Crankbait Rod Recommendations?

Been trying to hone up my cranking presentations that last couple years, throwing them a lot more and getting more comfortable to make it a confidence tactic. However, while defintely getting bass to bite, losing them boatside has been a big frustration for me.

I typically am throwing Baby 1-‘s to the DT14 series, rarely going for the deeper cranks (i’m not there yet). I also will toss rattletraps/spots too. Lastly, because it’s Minnesota, I’m typically cranking around weeds for largemouths.

I understand the basis that more flex from a rod and one’s line choice (mono gives more stretch, floro adds depth) can bring your odds up to sticking the hooks good and bass into the boat. I feel like the multiple Medium action graphite rods I have been using have been limiting my percentages.

I’ve seen some of the glass or composite rods out there, wondering if they are too flimsy for ripping weeds off the baits. Other “cranking rods” (like Ducketts or KVD Tour Cranking Rods) have various actions between Medium or Medium-Heavy.

My question for the crankin’ folks out there – what cranking rods is recommended for my tactics and depth range? Currently i’m contemplating the 7′ or 7’10” KVD Tour Cranking Rod – Medium Action… I’d prefer to buy one rod and have it work rather than multiple ones as it’s a spendy proposition.

Comments greatly appreciated, thank you!

Catchin’

IMHO the Mojo Bass series crankbait rods from St. Croix are the best value for out there. They have a nice parabolic action to them which prevents fish from throwing the hooks as much as they would with a graphite rod. They have two specific crankbait rods in that family, a standard crankbait rod and a larger one for deep cranking. These rods also have an amazing amount of feel for glass rods, which is key for rippin cranks through the weeds like you were talking about. At around a hundred bucks, you really can’t go wrong, plus its a croix, so if you ever break it, you know theyre gonna take care of you. Also, I would stick with mono for everything except deep cranking, which is a complete different topic. You’re inevitably gonna lose some fish cranking, but with a soft glass rod and mono, your percentages should go way up. Like you, I’ve only been getting into the crankbait game for a couple years now, but its quickly become one of my go-to tactics. Man, when you can get those largies schooled up in summer, you can stack up big numbers in short order!

I’m a crank’n fanatic! I have two primary rods I use. 7′ medium fast Quantum EXO rod and a KVD Tour 7-10. I have Tour Edition reels on both and they are silky smooth for lighter baits. The 7′ I have Cajun red mono in 10 to 12# and braid on the 7-10″ rod. The 7′ I can cast any small cranks from 1/2 ox Gizzard shad, #4 shad raps, up to about 10′ divers. With cranks over 10′ it loads the rod up pretty good and then I like going to the 7′-10″ KVD rod. That 7-10 is awesome for Norman deep divers when I’m crank’s 12 to 16′. Plenty of backbone abnd it also doubles as a great frog rod!!!

Most of the glass crankbait rods are not designed for weed ripping. A quick rip with one of them will just cause the crankbait to bury deep into the weeds without the backbone to pull it free. My suggestion would to be to go with a quality 7 foot graphite rod in MXF. The extra fast tip will give the fish a little extra time to get the bait good prior to pulling the lure away from it. The rod will still have enough to backbone to rip free from weeds once you make contact with them. I know some who even go to MHXF if doing lots of ripping in real heavy weeds. I also prefer Mono for my crankbait fishing the extra stretch also gives the fish a little extra time to get the bait in well as allows the bait to work better.

“The extra fast tip will give the fish a little extra time to get the bait good prior to pulling the lure away from it.”

I don’t understand your thinking on this…wouldn’t a “moderate” action accomplish this, NOT an extra fast???

Yes. An XF tip (though it works) is the last kind of tip action you want on a crankbait rod. A moderate action allows the road to load up prior to setting the hook resulting in less chances of pulling trebles out of a fishes mouth.

Take a look at the powell diesel rods as they are hard to beat for the money for cranking. I have the mojo bass crankbait rod that I use for square bills and it works great. It sounds like you’re losing fish because you have to fast of a taper rod and are looking for something with a moderate action with a good backbone to keep those fish pinned.

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Most of the glass crankbait rods are not designed for weed ripping. A quick rip with one of them will just cause the crankbait to bury deep into the weeds without the backbone to pull it free. My suggestion would to be to go with a quality 7 foot graphite rod in MXF. The extra fast tip will give the fish a little extra time to get the bait good prior to pulling the lure away from it. The rod will still have enough to backbone to rip free from weeds once you make contact with them. I know some who even go to MHXF if doing lots of ripping in real heavy weeds. I also prefer Mono for my crankbait fishing the extra stretch also gives the fish a little extra time to get the bait in well as allows the bait to work better.

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This advise is very wrong. Get a moderate action rod that will load up not a xfast that will pull the bait away from fish.

Thanks for the responses and recommendations!

it appears the key rod action is a “moderate taper/action.” This allows it to load up…

With that being said, getting back to my cranking style — 0′-14′, weed edges — what is the recommended “power?” Medium or medium/heavy? Is there weed ripping that can occur yet still have good load up in these rods, or you essentially giving ripping away with a moderate action?

Thanks for feedback.

I’m not sure where your out of, but Thorne Brothers in Blaine, MN, makes a nice 7’10” medium heavy crankbait rod called the Rainshadow. I had them build me one last year and I love it. I asked if they could sort through their blanks they use for these and pick the softest taper possible and they hit what I wanted out of a crankbait rod spot on. It will cast a deep diving Bomber or Norman a country mile and acts like a sponge when fighting the fish. I also use a 7′ St. Croix premier medium power/moderate action and a 7’10” St. Croix legend tourney magnum cranker. These rods are great for crankbaits as well.

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Thanks for the responses and recommendations!

it appears the key rod action is a “moderate taper/action.” This allows it to load up…

With that being said, getting back to my cranking style — 0′-14′, weed edges — what is the recommended “power?” Medium or medium/heavy? Is there weed ripping that can occur yet still have good load up in these rods, or you essentially giving ripping away with a moderate action?

Thanks for feedback.

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I think you would want something in the medium heavy range, sounds like that would fit your needs fishing around weeds and deeper weed edges. Plus, when you decide to get more into deep diving crankbaits, you’ll have a rod that should be capable of throwing and fishing those.
I use my St.Croix medium power with a very soft taper for my small to mid size crankbaits in and around weeds all the time and I have no problem ripping my lures off of weeds. I also like to just tick the tops of the weeds and when I get hung up on a weed, I like to give a slight pause to let the lure back off just a bit, then give the rod a light pop to get the lure past the weed. I guess its more of a slower, more subtle rip off of the weed and i’ve caught a lot of fish this way too.

Thanks everyone for their feedback!

I’m going ahead and ordering up a quantum KVD tour cranking rod- 7’4″ med/hvy moderate action rod.

Getting it from amazon for $120, hoping it turns out to be a good one!

Thanks!