As much print as crankbaits have commanded in articles, books, and other publications, very little material has been devoted to the sinking "count-down" style crankbait. In fact, few musky anglers own or even know how to effectively use these highly efficient deep water tools. Without the proper working knowledge of sinking count-down lures, and what their true functions are, any typical sinking crankbait does nothing more than collect weeds or occupy space in your tacklebox. While floating divers and suspender crankbaits continue to get all the press and playing time, sinking "count-down" cranks wait in the wings for a chance to prove. They are the true dark horses of the crankbait world.
Sinking count-down crankbaits are very specialized tools very comparable to a metric ratchet set. While they do have multiple uses, they're primarily designed for clean bottom and open water use. Whenever muskies are hugging the bottom in deeper waters, which is quite often in the fall, this style of crankbait is likely to catch more fish than any other lure. Whenever fish are suspended over deep open water, another common occurrence in autumn, count-down cranks are sure to be a viable weapon. In other words, they get deep – much deeper than conventional crankbaits.
Generally, sinking count-down crankbaits are poor choices for any cover laden conditions, although the sinking lipless crankbait, which can be classified as a sinking count-down, works quite well over such cover. On average however, sinking crankbaits are more apt to get hung up in cover. When that cover is woody, you're probably going to loose a few baits now and then. More often a sinking cranker is best used over clean bottoms and suspended muskies holding at depths below levels reachable with conventional crankbaits. The key is to have a few of these specialized count-down crankers available, and then try them in these specific situations.
The entry depth level for a sinking crankbait begins somewhere around twelve (12) feet. Not surprisingly, this is the basic cut-off depth where traditional floating/diving crankbaits and most other conventional lures level off in productivity. On a typical cast few floating divers nor suspending crankers attain depths greater than twelve feet with any regularity. However, the sinking crankbait reaches this depth level and greater with no problem at all. All one has to do is simply let it sink to the bottom. It can be fished at virtually any depth.
The simple secret lies in its ability to sink. Instead of trying to grind a floating diver down to the twelve foot level with a long cast, fast retrieve and lighter gauge line, all one has to do with a sinking count-down is cast it out and let it sink to that level. Basically, it will get there on its own. Because this lure sinks, it can reach virtually any level desired. It can be fished tightly to the bottom in real deep waters, as well as worked at various levels over open areas in search of suspended fish. Because the lure has no buoyancy, it will not rise upward when retrieved. In fact, slower retrieve speeds actually make the lure run a bit deeper. The exact opposite of the conventional floating diver.
DOCUMENT THE "SINK RATE"
One of the basic fundamentals with any sinking crankbait is to document how fast the lure sinks, or what I like to call the "sink rate". This is essential if you hope to get the lure down to any precise level for suspended fish. Without knowing the sink rate, precise depth control is not possible and you'll rarely score big on suspended fish. You must take the time and steps to record how fast your lure sinks. This is why I like to call these lures "count-downs". Because you need to count-down as the lure sinks.
This whole process is actually quite easy to determine. You can do it on just one cast over the right spot. Simply position your boat over a known depth on a flat, cast the lure out and watch your line as you count the lure's descent at a rate of "one -- one thousand, two -- one thousand, three --one thousand", and so on. If the depth you're at is 18 feet and the lure hits bottom at around a count of 18, you've got an easy formula for countdown crankin'. The bait has a "sink rate" of approximately one foot per second. This is the ideal sink rate, of course, since it makes it easy to tabulate how deep your lure is going without any math.
Yet, ideal sink rates of one-foot-per-second aren't always possible. Some lures sink faster, while others descend slower. Weather and line diameter can also effect the actual sink rate. Having both fast sinkers and slow descenders is a good idea. You'll find uses for both. I particularly like a slow sinker for many shallower situations in cold water. The key here is to have a lure that sinks, but is easy to keep control of it over shallower cover without the sinking nature of the lure overtaking its ability to perform. I prefer fast sinkers for all deep water situations. The deeper the water, the faster I want a count-down cranker to sink. Imagine how ineffective a slow sinking crankbait would be for a musky holding down off a reef at 45 feet. If there's any wind blowing, it'll be double tough. That's why you need both fast sinkers and slow descenders.
The sink rate of any crankbait will also be greatly effected by the line test you use. Just like floating/divers work deeper on thinner lines, count-downs generally sink faster on thinner lines, too. Thicker gauge lines create more drag making the lure sink a bit slower. The only way to know the sink rate of a particular lure on any given line gauge for sure is to test and record it. Usually, you'll find an ideal line size that seems to perform best with your count-downs. For muskies, I'm partial to a thinner 65 pound class super braid. However, if you prefer a heavier weight line that's fine, too. Just remember to record that sink rate so you know what it is. Then, you're off and running.
