1/2 and 3/4 oz Deep Diving Crankbaits ~ No Hooks

by Russ Bassdozer

This shows and tells product photos, product descriptions and information for the lure models and colors that are (or have been) available at BassdozerStore.com. Not all models and colors shown are currently available, and exact specifications are subject to change.

Note: Some of the following configurations may not all be currently in stock. Some may be sold out at this time. Please check online at www.BassdozerStore.com for current availability of specific items below. Thank you for your business.

1/2 oz Deep Diving Crankbaits ~ No Hooks

Type: Floating. Rattling. Deep Diver.
Weight: 1/2 oz
Length: 2-3/4 inches (excluding lip). 4 inches (including lip)
Depth: 8 to 12 feet (casting). Up to 18 foot range (trolling).

These hard plastic deep divers work swell all season, winter, spring summer or fall.

I constantly fish with many more expensive deep divers of all brands and models.

No lure, no matter how much it costs, works all the time. However, the Deep Divers here are as productive as any others I have ever used, regardless of price.

Note: Hooks and split rings not included. For best results use your own #4 hooks.

I recommend you use #4 trebles (not included). The front hook is not able to catch on the diving lip. The diving lips are integrated parts of the bodies. So the lips cannot loosen or break off.

The hollow internal chambers have ball bearings that rattle noisily on the retrieve. The sound can best be described as a chatter, and it can be heard rattling under water when the crankbait is still a good distance away from a boat.

Fishing Tips

• Use Them More Often. Most of all, 9 out of 10 anglers do not use deep diver crankbaits enough. If I do well in tournament competition or just fun fishing, I have no qualms to tell others I caught all my fish on crankbaits. Almost anyone will assume I meant a 2 to 5 foot shallow-running crankbait. Even on deep bodies of water, most anglers tend to throw shallow-running crankbaits.
   
• Docks, Tires, Bridges. This Deep Diver runs 8 to 12 feet deep, and will bring bass up off the bottom in 20 feet of water. Many fish that suspend under man-made structure, like floating marina docks or marina breakwater tire reefs, the majority of these fish suspend about ten or twelve feet deep. They're not always up high near the floating structure. Most guys think a crankbait that runs 4 or 5 or 6 feet deep - barely beneath the floating part of the structure should be perfect, but they won't get the attention from the vast majority of deeper suspended fish that won't come up that high to hit a shallow-diving crankbait. A shallow or medium diver will not get deep enough around deep man-made structure.
   
• Even in Shallow Water. Even when there's shallow water with an irregular or rugged bottom, such as shallow reefs or humps or points with only 5 or 6 feet of water on top (and deeper water nearby), this Deep Diver can work better than a shallow-runner. Reason is, this Deep Diver will crash into more of the irregular high spots on bottom. When that happens, just slow down, let it float up a bit, then start and stop it stuttering across the high spot. As soon as it stops tapping bottom, meaning it cleared the high spot, expect a ferocious hit.
   
• Skip a Turn. There are times you should retrieve this crankbait slowly, moderately or fast. This Deep Diver can be worked as slowly or quickly as possible, exhibiting great action and stability at any speed. Let the fish decide what speed they prefer on any given day. Whatever speed you use, an occasional pause, a sudden faster rod sweep or just skipping a turn while reeling are all high percentage strike triggers (as is bumping into anything). To skip a turn is easily done. Whatever pace you are reeling at, count each turn you make of the reel handle, and stop reeling to skip one turn. You may want to skip a turn every 6 or 12 turns of the reel handle, for example. Just count, skip, count, skip, count skip... and expect strikes to come on the skip.
   
• Try Trolling. Many bass anglers don't troll crankbaits. This deep diver is perfect to troll, and will get down about 18 feet or so at the most, depending on trolling speed, the distance rod tip is kept above water, and fishing line diameter. This Deep Diver is extremely stable, will not roll or spin out. The higher speeds and consistent deep level of trolling triggers many strikes that are just not always possible to get while casting. First of all, you can't cast one of these to get down to 18 feet, and even during a cast, the crankbait only achieves its maximum depth (about twelve feet) for a very small fraction of the time. Most of the time (at the beginning and end of a cast), a crankbait is not at its maximum depth. With trolling, a crankbait is ALWAYS at the maximum depth. Again, the max with this Deep Diver is about 18 feet by having the rod tip close to the water. Raising the rod tip will raise the diving level.
   
  I troll either with the electric trolling motor or with the big engine at low speed (800 rpms) trimmed up. The length of line is about the same as a long cast. With a fish finder running, it's a great way to cover large expanses of open water - or to prefish for a tournament (if trolling's permitted during practice). When you find productive spots, return to cast the spots out with crankbaits (or Carolina rig, jigs, dropshot, etc) on actual competition days. These types of spots may be points, ledges, gravel bars, humps, saddles, ditches or many other definable types of structure. Trolling lets you find these spots (and verify fish are on them) faster than casting.
   
