Pro Brent Chapman on deflecting crank-baits

by P L Summerville
(Alabama)

Brent saids " He likes to make his crank-baits imitate a fleeing baitfish by bumping the lure into cover,causing it to dart to one side, then reeling it in Quickly to make it look like its swimming away from the cover."

Baitfish when attempting to escape sometimes accidentally run into objects which sometimes leads to their end, according to Brent Chapman.

He tries to imitate these bumbling baitfish by deflecting a Storm Lures Pro Series Short Wart off stomps, lay downs, and pole timber.

He saids, "When inactive bass are up in shallow water you can get them to bite better by putting something big and loud in front of them."

Keeping his 7' rod high, he can rapidly retrieve his lure. He saids, "Faster retrieves are better for getting the reaction strikes."

Chapman ties on 20lb.test line to make his lure more buoyant and help it deflect off the cover better, using constant high speed retrieval to bang the lure into solid wood cover to make a louder noise.

He will alter his tactics when presenting the lure around softer more springy cover like cedar trees to prevent hangups.

Chapman will crank his lure at a fast paste to within a few inches of branches and then stop it, when the bait stops, it sometimes glides in a different direction, almost like deflecting off something. He saids, "Most of the strikes occur as the lure changes directions."

A quick tip: You should always match lure action
to the prevalent forage. To match bluegill, or crawfish use a wide wobbling action, shad on the other hand you should use a slim plug with a tight wiggle.