I am starting to throw alot more red eye shads (traps) and crankbaits and i have a few questions..#1 what gear ratio do you like to throw them on??# 2.what kind of line??#3 when you throw them out do you just reel them back to the boat or do you pause,twitch, or anything else while fishing them#4 what size rod and action?..Just trying to better my game in this area..thanks for any tips

i use either a 5.0:1 or 6.3:1 reel, with 12 to 15 pound floro unless there is hevy grass then 20 pound braid. I will reel it back to the boat but some time I yo yo it, or twitch it. as for the rod the longest medium weight rod with a med fast to fast tip you have.

Tommy Edwards

FGCU Fishing Club President

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Bass- 247

Big Fish-7pounds 6 oz         6 pounds 12 oz.(at the Southern Open Okeechobee)

i throw them on a 6.4:1 Revo S and the rest depends on how im fishing them.

ripping off of grass:  braid (20-30#) on a longer 7'2" MH All Purpose Deep South Series Casting rod. 

open water (schooling fish) : mono (15-20# depending on depth) on a 7'0" MH Tom Morse Sig Series Deep South Casting Rod.

If im fishing deep, i use smaller line and/or 3/4 oz red eye.

I'll go to a 1/4 oz red eye to catch fish feeding shallow or on smaller baitfish.

thanks for the info keep it coming

the red eye shad is awesome but my fav. is the aruku shad (i think i spelled it right) made by spro lures. In clear water I always throw the Jr. or 1/4 ounce on 12lb mono. On the river or stained water mabey 14lb mono and the 1/2 version.

yeah i ready to get out and start throwing some of these bad boys

Justin J: the red eye shad is awesome but my fav. is the aruku shad (i think i spelled it right) made by spro lures. In clear water I always throw the Jr. or 1/4 ounce on 12lb mono. On the river or stained water mabey 14lb mono and the 1/2 version.

I love the Aruku Shad Jr.  That thing is awesome.  I like to throw it on 15lb Big Game Mono.  Reaction baits are the only thing I use mono for anymore.

Tyler Brinks

http://www.tbrinksfishing.com

http://www.snagproof.com

Ragin Cajin i just started useing traps and cranks recently to the best thing ive done i buy a glass rod it has helped alot

Fish hard, or don't fish at all.

if you are going to be using braid, a glass rod will give enough to not rip hooks out.  I have a medium fast tip graphite that i use 15 # Ande back country on and it worked great down on Panasoffkee ripping it out of the eel grass.  Used rt

Caught while Bass fishing 2010: LMB: 362  Over 5#:11  Largest: 9.38 Kerr 4/25  Suwanee Bass: 1  Jacks: 43  Mudfish: 17  Gar: 22  Specks: 5   Catfish: 1  Bluegill:  8 Warmouth: 1  Fishing Days: 76   All listed caught on Devilshorse except 10 bass

I use several different rigs for my traps and crankbaits. They are a staple of my fishing. Answers:

1) I use 3 ratios for different conditions. 5:1 when it needs to be slowed down and stay in the strike zone longer (especially with lipped cranks) like cold water, or post front conditions. 6:1 during most conditions. 7:1 high speed for burning over near topped out grass, or in really shallow water.

2) 50# braid, 20 # flouro, or 14 # flouro depending on the conditions and thickness of cover.

3) Very rarely will I use a steady retrieve. Mostly only use a steady retrieve if there is enough cover to bounce off of (or dig into) to create action without twitching. Otherwise, twitch, pull and rip away.

4) I use the Deep South 6'9" Lipless Crank rod (duh) for open water, or light cover situations. If there is grass to be ripped I'll switch to my 7'2" Med Hvy All Purpose, or even my 7'6" Flippin' Stick. Using a flipping stick requires a lot of skill when fighting the fish. They have to be played lightly, or they will rip the hooks right out. With the Lipless Crank rod I've had them jump 5-6 times without being able to shake the hooks out. That one is a med with a moderate tip.

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LMB 2010: 64, BF: 6.5 lb, SB: 5

thanks for the tips fellas..see like for the most part i am using the right stuff

i have found rythm is everything when it comes to crankbaits and traps. you have to find a good rythm and duplicate it. therefore, i have found that choosing a reel based solely on gear ratio is not the thing to do. it is more important to look at inches retrieved per handle turn. i say this because, brand x's 7:1 ratio might be the same inches per handle turn as brand z's 6.3:1 ratio. if you are used to fishing a trap at 28 inches per handle turn and you get a real that is 26 or 31 per handle turn, it will take you a long time to find the right rythm to retrieve the bait at.

that being said, i like 28 inches per turn for traps with 12 or 14 flouro. i fish the bait with different retrieves but my most foavorite is kinda like yo-yo'ing it. i never fish any crankbait on a straight retrieve.

shallow to medium crankbaits 1-8 ft. i like 26 inches per turn and the same line. deep cranks 8-20 ft i like 23 inches per turn and 12-14 lb flouro.  by the way, bass pro shops is about the only retailer that will post retrieve speeds on the web and thier catalogues.    good luck

