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For best results flipping small crankbaits in the
fall, Dustin Wilks recommends making contact with
any wooden cover such as stumps and laydowns on
secondary points.
Last October, Dustin Wilks underwent surgery to remove
troublesome tissue from his right elbow, effectively keeping him
off the water for months. The timing was especially frustrating
because it robbed the North Carolina pro of any chance of
enjoying one of his favorite bass fishing techniques — flinging
small crankbaits in the fall.
But he hopes to make up for it this year.
"It's really a lot of fun and a good way to catch fish in the
fall," said Wilks, who was forced to drop out of the CITGO
Bassmaster Elite Series last March after another elbow injury
led to a second, more extensive surgery.
Outlining this proven tactic for other avid anglers, Wilks
began by pinpointing the best areas to begin. Start in the backs
of small creeks and coves, he said. Using diminutive baits like
the Daiwa TD Crank (green or silver shad), Yo-Zuri's Crank'n
Dive or the Micro Crank, Wilks said fishermen should concentrate
on making contact with any wooden cover such as stumps and
laydowns on secondary points.
The TD Crank features an ultra-thin square bill that makes it
ideal for careening off cover. Most of his cranking success in
the fall takes place in 3 to 6 feet of water, he added.
"This is a good way to cover a lot of water and find bass
that other people overlook in some out-of-the-way places," said
Wilks.
Wilks isn't alone in his enthusiasm for small diving
crankbaits in the autumn. Fellow Elite Series competitors Kevin
Langill and Britt Myers are also keen on this pattern.
"Small crankbait fishing in the fall is the deal around here
on lakes Wylie and Norman and other man-made impoundments on the
East Coast," Myers noted.
In the fall, Myers targets creek channel swings near a bank
and areas where flats give way to a significant dropoff. The
bass, he said, will usually be on the shallower sides, holding
tight to cover.
Unlike Wilks, Myers prefers the Bandit 200 Series
(chartreuse/black) or Brian's Bee #1 — small crankbaits with
fairly wide wobbles. "There's something about that wide wobble,"
Myers explained. "I've experimented with all kinds of baits, and
in the fall for some reason the fish really want that. And I
haven't found them to be on that deal nearly as strong any time
other than the fall."
Langill differs from his fellow North Carolinians in that he
focuses on rock during the fall.
"I generally look for banks that are like the 45-degree
sloping banks," he said. "I usually look for chunky gravel:
Those fist-size rocks give the crawfish a place to hide. And the
bass can actually get them out from around those rocks. When you
have smaller gravel, there's no place for them to hide.
"If you can find that rock on 45-degree banks close to
points, those will always be good areas in the fall, especially
with a little wind coming in on them. The fish are up chasing
the bait and they'll stay in those areas well through the fall
until they start moving out on those points and feeding a lot
more."
For cranking such rocky bottoms in 2 to 6 feet of water in
the fall, Langill's favorite crankbaits are a Brian's Little Bee
and Mann's shallowest divers — 1-Minus, 4-Minus, Baby 1-Minus
and Baby 4-Minus. He prefers bright colors (chartreuse or
firetiger) and fishes them on 10-pound-test Seaguar
fluorocarbon.
"I want a crankbait that will bang into those rocks," Langill
said. "I don't want a suspending bait; I want one that will
float up out of there. I'll kick it down in there and then kind
of let it float up.
"I'll wind it pretty fast using a 5:1 gear ratio reel. I
don't want to overpower the bait. And once I'm in the rocks, I
use sort of a stop-and-go cadence. It mimics a crawfish being
spooked out of those rocks." |
