But It Isn’t a Crankbait Lake! Right?
By Chuck Bailey
Established in 1938, Western Bass Club is the oldest bass club in America, which is surprising considering it is located in the Northwest, near Seattle Washington. But it’s my bass club, so when I announced my intention to create a website called Crankbait Central, it was only natural to ask the guys on WBC’s forum, (WesternBassClub.com), if they had any recommendations of "master crankbait fishermen" that I might interview.
When John Sewell’s name was suggested I was surprised to discover he lived only two hours away on Silver Lake, near Castle Rock, Washington. Which is strange, because everyone knows that “Silver Lake isn’t a crankbait lake.” Right?
Compared to some of the larger deep-water reservoirs in eastern Washington, Silver Lake is a small basin lake on the west side of the mountains that is sometimes described in tourist websites as a “marsh”. Nestled in a scenic mountain valley, this beautiful 2,996-acre lake reflects what’s left of Mt. St. Helen in the background. But best of all, this unique shallow water lake has largemouth bass. Big ones.
Several decades ago the lake was filled with vegetation; at least three types of lily pads, and half a dozen varieties of aquatic weeds. It was a bass fisherman’s heaven; where weedless jigs, plastic worms, and spinnerbaits ruled. I remember warmly a number of “50 bass before noon” days. And then… came the grass carp.
Shoreline property owners, swimmers, water skiers, and trout fishermen convinced the state to fill the lake with a species of grass carp that could “help keep the vegetation from choking the lake”. The carp were genetically altered so as to be unable to reproduce. The plan looked safe enough at first, but someone thoroughly misjudged the ratio of “fish to acreage” formula, because within a decade almost every form of submerged vegetation was wiped out. Only one species of lily pads has managed to survive the onslaught of these voracious consumers of vegetation.
Not A Crankbait Lake!
And while this shallow basin lake has changed, the fishing routines and habits of the local majority of bass fishermen have not. When bass clubs from around the state come to Silver Lake to have their tournaments, it is plastics, jigs, and spinnerbaits that are the weapons of choice. Because after all, everyone knows - “Silver Lake isn’t a crankbait lake.”
Well, some forgot to tell John Sewell because this local legend has been quietly fishing Silver Lake with crankbaits for decades. After meeting him at the Silver Lake Resort on a beautiful September day, we loaded our gear in his boat and he shared, “I have been fishing crankbaits in this lake for 25 years, (even before the grass carp had done their thing).”
“But back then, I would fish cranks in the lily pads. The milfoil would grow right up to the outside edge of the pads and stop. But in the center of the pads, we could run a crankbait through it.” Did that mean John threw cranks just in the open areas? “No, we threw them right smack in the lily pads, and also around the pad edges. We used to hammer them.”
As we idled away from the resort, John remembered how his crankbait techniques were honed years ago as a young man when he used to fish Cold Creek Sough, one on the back water soughs of the Columbia River. “It was full of milfoil, but we fished it with crankbaits.” It’s where John developed his fondness for rocks. “We would seek out and target the few and isolated rocks because milfoil didn’t grow on them.”
John had just finished maneuvering the boat around the protective log-booms that protected the resort’s docks, when he turned the key off and lowered the trolling motor. Then he handed me a tiny crankbait while pointing to the lake's two islands. He continued, “Even when Silver Lake’s milfoil was heavy, the islands, with their rock wing-dams were always good for crankbaits. They still are.”
When I asked him if all shallow basin lakes had spots like that? He chuckled and said, ”Well, the funny part about it is, even when a lake is choked with weeds to the surface, you can still use a crankbait. You can use a topwater. I’ve caught more 8 pound bass on the original floating Rapala in black and gold than most people can dream about. And that was true back in the days when the milfoil was so thick it wasn’t funny. We would just throw the balsa bait into the pockets and 'twitch' it.”
Small Crankbaits?
But the crankbait John handed me was not a long minnowbait. As I opened my snap to attach the tiny lure to my line, I asked him what the bait was. “That’s a ¼ ounce Cordell, Big O. Later I might have you throw a square 1/5 ounce Bomber because I have them in brighter colors for when the sun gets brighter. Those two lures basically do the same thing; both run about three feet deep, and they don’t get trapped up in the rocks – which is where we will start.”
Hoping the bass would soon reveal their color and size preferences, John chose to tie on a Tennessee Shad colored Bandit, 100 series. (He would later change to a Perch pattern as the day went on). With his first cast, the small Bandit landed among the shallow rocks at the edge of the shore. It quickly became clear why these two smaller baits were being used. They deflected easily and floated up fairly quickly when caught on the rocks.
