Question on other crank baits

[Humbled & Blessed]

Thanks for all the great replies guys as always! This really helps someone like me who can only make it up a couple times a month. I'm coming up on Sunday and since I'm on limited time will stick with the P10's, RR and DHJ I pulled a couple weeks ago since I'll only have 4 rods out. I will experiment with the H-n-T at some point though.

Please don't let this stop the thread though. This is really great information and if anyone else has thoughts on running cranks please add on.

[cycleguy]

I fit that, one guy with two rods in a boat description well. Hard to mix it up a lot by the time you factor in location and such as well. I simply have a much better chance of getting something wrong, or at least not finding the correct formula through a day's time.

Obviously certain bait styles and such matter… but I do think having the right lure at the wrong depth or speed is still going to suck. I would rather fish the wrong lure correctly, than the right lure incorrectly. Knowing the correct part of it is part of the "challenge"

Location is first on my list…. Presentation is next. What I am presenting is third. Unfortunately without some help or luck, I can easily see it taking the first two days of an annual three day trip to figure it out. That is, if it doesn't change before the third day

[ebijack]

My wife and I fish alone in our 18ft boat most of the time. But we do fish on friends/others boats when it arises. So in Ohio waters we are using 4 rods. And we cover the water column quite well. We always look for our own fish staying away from other boats. We both hate fishing in crowds. I don't think enough folks look for water color first. They head to where the boats are and do not try to figure things out they listen to the radio and just wonder what they are doing wrong if they are not catching. A large number of boats in one area will shut down a hot bite quick and you will have to work harder to get them to bite. To me, I won't set a line till I find the right water color unless there is none to be found. When I find the right color, I'll look for marks but I don't need any to set lines. We also troll slower than most and typically do quite well. It works for us.
If you can stand to listen to all the gibberish on the radio, more power to ya. I wouldn't put much into a line out number if it did not come from someone you know. I've fished with others where their rods were 135 feet of line, mine were 100 to get the exact same depth ( were in the same boat) as an example running jets. Brand of reel, line dia, full spool or not, braid/mono equal just too many variables that can make folks waste their time thinking they are doing the same as everyone else but they might be way off. Also depending on where others are fishing, the depth they are getting fish could quite well be totally different than where your fishing. I was a newbie myself at one time. And I wasted a lot of time listening to bad reports on the radio. There are no guarantees, but if you go out and try to figure it out at least you learn something that will help each and every time you go out again. Use the tools you have on your boat. Learn how to use the tools. Reuse waypoints! Don't try to learn how to run every bait at once. Learn one type bait, then move on to the next one. Find what works for you and you will catch more and bigger fish.
Everyone does things differently, I just try to supply info that works for me. And hope it helps someone.