CANDLEWOOD LAKE BY TOM MELTON

Deep-Cranking
Summer Bass
As the water warms up in your local lake, deep-diving
crankbaits shine on both large and smallmouth bass alike.
According to Bassmaster Magazine, one of the
premier bass publications in the world, in 2015,
Candlewood Lake ranked 24th in the country. That
rank scored above the likes of Lake Okeechobee in
FL, Santee Cooper in SC, Smith Mountain in VA and
Oneida and Cayuga in NY just to name a few well-
known and prolific bodies of water. Candlewood
boasts a solid population of bass—both small and
largemouths. Add in a healthy population of baitfish,
large fields of eel grass and milfoil and steep drop-
offs and you have the makings of a super lake.
This ranking is for a reason, and that reason is
simple. It is loaded with quality largemouth and
smallmouth bass with fish over 6 pounds caught
every year. In the spring you have the spawn,
where large females tip anglers’ scales. As the year
progresses, both largemouths and smallies are
prolific throughout the lake. As the summer months
approach however, there is one sure-fire way to find
a trophy. In the heat of summer increased water
temperature and a plethora of other boating activity
on the lake see the bass move to deeper ledges. It is
these ledges and drops that deep cranking comes
into play. Deep cranking, in my opinion, is one where
you find bass from 15 to 25 feet and deeper.

HOW WAS IT
MADE?
Before we get into the low-down on deep
cranking, let’s take a look at the history behind
Connecticut’s largest gem.
According to the history books, on July 15, 1926,
Connecticut Light and Power Company’s board of
directors approved a plan to create the first large-
scale operation of pumped storage facilities in the
Bass like this
US. By creating the lake and pumping it full of water
3-1/2-pounder, caught from the Housatonic River, then letting the water
by the author, are a pour down the penstock and into a turbine, the utility
common sight while could produce electricity.
cranking deep water in Construction began on the lake in July of 1926,
the summer months. and completed in September two years later. To
begin, landowners and residents had to be relocated,
but many of the buildings were left along with
various farming equipment. The roads were not torn
up either before the valley was flooded. Some history
buffs recall a cemetery, but it was relocated before
the flooding of the region began.

