Dont overlook the power of the internet either. Ive learned alot about open water fishing by watching clips from KVD who some might consider one of the best open water fisherman in the game. alot of his clips tell you what he is looking for off the bank and why he is looking for it/what makes it so good in relation to other areas at any given time of year. other pro's as well ofcourse make those little clips for facebook or youtube and all the other internet venues.
but to build on what Mike said, if you are gonna put some time into deep water cranking, do yourself a favor and make sure your gear is set up for that style of fishing. the proper rod and reel set up can make crank fishing less of an exhausting chore. Long, stiffer rods to cover water and a reel with the right gear ratio will go a long way on a sun up-sun down cranking day.
if you dont feel confident with throwing cranks, throw what you are comfortable with...jigs, tubes, carolina/texas rigs around the deeper offshore structure and cover. some of my best open water bass spots are in 22-26ft of water.
My opinion, no, dont take just 1 rod rigged up with 1 style of bait. At any given fish holding spot, you are going to have 3 classes of fish:
actively feeding, neutral, and just not feeding unless you smack em right in the face. i like to pull up to a spot and power fish it from all angles with cranks. whether i get fish or not, im going to 1)downsize and 2) slow down with my 2nd lure selection, whether its a jig or some kind of plastic. then i do the exact same thing....fish the area from all angles.
if i get fish on the cranks, i know there are fish to still be caught after the crank bite dies. i then down size and slow down and keep catching. once that bite stops, keep the same small/slow just change colors or plastic selection and you will be surprised how long you can sit on a good spot and keep catching fish after you think you caught them all.
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