Following Cranks

 
        Normally when you are either catching bass right at the boat or the bass are following it, you can do one of a few things.  Move out and see if you were on top of the bass.  Instead of swapping colors right then when you have bass chasing your lure, you may try cranking faster.  When bringing it up to the boat, crank like crazy and kill it just when the bait gets visible close to the boat and let it float up by itself.  The bass almost yank the rod out of your hand at the boat.  Anglers have caught many bass like that, and it will often work with any lure your using up to the boat by stopping it for a second before bringing it out of the water.  Many times bass are following our lures and we don’t know it.  A sudden change in pace will often trigger the bass to strike.

        For a bass that misses your top water lure or a following bass throw in a Senko right behind the lure you were using and more times than not, the bass will crush the Senko.  Just cast it out and let it fall, then watch your line.  Also, try a Senko and let it fall where you saw the fish coming up.  If they won't take the crank bait, I can promise you they won't let that bait fall by them without eating it.  If you discover they are suspended, make certain you work the bridge columns too.  Those often get overlooked, and can really hold some good fish too, as they tend to suspend on the back and sides and eat the baitfish as they blow by.

        If you are in an area that has larger bass and you are catching smaller ones, especially with cranks try swapping lures and go with a much larger one and work it slower.  Many times the bigger bass will eat the big slow bait where the smaller aggressive bass are chasing something faster and smaller.  Many times when being on bass and casting a crank such as a Deep Little N and catching a lot of average bass, swap to a DD14 if you  want the same depth with a larger bait or go to a DD22 and start catching the big bass.  The 14 and the 22 are the same body but the 14 has a lip that will keep it about the same depth as the Deep Little N.  Use the DD22, because to catch bass on a crank bait to its max you need to be hitting the bottom or the structure you are fishing, and that DD22 will get to the bottom.  Throw a DD22 or other brand of similar size, that will run 18-20' in 8-10' of water just so it can dig all through the cover.

        But for suspended bass, you don’t need to fish under them.  Once you determine if they are suspended or not, fish a crank that will stay in the water depth that the bass are suspended in.  Even a suspending crank might catch the bass better when they are chasing it and the faster cranking/kill at the boat method won't work.  The suspender will hang in the water column where you kill it and that might be what they want.