Tips on Fishing Small Deep-Diving Musky Crankbaits!

[@terrymakstaller3094]

Definitely one of our go to baits. Miller perch

[@MuskyMastery]

Terry, always a classic go-to!

[@jdean1851]

Epic Tutorial!!!! Thanks Alot!!!!

[@MuskyMastery]

Thanks JD!

[@jaesaren]

Brilliant video, thanks for all the good info on cranking!

[@MuskyMastery]

Alexander, thank you so much man!! I am really glad you enjoyed the video and please feel free to throw a couple questions out to keep the cranking conversation going. Tight lines dude!

[@Cavie1974]

Baby DR has saved the day for me on plenty of occasions. EXACTLY the type of situation you described in the intro. Hot, flat calm days on the weed edge. Boom, game over! Good job of walking through the entire presentation on this lure. Keep 'em coming.

[@MuskyMastery]

Pete, thank you so much dude!!! Yes, you are so right on with that comment... the baby DR has definitely saved so many trips under poor conditions when nothing else seems to be getting any attention. And even if its not a musky... the baby DR catches all sorts of nice fish from trophy walleye to big pike! More content on the way! Thanks as always for all of your support!

[@tonys1641]

Dude!! Thanks again for the great info Chas! So much info to learn on musky fishing. Hopefully I can remember most of it. Lol. Can't wait for our musky outing in June!

[@MuskyMastery]

Tony, I can't wait to get out on the water with you soon and get after em' ! It is amazing just how much there is to know in the sport of fishing but by knowing and applying a few basic concepts you can find consistent success. The continued process of learning and understanding how an ecosystem works is incredible and it takes a lifetime.

[@jerryg1053]

Fantastic video, keep it up

[@MuskyMastery]

Thanks Jerry!!! More videos like this coming soon! Tight lines dude!

[@shawny_mac]

Can’t thank you enough for all the content you’ve been giving us! It’s greatly appreciated, Chas. Especially during these winter months 😉 The Duuuuuuuude!

[@MuskyMastery]

Shawn, I can't thank you enough for kind words and I am really pumped you are enjoying the videos!! More content coming each and week and please comment any time with questions or to just talk fishing! Tight lines!

[@drum2little]

Chas, 2 years ago I did everything you just presented in this video. Was using a shallow raider in fire tiger perch on shallow rocks. Oh my gosh, did I have action. It was LOTW. I had gotten a tip from a local. Just like you said, they come out of nowhere in the figure eight. Great video!

[@MuskyMastery]

Drum2little - that is AWESOME!!! Yes, the hits while fishing cranbaits over rocks are without a doubt some of my favorite musky strikes! It is tough to describe the feeling when a musky grabs a crankbait as you are ticking it along the bottom... just awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@illmuskyhunter3313]

Awesome video dude. It would be awesome to see you do the same type of video on the 7 in shallow raiders. It would be really helpful to see someone fish it. I know it's purpose but it really is alot more finesse so it's really the technique that makes them work. I'll def be trying to learn this spring

[@illmuskyhunter3313]

Hey Chas dude, do you have any tricks you use while fishing the SR7's? Like how long do you back off reeling when you feel the weeds?

[@MuskyMastery]

DUDE! Thanks so much for the great comments as always! Yes, I will be coming out with a 7" SR exclusive video soon so we can really dial in the technique and get you set for the open water season! Did you by chance watch my (season 2) episode 19? I go into detail on the straight model SR technique and you can watch me work the lure. You are absolutely right... it is ALL about the technique! With the straight model SR it is really what Joe and I like to call a "hybrid technique." Start off by slack-line twitching the lure with horizontal rod movements (to keep the lure running shallower in the water column) and then after just a couple, whip the slack line and PAUSE the lure in place briefly. If the musky doesn't hit then just simply begin cranking it in and finish with a figure-8. When I feel the lure hit weed cover I immediately release the tension in the line and try to allow the lure to "back up and out" of the weed snag. From there I will again use slack line twitching to clear hanging debris on the diving lip or the trebles and then continue with the retrieve. Hope this helps and let's keep the convo going on this!! Talk soon.

[@parisgates4830]

Wow this a great video 👌🏿

[@MuskyMastery]

Paris thanks dude!! Really glad you enjoyed the video! More content like this coming soon! Tight lines!

[@sgangling]

Great stuff Chas! When the BDR is ticking against the rocks do you ever notice the hooks ticking against the rocks as well? Obviously if it did that would lead to dulled hooks pretty quickly. Just wondering from your experience. Keep the videos coming!

[@MuskyMastery]

Sam, thank you so much dude!!! Occasionally I will have a hook stick in a rock but more often I have the diving lip get stuck in a tight crevice. Most of the time, if I create some slack in the line and whip the line, the DR will rise up out of the snag... usually resulting in a musky strike! I have had great results swapping the hooks out with these:tinyurl.com/y2fnoktg. The stock hooks are great but the KVD (size 2 O/T) design has a bend angle that keeps those barbs and hook points hidden from the rocks. Highly recommended modification if you haven't tried it! Thanks for the comment! More videos like this coming soon!

[@sgangling]

@@MuskyMastery Thanks! Its funny you mention those hooks because I just bought those 2 weeks ago and noticed how bent in they were. I sharpened all of them and am good to go!

[@tnjjbigclutch9434]

Epic pov’s

[@MuskyMastery]

Thanks Josh! Really glad you enjoyed the different camera angles!

[@rayhenderson3546]

Another great video! The comments and replies are very informative as well. Im suprised to see you use a piano wire. Why not a 12", 170 lbs flourocarbon? Thanks.

