If I know in advance I'm going to be fishing crankbaits in heavy cover,
(EG, I'm fishing the Hudson) I put the lure retriever in the boat.
Collapsible pole extends to 16 feet, has a coil at the end. You spin the
coil onto the line, follow it down to the lure and either push the lure
off, or snag a hook with the coil and pull it free.

But other than that, a few old spark plugs in the boat will save a bunch of
crankbaits. Just close the gap almost all the way up on them, and you can
hang them on the line pretty easily. GET straight over the lure with the
line taut nut not tight and let it fall to the lure. a lot of times it will
knock it free on 1st contact. If not, just shake it a few times.

RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing