"Snaking a Crank in heavy cover"

I like to throw cranks in over and under and around laydowns and snake them over every branch and trunk I can find. But, I do use slight modification along with a little technique combined in "Snaking a Crank" through heavy cover. One of the best ways I have found to avoid getting hung is when you start to feel the crank load up on a limb and it is getting close to coming over I immediately stop reeling and use the rod tip to feel the crank over the limbs with my rod tip high around 10 oclock and work it to 12 oclock. I have found over the years that holding the rod tip high vs sideways or low has a little less chance of getting the bait snagged. This technique coupled with a soft tip rod to allow "give" so that if the crank does stick on the limb it is not buried deep and sometimes you can snap it off by picking your line and snapping it through the rod to dislodge it.

Second thing I like do to make my cranks more weedless (as much as I love gammies ;-( ) is to clip off the front hook of the treble that is protruding outward if you have the treble hook up against the belly of the crank. BUT!! I don't just clip it off completely as you will see in the enclosed picture. I clip it off and bend the remaing part of the hook outward. By doing this the remaining part of the hook helps deflects the crank and its back hook off the structure to avoid hangups. To see if I have the correct angle I like to run my crank on the side of a desk, table or even my finger to see if the hookless part snags the table or if it catches it. If it catches I bend it outward more and vice versa. Also this seems to give the crank a little more bounce off the structure as well as getting the rear hook over as well. This is creates a good reaction strike as well. This should definitely help you "Snake a Crank" through those laydowns and hook fish instead of the cover. I still hang up while using this technique, but not near as often. Like the old saying "You ain't fishing if you ain't snagging"

Another little modification that I have found to be a little something different that even a few pro's including Zell Rowland use. I think most people know that I originated the "Triton Mike's Doodads" on the BFHP. But, here I am taking this one step further. I like to use a silicon spray on my feathers and flashabou on any bait that I can pause and get the feathers to flare out and float primarily cranks and especially topwaters. What this silicone spray does is causes the feathers to float upward. It may not be a big difference to some people, but in my findings it is something different than what everybody else is throwing and as we all know sometimes it is the very minor things you do that makes a difference in catching fish. The silicone spray that I use is Blakemore's Reel Magic that you can get from almost any tackle store. The above is just a few modifications that I use to catch fish and hopefully you will too.