Setting the hook while cranking
No one would question how many clubs Tiger Woods carries in his bag! There’s even a meeting of the minds to decide which to use. Anglers don’t have caddies! They match rods to conditions and lure type. Every pro has a “system” to increase strike-to-catch ratio. It begins at the lure and every link in the hook setting chain ends at the angler. Every component for specific techniques plays a critical role in hooking bass.
It would seem that with a pair of treble hooks that crankbait hooksets wouldn’t be all that important. Upon closer examination, while there are multiple hooks, they are small and don’t grab much fish, making hookups and hook sets complicated! BassCat/Merc pro John Crews has taken matters into his own hands…literally. Designing his signature Little John crankbait series, Crews wanted bait that would get fish to bite and get them hooked! The Elite Series pro felt a flat-sided crankbait was a priority. Flat sides won’t interfere with a fish taking bait in and allows hooks to be more exposed than larger, fat bodied lures.
Next come the hooks. Little Johns come with Gamakatsu trebles. But hook style is predicated on water temperature. In normal range to cold, he says round bends provide better penetration in harder jawed cold fish. In hot water, Crews says fish mouths get soft and EWGs grab more. In either case, hooks must be sharp and fresh!
Fishing deeper, 6-8 feet or more, Crews says fluorocarbon line provides more feel and better hookups. Using 12-pound test VISCIOUS Fluorocarbon line enables Crews to make longer casts. Depth deadens the feel of crankbait, resulting in missed bites and inability to feel or distinguish types of cover. Crankbait bites are often very light and before a fish blows a bait out of its mouth, anglers need to know it’s there! Fluorocarbon transmits more feel! Once a fish is on, the hookset must follow very soon! Better hooksets begin with Fluorocarbon’s lower stretch. Mono is better for shallow presentations where a bit of stretch acts as a shock absorber for close-to-the-boat strikes!