Size Selection?
I asked John to explain the size selection in more detail. “There’s an old adage ‘Big baits catch big fish, and little baits catch all fish’. So these smaller baits catch both big and little.”
“And... in this lake I also try to 'match the hatch'. The most abundant and easiest-to-catch forage right now is this year’s hatch of crappie, perch, bass, and carp. You even have bullfrog tadpoles of the same size. They’re all fair game. Fact is, bass eat everything – big and small.”
A Rock Hard Strategy!
I was also curious about John’s strategy for the day. “Rocks. Rocks and docks. Find some rocks, find some scattered cover. Because if you’re going to run a crankbait and the bass are up in the shallow rocks – they’re feeding.”
The majority of the “rocks” John was talking about were located on northern shores, and were dispersed in only six inches of stained water. Our boat, (a comfortable cast away from the shore), rested in only 2-3 feet. Obviously the shoreline taper was negligible. Little wonder most bass fishermen never picked up a crankbait here. To throw a common “full size” diving crankbait, (with it's large bill and hooks), into this rock strewn shoreline would be frustrating and futile. But surprisingly the little crankbaits bounced through the rocks with ease. And if they did get caught and stalled, slack line permitted them to float up to freedom.
On my third cast my ¼ ounce Big O landed inches away from a bolder only to consumed by a small bass. “Why” I asked, “are they up in 6 inches of water?”
“Well, it has to do with the feeding patterns of the bass. If they are up there among the shoreline rocks it’s because they have food trapped against the bank. And they’ll dart in there to eat or they will lay just off the bank in order to keep that food trapped. I’ve noticed that if you toss your crank in there and spook their corralled food, the bass instantly become irritated with the invader and they will just hammer your crankbait”
You Call These “Rocks”?
Now, anyone who has fished the deeper stone-walled canyon lakes around the country might be amused at first by what John calls “rocks”. Most of them had been physically dumped along the water’s edge by property owners to stop water erosion, though a few larger rocks placed there by mother nature did find themselves further out in the water, though these were usually isolated. By some angler’s standards, these edges are called “do-nothing” or “barren” shorelines.
John, however, quickly pointed out that it wasn’t the quantity of rocks that counted, (or whether they were natural or man-made), just that they were there. “Even these isolated rocks further out from shore are ambush points, and the bass will actually lay at the base of these rocks. When you come by with your crankbait they’ll come off those rocks and literally hammer you.”
Wing-dams
“It’s the same with wing-dams. When we fish later along the wing-dams on the two islands on this lake, you’ll see that the bass will be laying at the base of those wing-dams, and as you bring your crankbait along the side of it, they’ll ambush it.”
Throughout the morning, bass of all sizes proved John right. Most came along the shoreline, but others came further out on the rocks that lay isolated among the acres of shallow featureless bottom.
Isolated Rocks
Because the shallow lake’s bottom sloped so gradually, I wondered out loud how far the isolated rocks went out. John smiled and confessed that they go farther out than most anglers imagine. “There is the possibility we could turn around, cast out and catch some bass. Possibly even bigger ones.” My guide went on to explain that the bass will often use those isolated rocks as rest stops on their way to the shoreline where they dine.
Big Fish – Little Hooks?
Within the first hour a dozen fish had come into the boat ranging from small to respectable, but no giants had showed up. As I looked at my tiny crankbait with those small trebles, I asked John, “Are you confident that if a big fish takes in this little bait – we can bring it in?”
“Of course!” he said firmly.
“The small hook size doesn’t concern you?” I asked.
“Hook size just isn’t as important to me as it is to some. I’ve caught a lot of big fish on tiny lures. Just yesterday I got a 5 and a 7 pounder on the same baits we are using.” (see picture)
Bouncing!
On occasion, my guide and I did manage to get hung in the rocks, but he made it very clear that this was to be expected when fishing a shallow basin lake correctly. “If you are not down kicking the bottom, you’re not down where the fish are at.”
“And that’s the key,” I asked, “to be bouncing bottom?”
“Bounce it off something! It doesn’t have to be the bottom, if there is vegetation, roots, rocks, logs, or stumps - bounce it off something!”
Having moved to the second island, we searched for isolated rocks further and further from shore. When the depthfinder indicated the bottom was now 4 to 5 foot below us, John suggested I switch from the smaller Cordell to the Bandit 100. The reason again had to do with John’s insistence that the bait should be bouncing off of something. And since the smaller bait only went down to 3 feet, the slightly larger Bandit would dig up the bottom down to 5 foot. "Bouncing", John insisted, is an important key to crankbait success.
