Crank bait rod blank

[Lucas Cooper]

I'm looking into a cranking blank for 6-12ft divers, I've been looking at the mhx 7ft mh mf and rainshadow revelation with the same specs. Has anyone used these blanks and do you have any other blank suggestions? Thanks for your input!

[MickD]

Do the lure weight recommendations for these blanks match the lures you intend to cast?  Mod action is right, length is right, but the rod has to load properly for casting the cranks, and that depends on the lure weight recommendations.

[Angry John]

I like my x series pheonix a lot.  Might be worth a look.  The x-10 got rave reviews on TT and the larger x rods also did well minus handle length which is no issue on a custom build.

[spoonplugger1]

Haven't really found anything better than my custom SBS706 Seeker. Lots of good stuff out there, but as of yet, not better. St. Croix's MH crankbait sticks are nice and still available at Rod Geeks. Popping rod blanks can make a dandy stick, the action of your blank is not as important as the final power of thr blank. A MH bass rod hasn't the same power as a crank stick even though they carry the same rating in the catalog.

[Jrob78]

I'll 2nd the Seeker SBS706

[Lucas Cooper]

I plan on throwing cranks from 1/4-5/8 mostly rapala DTs 

I was wondering if the moderate fast action would be to fast

[spoonplugger1]

Rod action isn't as important as you've been led to believe. Take any rod you have, doesn't make a difference what kind, for what, just a rod. Now bend it under a load equivalent to you have during fish fighting. What is the tip and the first two foot doing? Is the tip pointing toward the load? Is it more in a straight path vs a big bend under load? If so the part out there in the more straight position is no longer really doing anything, it's certainly not protecting the trebles, minimizing holes in the fish's face, etc. Sooner, or later you end up fighting the fish with the butt of the rod, how the tip bends goes away the more you load the rod.

Gary Loomis developed an XF rod close to 40 years ago for crankbaits, they were so popular companies like Lamiglas, St. Croix, All Star, Rainshadow, Rogue, Pacific Bay, G Loomis, Fenwick, etc. all build them , or have in the past. They make them in all materials, and all price points. 

[JLBBass]

Croix MHM blank

[Lucas Cooper]

What about the liberty blanks from grt bit outdoors?

[MickD]

On 4/4/2019 at 10:43 AM, Lucas Cooper said:

plan on throwing cranks from 1/4-5/8 mostly rapala DTs 

I was wondering if the moderate fast action would be to fast

Not at all.  The most important thing about any rod, any action, is for it to be properly matched for power to the weight of the lures you'll be casting most of the time, or centered in the range.  Rods can go either up or down from the range by changing your casting style, but for ease of casting try to match it pretty well.

 

Moderate is what is generally considered correct for cranks, but it is not "written on a rock."

 

 

[Lucas Cooper]

Okay thanks for the input!

[MickD]

On 4/4/2019 at 1:50 PM, spoonplugger1 said:

.

What he said is right.  I'll repeat that the most important thing is that the power be right for the lure weights you want to throw.  

 

Fast or Xfst action does not tear trebles out of fish's mouths, but too much power can.  If the power is too high, regardless of action, it can tear the lures out.  Power determines the force you are putting on the fish.   In fact a heavy power Xfast will have a lighter tip than a heavy power moderate action.  So it's easier to deflect the Xfast of the same power.  But it won't deflect as far before cranking up the force quite rapidly, so if you go through that lighter tip too far. . .