Crank Bait Setup

[BenBJ21]

Hi, I was thinking about picking up another casting setup and am leaning towards the 6'6 black max combo, it is a medium rod with moderate action and was planning to use it for mainly shallow and medium cranks, no deep divers. Would this be a good option, or would the 7'0 MH be a better option for what I want to use it for?

Thanks

[NorthernBasser]

If you're not planning on ripping them thru much grass, I'd go with the medium. BTW the medium's action is mod-fast I believe. 

[kayaking_kev]

It depends on how much you're going to use the Black Max reel. If it's just on the weekends during the Spring and Summer, it's a fine reel. But, they do break down pretty easily with heavy use in my experience. It was my first baitcaster and I admit I did put it through the ringer taking it kayaking for a season and a half, a few things went wrong with it. The thumb bar came detached on one side, but I did superglue it back and hopefully it will hold, but the gears have also become really grindy, even after a cleaning. It could be from the extreme wear and tear I put on it being a noob while kayak fishing. Other than that I caught more fish with that reel than any other reel so far and I now own 10+, and I still plan on having a use for it. I guess if you take care of it, it would be a decent cheap option for cranking with the 6.4.1 gear ration and it cast pretty good. It hard to find a cheaper BC reel in a lower gear for cranking.

 

I don't have any experience with the rod, I used a 6'0 Medium Ugly Stik Gx2 and threw the Whopper Plopper on it most of the time, but it does good with all moving baits being a composite rod. I caught hundreds of fish on that combo this past season and it also matches good too. I usually fish for pesky river smallies that fight, shake and jump pretty hard and it did a good job of keeping them pinned. 

[jbsoonerfan]

For me, 6ft and less is thrown on a MH, 6-10 on a M and over 10 on a M glass

[flyingmonkie]

MHF is too much rod IMO. I'd suggest either medium power or moderate action (or both).  Spooling up with mono will help if you go on the stiffer side.  7' MHM with 10# mono is my go-to cranking setup.

[DanielG]

My 2 cents of lack of experience might not be worth much but I fish mainly crank baits, casting and trolling. I have two rods I use, a Dobyns fury M that's pretty much okay for cranks but I managed to get a Dobyns MHF 7.3 glass. This rod is wonderful. I actually don't want to use my others. Then again, I don't have that many to begin with.

Oh well.

[Boomstick]

If I recall right, the Black Max combo rods are rated as mod. fast, but are maybe a little bit on the fast side, so the medium seems like a better rod for crankbaits and shouldn't be too bad in grass either.

 

I might also consider an Ugly Stik GX2 either medium or medium heavy with a Black Max reel as well. They have more bend in the tip, so if you're fishing it in grass, a MH would do nicely.

[Fishes in trees]

Main question is how much vegetation do you have to deal with day in & day out.  A medium action rod, bait gets caught up in vegetation, you give it a rip and more often than not it tends to accumulate a bunch of vegetation.

A heavier, faster action rod, similar situation, give your bait a rip and more often than not you can shed the vegetation and continue the retrieve.

There is a learning curve here,, like many other things.  With experience, with a medium action rod, you can gauge the power of the rip and the direction of the rip and often shed vegetation.  It's just easier to to with a faster action rig.

 

As far as the reel goes, not a big fan of the Black Max, or any Ambassador bait caster for that matter.   Chalk it up to bad experiences in my youth.  My opinion is that you could go to whatever price point the Black Max is at, get a Shimano at a similar price point and end up with a better reel.

 

Happened to be in Walmart yesterday and I can't go there without wandering through the fishing aisles, looked the Berkley Lightning Rod, the new one, this years model, orange & black,(7' MH action, which IMO was more like a medium) and thought to myself that this would be a decent crank rod for the $40 they were asking.

 

If there is an Academy Sports in your neighborhood, look at the All Star rods, they frequently have close outs on spinner bait rods & crank rods.  The house brand of H2O rods are very good also.

[Smallies]

So, currently I only have a spinning rod, 7' medium fast and I use it for all my finesse stuff (t-rigs, wacky, drops shots) but I really want to start cranking a little too, in order to find out where the fish are and get them when they're more aggressive.