Sinking count-down crankbaits are exceptional on cold water fish since they enable the angler to retain depth at slow speeds. That's why so many top flight cold water anglers use some form of a sinking lure in lower water temps. Depth retention at a slow retrieve speed is a critical element to cold water success. A typical floating crankbait needs speed to drive it down. A lack of speed usually pulls a buoyant cranker back up towards the surface. This is not so with a sinking crankbait. Slow retrieve speeds with a count-down keep the lure deep, and sometimes make it dive even deeper. This combination is often deadly on big fish resting along deep breaklines in the late fall.
One of my favorite places to cast count-downs is over deep cresting humps that top out way below the tracking range of any typical floating or suspending crankbait. Those humps that crest in that 14 to 22 foot range are typical of what I'm talking about here. Food shelves in this range get very little angling pressure. Even when they do, anglers are usually casting lures that run way above the tops of these humps. There's no way you're going to get a floating diver to reach this kind of depth level with any consistency, yet all you need to do to get a count-down to this depth is to simply cast it out, and let it sink all the way to the bottom. Then, by simply crankin' at a slow to medium speed, you'll have that count-down cranker bouncing at those 14 to 22 foot depths easily.
I've also had great success utilizing a "rip and drop" technique with this bait on deep water areas. I begin the same way — casting the sinking cranker out and letting it sink all the way to the bottom. Then, instead of beginning a straight, steady retrieve, I rip forward on the lure with a sharp sideways or upward pull on the rod tip, followed by a "recovery pause" that allows the lure to sink back to the bottom while I reposition my rod for the next rip. This has been one of my deadliest deep water secrets for years on big muskies. It also works extremely well on deep water bass.
For some reason, this retrieval method really ticks fish off, if they're at all active. I'm talking about getting one of those much talked about "bone jarring strikes". The "rip and drop" tactic triggers a violent response. More often than not, the strike is so hard that the fish inhales the entire lure! I wouldn't hesitate to predict that you will likely get more super strikes with this kind of crankin' technique than with any other. You also nearly always get a great hookset since you're basically initiating one everytime you rip the lure.
My biggest musky during the initial testing of the Count-down DepthRaider in the early 1990's hit in just this manner. I was diligently working on one of the first prototype designs of the Count-down DepthRaider series, and one clear October day, I picked the right spot to test it. It was a deep rock/gravel point that extended out beyond a large weedy bar, that was also part of the same point. My friends and I had seen a big musky on this spot several times throughout the season, but could never get it to hit. Whenever we saw it, it was always on the deep weed edge at the very tip of the point; right where the weeds met the rock and gravel. We hadn't seen the fish in over a month, so we thought it had vacated the spot.
I just finished thoroughly casting the weed tops with various lures, and scouring the weed edge with a floating/diving crankbait, but did not see the big one, nor any other fish for that matter. However, deeper hard bottom adjacent to a good weed shelf should never be overlooked in the fall, and I already knew that this rock/gravel extension was a good one. I'd taken many muskies from this deeper finger in the past, as well as some nice strings of walleyes. It was the perfect place to test the new Count-Down DepthRaider prototype.
Three casts into my count-down test told me I was onto something. I fired out a long bomb, somewhat perpendicular to the main body of the deep hard bottom projection, and let the big diver sink all the way down. As soon I hit a count of eighteen the line went slack indicating the lure had hit bottom. I immediately ripped forward on the rod tip hard, and let it sink back. Then I did it once more, but the lure didn't sink back, so I ripped it forward again, only this time my rod tip buckled. What followed was kind of amazing. At first I thought I was hung up, but the snag kept moving. Eventually, I got that telltaled head shake at my rod tip, and I knew I was hooked into something big. The ensuing battle lasted over 10 minutes. This is astonishingly long for a musky fight on heavy tackle. The big fish stayed deep and fought extremely hard literally towing me around. When it finally surfaced, I was amazed to see both the size of the fish, a trophy of at least 52 inches, and no visible lure in its mouth. That's right, the big musky had actually engulfed the entire nine inch crankbait and about three inches of the wire leader. Like I said, they really get ticked off when you "rip and drop" a count-down.
A Count-Down Conclusion
Count-down, sinking crankbaits continue to be the overlooked player on the team of lures that may or may not even be in your tackle box. Even the most astute crankbait fishermen today neglect using this outstanding deep water tool. That, in itself, is the main focus of this lure — deep water. If you want to effectively fish depth ranges never before reachable with conventional crankbaits in a CASTING presentation, start utilizing the count-down. Discipline yourself to fish these deeper areas slowly and thoroughly, taking full advantage of this lure's capabilities. It won't take long for you to build an unbreakable confidence in an entirely new bait category. Just remember what I said about those strikes on the "rip and drop" technique. They are truly "bone jarring".
Joe Bucher is a National Freshwater Fishing Hall Of Fame Angler and the founder of Musky Hunter Magazine. He is also the host of Fishing With Joe Bucher television show.