Crankbaits And Various Lb Test Line

[Felix77]

I can't afford to have several rods rigged up with the same lure and various lines (lb test) to vary the depth the lure runs.  When it comes to crankbaits I buy the same brand and make sure I have the various lures to cover the depth I intend to fish.  Simply by switching to a deeper diving one I generally can get the bait where I want it.

 

My setup includes a 7' biatcaster with 10lb FC.  I carry Strike King KVD 1.0's all the way down to the 6xds on this setup.  

 

Why the various lines vs switching to lures which fish a little deeper?

[WRB]

10 lb FC isn't the strongest line for cranking deep divers due to marginal knot strength and stretch/set issues.

I would suggest 12 lb FC to equal 10 mono knot strength for example.

Diving depth is dependant on casting distance and retrieve speed, the difference between 10 and 12 lb FC is 0.0010" some brands differ more than that!

Example you make a 120'/40 yard cast with a deep diver that runs 15' deep. It can take 40-50' of that cast to get the lure down to 15', the lure must pull the line down and continues to fight to stay down because your rod and line is trying to pull it back up. The net result with a 120'/40 yard cast is the lure runs at 15' for maybe 30'/10 yards. The way to increase the net depth length is increasing the casting distance and 150'/50 yard casts is difficult under fishing conditions with FC line. I would estimate the difference is about 1' depth gain using FC verses mono at equal casting distance.

For this reason I prefer mono over FC for crankbaits; longer casts and better knot strength.

KVD may prefer FC, keep in mind he is the best caster in the Elites, well over 60 yards and changes his line everyday!

Tom

[Brian Needham]

felix, I say 10# is good down to say a 10 foot runner.......anything deeper and I would move to 12#. that's just my opinion.

 

now KVD has, iirc, like 10 rods set up for cranking...... all with different # of line, length of rods, different dives ect ect.

of course he is doing what we cant, he is able to tell the difference and the fishes reaction  between a bait hovering 6 inches off the bottom, 2 inches off the bottom, ticking bottom, and plowing. and all have their time and place.

 

I believe I heard him say moving from 14# to 12# would produce roughly and extra foot of dive on a normal cast.

 

 

I think you have a good system that works for you, even in a poor mans perfect world you could only really need to add another rod........ one for 10 foot and shallower with 10# and a 12foot and deeper rod with 12#.

or if not getting another rod, perhaps just another a reel with a different # line and change out for experimentation.

[papajoe222]

I can't afford to have several rods rigged up with the same lure and various lines (lb test) to vary the depth the lure runs.  When it comes to crankbaits I buy the same brand and make sure I have the various lures to cover the depth I intend to fish.  Simply by switching to a deeper diving one I generally can get the bait where I want it.

 

My setup includes a 7' biatcaster with 10lb FC.  I carry Strike King KVD 1.0's all the way down to the 6xds on this setup.  

 

Why the various lines vs switching to lures which fish a little deeper?

 

I can't afford to have several rods rigged up with the same lure and various lines (lb test) to vary the depth the lure runs.  When it comes to crankbaits I buy the same brand and make sure I have the various lures to cover the depth I intend to fish.  Simply by switching to a deeper diving one I generally can get the bait where I want it.

 

My setup includes a 7' biatcaster with 10lb FC.  I carry Strike King KVD 1.0's all the way down to the 6xds on this setup.  

 

Why the various lines vs switching to lures which fish a little deeper?

Sometimes it's a matter of an extra foot or two that you need and going to a deeper diver will get you more than that.  That's no big deal if you're attempting to bump the bottom, but if you're looking to just tick the top of the weeds that top out  a foot or two below where your crank is getting down to, that switch will get you deep into the weeds.  You could go to a deeper diver with heavier line to make it run a little shalower, but going to a thinner line with the same lure lets you duplicate the action of the shallower runner a little deeper.

[Deleted account]

If I feel a particular CB has the action they're on, then I'll use different diameter line, in combination with rod position to fine tune depth. If I'm working it out, I'll use the same setup (usually 10 or 12 lb mono) with different lures with different diving depths. But both can work great (or not).

[Bankbeater]

I keep 15 lb mono on the rig that I use for crankbaits. 

[TorqueConverter]

It's the line diameter, not the lb rating, that is important when speaking of the running depth of a crankbait.  .25-.30mm is around 8lb mono and is what cranks are rated to dive with.  FC has a smaller diameter than mono so you can go as big as 14lb and still run FC.  14lb mono is a bit big at around .4mm and will, depending on the brand/diameter, rob you of some diving depth. 

 

The diving depth has a lot to do with how affected a crank is by line diameter.  The shallow dive angle and running depth of a squarebill is less affected by big diameter line vs a deep diving crank running to 20ft.  There is simply a lot more line in the water with the deep crank.  What was a few inches of lost depth with the squarebill is now multiple feet with the deep crank.

