Crank bait rod +reel ??

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Just about ready to cash in the ol penny jar Wanted to see what you guys think the best way is to go on a reel for just casting crank bait? Mainly mid-large baits. My spinning gear works great for the smaller “1/4 oz and less” baits but for casting all day with the larger “3/8th +” baits I liked my casting rods much better. The reels I have now are all abu garcia 5500-6500 series. I like the reels but have to believe there is a better one for throwing cranks around in the wind without having to stick to my spinning gear or spending 2-300 bucks. Thanks for the advise.

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I posted this in the walleye forum also but have heard you bass guys toss a crank bait or two also. Now I already know that walleyes give up a lot better fight than bass so no need to talk about that . Sorry couldn’t help it . Just wanted to see what lenght/weight rods work best for this presentation. I will mostly be using 1/4-1/2 oz diving cranks in 6-14 fow on rocks. Thanks for the advise and sorry the jab

For deep cranks you might looks at the St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass rods. They have a Magnum Crankbait rod. It was designed by some guys on the Lake of the Ozarks where they throw the DD22 cranks. It is an excellent rods for deep crank’n.

Jason

I’d be looking for a heavy weight rod thats at least 7 feet long. I’ve never used the Croix Legend Ts but I can promise you won’t be disappointed with a 7′ heavy Loomis crankbait rod…I think they retail for $230.00. A little pricey but definitely worth the money.

Thanks for the help guys! I have a 6’6″ medium I but was thinking of trying a 7′ med/heavy. Built my first rod last year and looking ready to try another but wanted to make sure witch way to go! Thanks again!

I would not use a heavy action for these baits. in fact I would use a 7 foot medium light action. with ultra sharp hooks, getting the hook into the fish isn’t the problem. its that the rod doesn’t give enough for you to keep that fish on the line.

I have used 2 7 foot ONE ACTION rods for years and have caught tons of bass IN TREES on DB-3’s and similar Sisson type crank baits. ( if you don’t know, Lee Sisson developed the DB-3 for Bagleys back in the 70’s. and has gone on to make other balsa baits for Arbogast and Strike King, before making his own lures).

With that lighter action, I hooked all my bass and lost very, very few fish.

and deep cranking, especially in WOOD, is finesse cranking. Its touch the wood, stop, go.. touch, stop go..

and a lot of hits on a crankbait, are worm hits. One little tap.

just one man’s opinion. and food for thought.

I agree that heavy rods aren’t the right way to go. Most fish lost on crankbaits are because the hooks are pulled out of the mouth. Lighter action rods with lots of tip really do a good job at fighting the fish without pulling the bait free. I can’t tell you how many times in the past I caught a fish and as I got it close to the boat saw it was hooked with only one hook and it got off. I truely believe in technique specific rods. Not everyone can afford to purchase a rod for each technique. If you can I’d do it. With a good crankbait rod you will rarely lose a fish. If you do you were fighting it too hard. Get a rod with lots of tip and let the tip do all the fighting.

Jason

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Now I already know that walleyes give up a lot better fight than bass so no need to talk about that

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The key words here being “give up”. Bass actually fight all the way to the boat.

For cranks, I use a Daiwa Procaster Rojo. 8 ball brg, aluminum frame, 6.3:1 gear ratio. I can wake a Baby 1 Minus or slowy drag a deep diver across the bottom. With a dual braking system, you can adjust to cast with, against, or across the wind without the constant backlash issues.

I use it with a 7′ Berkley Lightning rod, medium to medium heavy depending on the size of the plug.

One of my prostaffers just started throwing a 7’6″ moderate tipped Fishwrench Field Commander rod…loves it! Long casting, and super lightweight. It weight less than a lot of 6’6″ rods. Says it loads up real nice.

For cranks, and just about any other bass fishing, I use Abu Garcia reels. My latest is an Abu Garcia Revo STX…very nice reel; smooth, long casting, and very little in the way of backlash, even when I make a stupid cast.