Author Topic: crankbaits under the ice  (Read 1534 times)

Offline sdbigeye

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crankbaits under the ice
« on: Feb 25, 2018, 08:24 PM »
anybody ever try them? all my fishing is on Lake Sharp or Francis Case on the Mo. River. Sharp has current suitable almost every day and Case does most of the time. was thinking on a Lindy rig style with a suspending rattle style lure.

Offline RapShack

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #1 on: Feb 25, 2018, 08:51 PM »
It's doable.  The problem comes from trying to get a hookset with the 90 degree bend in the line.  Either you need to pick up the weight and take the slack out first without the fish feeling you, or you have to use a ton of weight.
I'm a man, but I can change, If I have to, I guess.

Offline TheCrappieFisherman

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #2 on: Feb 25, 2018, 08:59 PM »
Check out the crank weight. I will admit I have never used one or own one but it clips on just under the crank bait. Bruce mosher of todays tackle, small northern minnesota company, invented them. Clam bought it out couple years back. He also invented the ice buster bobber.. yellow foam with red tip.

I think bruce put out some youtube videos of them also.
http://www.todaystackle.com/crankweight.html

Offline SirCranksalot

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #3 on: Feb 25, 2018, 09:11 PM »
Couldn't you just hang a reg weight---split shhot, egg, etc---from a piece of line or fine wire?
Keep yer stick on the ice!

Offline bowmandan

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #4 on: Feb 25, 2018, 09:14 PM »
I have used spinner rigs and bottom bouncers in the current below a dam. 

Offline sdbigeye

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #5 on: Feb 25, 2018, 09:21 PM »
i was thinking about letting line out after hitting bottom with the lindy wht. maybe a floater would work better. then twitch it and reel in a little at a time. kinda like when fishing cold water in current. titch, pause, retrieve, etc. about a turn at a time of the reel handle.

Offline RapShack

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #6 on: Feb 25, 2018, 09:24 PM »
Couldn't you just hang a reg weight---split shhot, egg, etc---from a piece of line or fine wire?

The problem with that or the crankweight is that you only get it so far downstream before it gets to the bottom.  With the slide rig and a floater you just let out line and let the current take it as far as you want.  A suspending bait that's a deep diver could possibly work, or a floater with just enough splitshot to make it more or less neutral.
I'm a man, but I can change, If I have to, I guess.

Offline sdbigeye

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #7 on: Feb 25, 2018, 09:32 PM »
that's what i was aiming for, rapshack. i tried a spinner rig behind a bottom bouncer one day awhile back. nothing was biting that day so i don't know if that would work or not, either.

Offline Houligan

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #8 on: Feb 25, 2018, 10:18 PM »
Been playing with the weights and crankbaits. Have not bought the $5 for three :cookoo: weights as its insane to pay that much for three pieces of lead. Have caught a few fish and a ton of lookers. Not sure if its the bait used at the time or the action but am sold on the idea just need to figure out what the eyes here want for bait type.

I bought some light copper wire at ace hardware, rigged up many different types of sinkers from bullet weights to bass/bank sinkers in different sizes. Tested different baits in a bucket and played with presentation. It looks cool but other then those few bites it has not set the world on fire as of yet. Will keep playing with different baits and sizes. One of the biggest reasons for lack of success could be after a few lookers and no bites I go right back to the jiggin rap and catch the lookers. :whistle:

Offline sdbigeye

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #9 on: Feb 25, 2018, 11:56 PM »
i've been wondering how to get the lure downstream below the ice far enough, think about 50-60 feet and then start to wok it so it gets down to the bottom. the fish are in 25 to 40 feet hugging the bottom. been getting desperate to catch some of these lookers that keep following my lures up and down when jigging. deadsticking wasn't even working. had to work the lure like crazy with different techniques just to gettem to take the hook. was just thinking maybe a small crank might provoke some bigger fish into hitting the lure.

Offline hays47

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #10 on: Feb 26, 2018, 04:55 AM »


What I used for ice fishing on crankbaits. Bought some lure screws. Used small drill bit thru plastic for pilot hole. These were made with just standard ice fishing in mind. That is lake or pond not rivers or where current comes into play.

Used for first time this year. Had some limited success nothing great yet but lots of promise.
Echomap 94  Chirp with panoptix ps-22.
G.E.F.M

Offline mealworm

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #11 on: Feb 26, 2018, 05:16 AM »
Lipless crank baits work great under the ice in no or very little current. I have caught several lake trout on them this year. No added weights just tie  on and jig. I'm thinking these would work best for the OP.

Offline RapShack

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #12 on: Feb 26, 2018, 12:30 PM »
that's what i was aiming for, rapshack. i tried a spinner rig behind a bottom bouncer one day awhile back. nothing was biting that day so i don't know if that would work or not, either.

I've tried it with a shad rap before and you can let out a bunch of line and cover a lot of bottom.  But like I said I don't think you'd get much of a hookset.  Maybe if you used a long open water rod so you had a lot more sweep but even then I'm not sure.
I'm a man, but I can change, If I have to, I guess.

Offline sdbigeye

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #13 on: Feb 26, 2018, 10:50 PM »
gonna try some of these ideas that everyone on here has given me. if i go to sharp, should me more reliable current. but it's at least double the distance to go. but if i can't get on the ice due to the usual water next to the ice on francis case, that's where i'll try. wish me luck!! lol

Offline sdbigeye

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #14 on: Feb 26, 2018, 10:53 PM »
oh and rapshack, any time you set the hook on the river, we have to use the hookset to the sky! haha try to pull him out of the hole from 30-35 fow.

Offline sdbigeye

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #15 on: Mar 03, 2018, 09:44 PM »
well, didn't go out today. had family things to do. supposed to be nast tomorrow, so maybe next week?

Offline slipperybob

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Re: crankbaits under the ice
« Reply #16 on: Mar 07, 2018, 06:34 PM »
I toyed with some of my cranks for years...just a toy for me.
For more information read my MN nice journal

 



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