LMB TO DATE 2010: 423    BIGGEST LMB 2010: 8.01 lbs

good tips.thanks

ragin_cajun92: I am starting to throw alot more red eye shads (traps) and crankbaits and i have a few questions..#1 what gear ratio do you like to throw them on??# 2.what kind of line??#3 when you throw them out do you just reel them back to the boat or do you pause,twitch, or anything else while fishing them#4 what size rod and action?..Just trying to better my game in this area..thanks for any tips

I throw any trap baits with a Quantum Tour Edition 7:1 reel and a 7'2" medium heavy rod with a fast tip. I can control the speed of the bait by slowing my handle turns, yet have the speed to catch up with a fish if needed. My line is 50# Power Pro Braid

For my crankbaits, I use a 5:1 ration reel and a 7" rod with 15lb fluorocarbon.

Shan's Bait&Tackle-Valdosta,Ga.

Illusion Baits- www.illusionbaits.com

Rod Slick-www.kasswinns.com/rodslick/products.html

www.floridafederationnation.com

www.todddanielfishing.org

LMB 2010- 57   BIG FISH 7.2LB

yeah i am throwing mine on a quantum tour right now to, just thought it might be alittle to fast

I don't have any problems with the fast ratio...just slow it down on the retrieve if needed.

Shan's Bait&Tackle-Valdosta,Ga.

Illusion Baits- www.illusionbaits.com

Rod Slick-www.kasswinns.com/rodslick/products.html

www.floridafederationnation.com

www.todddanielfishing.org

LMB 2010- 57   BIG FISH 7.2LB

I use a high speed reel, at least 6:3.1 when tossing a trap and work it with a series of jerks, pumping or stop and go retrieve on a 6'6 or 7 foot medium action rod. I like to use braid....

when using a crankbait I usually use a slower reel; 5:5.1 or slower, but with small cranks will use the higher speed reels. However I use a really limber rod so I won't pull the hooks out the fish mouth, normally a BPS crankin stick. I normally use 10-12 pound line

good luck and stick with it to truly get better

One of my favorite techniques to fish with. But I honestly do not understand many of the comments where people say they "never" use a straight retrieve. Seems odd to me as I have caught hundreds upon hundreds of bass using lipless cranks simply reeling them in straight.

Oh, I yo yo them too and stop and pause and rip for no reason at times also but to be honest, most of the time I just reel perfectly straight. Now, my reel retrieve is not perfectly balanced so I probably impart extra wiggle to the lure due to how I reel them in. Sort of like a tire that is not balanced. I also use this retrieve with spinnerbaits too and reel them in without having to jerk and pause etc. It works for me and I would personally never rule out a way to use a lure if I thought it would catch fish. Sometimes the fast jerk all of a sudden every few seconds triggers bites that a moderate retrieve didn't. So experiment to see what will work.

As for fishing in grass, I agree that using a stiffer rod with braid will be a far superior set up then a medium action with mono. You will lose fish doing this but you will get more bites as you will be better able to rip the lure out of the grass easier this way and cleaner.

For those of you who fish with allot of toothy critters such as Pickerels (Jacks) or even Gar who bite your lure clean off your line. Fishing Garcia Reservoir near the Stick Marsh is a perfect place for this to happen. Anyway, I have a trick for that which really works. Create a leader using at least 30lb braid. I prefer 50lb and tie directly to main line. I use 2 slip knots and that works fine for me. At the end of the braid tie a Speed Clip on it and then superglue the knot and super glue up the braided line about 6 inches. Make it cover the line good. This super glue barrier will allow you to catch all those Pickerels that before were cutting off your baits. They will not be able to cut this line. Nor will a gar. If you use braid without the super glue you will lose baits as Pickerel & Gar cut braid like butter.

Keith Tauber

Publisher

Tackle Box of Savings

PB for 2010 = "5.0 lbs" LMB caught so far= "281"

I don't worry so much about reel speed, I control it myself by slowing down if needed. For crankbaits I use a Kistler Magnesium TS crankbait rod, MH action/fast tip. For traps I usually use a little stiffer rod than crankbaits because I am often ripping it through grass and the tip will help 'pop' the trap off the hangups (which is often when you'll get the strike). Summertime I will vary retrieves and the fish will let you know how they want it on that particular day. Winter time, I will fish a slow and very steady retireve. Here on Lake Wylie in SC right now, the water temp is 39-43 degrees, and the fish will kill a small shadrap retrieved painfully slow and steady.

 For line I almost always use flouro 12#. It's strong, doesn't stretch as much, and allows me to get a little added depth on the bait.

I think I have caught more fish on a steady retrieve than on any stop and go etc., although I will do all of that to see what's working. Reel speed doesn't matter to me although it's a little more comfortable to slow a fast reel down than it is to speed a slower reel up. Saves the arms for those long days of cranking. I throw most of my cranks on 20lb power-pro.

Fick