Do you need a special setup for throwing crank baits or if I simply throw heavier ones will I be fine with my Curado 200K and Medium Heavy Mojo?

[Ohioguy25]

I was told in another thread I needed a special reel but I didn’t get full clarification on it. I have a 7’ medium heavy moderate fast mojo and Curado 200 XGK 8.3:1.  I would prefer to somehow make this work as I really don’t have room for another rod on my yak.

I fish smaller rivers and typically throw squarebills in the 3-5’ range.  Thanks!

[PBBrandon]

The rod should be good, you want that moderate-mod/fast action for cranking. As for the reel, a lot of people prefer slower gear ratio reels for cranks. I usually use a 6:1 but I sometimes use 7:1 for squarebills. An 8 speed should be fine if you are just throwing those shallow divers. It would just wear you out if you try to throw a deeper diver with that reel. Crankbaits have a lot of resistance when reeling them in. Slower gear ratios help with keeping you from tiring out. Think of throwing a crankbait like biking uphill. Using that higher gear ratio may help you pedal faster, but it’s gonna burn you, as opposed to dropping to a lower gear ratio

[Kirtley Howe]

Also, you may have to "train" yourself to reel slower. An 8 speed reel will work fine for what you plan on doing, but you will have a tendency to reel too fast if you don't concentrate on it. I sometimes use an 8.1 to 1 for squarebills and medium divers, but as mentioned above, you will find it does not work well for deep diving crankbaits and you will wear yourself out using for that purpose. 

[Bankc]

The only thing that's really important is having a rod that can make a decent cast with your selected lure.  All of the other stuff is just fine tuning to help you land a few percent more fish over the course of a year.  It's really important if you're a pro and make your living off of it, as one missed fish can equal many thousands of dollars, which is far less than the price of a good rod.  But if you're just having fun, then there's no reason to feel like you need a dedicated cranking setup.  So what if you catch three less fish a year because your rod didn't flex enough and the fish got off?  

[fishballer06]

You'll be fine for throwing squarebills, but if you were to throw any crankbait other than that or lipless baits, you would want a different reel with a lower gear ratio and probably a rod with a slower action if you're going to throw anything diving 8+ feet deep. 

[Ohioguy25]

12 hours ago, Kirtley Howe said:

Also, you may have to "train" yourself to reel slower. An 8 speed reel will work fine for what you plan on doing, but you will have a tendency to reel too fast if you don't concentrate on it. I sometimes use an 8.1 to 1 for squarebills and medium divers, but as mentioned above, you will find it does not work well for deep diving crankbaits and you will wear yourself out using for that purpose. 

 

2 hours ago, fishballer06 said:

You'll be fine for throwing squarebills, but if you were to throw any crankbait other than that or lipless baits, you would want a different reel with a lower gear ratio and probably a rod with a slower action if you're going to throw anything diving 8+ feet deep. 

How deep would you consider “deep?”

2 hours ago, Bankc said:

The only thing that's really important is having a rod that can make a decent cast with your selected lure.  All of the other stuff is just fine tuning to help you land a few percent more fish over the course of a year.  It's really important if you're a pro and make your living off of it, as one missed fish can equal many thousands of dollars, which is far less than the price of a good rod.  But if you're just having fun, then there's no reason to feel like you need a dedicated cranking setup.  So what if you catch three less fish a year because your rod didn't flex enough and the fish got off?  

So what is the lightest crank I can throw with that setup, 1/2-5/8?

[Kirtley Howe]

I consider anything over 8 ft to be deep cranking.....but I fish a relatively shallow river most of the time. Most people would probably consider 12-15 feet as the starting point of deep cranking, and 20+ feet truly deep cranking. 

As to the lightest crankbait you can toss with your set-up. It depends on your skill level. If you are reasonably proficient with it, you should be able to chuck a 1/4oz crank far enough to make it a viable presentation...but you will need 3/8oz, but more likely 1/2oz to really bomb a cast out there.  In most cases, a bomb cast is not necessary. Concentrate on accuracy. If you watch any of the pros use a crankbait, with the exception of lipless cranks, they are usually making fairly short, but very accurate casts to some kind of cover or structure, and are not bombing a cast out there.

[txchaser]

IMO just fish what you have for a while. You'll figure out pretty quickly if you like it or don't, and why. You aren't going to break anything. And we all have a bunch of personal preference anyway. 

 

Pay attention to your hook diameter, a floppy rod and thick hooks will require a different hookset than that same rod with thin hooks.