Crankbait Rod Setup

[Masaccio]

Not to post a "What rod should I buy" message, I've done some online reading and watching about crankbait rods.  Of the info sources I felt good about, I zeroed in on the Tactical Bassin' November 2021 Buying Guide for baits and rods.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdwso8LM5OA

I'm really feelin' the Shimano Zodias 7'6" Glass for a first crankbait rod.  They recommend it as a do-all rod; not that it does everything spectacularly, but highly versatile.  It also would be an opportunity to try a glass rod.  Reasonably priced and I could get a feel for its shortcoming and strong points in deciding on a second rod and possibly third rod in this category.     

The lake I have in mind is extremely deep, but small enough to be covered by a self-propelled kayak in one session.  Given the depth of the lake, I was also looking at the Loomis IMX 968 CBR (8').  I feel good about trying this rod for extreme deep-diving cranks, but possibly not as a first rod. I'd also immediately require a second rod for more traditionally sized cranks.    

Third possibility might be starting with the IMX 906, rated for 1.0 oz.  Not sure if this one will throw cranks that will really get down there, though.  There seem to be conflicting thoughts about this from a few posters here.   

Thanks in advance for thoughts!

 

 

[FishTank]

From another thread. 

 

 

https://youtu.be/zvzjcAI4Fxg

[casts_by_fly]

Before you go too far down the rabbit hole of extra deep cranks and specialized rods, figure out if (1) that's a technique that works on the water in the first place and (2) if that's a technique that works for you as an angler.  Throwing 20' crankbaits all day is a workout.  Glass rods and rods with full on moderate actions aren't for everybody either.  A lighter and slightly faster graphite rod (still moderate to moderate fast) is a better choice for a lot of people.

 

if you want to try a couple of those options while you're refining what you want, drop me a line.  I've got a few you can try out. 

[RDB]

I’m not positive of your question.  My standard crankbait rod is a different rod than my deep crankbait rod.  For shallow and medium cranks, I don’t want a lot of length for better accuracy, nor do I need a lot of backbone.  For deep, I want length and backbone with plenty of tip.  FWIW, here are my primary two for cranks.
 

I use this rod as my deep cranking rod

https://www.alphaangler.com/collections/bait-casting-rods/products/mag-rebound-76-med-heavy-deep-cranking-bass-rod

 

I use this rod for cranking everything other than deep

https://www.alphaangler.com/collections/bait-casting-rods/products/crankbait-rod

[Masaccio]

6 hours ago, FishTank said:

From another thread. 

 

 

https://youtu.be/zvzjcAI4Fxg

This comes extremely close to being a perfect response. A thoughtful fisherman with lots of perspective and experience giving an informed opinion.  Thanks!! 

6 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Before you go too far down the rabbit hole of extra deep cranks and specialized rods, figure out if (1) that's a technique that works on the water in the first place and (2) if that's a technique that works for you as an angler.  Throwing 20' crankbaits all day is a workout.  Glass rods and rods with full on moderate actions aren't for everybody either.  A lighter and slightly faster graphite rod (still moderate to moderate fast) is a better choice for a lot of people.

 

if you want to try a couple of those options while you're refining what you want, drop me a line.  I've got a few you can try out. 

Thanks!  Great advice. The rabbit hole is where I don't want to go.  I want to go to success.  Large, small, it doesn't matter.  I just want a foothold that I can build on.  

1 hour ago, RDB said:

I’m not positive of your question.  My standard crankbait rod is a different rod than my deep crankbait rod.  For shallow and medium cranks, I don’t want a lot of length for better accuracy, nor do I need a lot of backbone.  For deep, I want length and backbone with plenty of tip.  FWIW, here are my primary two for cranks.
 

I use this rod as my deep cranking rod

https://www.alphaangler.com/collections/bait-casting-rods/products/mag-rebound-76-med-heavy-deep-cranking-bass-rod

 

I use this rod for cranking everything other than deep

https://www.alphaangler.com/collections/bait-casting-rods/products/crankbait-rod

You understood my question better than you might think.  Mainly, that a serious crankbait guy is going to need more than one rod.  Thanks for the references!  

 

[Bankbeater]

I don't have dedicated crankbait rods.  I have dedicated moving bait rods. I have a mh/f for the big stuff around 1/2 ounce and heavier, and a m/f for the smaller stuff up to around 3/8 or so.

[SproDD79]

AJs review is spot on, when it comes to cranking, personal preference plays a significant role. I personally do not like glass or composite rods for cranking, I like a graphite rod with moderate taper. Take a look at the Dobyns 805CB(non glass) its a great stick for cranking 3/4oz-1.25oz baits,

[PhishLI]

15 hours ago, Masaccio said:

Given the depth of the lake, I was also looking at the Loomis IMX 968 CBR (8'). 

If you haven't yet fished with a rod this long on a yak, and especially with treble baits tied on, perhaps you should first visualize what it's like netting a fish that far away from you while in a seated position. It's different, that's for sure, especially when the rod is bent under tension and the fish becomes unbuttoned. You might want to test this out with a budget option to see whether this is for you or not.

[WC53]

The Mojo Bass M glass cranker is a pretty decent all around rod and can be found pretty cheap if looking to dip your toe.

