The window for throwing deep diving crankbaits is not very large, so testing them can be a bit tricky. You can catch fish throughout the warmer months and some in cooler months on deep diving crankbaits. But the best bite definitely occurs within the first month after post spawn bass move deep. So I’ve had a lot of deep diving crankbaits on my deck including a new one from a new company—the Jenko Fishing CD25.
My first real experience throwing the Jenko Fishing CD25 was one of the more memorable days of fishing I’ve had in a while. I was fortunate to find a new big school of bass on Kentucky Lake. I say new in that the bass had just grouped up on this particular spot and were not bait weary yet. To say the CD25 caught them would be a massive understatement. For more than 45 minutes I caught bass in the 2 to 6-pound range on nearly every cast, save for a couple times I had to reposition the boat in the wind to reach the sweet spot again.
The CD25 dives steeply and quickly but does not pull as hard as lot of the new class of super deep divers do. It will reach deeper than 20 feet on a long cast and thin diameter fluorocarbon. I used 10 and 12 pound Trilene 100% Fluoro and was able to get deeper than 20 feet on a good long but average cast. I can wind this deep diving crankbait very fast without it blowing out and it stays deep.
The CD25 features a loud knocking rattle inside the body that can be attractive on those very deep schools of bass, especially on lakes with some stain to them. The bait is pretty heavy at 1.7 ounces so it definitely requires a medium-heavy crankbait rod or swimbait rod to throw. It’s 3 1/2 inches long and another couple inches for the bill. So it’s a large profile and definitely preferable for lakes that offer large forage bases for the bass.
There are just five colors in the lineup, but they are all great looking colors that I would throw on most of the lakes I fish. They will work on Table Rock Lake as well as they have proven to on Pickwick, Kentucky and Guntersville Lakes on the TVA. I’m hoping they will come out with some silent models as well. I like to have options with everything I do in fishing.
You can check out the CD25 at JenkoFishing.com and at retailers that are starting to stock this new company’s products as we speak.
