Deep diving crank bait question

[El Jefe]

Anyone have much experience running deep divers in rocky motherlode type lakes? I don’t have much experience with it and it doesn’t seem very common…..maybe for good reason? I’ve either ran the bank and tried to stay in say 20’ of water and make long casts straight in front of me or on points casting across the point and trying to get the bait to cross the point and make contact with bottom…… this one seems hit and miss…. The bait may only contact bottom for a short period.

Fish are a lot of times a lot deeper than the 15-20 ft that most deep divers run but I’ve always assumed that these baits need to be contacting the bottom and deflecting to work properly???

Can these deep divers be fished effectively in deeper water without contacting bottom or a waste of time?

[WRB]

Having spent decades using deep diving crank baits in steep bank rocky structure lake with very sparse cover the crank doesn’t necessarily need to hit bottom to catch bass. Change of pace and direction usually creates strikes using crank baits.
What’s misunderstood is not all crankbaits of the same brand and color are not equal catching bass.
You need to test them to weed out the duds. Easiest method to learn how the lure performs, depth it runs and getting bass to strike is trolling areas that produce bass. Keep the productive lures. When trolling run the lure about 100’ behind the boat and use a lazy S pattern that covers various depth and changes the pace and direction the lure is running. Run the lure next to the boat and watch it to determine proper speed, swimming without rolling over.
Also use your sonar to determine how deep the bait and bass are holding so fish the right depth.
Don’t believe the advertise running depth few lurges actually run that depth.
Optional lure that run like a crankbait and sinks are Scroungers. My favorite Scrounger are 3/4 oz w/ 6” straight soft plastic Sluggo. You can run a Scrounger along the bottom though brush without snagging and various depths, overlooked and forgotten.
After you know how the lures run and catch bass then cast and retrieve them.
Tom
PS, get a lure retriever!

[ash]

I recommend studying what Tom just posted above, lots of gold to mine out of that. I have also done well with C-rigs with Yum Dingers and Grande Bass Rattlesnack - something lighter that will free fall slowly and eradicly. In this situation and with underspin's that are "ticking" clicking off the rocks - it is about the erratic direction change that gets the bite.

[El Jefe]

Having spent decades using deep diving crank baits in steep bank rocky structure lake with very sparse cover the crank doesn’t necessarily need to hit bottom to catch bass. Change of pace and direction usually creates strikes using crank baits.
What’s misunderstood is not all crankbaits of the same brand and color are not equal catching bass.
You need to test them to weed out the duds. Easiest method to learn how the lure performs, depth it runs and getting bass to strike is trolling areas that produce bass. Keep the productive lures. When trolling run the lure about 100’ behind the boat and use a lazy S pattern that covers various depth and changes the pace and direction the lure is running. Run the lure next to the boat and watch it to determine proper speed, swimming without rolling over.
Also use your sonar to determine how deep the bait and bass are holding so fish the right depth.
Don’t believe the advertise running depth few lurges actually run that depth.
Optional lure that run like a crankbait and sinks are Scroungers. My favorite Scrounger are 3/4 oz w/ 6” straight soft plastic Sluggo. You can run a Scrounger along the bottom though brush without snagging and various depths, overlooked and forgotten.
After you know how the lures run and catch bass then cast and retrieve them.
Tom
PS, get a lure retriever!

Thank you Tom…. The Scrounger heads are interesting…. Definitely will mess around with them.