"Ripping" cranks through weeds

[Andrew Zuber]

Tex's post about his tactics at his first tournament got me thinking...

I've read many article recently about bouncing rattl-traps and crankbaits off weed beds and then 'ripping' them through the weeds...Tex said only 1 out of 4 casts came back without salad on the lure...When I've done this, I don't think I get a 'vegetation-free' lure back even that often...Maybe our weeds up north here are different, but lures just don't 'bounce' off them! Most of the weeds here are the eurasian milifoil sp? variety...Thick stuff! I could see where if you were fishing over a true 'grass' that you could rip the lure out a bit better...

How do you handle 'ripping' in thick stuff?



az

 

[Gene B]

Andy, our weeds in Michigan are all related to the Venus Flytrap. The difference of course is that our weeds try to eat fishing lures. By ripping your lure thru the weeds you are actually harvesting.



Gene

 

[mike chip]

I prefer to tick the tops of the weeds, not drag it through them, it works for me

 

[Bryan McDonough]

When fishing is tough and there is hydrilla this is an effective technique. It generates reaction strikes. I use this technique on Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn to dredge up fish on slow days when the fish get down in the weeds. Yes it can be frustrating, but stick with it and it can be worth while.

 

[Texas Transplant]

If using a true crankbait, I agree with Mike. If the tops of the grass are down furhter, then I'd try a 'bouyant' crankbait that just ticks the grass. When you feel it tick the grass, stop and let the bait float up somewhat - then start turning again. I used this successfully last year on Murray with a DT10. When fishing this past weekend, I should have put on (to try), a real shallow runner (1-2 feet), and tried that.



However, when using the rattle-trap, if I felt it stop vibrating, I would then really rip through the grass (with a fast sweeping rod motion), that sometimes shook off the extra grass, giving me the vibration back.



If possible, try turning parallel to the grass line, and probing the front of it with a crankbait. Any bass laying just back in the grass (waiting to ambush it's prey), will be prone to attacking something coming into it's 'prey area'.



Tex

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I learned that tactic some 15+ yeras ago when Rattletraps were just takin' off. Hadn't used them much and didn't feel like loosin' one in the weeds especially fishin' from the bank at a local pit here in Ohio. When summer came along and weeds were startin' to get pretty thick I thought I'd see if I could rip it fast enough to keep it out of these shallow clumps(1 ft.to 2 ft.). Well I found out pretty quick I couldn't. BUT I also found when it was bangin' it thru the hump and hit the top...WHAM! Then I found once it dropped into the deeper holes I could drop it or slow it down to feel the tops and purposely RRRRRIIIPPP IT thru and WHAM!

I guess it gets em' all excited that it's somethin' tryin' to get away!

It does work well..Traps are STILL one of my biggest arsenals but, here in Ohio we don't have aton of lakes that has a lot of weeds..Not State lakes anyway.

TEE

BTW Andy...you can't rip those "other" cranks like the lipless cranks because your using the weight of the lure to accomplish this procedure. Boyuant cranks can't rip...the hooks will foul everytime if your IN it.

 

[Mike Newman]

I make a nice local tournament return$ by pulling Mann's Baby1- cranks through the tops of slightly submerged weedbeds here in Central Illinois. Also have had good luck with this pattern in Lake Minnetonka in Minn. I pull back weeds probably 4-5 out of 10 times, but more than enough bass to make it worth it. Unfortunately(I hate them teeth)I also have to pull a few pike and muskie off my baits using this technique. Nothing like getting a monster hit early in the morning on tournament day and finding out after getting the fish close to the boat that it is one of those toothy critters. I have lost many a crankbaits to those jagged teeth. 5 years ago nobody that I fished with/against was doing this now we all have a box full of Baby1-'s.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Anybody here try the Footloose series from Bandit?

TEE

 

[mike chip]

tee,

i use the bandit footloose series on the potomac starting in early march with great success all summer. we also like the manns 1- there are several sizes, usually start small and get bigger as the water warms.

 

[Jon Puhalski]

Two ways I know of to Rip the grass. First is the easiest and that is using a floating Rat-L-Trap and heavy line. The floating trap only dives a couple of feet anyhow so you can really control the depth by retreive speed and angle of the rod.



The second method is pure bubba fishing. Braided line and a stiff rod. To be able to rip a bait from the weeds, you've got to eliminate stretch which you have a lot of with typical mono and cranking rods. Keep a loose drag and train your thumb to apply pressure to the spool when ripping, and then be able to control the spool with your thumb acting as the drag. Because you've got this no give braid and stiff rod, you've got to be able to give line to a hard pulling fish.



These are the two methods I've used with decent succes.