The post on jig pitching rods last week was pretty decent with some good information on what rods you guys like and why. How about the same for casting crankbaits in the river for those hungry walleyes. What works good and why. I would assume most guys are using hard line for casting crank baits. Would bet not all guys are using spinning gear for this application also.
I use a 7 ft Med action Avid casting rod with Power Pro for casting cranks to wingdams. I am very happy with it’s performance. It loads up nice and I have very few fish pull off. It is a heck of a rod for $170.00.
I like a little more “give” in a crank bait rod…
Spinning…St Croix LTWS 70MF
Casting….Dobyns Champion 733
lamiglass….
I agree with Tom and jigfan; but I’ll use just about any of my croix’s for tossing cranks (you know how it goes when you break off or just want to switch.) I just loosen the drag when I’m using the faster tips. But most of the time I try to use the medium Avid or Limit Creek.
dd
I like the St Croix LTB “Big Cranker.” It handles my middle range of crankbaits very well. I have a BPS 7 1/2′ Crankin’ Stik with a Fritts reel for my bigger baits on the river. 
I use a St. Croix Legend Tournament Walleye 7ft. Mod Action “Heavy Bouncer” rod. It’s the same rod as the LT Bass “Big Crank” Rod except for the grip. I usually pitch Bomber Model 7A’s and don’t have any trouble winging them out there. St. Croix recommends using heavier cranks with it but I wouldn’t be afraid to go to 1/4 ounce lures with the right reel/line combo. Right now I’m using 20lb. Power Pro with an old Bass Pro Rick Clunn bait caster (small profile) and like the set up.
Bass Pro Shops “Tourney Special” baitcaster.
6’6″, moderate speed.
Best crankbait rod ever…..
Cheap, very sensitive, lightweight, good balance.
Tosses those little wingdam cranks easy!
Mike,
Next time you see me on P2, swing by and pick up this rod for a try:
St. Croix Premier PC70MLF. ($120 retail) This is a casting rod paired up with a Shimano Curado. I think you would like this set up for casting small to medium size cranks.
-J.
6.6 Croix Premier Med. Shimano reel. Hard line. Spinning all the way.
I agree with Jon, except I prefer a spinning setup. A 7′ SC Premier MLF will give you great distance on smaller #5 type shad baits and show the vibration through the tip well. Also gives a little cushion when your using hardline to take advantage of the extra depth benefit.
Mike,
Next time you see me on P2, swing by and pick up this rod for a try:
St. Croix Premier PC70MLF. ($120 retail) This is a casting rod paired up with a Shimano Curado. I think you would like this set up for casting small to medium size cranks.
-J.
Mike, I couldn’t agree with Jon more, you need to put down the baby pole and pick up a casting stick complete with Curado.
Wow. Since this post has started I ended up going with a pair of st croix tidemasters for pitching lighter cranks. Think they are 7′ 6″. These pull double duty very well as long line trolling rods to. Saves me from needed to have another set or rods on hand for that. I do agree that it would be nice to have another rod for casting larger cranks. Deeper diving cranks and heavy current can load up those tide masters pretty well.
I have a pair of rapala 7′ medium rods with big spinning reels. One is a Pflueger Trion, the other is a Rapala brand. I still feel everything with these rods and hard line and have caught provably thousands of fish with them over the years.
St Croix Legend Tournament Walleye Shallow Cranker. It’s a 7′ Medium, Moderate action. Paired with a Pflugger Arbor size 30 loaded with hi vis braid.
It took a bit to get used to casting with the slower action rod but man once you get the hang of it cranks just fly out there.
Ate you guys throwing any bait that weighs more than 1/4 ounce?
Bomber 6As are about as big as I usually throw, and are 3/8oz, which the rods I have can handle. I have trolling rods, so I don’t use them as a double duty rod, or trolling might be a bit much for them with those big baits.
I’m a little late, but will toss in a couple ideas. I’m fortunate in some aspects that I don’t have a dominant eye/hand when it comes to fishing. So i gear up everything in both left and right handed. Now what i have found is that muscle memory or what ever you want to call it is unique in how different I real between the two.
I throw a lot of smaller baits 2-1/2″ x 1/2oz and smaller. I have 7′ casting rods in the Quantum EXO that are medium light. I have 10 mono and 20# braid on them. Additionally, I have 7′ medium/fast spinning with braid. Between them, I get a few things that I try to capitalize on. Spinning – I can usually punch smaller baits into a head wind easier. I also crank faster and hard with them, so i achieve max depth easier.
My lefty with mono tends to be my ticker rod. When I want to slow walk a bait across hazards and bottom structure, I seem to have a slower and more methodical retrieve/feel. My right handed casting rod with braid tends to be my pitch/crank rod. If I find that I’m pitching along structure and short fast retrieves are in order, I like to pitch with my left and crank right. I’m sure there are more than a few on here that would say I’m not normal 
I like a little more “give” in a crank bait rod…
Falcon Cara 7′ medium Crankbait rod. For the money the BPS Crankin Sticks are great too. Unless they’ve changed them a whole lot in the last few years.
Bit late. But for about $99 dollars (they go on sale every blue moon), you can’t go wrong with Bass Pro’s “extreme series rods”. Medium or Medium heavy would do the trick depending on what your tossing. I’ve never seen a better all around rod.
For tossing crank baits, I don’t believe you have to be extremly fussy since it not a finesse application like jigging, jerk baiting, etc.. I use a Saint Croix for Jerk Baiting rod and jigging rod. Need a heavier rod for tossing jerk baits.
For $99 range – Falcon BuCoo
I throw a 7′ 10″ BPS “Crankn’ Stik” when I want to cover lots of water on wings dams with Bombers, Wally Divers, DT’s etc. I have an older Morrum 3600 baitcaster on it. The problem with driving bigger cranks down along and through the “trough” in heavy current is line twist, and for heavy cranking bait casters reign supreme. If I have the eyes more dialed in on specific parts of wing dams I throw a 6′ 6″ Loomis CBR 785 with a Jap market Calcutta 100 and the same class of baits. When I go lighter with balsa type baits (Shad Raps, etc.) I use a 7′ 6″ ML spinning rod with 15 lb. PP.
The droughty springs in the late 1980’s taught me a lot about river cranking for eyes. Hoping for a similar situation this year…
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