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 On February 25, 1928, the first pumping operation began
pouring water into the valley from the Housatonic. Engineers
had planned on the Rocky River and its tributaries filling
the valley one-fourth of the way, with the generating plant
pumping the remaining three-fourths of the water out of the
Housatonic. The valley filled quickly; on September 29, 1928, the
water reached an elevation of 429 feet (131 m) above sea level,
and Candlewood Lake was considered complete.
DEEP-WATER
MADNESS
Let’s face it, as the summer approaches you can still locate
bass along the shore and under blow-downs and lily pads. But
bass, for the most part, do not like the hot summer water for
long periods on end. This is why as July and August approach
you can find large bass in the deep-water areas of Candlewood.
Although I fish Candlewood throughout the year, there is
one angler I know that fishes it hard and has the knowledge and
ability to locate deep-water bass in the summer. Jimmy Johnsen
of J&H Sports in Oakdale, NY has scored more big bass on
humps than most anglers on the famed waterway. In speaking
with Jimmy, he offered several tips that will increase your catch
ratio, and possibly put that lunker at the end of your scale, and
then your camera, before the beauty is released.
If you open up a map, or go to http://webapp.navionics.
com/?lang=en#boating@12&key=wob%7CF~ug_M on the
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Navionics site, you can see the many deep-water areas the
lake has to offer. The key with these deeper areas, according
to Jimmy, is the close proximity to feeding areas where the
dominant bait—alewives—can be found.
When deep cranking, it is paramount you use your electronics
as casting aimlessly in the dark will, more times than not, be a
waste of time and gas. Once you locate bait on your screen, you
can be sure there are bass in the area.
CATCH ‘EM UP
Okay, you found the bait, now what?
There are several different ways to deep crank. The most
common way is to fire off long casts along the contour line
depth you are trying to fish. You will find that bass tend to be
at one level, not spread throughout the water column. Even if
bait is showing at 15 feet, that does not always correlate to the
bass’ depth. I have found over the years that bass, for the most
part, feed in an upwards pattern when in their summer haunts.
By this I mean they shoot up from the bottom to their prey.
“I will tell anglers out there one thing. Once you get the bass
biting, stay on them until they stop. These fish get real aggressive
once they get fired up,” said Jimmy.
“Then again, once they stop, you still have options. What I
like to do is move off the point for 30 minutes or so, and give
the fish a break. If I know bait is in the area, I can be pretty
sure the bass will come back to feed again…and in a short
period of time,” said Jimmy.
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creek channels and
Jimmy also suggested that you vary your angles when deep
cranking, similar to what anglers do when fishing a blow-down.
Hit it from the left, center, right and the opposite direction. There
will definitely be times when bass are looking one way for bait, and
believe it or not, will not touch a bait swimming in the opposite
direction. If you ever figure that one out, let me know why!
CRANKS
For deep cranking, we are usually speaking about water 15
feet or deeper, so you will need a crankbait and the “right” tackle
to get in those depths.
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With road beds,
other obstructions There is a plethora of companies
in the deep-water making deep cranks. Earlier this year at the
areas close toBassmaster Toledo Bend Elite, Kevin VanDam
coves and islands, went wire-to-wire for four days, winning
there are ample with a weight of 92-plus pounds for 20 bass.
opportunities for
Every fish he caught was on Strike King XD
deep cranking in
Candlewood. series cranks in size 6, 8 and 10. The XD 10
is a whopping 6 inches in length and easily
hits the 25-foot mark. Jimmy prefers the
Duo Realis Crankbait G87 20A. This bait gets
down quickly by diving almost vertically to
its mark. For me, I like the new Jackall Muscle
Deep series as they get deep and are slightly
smaller in profile. The most important aspect
of any of the deep-diving cranks is your
confidence level. If you have one that will get
you down 15 feet and greater, and you have confidence, I suggest
you stick with it.
For Candlewood, Jimmy suggested you stay with natural
colors. Candlewood is fairly clear and the natural hues will get
the nod for the most part. That doesn’t mean you cannot fire off
a chartreuse with black back from time-to time either. Two of
Jimmy’s favorite “go-to” colors are sexy shad and ghost.
WEAPONS OF CHOICE
Deep cranking also takes on another meaning in the tackle
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end. High-speed reels and medium-
action rods will make you work hard
and usually result in your deep-
cranking efforts staying to a minimum.
If you are looking at 15 feet and
greater, you need a rod in the 7-foot,
3-inch to 7-foot, 11-inch range.
Depending on what crank you are
using the action will be from medium-
heavy to heavy, with a slower taper. On
the reel end, something with a low gear
ratio and wide spool is the best option. I
prefer the Daiwa Lexa 300PWR. This reel
has a 5:1-1 gear ratio and holds about
200 yards of 14-pound test mono. For Whether you go with the KVD, Duo Realis, Jackall Muscle
deep cranking Jimmy suggests you use Deep series, Bomber or other brand, confidence is the key.
fluorocarbon line from 10- to 17-pound Combine them with the right rod and matching line/reel and
test. The line will vary depending on there is no end in sight to what you can catch.
the size of the crankbait and depth. The
larger 25-plus cranks might call for the 17 as they will get deep slack that easily. You may be running away from the fish as
easily. If you want a little smaller profile, but still want depth, drop you crank - and 20-foot bass boats aren’t that long so it will
the crank size down, and drop the line size down as well. be a short run! If a fish does jump, crank like mad and pray!
Although the low gear ratio reels make for an easy day of As the summer heats up and the lake becomes warm
cranking the depths, there is one aspect where you may be and a bit congested, try hitting the deep water contours
using words not meant for print if a fish jumps. If you hook of Candlewood or your local hotspot with your crank of
a good one and it decides it is going to go airborne, the low choice. Believe me; you will be rewarded for your efforts,
ratio reel does not give you the cranking ability to take up tight lines!

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