Crankbait Rod

[Lard_Bass]

Looking for a new crankbait rod around $100-$150.   I mainly fish with spinning reels but should I go with a baitcasting rod with a crankbait rod?  Mainly looking at throwing stuff around 1/4 to 5/8 (a Norman DD22 at times but not often).  Any suggestions?  Thx.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

Lucky Craft TLC Cranking Rod, $150 at TW.  I have a 7'MH that use for mid-deep divers and love it.  Actually thinking about getting a 7'M for shallow runners. 

[steezy]

The shimano cumara reaction rods are really nice crankbait rods for shallow cranks. I have a 7'M and like it a lot.

6'9" is $199

7' is $219

http://www.***.com/descpageRDCSHIMANO-SCMRC.html

[tyrius.]

Looking for a new crankbait rod around $100-$150.

6'9" is $199

7' is $219

[steezy]

Looking for a new crankbait rod around $100-$150.

6'9" is $199

7' is $219

When people say $100-$150 they will usually go a little higher for a good rod. There are probably 25 choices for the $100-$150 price range, whereas if you go a little higher the number of choices is less than half.  I was just offering a suggestion for a rod that I own and use since I knew it is a good rod vs something I had just read or heard about.

No offense but instead of knocking the price issue, why not suggest a rod if you know of a good one in the original price range posted.

[Tin]

Looking for a new crankbait rod around $100-$150.

6'9" is $199

7' is $219

When people say $100-$150 they will usually go a little higher for a good rod. There are probably 25 choices for the $100-$150 price range, whereas if you go a little higher the number of choices is less than half. I was just offering a suggestion for a rod that I own and use since I knew it is a good rod vs something I had just read or heard about.

No offense but instead of knocking the price issue, why not suggest a rod if you know of a good one in the original price range posted.

You didn't... lol Not everyone is made of money as you seem to be.

Go Powell, I have the M704CB. I primarily use it for shallow to mid-range cranking (around 10') I use it with big heavy Strike King 4S's and tiny deep diving Wiggle Wart's. I'm no amazing cranker like 5BL but use it for shallow stuff and it gets me by without loosing fish. You can find one in THAT RANGE for about $140. If you want to get into the 15' plus range ask 5BL.

[brianbass]

steezy gave his .02 and that is what he thought was best! dont be mad that he has great stuff, he works hard for his money and he will buy and use what the hell he wants to!these condescending comments need to stop! sorry for the rant. >

[Tin]

When people are talking about there gear, how much it costs, or their private pond with a waterfall it gets real old, real fast. If you have money and are loaded cool, good for you, you have worked hard for it and deserve it. But there is no need to show it off and tell the world all the time.

These days with people struggling to pay bills and the lucky ones have jobs, no need to rub it in others faces even if you don't mean to. Especially this time of year when people are trying to do so much on generally much less than in years past.

[Lucky Craft Man]

When people are talking about there gear, how much it costs, or their private pond with a waterfall it gets real old, real fast. If you have money and are loaded cool, good for you, you have worked hard for it and deserve it. But there is no need to show it off and tell the world all the time.

These days with people struggling to pay bills and the lucky ones have jobs, no need to rub it in others faces even if you don't mean to. Especially this time of year when people are trying to do so much on generally much less than in years past.

I don't have a private pond lined with naked women and filled with 10 lb. bass either (I exaggerated the bass size a little there, Steezy), but there is no need to be jealous for any reason.  Enjoy fishing with what you have and where you go.  So RedLineRobert and Steezy have much better equipment than I will ever have, but I have no animosity towards them.  Seeing what they have helps me in my day dreaming.

[jc450r]

I have the Skeet Reese crankbait  rod and I love it. Once you get past the LOUD YELLOW color its really a good glass rod. I throw bandit 100's and strike king series 1 and 4s with it

[steezy]

OK, I will re-phrase my original post (how all that money and pond stuff got brought in I will never know).

I have not used any of the crankbait rods in the $100-$150 price range, however, if you are interested in possibly raising your budget $50, the Shimano Cumara Reaction crankbait rod is a very nice rod.

