Deep cranking speed

[GoneFishingLTN]

Ok so deep cranking is more commonly done in the summer here and was curious about gear ratio.  Kvd and others side with the slower 5 gear ratio 

but people like Buck talk about speed control for your lures being key.
 

If that’s the case wouldn’t you want a faster gear ratio in the summer for deep cranking 

 

What’s your thoughts on the matter 

[Columbia Craw]

I always went with a 5:4 or so to address the resistance of a big bait. Less fatigue.   I’ve moved up a bit to 6:3 with a 100 mm handle. I can easily slow down or maintain a quicker rate of speed and still minimize the resistance.

[PourMyOwn]

I use reels in the 5s for deep cranks. I'm not sure of the inches per turn but I'm certain someone will mention that. I have a (small army of) Daiwa TD X reel with an oversized handle.

 

My experience is that I can slow down with a faster reel-for a few casts. After that I have to focus to stay slow, and it isn't easy. It's almost like how a tailgater can only ride your bumper for so long before they have to back off. 

 

Just my experience,  I'm sure others will disagree.

[scaleface]

I bought a 5 to 1 for cranks and feel I have been duped . 

[desmobob]

I have a hard time fishing slow.  A 5:1 reel helps me do it when I need to.  And a reel like that makes deep cranking easier, too.  

[GoneFishingLTN]

4 hours ago, scaleface said:

I bought a 5 to 1 for cranks and feel I have been duped . 

why's that? 

[scaleface]

2 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

why's that? 

A 7 to 1 is more versatile and works just fine with deep diving cranks .

[Team9nine]

High 4s and low 5s are what I use for deep cranking. Don’t forget, Buck trolled, so summer speeds could be 5-8 mph or more, much faster than you could ever move a lure on the cast. Buck also didn’t use crankbaits in the traditional sense. You’re kind of comparing apples to oranges here, IMO. Bill Murphy mentions this same concept in his book. Lastly, speed is just another control that needs to be checked. Faster is usually better in summer, but not always.

[ska4fun]

11 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Ok so deep cranking is more commonly done in the summer here and was curious about gear ratio.  Kvd and others side with the slower 5 gear ratio 

but people like Buck talk about speed control for your lures being key.
 

If that’s the case wouldn’t you want a faster gear ratio in the summer for deep cranking 

 

What’s your thoughts on the matter 

It depends on the crank swimming. A wobbling one requires slow (5.x:1) gear ratios. A tight wiggling one, works great with higher gear ratios.

[Deleted account]

12 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

Kvd and others side with the slower 5 gear ratio 

but people like Buck talk about speed control for your lures being key.

 

There is no contradiction there. Speed control is crucial when trolling, but that doesn't mean faster, in fact it often means slower.

[GoneFishingLTN]

23 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

High 4s and low 5s are what I use for deep cranking. Don’t forget, Buck trolled, so summer speeds could be 5-8 mph or more, much faster than you could ever move a lure on the cast. Buck also didn’t use crankbaits in the traditional sense. You’re kind of comparing apples to oranges here, IMO. Bill Murphy mentions this same concept in his book. Lastly, speed is just another control that needs to be checked. Faster is usually better in summer, but not always.

Of course, from what I was understanding he was saying the speed matters by temp usually slower deep and cold and then faster hot and deep, I have 5 gear rations along with 7 but got to thinking well why am I using a 5 when he recommends paying attention to speed. 

Do you think a 5 gear ratio reel at a decent pace is "Fast" enough? I know kvd talked about bigger spool and gears and how gear ratio is sort of a marketing tool to some extent

[Jrob78]

It's much easier for me to speed up when cranking than slow down so I always lean toward slower reels for all my cranking. Definitely 5:1 for deep cranks.

[ska4fun]

1 minute ago, Jrob78 said:

It's much easier for me to speed up when cranking than slow down so I always lean toward slower reels for all my cranking. Definitely 5:1 for deep cranks.

Exactly.

[Team9nine]

13 minutes ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

 

Do you think a 5 gear ratio reel at a decent pace is "Fast" enough? I know kvd talked about bigger spool and gears and how gear ratio is sort of a marketing tool to some extent

Yes - keep “speed” in perspective. Reeling in a crankbait, even with a 5:1 or 6:1 retrieve ratio is still a much faster presentation than fishing that same spot with a jig, worm or Carolina rig…and then there is always trolling 

[Bankc]

It's all just personal preference.  Some people prefer the higher torque of a low ratio reel, as you don't have to turn as hard.  Some people prefer longer handles for that same reason.  Some people prefer a higher ratio reel so you don't have to crank as fast.  The right reel to use is the one you feel most comfortable using.  

