth than most folks think..letting out 100 feet of 20# braid drives the lure deeper than 100 feet of 30# braid...

[NattyBoh74]

Interesting... Why does line diameter determine depth to an extent?

[ronaultmtd]

Resistance...thin, small diameter line has less resistance, less “bow”that pushes toward the surface and the lure stays deeper...

[Yak Fish]

Here's a page from my book for what I find successful for each season. For even deeper I use my handmade Chesapeake Rigs for anything between 10-30'. Hope this helps! I'm sure there's a number of things that work. Personally I focus on depth lure dives and size for time of year. Whatever fits that will almost certainly produce.
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