Crankbait rod and reel

[LEWITH]

Hey guys, looking at also getting into more crankbaits this summer.  I'm looking for a rod and reel combo that would prob be in the 130-180 range all said and done.  I would like this rod and reel to be able to handle cranking mainly in deeper water say 12-25ft but also have a little versatility to fish shallow square bills as well as I am a co angler and cant have to many rods as is.  Im thinking of going with a 12lb fluorocarbon as my line.  I just dont know what rod and reel to get, I think I want a reel in the 5.4:1 ratio speed because ive tried my faster reels cranking and it took alot out of me even on a 6xd!

 

Thank you all for your advice, it is much appreciated!

 

LEW

[Mumbly]

What speed are your faster reels? Also what brand and model? My initial thoughts are, to have the versatility you want, a 6.1-6.3:1 would work great unless you were throwing a 10xd a lot.

[LEWITH]

I run pretty much all 7:1 on my setups, I like faster reels but I have found I just cant make it work cranking the deeper crankbaits its to taxing.  I dont mind having one reel in the 5:1s, I can take about 6-7 rods typically and I have everything covered with my others that it wouldnt be detremental for my one reel to be so low.

[fishnkamp]

Boy the first question is how deep are you going, "12 to 25" and shallow too is a lot to ask.  Generally most anglers fish with two different rods to cover shallow to 15 footers and then the 20 plus big deep diving cranks. Here is where you are having fatigue with your current setup. A 7 foot or 7'3 rod with a 6.3-1 reel on it can do double duty for throwing shallow to mid depth cranks, rattle traps, and even jerkbaits in a pinch.  But once you start going really deep that is when you need a 5.x-1 reel and a much longer rod. You have to really launch those super deep baits a great distance to get them down in their strike zone. Guys are going to 7'9 to 8' foot long rods now for fishing these baits.

 

Here is where I am afraid your budget will also impact your choices too. A quality baitcasting reel for the deep divers will cost at least $100 unless you catch a great sale.  Something like a Tatula CT will run you $120 and a Bass Pro Qualifier will run around $100. I would be careful about buying an Abu Garcia Winch. That reel runs $70 but it has very mixed reviews. For $30 bucks more you are guaranteed a better reel with the Pro Qualifier. In fact i would look at a Bass pro Shops Crankin Stick rod. They have a 7'6 MH and a 7'10 MH. They run $99.

 

 

[papajoe222]

First you need to decide on the rod composition. Some prefer glass, some composite and some a light and sensitive graphite. Personally, I prefer one with a mix that’s heavy on the side of graphite. 

IMO, any decent reel with the IPT you’re looking for will serve you well. 

 

One deep cranking tip: use the reel to get the crank to running depth and then pump the rod down from 9:00 reeling up slack as you bring it back up. It’s a lot easier in the wrist and the reel. If you loose contact with the bottom or cover, crank away until you do and repeat. 

[FoulHooked]

1 hour ago, fishnkamp said:

Boy the first question is how deep are you going, "12 to 25" and shallow too is a lot to ask.  Generally most anglers fish with two different rods to cover shallow to 15 footers and then the 20 plus big deep diving cranks. Here is where you are having fatigue with your current setup. A 7 foot or 7'3 rod with a 6.3-1 reel on it can do double duty for throwing shallow to mid depth cranks, rattle traps, and even jerkbaits in a pinch.  But once you start going really deep that is when you need a 5.x-1 reel and a much longer rod. You have to really launch those super deep baits a great distance to get them down in their strike zone. Guys are going to 7'9 to 8' foot long rods now for fishing these baits.

 

Here is where I am afraid your budget will also impact your choices too. A quality baitcasting reel for the deep divers will cost at least $100 unless you catch a great sale.  Something like a Tatula CT will run you $120 and a Bass Pro Qualifier will run around $100. I would be careful about buying an Abu Garcia Winch. That reel runs $70 but it has very mixed reviews. For $30 bucks more you are guaranteed a better reel with the Pro Qualifier. In fact i would look at a Bass pro Shops Crankin Stick rod. They have a 7'6 MH and a 7'10 MH. They run $99.

 

 

I have 2 of the Abu Orra winch reels. They are 5.4:1 ratio and hold a ton of line. I believe around 180yd of 12lb. 15lbs of drag. I absolutely love mine and still to this day can't believe the price I paid for them. Got my second on on sale for $49. The reel performs like a solid $150+ reel. I'm a Shimano and Daiwa guy but that little Orra is the best deep diver for the value I have ever fished. I may have just gotten lucky with the 2 I have but over 4 yrs on the first one and starting the 2nd on the latest one. IMO they are 100% worth it.

[fishnkamp]

Glad your are good. Some of the reviewers I have seen are like you very happy with them.  Others are very disappointed with them. I admit, I have no personal experience with them. I was simply relaying the mixed reviews that existed on several tackle suppliers websites including Tackle Warehouse.  I know the BPS Pro Qualifiers have had a loyal following for ever. I had fished quite a few BPS reels along with Shimanos and Lews until I switched most of them over to Daiwa Tatula, Tatula Type Rs and Tatula CTs. To me that family of reels is hard to beat once you learn how to dial it in correctly.    

[burrows]

Mojo glass with orra winch should be in your price range.

[LEWITH]

Will it  be ok to use a 5.4:1 ratio reel cranking the mid depths say 10-20? I just want something i can use all day without getting tired.

