Dedicated crankbait setup

[Travis Gasper]

I've decided to get a dedicated crankbait setup and think I've narrowed it down. Thinking of going with a 7' mh BPS Crankin Stick Casting Rod and a Lew's BB1 Speed Spool. Anybody compare the Crankin Stick and a Lew's David Fritts Perfect Crank Speed Stick? Those are the two rods I was deciding between. 

[MBB Nate]

I think you would be better served with the 5.1:1 ratio BB1Z instead of the 7.1 BB1SHZ for dedicated crankin.

[lakeannaangler]

Looks go to me, I have a few crankin sticks and love then for a lot of applications, not just cranking. I like my MH cranking stick as a spinner bait rod as well as cranks really big jerkbaits

[Travis Gasper]

Thanks for the input guys. I haven't done much cranking but have a good handful of crankbaits I want to utilize. And yes, I had planned on using it for spinners too. 

[Hog Basser]

I love my Lew's BB1 Speed Spool, you can't go wrong there. 

[Travis Gasper]

45 minutes ago, Hog Basser said:

I love my Lew's BB1 Speed Spool, you can't go wrong there. 

I noticed the BB1 doesn't have the magnetic braking system like the other baitcasters have. Not an issue? I assume not since they get such high praise.

[adrenalizd]

I would look into the daiwa tatulas as well,  they are amazing,  both the reels and the rods. 

[Hog Basser]

14 minutes ago, Travis Gasper said:

I noticed the BB1 doesn't have the magnetic braking system like the other baitcasters have. Not an issue? I assume not since they get such high praise.

No issue for me.  I tighten my brakes down to where the lure won't fall (usually a 3/4-1 oz lure) when I release the line, then back it off a notch or two.  It will still cast a mile this way.  I back it off a little more for a few lighter applications I throw.  Very rarely get any backlash.  

[Robert Riley]

28 minutes ago, Travis Gasper said:

I noticed the BB1 doesn't have the magnetic braking system like the other baitcasters have. Not an issue? I assume not since they get such high praise.

It's got a 6 pin Centrifugal braking system. 

Looks like that rod is on special too
/Bass-Pro-Shops-Crankin-Stick-Casting-Rod/product/14050107113767/

[Molay1292]

2 hours ago, Hog Basser said:

No issue for me.  I tighten my brakes down to where the lure won't fall (usually a 3/4-1 oz lure) when I release the line, then back it off a notch or two.  It will still cast a mile this way.  I back it off a little more for a few lighter applications I throw.  Very rarely get any backlash.  

You should try using more brakes and less spool tension.  It will give you better performance from your reel while still offering excellent backlash protection.   When you crank the spool tension down you can damage the tension disks and create a situation where the reel will not perform as well as it could.

[Onvacation]

I have a 5.1:1 BB1 as my cranking reel and I love it. I was in a tournament last weekend and had my first opportunity to throw a 6xd with it.  Let's just say there was a lot of line to reel back in. That reel will cast a mile.  Of course my Tatulas do a great job too but the BB1 feels a bit more solid to me.  

[Columbia Craw]

I have two BB1 's in 5.1 to 1 and they still have a 28 IPT pick up.  This is fine reel that can cast a broad lure weight range. Good choice.  I have no experience with BPS crankin rods.  

[DesertBass]

I was really impressed with the new lews cranking sticks.

[Travis Gasper]

I see they actually sell this as a combo on there too, never noticed that. So what I'm gathering is lower gear ratio for cranking then? Can someone sell me on the 7' 6" over the 7' rod? I don't own any rods over 7' yet. 

[S. Sass]

3 minutes ago, Travis Gasper said:

I see they actually sell this as a combo on there too, never noticed that. So what I'm gathering is lower gear ratio for cranking then? Can someone sell me on the 7' 6" over the 7' rod? I don't own any rods over 7' yet. 