[Chris]

When I choose a crankbait rod I want a light rod weight wise. The lighter the rod the better you can feel the bait at a distance. Rods that have a counter balance weight are helpful to balance the rod and reel. When you balance the rod the tip feels lighter and helps you feel vibration and strikes. The higher the graphite the more vibration transfer you will have on your longer casts. What I do regardless of company is take the rod and put the tip up to the celling or on the floor and softly scratch it. You will find a big difference between rods and it helps me determine which rod is best for me. This helps me determine how much vibration I can feel into the hands between rods. I next bow the rod to figure out how to best use the rod. If I was going to use the rod for long casts I want more back bone than a rod used for shallow short casts. I have found that cork handles transfer vibration better than foam. Thick cork and cork with large pores also transfer vibration less than cork with tight pores in my opinion. I also look for rods that have a reel seat that I can feel the blank in the trigger. This gives me direct contact with the rod and vibration. The harder the material the guides are made of the better the vibration transfer. Also understand the lighter the guide the better it will transfer the vibration. I'll leave rod company preference up to you.

[Gone_Phishin]

You can get a Powell delivered to your door from TW, and not exceed your price range.

I would definitely go with a casting rod.  If you're new to casting rods, a cranking rod is a good place to start.  Cranks usually cast well, especially some of the new baits with weight-transfer systems.

A seven foot rod, in a medium or medium heavy power, will do the trick.   

[Lard_Bass]

The shimano cumara reaction rods are really nice crankbait rods for shallow cranks. I have a 7'M and like it a lot.

6'9" is $199

7' is $219

http://www.***.com/descpageRDCSHIMANO-SCMRC.html

Steezy, I was looking at the 7' MH. What have you tossed with your 7'M and what reel is paired with it? The Cumaras have really peaked my interest (originally thinking Compre and Crucial). I am thinking of getting the Curado E5 to pair with my crankbait rod.

I am also getting some gift cards that will help my price sensitivity. Also, I have made the mistake before of not spending a little extra cash and get the right rod. I eventually end up spending it over the long run.

Thanks to everyone for the great rod advice. 

[Guest beowulfx71]

I use and suggest St Croixs 1/4-3/4 glass Premier crankbait rods 7' or 6'6" and decently priced at $120.

[J Francho]

Looking for a new crankbait rod around $100-$150. I mainly fish with spinning reels but should I go with a baitcasting rod with a crankbait rod? Mainly looking at throwing stuff around 1/4 to 5/8 (a Norman DD22 at times but not often). Any suggestions? Thx.

By "mainly use spinning" does that mean you haven't used a BC? If so, then I recommend you start learning with pitching jigs and t-rig plastics 3/8 oz. and heavier until you have mastered an overhand snap cast. For cranks you mentioned, any 7' MH/Moderate action spinning rod will do. You don't have to get too fancy for cranking, I own some high end gear, though my two cranking sticks are nothing exorbitant, St Croix Avids, AVC70MM and AVC70MHM, both ran me about $160 each.

[steezy]

The shimano cumara reaction rods are really nice crankbait rods for shallow cranks. I have a 7'M and like it a lot.

6'9" is $199

7' is $219

http://www.***.com/descpageRDCSHIMANO-SCMRC.html

Steezy, I was looking at the 7' MH. What have you tossed with your 7'M and what reel is paired with it? The Cumaras have really peaked my interest (originally thinking Compre and Crucial). I am thinking of getting the Curado E5 to pair with my crankbait rod.

I am also getting some gift cards that will help my price sensitivity. Also, I have made the mistake before of not spending a little extra cash and get the right rod. I eventually end up spending it over the long run.

Thanks to everyone for the great rod advice.

I mainly use my 7' M Cumara for shallow cranks (4' or less), Rat-L-Traps and buzzbaits. I paired the rod with a Shimano Core 50 MG and it makes a nice combo.

For deep cranks I considered the 7' MH Cumara but picked the Steez 7' M FleXlite instead because it's more like a MH and can also handle deeper crankbaits. I use a Steez 6:1 ratio reel on that combo since Im using deeper lures.

The 7' cumara MH may fit your requirements better, I don't own that one and never fished it but basically the same as the one I own just more firm.

[J Francho]

I totally get gear enthusiasm disorder (GED), as I have it too, but I fail to see the relevance of $200-450 rods to the discussion.   :-/

[Lard_Bass]

Looking for a new crankbait rod around $100-$150. I mainly fish with spinning reels but should I go with a baitcasting rod with a crankbait rod? Mainly looking at throwing stuff around 1/4 to 5/8 (a Norman DD22 at times but not often). Any suggestions? Thx.

By "mainly use spinning" does that mean you haven't used a BC? If so, then I recommend you start learning with pitching jigs and t-rig plastics 3/8 oz. and heavier until you have mastered an overhand snap cast. For cranks you mentioned, any 7' MH/Moderate action spinning rod will do. You don't have to get too fancy for cranking, I own some high end gear, though my two cranking sticks are nothing exorbitant, St Croix Avids, AVC70MM and AVC70MHM, both ran me about $160 each.