[Masaccio]

8 hours ago, PhishLI said:

If you haven't yet fished with a rod this long on a yak, and especially with treble baits tied on, perhaps you should first visualize what it's like netting a fish that far away from you while in a seated position. It's different, that's for sure, especially when the rod is bent under tension and the fish becomes unbuttoned. You might want to test this out with a budget option to see whether this is for you or not.

Great point.  I wasn't thinking that far ahead!  

[Masaccio]

9 hours ago, SproDD79 said:

AJs review is spot on, when it comes to cranking, personal preference plays a significant role. I personally do not like glass or composite rods for cranking, I like a graphite rod with moderate taper. Take a look at the Dobyns 805CB(non glass) its a great stick for cranking 3/4oz-1.25oz baits,

Thanks.  It looks interesting.  It offers a nice range of baits.  What reel do you use with it? 

I'm also trying to imagine the difference in the feel of throwing a glass rod with heavier baits, opposed to graphite.  Mainly how one might work more easily than the other sitting in a kayak.  

[Masaccio]

All things considered (including what I really can't know until I make a choice), the Shimano Zodias makes sense for a first cranking rod. Moderately priced, highly versatile, 7'6".  It really can't be a "wrong" choice at this point.  I'm looking forward to trying it.   

Shimano Zodias Casting Rod 7'6" Med Hvy Glass
Taper	Line Wt.	Lure Wt.	Guides	Handle Type	Handle Length	Stock	Price	Qty
Moderate	10-25lb	3/8-1 1/2oz	7+Tip	Zodias Cast E	17-1/2"		$249.99

[SproDD79]

2 hours ago, Masaccio said:

Thanks.  It looks interesting.  It offers a nice range of baits.  What reel do you use with it? 

I'm also trying to imagine the difference in the feel of throwing a glass rod with heavier baits, opposed to graphite.  Mainly how one might work more easily than the other sitting in a kayak.  

I like low inches per turn(ipt) when it comes to cranking, much less tiring if your fishing all day. I use a Bantam PG 5:5:1 (23 ipt) for most of my cranking ,I have a Daiwa Catalina which is 4:9:1 which I throw really big cranks on. Good luck with the Zodias let's know how it works out.

[WRB]

Using a 7’6” crank bait rod without a fore grip to me is a problem because it’s nearly impossible to palm a 300 size casting reel. Both Daiwa and shimano offer good 300 size crankbait reels.

You need a reel with enough line capacity, at least 175 yds of 12 lb mono, to make long cast for hours. The gear ratio should be around 4.7-5.8:1 w/IPT 22-24” full spool of line.

Setting in a kayak and casting a long moderate action crank bait is also problematic trying to get the rod fully/loaded to launch big deep diving crank baits with “things” behind the seat.

Tom

[Masaccio]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Using a 7’6” crank bait rod without a fore grip to me is a problem because it’s nearly impossible to palm a 300 size casting reel. Both Daiwa and shimano offer good 300 size crankbait reels.

You need a reel with enough line capacity, at least 175 yds of 12 lb mono, to make long cast for hours. The gear ratio should be around 4.7-5.8:1 w/IPT 22-24” full spool of line.

Setting in a kayak and casting a long moderate action crank bait is also problematic trying to get the rod fully/loaded to launch big deep diving crank baits with “things” behind the seat.

Tom

Really interesting comments and they raise good questions for me.  Thanks.  I've been letting Tactical Bassin online be one of my go-to guides.  There's one particular a video survey focusing on deep diving that I latched onto.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdwso8LM5OA&t=47s  Even for the heaviest rod included in the video, (the Loomis Pro 968) for the biggest stuff, and all the other rods except for one, they pair with the Tranx 200.  That Tranx only offers 110 yards at 14 pounds (155 at 10). I'm not contradicting you at all.  I'm just curious as to the difference of opinion here. (The gear ration is also higher at 7:2.1)  It might be because they wanted one do-everything reel to recommend to use all year, but especially suited to fall speed cranking.  But that's just a guess.  Wondering about this is helped me though.  The one other reel that they recommended for a particular "workhorse rod" (the Loomis IMX Pro 906) is the Bantam MLG. Which starts at 6:2 and goes up to 8:1. Still much higher than the category you noted.  

The Bantam MLG is only 110 at 12 and 90 at 14....  

I don't know what IPT is.  Something else to learn!

[WRB]

Tactical Bassin often promotes using braid with a leader to increase line capacity and casting distance.

The fact you cast around 50 yards using a reel with 110 yards of line capacity reduces the spooled line 40%. The impact of reducing spooled line 40% reduces the IPT from 28” for example 18”. The higher gear ratio 7.2:1 doesn’t change, the IPT does. What happens is the crank bait dives down with little resistance on the reel because it’s only moving 18” with each turn of the reel handle. However as the lure gets half way or 25 yards the IPT is increasing as the spool fills with line so is the water resistance as the lure is running faster.

The last 15 yards using a high speed reel becomes more difficult. 

To reduce the IPT % drop use a reel with larger wider spool.

300 size reel after the 50 yard cast the IPT may change 10%, the 5.8:1 gear ratio reel with 24” IPT may drop to 22”, hardly noticeable and the lure speed stays constant with less water resistance.

Tom