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Seaguar Report

Crankbait with RodCrankbait with Rod

The crankbait lure category is one of the most popular in all freshwater fishing, especially when it comes to bass fishing. They come in different sizes, shapes and with different wobbling actions and they are fine-tuned to reach depths from a foot below the surface to thirty feet or more. 

Noted crankbait guru Keith Combs and veteran professional bass angler Shaw Grigsby share some of their wisdom for maximizing the effectiveness of crankbaits to dive shallower and deeper and trigger more bites.

The Importance of Casting Distance

As a simple explanation, the farther you cast, the deeper your crankbait will dive. It's simple physics and having a crankbait get down to the maximum depth while keeping your bait at that depth for a longer period. Combs says that's a significant benefit, but he also sees other reasons why a long cast for deep diving crankbaits is essential.

"Getting maximum depth is the biggest reason you want to make a long cast and the longer cast will also allow you to cover more water," he says. "I like to position my boat as far away from fish as I can when cranking because the further you can stay away from fish, the better. Another benefit to a longer cast is that when you hook one further away, the fish wears itself out by the time it gets right next to the boat and that's where you lose most of the fish hooked with treble hooks, so it increases your landing ratio as well."

Both Combs and Grigsby make sure to have the right rod, reel, and line to maximize their casting distance. 

By Louie Stout

Wilson Chandler, NBA StarWilson Chandler, NBA Star

Michiana angler Ken Holder poses with Carlos Thomas (left) and former NBA star Wilson Chandler pose in front of Chandler's new Caymas boat.

When an angler gets a sponsor, he’s expected to perform, and not necessarily just in competitive events.

Nobody knows that better than Michiana’s Ken Holder who helped put a former NBA basketball player in a fully loaded Caymas CX21 with a Merc 250 from Starboard Choice Marine in Edwardsburg, Mich.

It came together in a roundabout way through Holder’s relationship with another angler from northwest Indiana.

Holder built a friendship through fishing tournaments with Carlos Thomas from Crown Point, Ind. Thomas, who had made the acquaintance of former NBA player Wilson Chandler at the Bass Pro Shops in Portage, Ind.

Chandler, a Benton Harbor native who was drafted in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft, played 13 years in the NBA. He played college basketball at DePaul University.

BFHOF Report

Bass fisherman have a great opportunity to bid on tackle, lures and gear, tournament pro jerseys, exclusive fishing trips with expert anglers and more in the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s online auction presented by Major League Fishing.

It’s easy. Log-in with your smartphone, tablet or computer at https://one.bidpal.net/bfhof/browse/all to access the auction-dedicated website or text BFHOF to 243-725.

The website will be ‘live’ from 9 a.m. EST Friday, Sept. 22 through 9 p.m. EST on Thursday, Sept. 28, the night when many involved in the bass fishing world will be gathered to celebrate the induction of Glen Andrews, Bruce Holt, and Michael Iaconelli into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, located within Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium & Museum.

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