Slow Down!
Watching John’s unusually slow retrieve, I asked about it. “If you think you are going too slow, slow down even more,” John insisted. “There’s also no need for long casts in this stained water, just retrieve the crank slow, stopping every once in a while. I rarely throw a fast retrieve.”
Equipment:
As to equipment, John prefers 6 to 7 foot medium-action rods that have plenty of give so as not to rip out the small hooks.
As to reels, John doesn’t care what the gear ratio is, mainly because he retrieves so slowly in the shallow and stained water. “As slow as I retrieve the crankbait – gear ratio makes no difference to me. I just want to go slow.” He suggests the angler use whatever reel they’ve got, just... go slow.
John typically uses 12 to 15 pound test. He'll go heavier, but not lighter. And our teacher chooses monofilament because of it’s “give factor” - mono stretches. And he utilizes a snap, (no swivel), because “I feel you get a better action on a crankbait when you use a snap.”
The only modifications John makes to these smaller crankbaits is to increase the size of the rear hook, but only moving up one size. “Just the back hook, not the bottom hook.” He explains. “It gives a little bit more hooking power. And besides, the back hook usually rides up a little higher anyway because the bill normally tips the nose of the crankbait down when you reel it.” Though some anglers claim a shift in hook sizes often affects the wobble of a crankbait, John insists “A slightly larger hook in the rear does not make any difference in the action of the lure at all.”
Rod Position And Scent
John keeps his rod tip up when the tiny lure is in 6 inches to a foot of water, but lowers it as the water gets deeper, to make sure bottom contact is always being made. With the crankbait’s treble already exposed, John uses a short gentle 'sweep' when setting the hooks - resisting the urge to cross the eyes of a fish like you would with a jig or plastic worm.
Although John fishes slow, he sees no need to put scent on a crankbait.
Water Fluctuations
In a shallow basin lake, the only conditions that fluctuate in terms of water is a minor seasonal change in clarity. “In the spring it can actually be clear enough to see some of the bottom. Even back in the marsh ditches, you have a tannic color that looks like tea – super clear, but like tea. But that’s only in the spring of the year. When the summer wind starts to blow, it starts riling up the water, which gets muddier, making visibility a little more difficult.”
Later in the summer there is often an thick green algae bloom on the surface of the water. John actually welcomes it because a lot of anglers hate to fish in it and they stay home, leaving the lake to himself. “But the fish don’t care,” John smiles. “And because of the thick heavy algae bloom you will actually find the fish moving closer to the surface making a topwater presentation work even better.”
Wind and Weather
On this day, a slight breeze occasionally touched the water’s surface, but the wind did not pick up. And while each lake is unique, specific weather conditions on Silver Lake can have noticeable impact on a crankbait fisherman’s success.
“There’s an old adage,” John says, “‘Wind from the west - fishing is best, wind from the east - fishing is least.’ On this lake that is really true. Why? Because when you get a wind from the east on this lake, it is blowing off the mountain, (St Helen’s), and that’s a cold wind. This quickly drops the air and water temperature, turning off the fish. The wind from the west normally creates warmer water.”
Water Temperature?
On a marshy basin lake, anglers often wonder if there is any noticeable water temperature differences between the surface and the shallow bottom. “Maybe in 8 feet of water it may vary a degree to a degree and a half,” John explains. However, the only time top-to-bottom water temperature differences are important is on the hottest summer days. “…especially when you’ve got 86 to 87 degree surface temperature. (hot for Washington). On hot days like that, you’ve got more than one or two degrees difference. In fact, you’re probably talking 6 or 7 degrees difference. That’s when I think the fish are more comfortable being a little bit deeper. And I think that’s why people, (shoreline fishermen), can’t find the bass on a real warm day, because they are not fishing deep enough.”
Color
Around 11:30 a.m. we headed back to the resort. Two dozen bass had fallen to those tiny cranks; an eye opening and enlightening experience.
The only changes we had made to the baits during the day had to do with color. “Well,” explained John, “I am a firm believer in 'Light day - light color, dark day - dark color.' That’s the way I approach my bass fishing. The brighter the day, the brighter my lure is in stained water. When the water is pretty clear, I choose subtle natural colors because the fish can see them. But when we get the stained water like we have now, it’s “dark day – dark color” because dark shows up better on a dark day. And should it be a light day – I use a light color.”
The Perfect Crankbait Day?
