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[brantley5]

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[smallies24/7]

Need? Absolutely not. You can get away with a medium fast and back off the drag a little. A moderate action rod would increase hookup ratio, and is definitely worth it to me.

[ww2farmer]

Depends. I have come full circle in my theory on cranking rods. I started with fast action...........it was never a problem, but like so many I thought a "cranking" specific moderate action rod would be better. For some it probably is, for me it is not. Why???? ...................Grass. It was absolutely frustrating fishing cranks in, around, and through grass, which is the predominate cover in my home lakes with a moderate action rod. Instead of getting clean rips and pops free of the grass, the moderate just loaded up and dug in deeper, cranking with braid helped little if at all. So I went back to fast action a few years ago, and my grass ripping woes are gone. I don't lose fish or pull hooks out, or pull the bait away or have any of the other issues some people do with fast action rods and cranks. I will say this though...............not every fast action rod is ideal for cranking. I look for ones with a little tip but don't load up very far down the blank. When I am cranking, it's probably 80% of the time in grass with a lipless, squarebill, or mid depth diving crank, 10 % of the time in shallow hard cover like wood, docks and rock, and the remaining 10% of the time deep cranking along outside grass line or over hard offshore cover like rock piles, and sunken debris. The times I deep crank with a standard cast and wind retrieve perhaps a traditional cranking rod would be the better choice, but since it's a limited part of my rotation, I make do with the rod/reel/line combo that I do the rest of my cranking with and get along pretty well with it...............especially since a lot of times I am deep cranking, I am long lining to get max depth, and max time in the strike zone. Trying to set the hook or turn a fish when you have 100+ yards of line out is undesirable to me with a moderate action rod.

[thebillsman]

Just go for the moderate. Save your M/F outfit for something better. 

[kcdinkerz]

My dad didn't need a belt to whoop me but it made his job easier, you don't need a moderate taper for cranking but it sure does help.

[long island basser]

I use M/F and MH/F for my shallow and medium cranking with braid and love it. I don't do any deep cranking.

I've used moderate action rods in the past and sold them. 

Youll have to see for yourself what you prefer.

[new2BC4bass]

A friend tells me the new Kistler Argon crankbait rods are very good, but that his Dobyns 704 CB Glass is his best crankbait rod regardless of price.  I hope to try out an Argon later this year as crankbait rods are in short supply in my arsenal.  So far I have always used a MF for crankbaits.   Seldom lose a fish with one, but lost 3 one morning a couple weeks ago using a 7' ML Redbone rated 3/8-3/4 oz.  Possibly had too much drag.  Don't know if it was my set-up or that a cold front had moved in.  Can't hurt to try a rod designed for crankbaits.

For cheap, you could try a Lightning Shock with something other than braid.

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I like a mod fast for shallow and cover cranking and a mod for open water and deep cranking. If your going out and get a technique specific Rod why not get something different than what you have ?

[Raul]

Do I need a moderate action rod for cranking?

NO.

[MDBowHunter]

Do you need it? Probably not , but I will say that at one time I was cranking with a fast action rod and didn't see any issues. But then I ran into a smoking deal on a St Croix Avid cranking rod which is M/H Moderate action, and I absolutely love it. I can't even remember the last time I lost a fish on it, yes I've lost some but very few. When I was using a fast action rod I was losing a lot on cranks. Get one and try it I think you'll like it...

[Paul Roberts]

No.

I too fish vegetation a lot and a "giving" rod is a real handicap. I also like power in the tip (not necessarily 'faster') for the sensitivity.

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Don't confuse a more moderate action with a soft tip. They are not inevitably connected. 

[brantley5]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm slowly building my rod and reel arsenal and I'm getting a rod with a medium power and a fast action regardless. I'm going to use it as my topwater rod. Maybe throw some light jigs and light Texas rigs on it. Back to the point, I was just seeing if I could maybe get away with throwing crank baits on it as well.

[roadwarrior]

You can fish just about anything on the rod, but as you build a collection of technique specific gear you will want a different rod or maybe several! For example I have rigs dedicated to shallow cranks, deep diving, topwater, jerkbaits and lighter lures. I don't really NEED but one or maybe none, but this is my hobby.

 

 

 

[brantley5]

7 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

You can fish just about anything on the rod, but as you build a collection of technique specific gear you will want a different rod or maybe several! For example I have rigs dedicated to shallow cranks, deep diving, topwater, jerkbaits and lighter lures. I don't really NEED but one or maybe none, but this is my hobby.

 

 

 

I know what you mean. I'm only a teenager so money isn't real abundant. Now, in the future I will probably do the same as you. I almost like collecting tackle as much as I like to fish.

[Bankbeater]

I use a moderate action with a fast tip for crankbaits, and lipless cranks around 5/16 or less in size.  .  I use a med. heavy for deep divers and large crankbaits.  I like the extra backbone on some of these hard pulling baits.

[new2BC4bass]

11 hours ago, brantley5 said:

I know what you mean. I'm only a teenager so money isn't real abundant. Now, in the future I will probably do the same as you. I almost like collecting tackle as much as I like to fish.

Getting new gear can become addictive.  Not just rods and reels.  I've got crankbaits that the box has never been opened on.  Plastics that have never been opened.  However, that has more to do with where I live than my fishing habits.  Only time I dig them out is when I go to a lake.  I practice at a local boat ramp on the river, and quickly learned not to use a crankbait there.  Much harder to snag a spinnerbait.  Lure used doesn't matter since I don't expect to catch anything.  Probably have more spinnerbaits than most guys.

Casting reels is where I get into trouble.  Have way more rods than needed, yet have at least 8 more reels than rods. 

 

[Raul]

22 hours ago, brantley5 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm slowly building my rod and reel arsenal and I'm getting a rod with a medium power and a fast action regardless. I'm going to use it as my spinnerbait/topwater rod. Maybe throw some light jigs and light Texas rigs on it. Back to the point, I was just seeing if I could maybe get away with throwing crank baits on it as well.

Unless you are fishing small light wire spinnerbaits a medium power rod is imho not powerful enough taken in consideration that most spinnerbaits have heavy wire hook.

[WRB]

The more parabolic a rod is the better or easier it will cast a lure. Moderate means more parabolic than fast action, you use more of the rod to luanch the crankbait.

You can cast a broom stick, it's a lot easier to cast a more flexible rod.

Tom

[stkbassn]

With all of the crankbait rods I've had ( i fish mostly medium to deep diving baits in open water and rock/mud bottoms..some wood..) I've had the most success with hook ups and fish staying buttoned with a moderate cranking rod. I could fish with any rod for this application but none as ideal for me as a moderate rod. This has been my preference. My two favorite crankbait rods I've sold and can't find either out there anywhere so I regret it.

[WRB]

Lamiglas SR707R or SR765R both excellent cankbait rods, just need to look for them.

Tom

[stkbassn]

20 hours ago, WRB said:

Lamiglas SR707R or SR765R both excellent cankbait rods, just need to look for them.

Tom

SR765R is one I let go of and should not have. Still sick over that one. There's a guy on Ebay that makes the 705 with some customized features, still the same blank. I had one of those too and loved it...sold it. See the pattern? I'm an idiot. Anyway, Cooks of Oregon I believe is the seller/maker. He said the 765 blank is no longer made unfortunately. I'm still looking for another one.