Those Of You Who Have Crankbait Rods.....

[The Rooster]

To those of you who have a crankbait rod, did you buy it for exclusive use with crankbaits but would still fish other treble hook lures on other rods, such as a jerkbait on a M/F rod (not a M/MF)?? Or do you use it for any lures that are treble hooked and NEVER fish trebles on other than a crankbait rod??

Myself, I think I could use a crankbait rod, maybe to give the crank more action (I don't know if that would or not), but I could still see myself fishing jerkbaits like the X-rap on my M/F rod that is not a cranking rod at all. I feel that the M/F rod allows me to better work the jerkbait as opposed to a softer feeling M/MF rod. This rod is not technically supposed to be for treble hook lures, and I have missed a few fish in the past by using it for treble lures, however, not as many as you might think. And I have overcome it also by loosening the drag when I saw this happening, which does seem to work.

So, knowing this, do I really need a crankbait rod after all??

[kms399]

bait monkey says YES! while I would say you don't need one it is nice to have certain rods dedicated to certain techniques. I feel it gives me more confidence knowing all my gear is designed for what I am trying to do.

[Bass_Fanatic]

I couldnt live without my CB rod, but then again, I catch 500+ CB fish a year. I use my M/M for medium divers and occasionally a jerkbaik and I use my H/M for deep crankin and traps.

[The Rooster]

I do not own a crankbait rod (yet) but I've sort of conditioned myself to think that I need to use it for all treble hook lures. There are several areas of lures that have trebles, such as topwaters, rattle traps, crankbaits, wakebaits, small swimbaits, and jerkbaits. I LOVE using jerkbaits on the rod I have now, which is a standard M/F rod. And if it works for jerkbaits with treble hooks, then why not crankbaits too?? But on the flip side, I could also see a use for a cranking rod for topwaters since it does have a slower tip, maybe help me to not jerk the hooks out when setting the hook after a strike.

Basically, if I really don't have to use a cranking rod for all treble hook lures, then I'd only want it if it helped me with certain lure types, such as topwaters for the above reason, or cranks for maybe more action. Otherwise, a regular rod would work for them too. Right??

[Sam]

G. Loomis Crankbait rod and a BPS Crankin Stick.

Loomis for crankbaits, only.

Crankin Stick for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and Chatterbaits.

[The Rooster]

G. Loomis Crankbait rod and a BPS Crankin Stick.

Loomis for crankbaits, only.

Crankin Stick for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and Chatterbaits.

What do you use for jerkbaits and topwaters??

[ww2farmer]

I have one moderate action crankbait rod for deep diving cranks, all other treble hooked lures (jerkbaits, topwaters, shallow cranks, lipless cranks) get used on M power, fast action rods.

[Bass_Fanatic]

A M/F rod will do for cranks, but I find that a M/M seems to get a better hookup % and it keeps em buttoned. I feel a Fast action doesnt let the fish suck the bait down as deep as the Moderate action, therefore a short striking fish is less likely to get hooked up with a Fast action rod. For topwaters I rather a M/F because I can see the fish explode on the chug bug and I can control when I set the hook, but with a crankbait that is 8 ft underwater, I rather the rod allow the fish to swallow the bait before I set the hook.

As for jerkbaits, a H/M rod is really good. Enough backbone to make the lure do anything you want, but forgiving enough for the trebles.

[zell_pop1]

I use a 6'3" Daiwa S topwater/twitchin rod-it is MH/F and is listed as graphite-composite so I guess the tip is glass, plenty of power but no lost fish on topwater. However I am not sure if a slower glass rod isnt better for jerkbaits-had no luck using the Daiwa rod this year but last year I used a St Croix 6'6" glass M/MF and did ok, I just like the shorter handle of the Daiwa rod better for jerks.

[Bassn Blvd]

The only lure that gets tied on to my crankbait rod is a cranckbait.

[Bluebasser86]

I use my cranking rod exclusively for cranks. I use a different rod for traps and another rod for topwaters and jerks. I use a 7' M/F for my traps for casting distance, hookset power on long casts, and to be able to rip weeds off my hooks. My jerk/topwater rod is a 6' 2" M/XF, it's rated XF but it really isn't a very stiff rod so I don't feel like I loose any more fish than I would with a slower action and the short rod is great for snapping jerkbaits and fishing topwater, plus it's light so my wrist doesn't wear out as fast. I don't fish many deep cranks so I only have one crankbait rod that's a M/M. Right now I have a Skeet Reese cranking rod, don't like it very much though, can't feel my bait very well. With a good crankbait rod you should be able to feel everything your bait is doing and it will help with your hookup ratio and keep more fish stuck and get them to the boat.

[MediumHeavy]

I have a Powell 706CB graphite crankbait rod that handles pretty much any cranks and jerkbaits I want to throw, but also works a Zara Spook Jr. like a dream.

[The Rooster]

I keep reading where many use crankbait rods for cranking, and then use standard rods for other lures which have treble hooks. So, could someone tell me why they do this?? Why do you use a cranking rod at all?? It couldn't be because of the treble hooks if topwaters that also have them work fine on M/F rods.

[Hooligan]

I keep reading where many use crankbait rods for cranking, and then use standard rods for other lures which have treble hooks. So, could someone tell me why they do this?? Why do you use a cranking rod at all?? It couldn't be because of the treble hooks if topwaters that also have them work fine on M/F rods.

That's a double edged sword, really. It boils down to preference. I prefer to fish all treble hook lures on a Moderate/moderate fast rod. There aren't really any exceptions for me. I fish my jerkbaits on two different rods, mostly med/mod. Another reason I prefer the action on a crank rod is that it helps with moving baits, the rod loads more allowing a bait to bang off structure differently, it's also easier on you, the rod is working in your favor when you're huckin' cranks and plowing furrows. The rod loads through the blank creating a lot greater potential energy making hooksets easier, and fighting fish easier and more effective. I fish topwaters on a glass rod, too. When I switched I lost a lot fewer fish.

In reality, it's preference. Only you are the one that can decide whether a crank rod is going to benefit you. Every person on the forum can post their preference for rod actions and baits and you, personally, won't be able to tell which you want to go with until you fish it. I've purchased literally dozens of rods on the recommendation other have made, only to find that I like some and hate others. Recently I purchased three glass rods on the input from people here that have fished them. Two of the three I'll keep in rotation, the third is a piece of junk that will find its way to the flea market sometime soon, yet it's a rod that MANY here have spoken very highly of.

What I like and how I fish isn't going to translate to what you're going to like and how you fish every time. You can get input from every source but until you try it, you will never decide which is for you or why.

Edit: There's also some misinformation in this very thread. Just because a rod is a Med Mod doesn't mean that it doesn't have a fast enough tip to work certain baits, and the inverse is true as well. There are plenty of "moderate" rods with more than enough tip to work a topwater effectively. I'll also use the Crankin' Stick as an example. The rods are moderate across the board, meaning they flex well into the blank and have more than enough power in the butt section of the rod to handle big cranks; yet at the same time, they have a fast enough "tip" to work jerkbaits and topwater baits effectively. Don't get hung up on the "tip action" as that alone is significant of nothing.

[flippin and pitchin]

I am an advocate of glass crankbait rods when fishing 8 feet and deeper and that's for largemouth and especially smallmouth. My glass rod is a cranking rod and that's all I use it for. When it comes to glass, some love it and some hate it. At least try one if you can. My hook to land ratio went up dramatically when I got my first glass crankin rod.

[Hooligan]

Excellent article as to the what's and why's of rod action here: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/rod-actions-power.html I knew it was around, just had to look a bit.