 

So what I'm gathering is that, for cranking, you want a heavier rod, so what like medium heavy?  But some are saying you want the tip to be kind of fast.  Also, I guess I'm looking at like a 6.3 bait casting reel.  Any additional info or clarification (or specific recommendations) would be appreciated.  My budget is around $200-$300 for the rod and reel.  

 

Thanks guys.

[MN Fisher]

With TW's sale going on - you can get what I have for under $200

Dobyns Fury 705CB

Diawa Fuego CT-H (6.3:1)

 

I've been using 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid on that rig for 3 years...love it for cranks.

[Smallies]

55 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

With TW's sale going on - you can get what I have for under $200

Dobyns Fury 705CB

Diawa Fuego CT-H (6.3:1)

 

I've been using 12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid on that rig for 3 years...love it for cranks.

What's the 705CB?  looking at TW now and can't find it .... is it a 7'0" like this one :

 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Smallies said:

What's the 705CB?  looking at TW now and can't find it .... is it a 7'0" like this one :

 

That's the one - put it in your cart and it'll show the model number.

[Smallies]

Thanks.  The Daiwa reel seems to be unavailable until March on TW and can't find it anywhere else, unfortunately.  Must be a good one, hah

@MN Fisher Do you think the 7.3 is too fast for cranking?  It's the only one available on TW at the moment.

[MN Fisher]

I wouldn't use a 7.3 for cranking, but there are those here that do...you just have to move your hand slower is all.

 

Another option would a Shimano SLX - has a good following here.

[Smallies]

Sweet, thanks for the info. 

 

Two more questions, if you have a sec...

 

1). What are your thoughts one lipless vs. square bill crank baits?  I fish here in Cali at Casitas mostly, and I've fished both in the past but the lipless tend to get hung up a lot.  Is there an advantage to lipless over square bills that makes it worth the risk of losing more baits?  And then, what specific baits would you recommend for divers?  I usually fish down to about 20ft from the bank, mostly 10-12 ft.  

 

2.)  You recommended the hybrid line.  On my finesse rig I use 20lb braid to 8lb or 6lb flouro.  Can you use a braid/flouro combos on a bait caster?  (I mean, I know you can, but should you)?  Is there a reason why you want a little stretch in the line for cranking, I guess is the question.  And is 6-8lb flouro too light for most crank baits?

 

Thanks, MN, you're the man!

[MN Fisher]

1: Talk to Tom ( @WRB), he's from that area and knows what baits work and how to use them to best advantage

 

2: Most of my treble lures, I prefer a stretchier line and avoid braid. Used mono until the YZH was recommended...tried it and haven't looked back. The stretchier line helps keep the fish pinned on the lure - without it, most bass can shake the lure.

 

I would use mono or hybrid before FC for cranks - while FC does stretch, it's initial start is after that of the other two, and once it stretches it doesn't rebound back like the others. If you used braid with leader, I'd still use mono or hybrid for the leader...and make it long - 15' minimum...short leaders don't give you the stretch advantage.

 

I wouldn't go below 10# for cranks myself.

[Fat Ika]

@Smallies - IMO @MN Fisher 's recommendation of yozuri hybrid is great. It's an excellent value, decent handling for a copolymer, and it's very abrasion resistant/good knot strength. 12# yozuri hybrid is also my most common size for cranks & lipless cranks. Depending on the bait, depth, structure.......you could go down to 10# for deep cranks, but for lipless, 12# or greater would be necessary imo. If I was forced to fish with only one model of line, it would be yozuri hybrid. Not like my opinion or experience are worth squat........I'm just here for talk therapy 

[Smallies]

1 hour ago, Fat Ika said:

Not like my opinion or experience are worth squat........I'm just here for talk therapy 

Thanks, brotha — I appreciate the advice.  

 

I went ahead with the rod and caster @MN Fisher recommended.  Stoked to get it and spool 'er up and practice/learn how to Baitcast hah.  Now I just need to figure out what lures to buy ....argh. ?

[Lead Head]

I suspect fishing medium divers from the bank will be... problematic. In my experience, fishing treble hooks "up-hill" is expensive. Because of this I would suggest you look for the most budget friendly medium divers that you have confidence in. For squarebills, 6th sense crush 50 is by far my favorite.