[@MuskyMastery]

Thanks Ray!! Yes, I try to use piano wire as much as possible because it is, for the most part, bullet-proof and I call it the "No B.S. system" when combined with a split ring instead of the snap! The steel piano wire leaders also offer you the benefit of adding "mass" or weight to your crankbaits - which allows me to adjust the buoyancy. I also modify the buoyancy with different hooks and lead tape. But back to the fluoro leaders... I have personally never had a bite-off when I used them years ago but I had lots of cuts from teeth marks and I feel that if you hooked a REALLY big fish, a true brute, that she could cut / break a fluoro leader. I had one musky on LOTW that followed up 3 times that was capable of breaking tackle. I couldn't believe her size.

[@brendanandrews9590]

Hey I’m looking to get a dedicated rod to throw the baby shallow or depth raider/other small twitchers, small blades like single and double 6’s, JB rattlers and other similar lipless, and other really small baits. Have you used the 7’10” mf downsizer? It’s rated 3/4-3oz and I really like the idea of how light it is and the length of it. I already have a 9’ heavy legend tournament so I know I’m a fan of the line of rods, I’m just not sure if the downsizer is going to be too light to twitch effectively and if I should just go with the 8’ mh, thanks

[@MuskyMastery]

Brendan, the LMD70MF is without a doubt my all-time favorite rod for twitching small minnow baits, working lipless crankbaits and for a variety of smaller presentations. Bottom line, it is just an awesome rod. You will not be disappointed!

[@brendanandrews9590]

Musky Mastery thanks for the reply, gonna try to get one before next season

[@ryannafe9252]

Hey dude, do you think these same principles will hold true when going after big pike? I’m just getting into pike fishing seriously, focusing on two lakes in Polk County, Wisconsin which have no musky population but are known (I verified it with the local fisheries biologist) to have fish at and above 40”. One lake is a shallow flowage on a mid-sized river, no spots deeper than 9’, but the other is a more typical lake with points, sharp drops, deep weed edges on the drops, and a couple submerged reefs/rockpiles.

[@benrollinh526]

Second question...what depths of weeds do you work the baby DR? For example, what depths would be the minimum weed edge depth and maximum weed edge depth you'd use it on?

[@MuskyMastery]

Ben, absolutely dude! LOVE the questions! I would say that there really is no maximum depth with regard to the weed edge but there would be a minimum depth as a result of the lure's running depth. I like ticking weed tops and edges in the 6 to 8 ft range with the baby DR but I make lots of casts out over deeper weeds and even out into the main lake basin as I work the edge. My sweet spot with the baby DR is around 6.5-8 feet. Thanks again for watching and keep the questions coming!

[@benrollinh526]

Thanks for the quick response and added info...a follow-up on a fairly specific structure to use the baby DR...do you typically use a baby DR on sharply defined weed edges or will you use them also on say a shallower sloping flat were there is a fairly defined weed edge in 7 feet of water, weeds coming within 2-3 feet of surface, and then some scattered weeds in 8-10 FOW with some larger patches of weeds that top out 3-4 feet below the surface. The outer most vegetation is at about 9- 10 FOW. I typically use bucktails, gliders, and topwaters to probe the inner edge and outer patches to see where fish are setting up. Would a baby DR by another tool you would use in this situation?

[@MuskyMastery]

Ben, great question. Generally I will throw a baby DR in any scenario where I can prob an edge. I like throwing it into the 4 foot zone and then cranking it down into the 6-7 foot range - when cranking weed edges. I agree for sure - throwing shallower running lures up into the flat is best, especially when you have a lead guy probing the edge. Thanks again for the comment and please keep the conversation going!

[@benrollinh526]

Absolutely fantastic video brother! I hope to see similar vids on the jointed DR and straight8 DR. I gather you normally run the baby DR as the first hole bait...do you ever run a baby DR in hole two or three or is it always paired with bucktaits/ glider/ topwaters in hole two and three?

[@MuskyMastery]

Ben, thank you so much dude!!! I will for sure have more videos detailing the jointed and straight model DepthRaiders. Each lure really needs its own video because there is just SO much to talk about! When fishing weed structure I generally run the DR off the bow (spot/hole 1) as the lead caster. This helps the lead thrower cast more parallel with the weed edge and helps with boat control. When fishing rock reefs, I might run the DR's out of any position (hole 2 or 3) because the casting tends to be a little more perpendicular in nature. Thanks for watching and keep the questions coming!

[@davidhardt2650]

Great great instructional video. Really nice follow up to the video regarding the different types of depth raiders. I stopped in the middle and ordered the crankbait book through Amazon. Keep the knowledge coming. One question. I hear you mention you use 80 lb line, just wondering, why not say 40 lb? I would think 30-40 lb would cover most muskys a Wisconsin fisherperson would run into. Is it in case you hit that monster fish or to make sure you can pull through any snag? Or is it related to how the lure works?

[@MuskyMastery]

Dave thank you dude!!! The reason I like to go with heavier strength line is because it is simply "tougher!" Over the course of a long day on the water I am casting my baby DR in all sorts of dangerous, rugged spots (rocks, trees, logs, boulders etc) and the line hits many of these pieces of structure and can be damaged. The stronger "lb test rating" the more abuse it can take. This is especially true when trolling DR's and bottom-bouncing. The first couple feet of line is exposed to lots of dangerous elements. Another factor is the technology: these new super braid lines are very thin! 80 lb test Beast Braid line has an 18 lb test diameter! That is THIN! Another reason for using the heavier line is... if I do hook into the largest musky that swims in Wisconsin, Canada, Minnesota or where ever... I want to be prepared. One last comment.. in my episode 22, one of the muskies I was trying to net got under the boat and tangled in the transom mount trolling motor... need a tough line to survive situations like that!

[@davidhardt2650]

I remember that incident (in the video) Great point@@MuskyMastery