[FoulHooked]

1 hour ago, fishnkamp said:

Glad your are good. Some of the reviewers I have seen are like you very happy with them.  Others are very disappointed with them. I admit, I have no personal experience with them. I was simply relaying the mixed reviews that existed on several tackle suppliers websites including Tackle Warehouse.  I know the BPS Pro Qualifiers have had a loyal following for ever. I had fished quite a few BPS reels along with Shimanos and Lews until I switched most of them over to Daiwa Tatula, Tatula Type Rs and Tatula CTs. To me that family of reels is hard to beat once you learn how to dial it in correctly.    

Maybe I've just been lucky but ive fished Abu reels for years and never had any problem with them in general. Now are they as nice and refined as say a Shimano Chronarch or curado or Daiwa Zillion or Tatula......absolutely NOT. Bit value reel for the money......absolutely yes(in my personal experience). Since I've experienced the wonders of higher end reels and micro module gears and spectacular drags on them I dnt fish the lower end Abu's anymore outside of the Orra winch and Orra Inshore. And price point is the only reason I fish those 2 reels. Do you have any experience with the Tatula SV TWS? I'm planning on ordering one in the next few weeks.

7 minutes ago, LEWITH said:

Will it  be ok to use a 5.4:1 ratio reel cranking the mid depths say 10-20? I just want something i can use all day without getting tired.

5.4:1 Will work just fine. Some guys I know even run higher like a 6.2:1 for mid depth and swear by that. But you should have no problems with that range. 

[LionHeart]

Cabelas tournament zx 'Crankshaft' can handle 10xd pretty well and 1.5xd pretty well, everything in between even better.  They go on sale for $80 Now and then.  Pretty versatile rod.  I Suggest you give a 6.4ish reel a try before going all the way down to a 5 speed.  With a long cast,  a 5 speed is pretty dang slow. 

[CroakHunter]

I have a 7'5 mh crankshaft. Have thrown 1/2ounce traps all the way to 8xd type baits. Very versatile. Not perfect for either end of the spectrum but gets the job done well

[TylerT123]

Lew’s has a $100 rod and reel combo, called David Fritts Crankback Baitcast Combo. I don’t think it would be that bad. 

https://www.lews.com/combos/frittscb

[tonka_blue]

Do yourself a favor and spend the money on a Quantum Tour KVD Cranking rods. Hands down the best cranking rods out there. Pair that with a lews tournament mb 6:8:1 or some sort of daiwa tatula 6:3:1 and you have one hell of a setup.

[burrows]

Or powell inferno glass composite cranker and and abu orra winch.

   There you are rite at your budget 169.00 ....

[zeth]

I use 7:1 or 8:1 Quantum Smoke for all reels even for extra deep magnum cranks. Easier to slow down than speed up for me. I have two brands of cranking rods. Quantum KVD and Powell Endurance. There is a new Powell Endurance rod out for $140. I would go with a MH. The 7'5" one. Not too long. not too short and will give you the best all around.  Personally, I want a short M or MH rod for squarebills etc and a long Heavy rod for deep divers.   Now if you can open your mind a bit then you do not need a cranking rod. I didn't use a crankbait rod for most of my life and never really had any problems until in 2015 I lost a giant at the boat on a square bill that would have had me in first rather than like 50th. If I had a soft rod or mono on I may have landed the fish. That was the turning point for me. I think that a normal fast or extra fast is fine for baits to about 10' but then you had better be using mono to make up for it. plenty of guys out there do fine without a dedicated rod.

[Dbow825]

I'm a die hard crankbait guy and I'd take a square bill on a 7' to 7'3" medium glass composite rod on a 5.4:1 Revo Winch  over any other lure if I were in a challenge that involved using only one presentation. I fish cranks a lot of times, I'll try to throw them in almost any situation, so I've had a lot of experience on the water with cranking gear in my hand. Both equipment specifically designed for cranking and some that were not specifically designed for cranking. And I will tell you from experience that if you find yourself in a competitive scenario where the most productive pattern is a crankbait bite and you're throwing a crankbait for 8 hours without having a good crankbait rod and more importantly a 5.1 geared crankbait reel, you're gonna be sorry by the time bedtime that night rolls around. You won't even realize it at the time but your muscles will certainly remind you of how hard that was on your body. The cranking rods are built to help negate the resistance caused by a crankbait and help keep hyper fish pinned with multi-treble hook lures. And the reel is to make sure you're presenting the bait properly and give you relief from the hard resistance caused by the bill on the bait. They're made out of necessaty, not style or a gimmick. Go 5:1 reel and 6'10" to 7'3" for shallow square bill or Target cranking and 7'4" to 7'10" for the deep magnum cranks. And I wouldn't even throw anything as big as a 10xd, that's a gimmick right there. If they're 30 ft plus I'm dropping a drop shot on em or moving to a better spot. Lol 

[bunz559]

Tough question. I usually throw square bills and medium divers on the same or similar rods but extra deep divers on a totally different beast of a rod. For example, I have a Dobyn's 705cb and Kistler Feel N Reel 7'3 for square billing and medium diving cranks. But when I'm throwing 8xd's, 10xd's or similar I have a Dobyn's 805cb and an Irod Crank Launcher. There's such a weight difference in lures that it's almost necessary. A squarebill can be thrown on a stout cb rod but a 10xd cannot be thrown on a smaller rod cb rod. 

[Tizi]

I have 4 set ups for cranks (3 are glass):

 

7' Tatula XT ML (TXT701MLRB) with Tatula 100HS 7.1:1

7' Tatula M (TTU701MRB-G) with Fuego CT 6.3:1 

7' Tatula XT MH (TXT701MHRB-G) with Fuego CT 6.3:1

7'4" Tatula H (TTU741HRB-G) with Tatula 150 5.4:1

 

I use the Medium and Heavy the most.  Medium gets the job done for most of my cranking, deep cranking requires the Heavy rod.