  However, many fish caught while trolling will seem to be hanging out in the middle of nowhere. These fish you really can't come back to target, since they're like finding a one-time needle in a haystack. It's only made possible due to the faster speeds and long stretches or "runs" that can be trolled, sometimes for a mile or more. Often, there's no way you can catch these "needle in the haystack" fish while casting. They may be suspended in open water or hanging on little patches of rough bottom on an otherwise featureless expanse. These little patches may harbor barely enough crawdads or other critters to keep a bass there just long enough until it gets a meal (or your crankbait comes by). Otherwise, what these bass may be doing out there, I have no idea. They are out there however, and really only catchable while trolling. The bottom where they're caught often looks featureless and there may not be any bait schools or anything that show up on the graph. But trolling these featureless expanses can be productive whereas casting will not.

Note: These lure bodies come without hooks and without split rings.

Natural Shad

Black Chartreuse

Black Pearl

Chartreuse White

Quebec Shad

Sunfish

Ghost Threadfin Hologram

Threadfin Hologram

Real Shad Hologram

White Pearl

Red Eye Bass

Ghost Green Craw

Brown Tiger

Black Silver Hologram

Blue Silver Hologram

Brown Gold Hologram

Blue Chartreuse

Yellow Perch

Blue Herring

Pale Yellow Belly

White Tiger

Blue Tiger

Pale Green Tiger

Pale Green Perch

Purple Shimmer

Grey Ghost

Lavendar Shad Hologram

Black White Shad

3/4 oz Super Deep Diving Crankbaits ~ No Hooks

Type: Hard Plastic. Floater/diver. Rattling.
Weight: 3/4 oz (without hooks)
Length: 3" (excluding lip). Length: 4-3/4" (including lip)
Diving Depth: 12 to 16 plus feet (casting)

You can pay much more, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll catch much more. These super deep diving crankbaits are not only very economical, they are very productive fish catchers too.

They're built sturdily with heavy hook hanger eyes. The diving lip is an integrated part of the body. So the lip cannot loosen or break off.

They cast well, for surprisingly long distances. You'll be pleased how far they cast, even when it is windy.

Note: These lure bodies come WITHOUT hooks and without split rings.

A few words about super deep diving depths. There are many, many brands and models of crankbaits on the market. The overwhelming majority are shallow to medium divers. There are only a small handful of models on the market that are considered "Super Deep Divers."

Super Deep Divers are often marketed as being able to reach 20 foot depths. Since achieving such depth is so rare, it is a big marketing point to be able to claim that, and it is technically true that under perfect wind and water conditions, with super thin line, super long distance casts, a long rod held with the tip under water while kneeling on the boat deck, with a perfectly true-running crank, one may (or may not) reach the 20 foot level even if only for a brief moment during a cast.

Practically speaking, most super deep diving models spend most of their time on average in the 12 to 16 foot depths while casting, which is fine. This is still deeper than most all other crankbaits (and most all other lure types) can go.

Most anglers rarely use super deep divers. Ninety-five percent of anglers never fish with this type of super deep diver. They are impractical for most shore anglers since they dive so deep, a shore angler would frequently snag and lose them. Yet many boat anglers are also unfamiliar with super deep diving crankbaits. Most bass anglers, even those who use crankbaits all the time, mainly stick to shallow or medium divers. So if you make an effort to learn how and where to use super deep divers, you will have a constant source of bass in relatively deeper water that few other crankbait anglers ever tap.

Recommended hooks. You'll need to provide your own treble hooks and split rings for this lure. Most anglers prefer to put #2 trebles on this size crankbait. With most models of  #2 hooks, the hooks are not able to marry each other. The front hook is usually not able to catch on the diving lip. So with the correct size #2 hooks, the hooks will rarely foul on each other or the lure body. That means more time fishing properly. Little or no time fishing with fouled hooks.

Rattling. This crankbait has a couple of large, heavy rattles inside that produce more of a single knocker type sound, more like a drum beat than a chatter.

Note: These lure bodies come without hooks and without split rings.

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Natural Shad

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Sunfish

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Blue Chartreuse

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Yellow Perch

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Green Sunfish

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Brown Tiger

3/4 oz Super Deep Diver Crankbait ~ Crappie

Tips for Fishing with Deep Diving and Super Deep Diving Crankbaits

I work in the tackle industry, and for that reason, most of my fishing time isn't for pleasure or recreational, but involves testing tackle for the job. I don't mind, I love fishing, but it means I usually have some stuff on board I need to work with and evaluate every day. So I really need to limit my fishing to the test stuff instead of using other lures of my personal choice. I don't mind because I can usually get some fish to cooperate with whatever I need to test any day. With Lake Powell as my job site, with 1,800 miles of shoreline up to 500 feet deep, I can usually find any possible conditions suited to testing any lure somewhere on the lake - and every nook and cranny is occupied by plentiful smallmouth, largemouth and striped bass.

