When choosing crankbaits, be sure to purchase families of baits. By this I mean, shallow, medium and deep-divers. When we purchase jigheads, we buy different sizes for different depths. For some unknown reason anglers will not treat crankbaits like the tools they are. Pay close attention to your bait purchases and you will reep the benefits.

All cranks, and jerks should be fished on some form of snap, not a snap swivel. This will create a 'loose' connection point that allows the bait to wobble freely. Bob Denis and Jim Howe, who operate Bill Norman Lures, have a introduced a truly unique piece of terminal tackle called the 'Speed Clip'. Designed to do the job of the snap more efficiently, the Speed Clip has quickly become my number one choice when using crank and jerkbaits.

Depending on the water cover, most of my crankbaiting is done with 10 or 14-pound Berkley Trimax. Choices for a rod and reel include a fairly limber tipped 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 foot rod, teamed with a slow-speed retrieve reel. For example, the Shimano CITICA 200B with a 5.0:1 retrieve ratio. The limber rod is not quite as important for walleyes as they don't jump as a bass would. The lower retrieve ratio on the reel will help to slow the bait and let it perform its magic. As I mentioned earlier, this bait will perform best with a moderate retrieve speed.

The future will see even more refinements in walleye baits, but for the present my crankbait recommendations include, Wally Divers, Shad Raps amd C.C. Shads. For jerkbaits the Smithwick Suspending Rogue is all I currently require. When we talked about jerkbaits, I mentioned stopping the bait and letting the fish gobble up an easy meal. Well, the Suspending Rogue is a dream come true as it does not float quickly back to the surface when you stop it. As its name implies, it will remain suspended at the same depth and say 'Eat Me'. Smithwick has also introduced small sizes and deepdivers to nicely round out the family.

Hooks on crankbaits are often numerous but we still don't land every fish. Sharp hooks are imperative for success. Changing your hooks to high-tech models such as Owner Cutting Point Tournament Trebles, or Heddon Excalibur Trebles will really increase your odds.

Fish methodically and thoroughly when using crank or jerkbaits and before long you will have added another tried and true method to your own arsenal for walleyes. Let's not forget the bonus bass, pike and musky that will try to muscle in on the walleye's dinner. We all know, fishing is fishing and in my book, any bite is a good bite.

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