 

The best thing to do is to try it out with what you have.  Don't buy a specific reel just for deep diving cranks until you know which direction you lean.  Find out where your preferences lie.  

Personally, I prefer about a 6:1.  But I can get by without complaint with anything from a low 5 up to a mid 7.  Then again, I'm not nearly as picky about reel ratios as most people.  

[dodgeguy]

bb1 pro in a 6.2 to 1. 25 inches recovery

[casts_by_fly]

I know I fish too fast.  I have a mental cadence with moving baits like cranks, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits.  I try to slow myself down but then you get back into your natural rhythm.  For that reason, most of my reels are 7x and when I know I'm going too fast I'll pull out the 6x for a bit to slow down.  Usually a fish or two on the slow reel is enough to snap me back into paying attention.  

 

Heck, I've got a quantum Iron in the basement that I should spool up.  Its a 5.3-1 and a small spool.  I bet its 23" or so IPT retrieve rate.  I'm not sure I could reel that fast enough to keep a buzzbait on the surface.

[NorthernBasser]

Yup. 5 speed for me for deep cranking as well. 6 speed for medium divers/squarebills. Sometimes I'll use 7 speed for squarebills. 

[Kirtley Howe]

I use either my 8 speed or my 5 speed depending on the conditions. My 5 speed is usually loaded with lighter line, so I use that in areas where there are less snags (gravel, sand, silt bottom) or if I want to get a bit more depth with a given lure. My 8 speed is often loaded with heavier line, and I use that in areas where there is a bottom with more snags. I don't have a problem slowing down when I use the faster reel. Another point to consider is that sometimes a faster retrieve is better....you have to experiment to see what the fish want at any given time. And remember that it is physically impossible for you to reel a lure at a speed that a bass cannot catch if they want it.

[ska4fun]

My retrieve ratios:

 

5.X:1 - wobblers and bigger plugs.

6X:1 - general purpose

7X:1 - topwater stickbaits, twitch baits and jerk/slashbaits

8X:1 - Poppers, propellers and some jerk/slashbaits.

[Boomstick]

10 hours ago, Jrob78 said:

It's much easier for me to speed up when cranking than slow down so I always lean toward slower reels for all my cranking. Definitely 5:1 for deep cranks.

It's the same for me as well, but I use a 6.3:1 because I have one reel that I generally use for all my cranking needs.

[papajoe222]

I use a 5.9 for a couple of reasons. First, I don't just throw deep cranks for half an hour and switch to something else. Trust me when I say that using anything above 6.3 is going to wear you down. Second, IMO when bouncing a crank on the bottom in 15+ft. of water, the speed of the lure isn't going to get you more bites. Casts, yes.  Now if you're cranking at 15ft. in 25ft. of water, speed is your friend as you don't have deflection triggering a strike.

[A kid from Canada]

31 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

Now if you're cranking at 15ft. in 25ft. of water, speed is your friend as you don't have deflection triggering a strike.

This is interesting, my favourite couple of lakes drop off immediately to 80ft so I'm often cranking at 15-25 ft deep in 60+ ft of water. I'll be trying a faster reel this spring to see if I get more bites. 

[Columbia Craw]

If I want to really slow down I have a Curado 200B in 3.5 to 1 and a bunch of LEWS BB1 N’s in 4.7 to 1 ratios......so I got that goin’ for me?

[Susky River Rat]

So I’m just going to add some different perspective here. In the musky world everything is about IPT the tranx 500 HG is 43 ipt the tranx 500 PG IS 30 ipt. A gentlemen did a study of casting the same lure out on the same rod just switching the reels. He tried to keep everything identical except the gear ratios. He even went as far as putting a point on his line so he would start timing and have the exact same timed distance every cast. What he found out was between the PG and HG there was no huge different in how long it took him to reel in. The biggest thing he saw was the effort required. The HG was much harder to reel in as fast as he could then the PG because of the drag on the lure.  What was figured out is high gear ratios/ high IPT are great for picking up slack line. As for as effort put in for straight retrieval of lures with drag the lower was much easier to use and did not sacrifice speed.