Crankbait retrieve??

Hey guys,

just wanted to compare some notes on crankbait retrieves.

I tend to use a slow, but erratic retrieve. By this I mean I use the wrist a lot with very short, fast shakes, usually 3 at a time. This causes the lure, obviously, to dart around quite violently. I then stop, pause for a a second or several, allow the lure to settle (either flow or suspend), wind in some slack and continue.

They say the key with bream is SLOW, SLOW, SLOW with plenty of pauses. I am worried, however, that this erractic approach, albeit with plenty of dead pauses, is too violent and spooks fish.

I have seen people just slow wind at the same speed with no wrist action. I find this hard to do because my wrist gets white line fever and want to be involved and what is more, I feel it is just too 'boring' to attract the fish's attention.

Maybe I am wrong? Do many people use the mono-speed, slow retrieve or do you use the erractic, wristy technique?

[Minnows]

I do the up most erratic violent retrieves at times with good success, sometimes there is just no need for a pauses. It all comes down to what mood the fish are in. Generally for bream, if it your retrieve isn't working at the time, tone it down and slow it down, somedays 'boring' retrieves are the only way to snag bream.

[Tanc]

Ha ha farkin funny I know what you mean.
I cure this problem by tweaking and slow rolling in the same retreive

[crabcrusher]

Mix it up.... The retrieve needs to change to suit the predatory action of the fish. Bait fish will sometimes sit and drift in the current, othertimes they are all over the place like Tiger Woods at the Playboy mansion.

In my opinion there is no set one style of retrive.. if you do this then you will only get fish when the fish want to get you...

JMO

thanks for the tips guys...I'll keep all of that in mind