Last weekend, a buddy who went fishing with me was doing swell with crankbaits. You could say the crankbait bite was on, at least for my buddy. I had other lures (not crankbaits) I needed to test that trip. I did okay with the lures I was working with that day, but not as good as my friend with his crankbaits.

It just so happens, one of the next items in the test queue for me to test a new crankbait rod from Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits. At first glance, it seemed a pretty beefy crankbait rod. So for the first couple of trips, I fished the rod mainly with the super deep divers. These big, bulky 3/4 oz crankbaits reach depths over fifteen feet when cast. The two super deep divers shown above were the most productive crankbaits for several weekday mornings in a row in a lower basin (Wahweap Bay, Lake Powell) near the outflowing dam. Lake Powell is a deep, clear river lake filled with many more smallmouth than largemouth. These two super deep divers caught many and large bass, mainly smallmouth for several weekdays straight up to the weekend. Only trouble is, when Saturday morning arrived, I had a full day to fish, so I ran twenty-five miles uplake instead of staying in the lower basin like I did on the weekday mornings. Uplake, the super deep divers failed to produce anything. By 10 o'clock on Saturday morning, both the above colors had been seriously tried with zero to show for the effort. The realization was made that big, bulky super deep divers like these were not going to be productive. The super deep divers were put away and not used again on Saturday or the next day's trip on Sunday.

When the big super deep divers did not pan out, the medium-sized deep divers were tried next on the new Yamamoto Crankin' Stick. The medium-sized deep diver weighs 1/2 oz and dives 8 to 10 feet deep. The crankbait size and color below was an immediate and non-stop winner Saturday and Sunday, catching fish quickly and easily at any time of day for the rest of the weekend. Indeed, one could say, "The crankbait bite was on!"

Gary Yamamoto's new Crankin' Stick (shown above) proved to perform as perfect for the 1/2 oz deep divers as for the 3/4 oz super deep divers.

No one can say why the 3/4 oz super deep divers (shown at top) worked during the weekday mornings but failed to catch anything uplake that weekend. Fortunately, the 1/2 oz deep divers (shown below) were incredibly hot. Realizing that crankbait size (the major difference here) may matter - and making the adjustment - is more important than understanding why. No one may ever know why. Making the adjustment is what matters. Lesson here is that an angler must learn to fish "the day" no matter what worked yesterday.

Photo above of the weekend's superstar crankbait as it swims through the water. This color not only imitates threadfin shad, but the green, chartreuse and blue splotches also imitate sunfish or crappie. So it has the ability to imitate shad and panfish in a single presentation.

As part of the job, time was taken to intentionally test the three colors above in order to observe whether fish had any favorites. All three of these color crankbaits effortlessly produced fish. The fish did not favor one color versus another. In the limited time taken to test the left and center color, fish seemed to hit all three colors equally. However, the crankbait at right was used most of the weekend. So of course it caught most of the fish. Crankbait at right was favored by me, the angler, because of my confidence that it imitates shad (which I observed present in modest numbers) in relatively deeper areas and imitates sunfish (present in large numbers) in relatively shallower areas. In fact, that color worked so well, if I were in a tournament or fun fishing, I would not have taken it off to try other colors. As part of the job, however, I did test other colors, and the other two crankbait colors seemed to catch equally well during brief test periods. Lesson here is that "favorite" colors are often not favored by the fish as much as they are favored by the fisherman.

By this time, I had finished working with and evaluating the Yamamoto Crankin' Stick for the moment. So I made several additional trips during the week to test other items (not crankbaits). However, I had fallen in love with the new crankbait rod by Yamamoto. It's a totally different construction than most other crankbait rods. I just could not get enough of it. So I fished the crankbait rod at least part of the time for the next several trips. I fished the same crankbait model too - the 1/2 oz deep diver - but not the same colors. I fished brief moments throughout the day with the 1/2 oz White Pearl color in clear water, and it caught fish all day as good as any lure has a right to work. The following day, I caught fish in moderately stained water with the 1/2 oz Black Chartreuse and Brown Tiger colors.

This lack of color discrimination by bass is something I often see with these type crankbaits. Many trips over the past few seasons whenever I am using these particular crankbaits, I may start to feel one or another color is "hot" but when I start to get that "hot color" feeling, it reminds me to intentionally cycle through as many as six dramatically different colors, usually with positive results. That's why I say, when the crankbait bite is on, with these particular crankbaits, their action and motion seems to matter more than color on most days.