Looking for a rod for deep crankbaits

[freelancer27]

Hi all,

I finally want to invest in a dedicated crankbait rod that I can throw deep divers on (15+ feet). I have been throwing them on my MH 7 foot rod with a 7:1 metanium but I after throwing just for 30mins I am totally exhausted and my elbow hurts (also feel like the Metanium gets to its limits). 

Since I am not throwing Cranks that often, I want to invest in a good budget set up.

For the Reel I was planning to get the 

http://img.tacklewarehouse.com/watermark/rs.php?path=AGW-1.jpg&nw=100

Abu Garcia Casting Reel Orra Winch-L

So, now for the rod. I held a glass rod some months ago and I was a bit shocked how noodly, heavy and thick that rod was (cant remember the brand though). Is Glass still the way to go? I would prefer a rod with a longer handle. Price point under 200 USD.

Thanks all again.

Cheers!

[fishballer06]

A 5:1 ratio reel will greatly reduce the wear and tear on your body, and it will make dragging big billed cranks through the water a breeze. 

 

As for rods, 7' minimum, but I would go 7'6". It will help you get more distance and it will handle heavier cranks better during the cast. Plus you can drop the tip further down in the water during the retrieve to help the bait get down even further. As for the material, I prefer graphite over glass. It's much more sensitive than glass and it's also much lighter. With today's technology, you can easily get a graphite cranking rod with the same slower action as a glass rod. I've tried both materials and I'll take a graphite rod 10 out of 10 times. However, some guys still prefer a glass rod so you will get some opinions from guys suggesting them. 

[freelancer27]

Just now, fishballer06 said:

A 5:1 ratio reel will greatly reduce the wear and tear on your body, and it will make dragging big billed cranks through the water a breeze. 

 

As for rods, 7' minimum, but I would go 7'6". It will help you get more distance and it will handle heavier cranks better during the cast. Plus you can drop the tip further down in the water during the retrieve to help the bait get down even further. As for the material, I prefer graphite over glass. It's much more sensitive than glass and it's also much lighter. With today's technology, you can easily get a graphite cranking rod with the same slower action as a glass rod. I've tried both materials and I'll take a graphite rod 10 out of 10 times. However, some guys still prefer a glass rod so you will get some opinions from guys suggesting them. 

Thanks for your answer.

Do you have any recommendations on rods?

[fishballer06]

1 minute ago, freelancer27 said:

Do you have any recommendations on rods?

 

I do, but the rods I use are a little out of your price range. I recommend the Dobyns Champion 765CB or 805CB, but they run around $250. You can find them on sale down around $210-220 during some of the various holiday sales that the online stores have.

 

Maybe someone else on here can recommend something more in your price range. 

[fishnkamp]

Take a look at an Irod Genesis II rod. The entire Genesis II rods are light handle and balance well.  They are also designed for specific techniques by tour anglers that specialize in that specific technique.

Look at this one. The rod sells for $149.00

RG7113CC “Fred’s Crank Launcher”

Fred designed this rod for deep diving cranks but will work with mid divers and larger shallow divers. Not your usual crank rod, this rod is all graphite and is not whippy and soft like others. It’s tip is strong enough to drive in a hook set yet forgiving enough to play the fish without ripping out the hooks. It will also cast any crank bait a country mile which is needed to get the big cranks down deep.

Length:7’11″

Lure weight:3/8-1 1/2

Line weight:8-20

Power: Med. Heavy

Action:Moderate

 

I fish several Irod Genesis rods and they fish very well. I like the feel, the balance and the components.

 

Powell offers two nice rod to consider. Look at a Powell Max 3D 7115 or a Max 3D 755. Both of these cost $160.

[npl_texas]

For 10xd's I throw the reel you mentioned and the Abu Garcia Veritas Winch 7'11" XH rated up to 2.5oz.

[huffman1988]

I have a orra winch on a abu Garcia veracity 7'11". It will cast a long ways and it is easy on you throwing it all day. I would reccomend the setup to anyone. I mainly use it for deep diving crankbaits. Now if I could just catch some fish on crankbaits lol

[rangerjockey]

I throw Big cranks a lot, usually the DD22 ,little John DD and 6xd.  I throw them either on a Mojo glass big crankster or a Denali kovert lt 7ft6 MH. Both with curado E5'S.