I have a couple of BC's for freshwater and grew up fishing BC's on saltwater.  I just prefer spinning. 

You bring up a point about high end gear.  I have been debating this in my head for the past couple of days.  Do I go with an Avid/Compre rod or step up to Cumara?  All are good rods.  Just can't decide.

[J Francho]

My bank statement usually makes those decisions for me. But seriously, save your money for for a jig and worm rod. A moderate action graphite rod is plenty fine for cranks.

Don't get me wrong, my buddy just picked up a Cumera/Core 50 Mg combo, and loves it.  I plan to push him in the lake, and steal this combo.  It simply isn't necessary for cranks.  All you need is a modicum of sensitivity.

[jacobhookem]

My bank statement usually makes those decisions for me. But seriously, save your money for for a jig and worm rod. A moderate action graphite rod is plenty fine for cranks.

Don't get me wrong, my buddy just picked up a Cumera/Core 50 Mg combo, and loves it. I plan to push him in the lake, and steal this combo. It simply isn't necessary for cranks. All you need is a modicum of sensitivity.

I agree totally. What's all this counterbalancing & vibration levels & sensitivity about with a cranking rod. I don't know about anyone else here, but when I crank, basically the fish sets the hook itself. As long as you can feel the wobble and your rod has some bend to it during the retrieve, you should be ok. I think weight may be the only significant factor. More money=lighter and lighter is nicer if your throwing cranks all day. For me, I use $30 Shimano Sojourn 6'6" Medium two piece baitcaster and it works great! Catch lots of bass on cranks from shallow square bills to Deep Little N's . It's too light for DD22's  so I throw a 7' Berkley Lightning MH with an Ambassedeur C5500C3 for those. I'd don't think I ever seen anyone outcast this combo. Less than a hundred bucks. The Shimano is paired with a Pinnacle reel and that combo is less than $100.00 also. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy better if I had the money to spend on it, I'm just saying that I don't think it's necessary in a crankin rod.

Of course my kid wouldn't be caught dead fishing with this kind of stuff, but he's got sponsors, I don't. Anyway, I would spend my big money on a dropshot rod and/or worming rod where sensitivity is key. I also think a quality spinnerbait rod or two is important. Enough said

[ChiCityBasser]

My cranking rod setup is the least expensive setup I have and its a BPS Viper reel paired with a Daiwa D-Force 6'6" 2 pc spinning setup. It's worked fine for everything from Mann's Wake Bait Cranks to Med Diving Crankbait lures. Yeah the rod may be a bit on the Heavy side and so is the reel compared to some of the setups I've seen mentioned but it works great.

Of the rods you mentioned I would love to try the Cumara myself.

[tyrius.]

No offense but instead of knocking the price issue, why not suggest a rod if you know of a good one in the original price range posted.

I don't know of a good one in the price range posted so I refrained from posting.

My crank rod is a BPS crankin stick that I got for like $30.  I really like it, but the poster will most certainly be able to get a better rod for 100-150 so I felt no need to share what I have.

[flippin and pitchin]

Lard_bass,  You will be well served to move to baitcasting for your crankbait fishing !  You may want to thing about a reel with a 5.2/1 ratio and not having infinate anti-reverse so you can feel your bait better.  That issue is actually as if not more important when fishing deeper running baits.  For your first " all around " cranking rod think about a seven footer to help you get distance on casts but maintain control for accuracy.  A soft progressive action normally found with glass blanks will be a benefit in casting, playing fish and controlling a fish when close to the boat.  Try to get a light weight, comfortable fit grip and well balanced to reduce fatigue.  Everyone has their brand of choice.  I do.  Start with the Lamiglas XCC 725 composite crankbait rod.  This was new for 2009 and I like it better that the Skeet Reece 705 R.  I did get to see the new Lamiglas EXCEL crankbait rod but they are hard to find right now.  That rod will be gem !  Good things to those who wait.  Try a bunch because feel is everything.

F & P

[big perm]

get a bps crank stick. If you need to "feel my lure" your an idiot and should not be using crankbaits. I have won ton's of tourny's with no feeling except the feeling of "#### me pulling on the rod. Don't pay money for anything except the reel and nothing else. Oh and good boat moter helps. Keep that muskie rod bent.

7 foot medium rod.  all you need. for cranking.