As we trailered the boat, John was apologetic about not slamming a giant, “It wasn’t the perfect crankbait day,” he explained. I assured him I was very pleased with releasing 24 bass in a couple of hours of fishing. And so I took the opportunity to ask him “What is the perfect crankbait day on Silver Lake?”
“My ideal crankbait day is a day that does not have a lot of wind and is overcast. Because on Silver Lake a bright day, (when you’ve got real bright blue bird skies), it means you won’t catch crankbait fish. Or very few.”
John explained that those super-bright cloudless summer days tend to tuck the bass far back into the vegetation. Then… “They’re just too hard to get to. The bass will back themselves way back into the remaining vegetation and shoreline bushes, and they don’t want to come out because of the brightness. That’s when you have to throw jigs back into the thick brush in order to catch fish.”
Continuing to address the perfect crankbait day, John states, “My biggest fish have come on overcast days because the bass roam. They’re not afraid to get out and move around when it’s not real bright.”
A Lake Poll
Settling into my two hour drive home, I reflected on a great day, and wondered what my computer might reveal when I got home. The night before I had 'polled' my fellow bass club members on WBC’s website. I had listed 5 lakes that typically make it into our yearly tournament schedule and asked them to prioritize them in terms of “crankbait lakes”. Silver Lake was among them.
That evening the results showed that the majority of members polled, had placed Silver Lake in last or next to last place. The majority clearly did not think of this shallow basin lake as being a great crankbait lake. Except… for one sneaky and tight lipped character who placed Silver Lake in 2nd place and confessed “My best days at Silver involved cranks...” Apparently it pays to stop listening to the local general opinion that attempts to define whether certain lakes are or aren’t “crankbait lakes”.
When I called John the next day to thank him again, I mentioned the poll results. He was not surprised to find Silver at the bottom of the list. “Not many people fish a crankbait at Silver Lake, because they don’t know how. And if they do try crankbaits, they’re using the same larger deep-diving lures they use on other lakes and get frustrated trying to fish shallower water with them.”
Chances are, anglers everywhere have a shallow basin lake nearby that is typically thought to be strictly a jig, plastics, or spinnerbait lake. But maybe now, in light of John’s crankbait revelations, it is time to re-evaluate those assumptions.
Summary:
Before I hung up the phone I asked John to summarize what an angler might do when they try fishing that “non-crankbait” lake next time. He said,
1) Find Rip-Rap and Rocks! “Find some rip-rap, and run parallel to it. Throw the crankbait right up on the bank – and it doesn’t matter if the slope is steep or not. If you keep the crankbait right up tight on that rip-rap, a tiny 3 foot running crankbait will stay right in that strike zone all the way along. Target the isolated rocks too - you’ll catch fish on them.”
2) Think Smaller Baits In Shallower Water! Not only do smaller cranks get hung up less in the rocks, they truly manage to catch more fish. “Remember,” John insists, “Big baits catch big fish, but small baits catch them all.”
3) Bounce Something! Whether it is roots, stumps, logs, rocks, or just the bottom – a bouncing and deflecting bait with it’s irregular action triggers bites!
4) Top Water In the Pads! If you can’t find rocks or barren shorelines with scattered isolated rocks or cover, then throw top waters in and around the pads. Let them sit and just “twitch” them.
5) Boat Ramps Hold Rocks too! After launching, and before starting up the big engine to take off for distant parts of the lake - turn around and fish the boat ramp. Even in a shallow basin lake the ramps are usually built on a foundation of gravel and rocks. Even though it is often man-made, rocks piles of any type are magical places for bass to hang out. “When you find rocks right up on the bank in a shallow lake, fish it. You will catch fish with a crankbait.”
6) Slow Down – Be Persistent! “Don’t give up,” says John, “and remember, if you think you are going slow, slow it down some more. Anglers ‘in the know’ fish their local shallow basin lakes with crankbaits – others don’t. Why? They just don’t know how.”
Encouraged, enlightened, and equipped, this might be a good time for you to carefully re-evaluate that local shallow basin lake that everyone assumes is “Not a crankbait lake” and go out to prove them wrong!
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John Sewell has been written up in several Northwest outdoor magazines as an expert with small crankbaits. A retired policeman, John now lives on Silver Lake where he spends 4 to 5 days a week fishing. The store at Silver Lake Resort has a wall plastered with pictures of his trophy bass, and many of them were caught using a presentation very few other anglers use - a tiny crankbait. Who'd have guessed it? After all everyone knows Silver Lake isn't a crankbait lake! Right?
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