As for the lower gear ratio yes that is geared that way for crank bait fishing. Its more help on deep divers that on shallow running crank baits. Like my Mann's 1 minus and square bills a 6:4 or even a 7:1 gear ratio doesn't make a huge difference from my experience. A Rapala DT 14 or DT16 type bait the lower gears make life easier from my experience.

I didn't see if you fish from land or boat but if its a boat with a rod locker consider your rod locker may or may not accommodate the 7'6". I have a 2000 yr boat and 7'6" is about the safe max I can get in mine.  If on land I would go 7'6" as generally speaking it will cast farther and provide better leverage.  

[Travis Gasper]

30 minutes ago, S. Sass said:

I didn't see if you fish from land or boat but if its a boat with a rod locker consider your rod locker may or may not accommodate the 7'6". I have a 2000 yr boat and 7'6" is about the safe max I can get in mine.  If on land I would go 7'6" as generally speaking it will cast farther and provide better leverage.  

That gear ratio advice makes sense, thanks. I mostly fish from my boat which is just a 14' aluminum with no storage. I lay my rods across the bench seats so a 7' 6" shouldn't be a problem boat-wise. 

[new2BC4bass]

On 9/16/2016 at 6:12 PM, Molay1292 said:

You should try using more brakes and less spool tension.  It will give you better performance from your reel while still offering excellent backlash protection.   When you crank the spool tension down you can damage the tension disks and create a situation where the reel will not perform as well as it could.

Not to get off topic but have to agree with Molay 100%.  I'm sure I use more braking than most but feel I get more distance using more brakes and less spool tension and still get good line control than the reverse. 

[Travis Gasper]

I decided on the 7' 6" MH/F rod and 6.4:1 BB1 reel, and ordered some 12lb Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. I've never used fluoro before. Do people normally put all fluoro on the spool or back it with mono first? Thanks for the help. 

[J Francho]

51 minutes ago, Travis Gasper said:

I decided on the 7' 6" MH/F rod and 6.4:1 BB1 reel

I thought you were looking for a crankbait setup? 

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Travis Gasper said:

I decided on the 7' 6" MH/F rod and 6.4:1 BB1 reel, and ordered some 12lb Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon. I've never used fluoro before. Do people normally put all fluoro on the spool or back it with mono first? Thanks for the help. 

I back fluoro and braid with an inexpensive mono because of the expense.

[Travis Gasper]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

I thought you were looking for a crankbait setup? 

What don't you like about that setup? The reel may be just a bit faster than some like for cranking, and the rod action for the BPS Crankin Stick only comes in Fast or Extra Fast. 

[J Francho]

You might want to compare the tapers in person.  For cranking, you want a moderate taper or parabolic action, and a reel that runs at about 22-25 IPT.  This allows the bait run through, and deflect off cover or other obstructions properly, and gives you time to stop the bait, and guide it through cover.  Throw a crank into a lay-down, and you'll see what I mean.  An experienced cranker can guide that bait through the wood, by feeling, and starting and stopping.  What you picked out would be a nice plastics/spinnerbait/all around rig.  You're also looking to combine spinnerbaits and cranks, and in my experience, while a cranking stick throws a spinnerbait well, it does not set the hook well.  You want an extra fast taper to get into the power of the rod fast.

[Travis Gasper]

That's the problem living 5 hours away from the nearest BPS store, I can't see these rods in person. I may not be as picky about specs as some people either, as I just fish for fun and never do tournaments. I think this should serve me well for a mix of cranks, spinners, and jerks. 

[J Francho]

I don't see what fishing tournaments has to do with it, but you really should consider the best rod for the job, to get the most fun out of fishing.  It's not about tournaments, it's about enjoyment.  You're looking at dropping some pretty decent coin on this rig, do it up right, man!

[Travis Gasper]

So you're saying this BPS Crankin Stick/BB1 combo put together by Bass Pros specifically is not good for crankbaits? I can see maybe wanting a slightly slower reel, but the rod was made for crankbaits. I don't think they would have called it a Crankin Stick if they didn't intend it for that use.