You can end this frustration with just a little bit of patience and some use of the tip of your rod. The rod tip controls the depth, the angle and the ability to move it where you want the crank bait to go. It's a very simple technique. You just need to hold the tip in the 12 o'clock position if you want the crank bait to run over the top of the higher grass yet under the water. If the grass is a little deeper than you might think, then hold the rod tip straight out in front of you; this will drop the bait a couple of more feet and allow you to work it over grass maybe 6 ft. off the top. If you're trying to get it deep then hold the tip down to the water. It's very simple the deeper the grass off the top the more you adjust your rod tip.
You can also guide your crank bait with the tip, move it to the right and the crank bait moves to the right, this allows you to move it around visible clumps of grass. Directional change with crank baits is very simple. The tip just has to be moved to where you want the bait to go!
Lastly, as erratic movement generally creates bites, so does stroking crank baits when they get hung in the grass. This is a great way to free it from the grass and at the same time create a bite. Many times I crank the bait to the grass and stroke it for effect, this is a great way to get bite and a great technique for catching a lunker bass in the fall. When your crankbait hits the grass, make a long, hard pull to rip it away, making the crankbait dart away as it pulls free of the grass.
Don't let the grass drive you nuts while crank bait fishing, you can guide, stroke it and have fun catching big around the thick grass!
