Yo-Yo Mo' Bass

There's been a lot of talk lately about yo-yoing lipless cranks. Part of the reason is it's the lipless crank season. Another part is that Kevin VanDam recently won at Lake Toho by yo-yoing a Strike King RedEye Shad.

BassFans may recall that VanDam likes the RedEye Shad because when he kills the retrieve, it "shimmies" as it falls, much like a Senko.

But there are other "fall actions" out there too, and in this Pro Fishing tip, Jackall pro-staffer Jared Lintner talks about the Jackall TN/70. The bait's built with a tungsten diving lip, which according to Linter, creates another unique type of fall. It also opens the possibility of deep lipless cranking – something he does back home in California.

Ups and Downs

There are several ways to fish a lipless crank. Of course, you can chunk and wind it on a straight retrieve. Or you can do the venerable reel-and-rip, where every time the bait catches grass, you rip the bait off, then let it fall.

But the less common retrieve is the open-water yo-yo. It mimics exactly what happens when you rip the bait off grass. The only difference is there's no grass.

"Even if I'm throwing around brush, what I like to do is burn it real fast, then give it a jerk – like a jerkbait – then let it fall for a split-second, and do the same thing over and over back to the boat," Lintner said. "The key is the quick snap, then to let it flutter down."

He added that he gets on such a bite at California's Clear Lake. That's bite's a little different, though, because it's bottom-oriented.

"Some of the best bites you can get at Clear Lake are when the water temps are in the low-50s," he noted. "They're sitting there, laying on the bottom, and the TN/70 mimics a dying baitfish. You reel it along, let it hit bottom, then pop it up almost like you're spooning.

"You can hardly get those (bottom-hugging) fish to bite a dropshot, but for some reason – whether it's the rattle or the fall – you can get them to bite that lipless crank."

And about that fall, the tungsten lip makes it happen, he said.

Heavy Metal

Linter emphasized that the TN/70 isn't the only crank that works, but its unique lip does create more possibilities.

"Other baits, like the Lucky Crafts and stuff, will work, but I've noticed ever since I got on with Jackall that I get more bites on the TNs than other (lipless cranks)," he said. "When my buddies are throwing Lucky Crafts, I'll smoke them. I've noticed a huge difference.

"In my opinion, they're probably the best baits out there for yo-yoing and fluttering," he added. "The reason's that titanium lip, which makes it dive straight down. And the way the rattles are chambered, it's a continuous rattle, even on the fall. Other baits will kind of go on their sides and fall like that, but the TN70 dives straight down, which catches a lot of fish."

The other thing the titanium allows him to do is work the bait deep, much like a spoon or bladebait. "In California, in the dead of winter, I use it like a spoon out in 40 or 50 feet. It gets down there real good."

Notable

> Lintner's pretty narrow in color choice. His personal favorite is ghost minnow, even in stained water. But during pre-spawn, he opts for red craw. Occasionally he gets into chartreuse/blue and gold.

> He said you need the right style of rod to maximize the yo-yo technique. His favorite is the Powell 754, which has a very soft tip, but solid backbone. "With the tip, you can feels the action of the bait, even on the fall, and you won't lose as many fish – there's more give so you won't tear as many mouths."