Conversations about crankbaits concern when to pull them out and how to present them, rather than whether they work. Like any other tool in your tackle box, cranks have a time and a place. Further assuming that cranks are the preferred tool, you need to decide whether to cast or troll.

It’s all about odds. Which system will place an offering that walleyes are willing to bite in front of the most fish? Crankbaits often are the right choice, or at least one of the best choices.

The focus of the article is on matters of structure and cover, in relatively shallow water from the shoreline out to perhaps the first major drop-off.

“You have decisions to make,” says In-Fisherman Senior Editor Dave Csanda. “You must read the situation and decide whether to longline troll, troll your bait behind a planer board, or slow down and cast. Use your electric, kicker, or main engine? Make the right decision, then blend good boat control with your chosen approach, and you’ll catch fish.”

Troll or Cast?

In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) competitors employ an analytical approach. The decision whether to troll or cast crankbaits (or even use crankbaits at all) is arrived at logically.

In most cases, the physical makeup of each spot dictates whether casting or trolling is the percentage call. “Certain spots lend themselves well to trolling,” says Scott Fairbairn, a past PWT Angler of the Year. “If the fish aren’t in one specific spot, and if the structure lends itself to trolling long, straight, or fairly straight breaklines; flats; and straight weedlines, trolling is the best bet. Trolling just makes sense for working a long, extended piece of structure with few nooks and crannies.”

PWT veteran Jim Randash says, “Generally, what determines whether I cast or troll is whether the fish are bunched up. If I find fish bunched together out on a point, I cast to them if they’re shallow enough.” Shallow enough is a critical point. The depth at which casting a crankbait becomes impractical varies from person to person. As you engage the reel and start retrieving, part of the retrieve is unproductive while the bait is diving to the fish’s depth. Another stretch is lost as you drag the lure out of the fish zone and it climbs back to your rod tip, unless a fish is following. For Randash, shallow enough is 8 feet or shallower. For Fairbairn, it’s as deep as 12 feet.

If fish are deeper than your “crankbait casting comfort” depth, and also if the physical makeup of the spot or if tightly clustered walleyes call for a slow, methodical presentation, choose something like a jig, livebait rig, or bottom bouncer and livebait. It’s all about odds.

The Trolling Approach

When walleyes are scattered along or across an expansive area, trolling is generally indicated. For most top anglers, choice of main outboard, kicker, electric motor, or drifting isn’t as important as deciding how far to position lures away from the boat. Water clarity is a consideration, as is current or wind. In dirty water, you can at times drive right over the top of walleyes with a big gas engine. In calm, clear water, you won’t score if you move over the fish.