 

I think a lot people switching from 14lb mono to 14lb FC and experiencing extra dive depth is what perpetuates the myth that FC makes the crank dive deeper because it sinks.  It's all about those line diameters and not the material.

 

I use #30 braid when deep cranking.  I need the castability and diameter to get my deep cranks down to their rated depths.  When I'm throwing a squarebill I'll often times use a #12 mono or a #14-#17 FC. 

[Hyrule Bass]

i would go with 12lb mono for all around cranking. although ive used has high as 20lb mono, but i was casting for stripers and ended up catching a few largemouth in the process...

[plumworm]

I use 10 lb. p-line cxx on my crank rods and spinnerbait rods. What I like about it is, 10 lb. diameter and 16-18 lb. strength.    

[J Francho]

I do a TON of cranking. I carry no less than 6 setups for cranks. There's truth to the line diameter to depth relationship, but I think you'll be more confident with a simpler approach. Two rods, one with 10# line, another with 12# for deeper baits, or for heavier cover. For line, use something inexpensive and tough. I like CXX, but last year started using Tatsu. I did step up a size from what I normally use. Know what you can get down to with your rigs, and know you can easily subtract. Build your confidence in your baits there. I don't say to myself, "this flat mini MR isn't getting down deep enough, I need to find some 8# line to get it in the zone." I tie a DR on, and see what I get. If the zone is outside of my cranks' range, I generally use something else, more suited to that depth. I'm more concerned that what I throw gets to the fish than what I actually throw. If your pattern is a bait that can't be fished where the fish are with what you have, then you're grasping at straws, and it's time to simplify. Where are your fish? What do I have that get to them. Fine tune from there. When we start talking about adding and subtracting inches via line diameter, I think we're over thinking it.

[Felix77]

It's the line diameter, not the lb rating, that is important when speaking of the running depth of a crankbait.  .25-.30mm is around 8lb mono and is what cranks are rated to dive with.  FC has a smaller diameter than mono so you can go as big as 14lb and still run FC.  14lb mono is a bit big at around .4mm and will, depending on the brand/diameter, rob you of some diving depth. 

 

The diving depth has a lot to do with how affected a crank is by line diameter.  The shallow dive angle and running depth of a squarebill is less affected by big diameter line vs a deep diving crank running to 20ft.  There is simply a lot more line in the water with the deep crank.  What was a few inches of lost depth with the squarebill is now multiple feet with the deep crank.

 

I think a lot people switching from 14lb mono to 14lb FC and experiencing extra dive depth is what perpetuates the myth that FC makes the crank dive deeper because it sinks.  It's all about those line diameters and not the material.

 

I use #30 braid when deep cranking.  I need the castability and diameter to get my deep cranks down to their rated depths.  When I'm throwing a squarebill I'll often times use a #12 mono or a #14-#17 FC. 

 

Learned something big time here.  The line diameter comments makes a ton of sense here.

[Felix77]

I do a TON of cranking. I carry no less than 6 setups for cranks. There's truth to the line diameter to depth relationship, but I think you'll be more confident with a simpler approach. Two rods, one with 10# line, another with 12# for deeper baits, or for heavier cover. For line, use something inexpensive and tough. I like CXX, but last year started using Tatsu. I did step up a size from what I normally use. Know what you can get down to with your rigs, and know you can easily subtract. Build your confidence in your baits there. I don't say to myself, "this flat mini MR isn't getting down deep enough, I need to find some 8# line to get it in the zone." I tie a DR on, and see what I get. If the zone is outside of my cranks' range, I generally use something else, more suited to that depth. I'm more concerned that what I throw gets to the fish than what I actually throw. If your pattern is a bait that can't be fished where the fish are with what you have, then you're grasping at straws, and it's time to simplify. Where are your fish? What do I have that get to them. Fine tune from there. When we start talking about adding and subtracting inches via line diameter, I think we're over thinking it.

 

I like simple.  I think I am going to test the waters with this setup and see.  

 

Thanks

[smalljaw67]

I have my 1 cranking setup spooled with 12 mono, the other is my shallow crank set up and it has 14lb line on it. The 12lb mono I like as I use the DT series of baits and one thing is they are very consistent divers, and the dive depth is based on 10lb line and cranking in my friends swimming pool I know a DT 6 runs about 5' to 5.5', a DT 10 runs 8.5' to 9' on 12lb test.  You do the very thing I do and that is using baits you know so you have all the depth zones covered, and other than diving depths I know that guys in the great lakes and other areas with zebra muscles like fluorocarbon not for the sinking property but the abrasion resistance, or if you will be encountering weeds, then braid may be better and of course when you mess with line type you have to consider the line diameter to make sure you have the right bait on to cover the depth you need to cover.