Both are great, the Mojo is a heavier rod .

 

[A-Jay]

I'm a big fan of composite rods for many treble hook bait applications; specifically the line of Quantum rods discussed below. 

I was about to write why, but then I found Mr. Smiths article he covers my thought well - so there ya go. 

btw - Tackle Direct's is very good.

A-Jay 

 

http://www.tackledirect.com/quantum-tkvd7106mb-tour-kvd-pt-cranking-rod.html

Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod

Walker Smith

12/09/2013

Crankbait rods are probably the most technique-specific rods a bass angler can buy. You can get away with a generic rod for many other presentations, but you need a sure enough cranking rod if you want to get the most out of your crankbait fishing. I’ve been using the Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod for ...

Crankbait rods are probably the most technique-specific rods a bass angler can buy. You can get away with a generic rod for many other presentations, but you need a sure enough cranking rod if you want to get the most out of your crankbait fishing.

I’ve been using the Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod for all of my deep cranking needs and I am absolutely in love with it. For the longest time, I always had problems finding a rod suitable for heavy plugs but this rod has shed new light on my deep cranking.

Will it wear me out?

Anglers everywhere complain of sore shoulders, forearms and hands when deep cranking. If you fish a deep crankbait with a subpar rod, you’re bound to tweak muscles you never even knew existed. This was my problem for years, so I just totally abandoned the technique altogether.

When I finally tried the 7-foot, 10-inch medium-heavy Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod, however, it was a brand new ballgame. Its moderate taper excellently absorbs the torque of big crankbaits and makes them a pleasure to fish—it doesn’t feel much different than throwing a shallow squarebill on a medium-action rod.

 

A lot of the deep cranking rods I’ve tried in the past have had very stiff, unforgiving tips. They didn’t wear me out while fishing, but I was constantly ripping the hooks out of my fish. There were too many times I reeled my crankbait in to find a big cheek scale hanging from one of the trebles.

The Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod loads very well when you get a bite. It maintains a pretty noticeable bend throughout your retrieve, but when you get a bite it absorbs the energy excellently and slowly loads to allow the fish to really “eat” the whole crankbait.

The energy absorption of this rod also comes in handy when fighting big bass. When one eats it in deep water, you have your work cut out for you—there’s a lot of distance between you and the bass for it to throw the hooks. This rod, however, doesn’t put too much pressure on the fish when they surge to deeper water. As a result, I lose very few fish on a deep crankbait.

Is it difficult to make long casts?

 

Regardless of your crankbait’s weight, the Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod will launch it into the next dimension. It features a composite blank that blends E-Glass and carbon, which means it has a parabolic bend and a ton of backbone. This allows it to load well on the back cast and send your crankbait flying in order to get it down to the strike zone quickly and efficiently.
 

The Alp’s LXN micro guides have aluminum oxide inserts that promote flawless line flow throughout the cast. Even when casting directly into the wind, you’re not going to hear, feel or see any line slap against the inserts.

Can I feel what's going on?

 

I’m a huge fan of the reel seat on this rod as well. The blank is exposed right where you would put your middle finger during the retrieve, allowing you to feel everything your crankbait is doing.

Sensitivity is a big deal when you’re deep cranking. With other rods, I kind of felt like I was spitting in the wind when looking for specific bottom compositions—I could feel my crankbait hitting things, but I couldn’t tell what those “things” actually were. With the Quantum Tour KVD Cranking Rod, I can feel everything. I can tell when I’m grinding on shell beds, bumping on pea gravel or deflecting off of old tree tops.

When I take folks fishing who are new to deep cranking, I see a bunch of false hooksets and lose a ton of crankbaits. Some rods just don’t give you a good idea of what a bite really feels like. I’ve been impressed by how easy it is to detect bites with this rod—there’s no doubt about it. It’s very easy to feel the difference between a collision with deep cover and a big bite.

If the thought of deep cranking appeals to you but also seems a bit intimidating, I’d suggest checking out this rod. In my opinion, deep cranking is all about having the right gear and this rod will significantly shorten your learning curve.
 

