Clear this up regarding deep cranking

[michael1]

I throw a 6XD on a big crank bait rod a lot around here. I have always heard that once it hits the water you want to start reeling very fast to get it down to it's maximum, desired depth then reel normally from there. Then today I say a KVD clip on YouTube talking about how he starts by reeling it slowly to get it to the maximum, desired depth then speed up from there. I am confused, it makes sense to me to started burning that reel once it hits the water to get it down ASAP but the master says differently so who am I to question him? Opinions?

[Team9nine]

Not certain it really makes a big difference in the scheme of things. Immediately trying to burn it down will sometimes allow the plug to "surf" or roll if it hasn't had a chance to settle in the water, ruining a portion of your cast. Otherwise, you might save a few seconds burning it down vs. going slower to start, but not a huge deal in my book. Maybe if you were a professional where every second counts. I usually just start off with a medium-fast retrieve to get it down with the first few turns of the handle, then slow up a bit as the fish or cover dictate, kind of a "happy medium." Probably more personal preference than anything.

[Lobocito]

Interesting to hear that KVD thinks its most effective to go slow at the start. Was he talking about the big deep cranks like 5xd and 6xd? Since they float, it seems to make way more sense to me that torching them would cause them to reach maximum depth both quicker and while reeling less line, keeping you in the strike zone longer. I torch mine and feel like the bait usually gets to max depth while only moving horizontally maybe 3 feet.. and certainly seems to be I get way less bottom time if I don't torch it. 

[michael1]

He very briefly mentions it at about the 1:30 mark

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq9sitLNsT4

[Team9nine]

Dig around and research Precision Casting by Holt and Romanack. One of their many findings is that retrieve speed makes almost no difference in the depth curves of crankbaits. Slower retrieve speeds actually gain you a few inches, but that's about it. Stop and go retrieves also play very little in the equation. Length of cast and line diameter are the two primary components involved.

[michael1]

17 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Dig around and research Precision Casting by Holt and Romanack. One of their many findings is that retrieve speed makes almost no difference in the depth curves of crankbaits. Slower retrieve speeds actually gain you a few inches, but that's about it. Stop and go retrieves also play very little in the equation. Length of cast and line diameter are the two primary components involved.

I was asking more regarding how to get the bait down to maximum depth ASAP

[RoLo]

 

After splashdown, I'll wait a few seconds to be sure sinking is underway and the lure won't plane upward.

Then I'll crank the lure briskly to attain max running depth (not leisurely and not max burn)

My retrieve speed is a separate phase, where I'm striving to suit conditions.

 

Roger

[Lobocito]

33 minutes ago, michael1 said:

I was asking more regarding how to get the bait down to maximum depth ASAP

And I think Team9Nine is saying that there is no real difference between reeling slow or reeling fast. If you gotta reel in 6 feet of line for your crank to dive 12 feet, it doesn't matter if you reel those 6 feet in 2 seconds or 10 seconds - the bait gets there when you've wound in X feet of line. So if your question is in terms of pure time from the second you cast to the second your bait is at max depth.. . just burn it

[Team9nine]

10 minutes ago, Lobocito said:

And I think Team9Nine is saying that there is no real difference between reeling slow or reeling fast. If you gotta reel in 6 feet of line for your crank to dive 12 feet, it doesn't matter if you reel those 6 feet in 2 seconds or 10 seconds - the bait gets there when you've wound in X feet of line. So if your question is in terms of pure time from the second you cast to the second your bait is at max depth.. . just burn it

Yep ^^  The dive curve is the dive curve under a range of normal retrieve speeds. The thing is, you need to know what that dive curve looks like for each bait, as some reach maximum depth quicker than others, and burning a bait too fast for too long might turn part of your cast into wasted effort. 

[WRB]

Depends on the reel size, line size what the IPT is after making the cast.

Deep diving crank baits don't dive deeper at higher speeds, each lure has a maximum depth it will dive. I like to troll new crankbaits to determine how fast they can dive and to what depth, very controlled speeds. Higher speeds usually results in shallower diving depths, there is a sweet speed for each lure.

200 size baitcasting reel loses 40% IPT at 50 yards. This means cranking faster doesn't equal moving the lure much faster after a long cast. 

I use the lure water resistance to determine cranking speed after testing it by trolling.

Tom

[BassNJake]

 

14 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Yep ^^  The dive curve is the dive curve under a range of normal retrieve speeds. The thing is, you need to know what that dive curve looks like for each bait, as some reach maximum depth quicker than others, and burning a bait too fast for too long might turn part of your cast into wasted effort. 

What about sweeping the rod as you crank, creating greater pressure on the lip causing it to dive faster to its maximun depth?

 

 

[Team9nine]

37 minutes ago, BassNJake said:

 

What about sweeping the rod as you crank, creating greater pressure on the lip causing it to dive faster to its maximun depth?

 

 

Faster, yes, but the lure still has to travel a certain distance for the lip to have time/pressure to work, so not deeper/steeper than the normal dive curve. They’ve also tested stop and go retrieves where the bait pauses, or even rises, and the bait always goes back to its normal depth curve once a steady retrieve is maintained. I believe they explained it because any increased pressure from faster retrieves is offset by increased drag against the bait and line.

[plawren53202]

Really glad this thread came up. I'm headed back down to Kentucky Lake again in the next week or two to do my first ledge fishing with deep diving cranks. To date I've been mainly a bank fisherman so not much deep diving crank fishing going on LOL. I have a box of SK 5XDs and 6XDs ready to go, but this discussion has been helpful.