 

[MittenMouth]

On 7/20/2017 at 6:22 AM, rangerjockey said:

I throw Big cranks a lot, usually the DD22 ,little John DD and 6xd.  I throw them either on a Mojo glass big crankster or a Denali kovert lt 7ft6 MH. Both with curado E5'S.

Both are great, the Mojo is a heavier rod .

 

I just picked up a Kovert the other day- actually a pretty good rod so far. 

[freelancer27]

Ok guys,

a little update from my side.

On Friday I went ahead and bought the Genesis II Cast Rod 7'11" Fred's Crank Launcher. Put the Ora Winch on it with 12 pound fluro. Went to the lake in the evening and tossed some 8XDs and DT 22s around. 

The reel is pretty amazing for the price. Smooth and casts bigger lures a country mile. Of course the handles and finish is not top class but for 80 USD it is still pretty good quality.

The rod handled the big cranks pretty well. Casting was not a problem. Caught 4 fish on it (2 decent ones in the 4's) BUT I also lost 4 fish that got unhooked though I put pretty good pressure on the fish. The taper seems to be a bit too strong and slow for smaller fish. 

Otherwise the rod handled pretty well. Weight was great for the price range and the handle length was great too to stuck the rod under the arm.

After 1h our fishing though I had to find out that the first guide had a chip in it. So I went back to the store to exchange it. They did not have the rod in store anymore. 

So, I exchanged it for the Shimano Zodias Casting Rod 7'6" Med Hvy Glass. Reviews seemed great, so I am gonna give it a shot. Also had a look at the Dobyns 805 and 806 CB and also the Powell MAX 3D 7115 CB G/C MOD-FAST MEDIUM HEAVY.  THe Powell felt nice too just liked the longer handle on the Shimano a lot more.

Let's see how the Shimano fishes. 

Deep Cranking is really fun, though it is quite expensive. .Lost 4 cranks in 3 hours...

Oh well.

[rangerjockey]

A lure retriever pays for itself pretty quickly with deep crankbaits.

[Quarry Man]

On 7/19/2017 at 2:41 PM, fishballer06 said:

 

I do, but the rods I use are a little out of your price range. I recommend the Dobyns Champion 765CB or 805CB, but they run around $250. You can find them on sale down around $210-220 during some of the various holiday sales that the online stores have.

 

Maybe someone else on here can recommend something more in your price range. 

looking at the 765 CB, how do you like it?

[fishballer06]

19 hours ago, Quarry Man said:

looking at the 765 CB, how do you like it?

I love it. Especially for the DT10. It's like that rod was made for that bait. It also throws my Lucky Craft Flat CB DR's very well. 

[Quarry Man]

5 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

I love it. Especially for the DT10. It's like that rod was made for that bait. It also throws my Lucky Craft Flat CB DR's very well. 

what about for deeper baits too?

[fishballer06]

10 minutes ago, Quarry Man said:

what about for deeper baits too?

Define "deeper"? DT14? 10XD?

 

Big difference. 

[Quarry Man]

24 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

Define "deeper"? DT14? 10XD?

 

Big difference. 

not sure, I have a few deep cranks, but never really throw them. I want a do it ll deep cranking rod.

[Fishingmickey]

Quarry, 

     When you say deep crankbait, how deep do you mean? If your talking on the small side 6XD/DD22 to say on the large side a Strike king 10XD. Most of those baits weigh at least one ounce. The 10XD is almost two ounces. Most of the IMHO true deep crankbaits are between 1.25 - 2 oz's. So a 7'4" (short side) to 7'10" or 8' heavy/moderate action rod is needed to properly cast one of those behemoth crankbaits. Now to properly reel one of those behemoths in you need a low geared 4:1, 5:1 or 6:1 reel at most. For me it is a Shimano Tranx or Curado 300EJ.  Sure you can use you 7:1 or 8:1 and it will slap wear you out.  If your talking crankbaits smaller then that. You should be fine with your regular tackle. A moderate action or glass rod is preferred by some for keeping them pinned and giving the bass a chance to eat it better.

Good luck cranking!

FM