Best Pole Size And Line Weight For Deep Crankbaits

[Chad XFit]

Hi All,

My first post here...been lurkin for awhile...awesome place...hope I can contribute.

I was just wondering what some of you are using when using deep diving crankbaits, 15-20 feet...I hear some saying use lighter line to make it go deep but what I find is that when that deep thats quite a bit of pull on my line...if I got hit by a big one it seems it would break the line quick. Heck, it feels like a big ones on the line just pulling that crankbait.

(I fish back of boat mainly btw...so reeling plus a slow troll as well)

I feel like maybe going with a 7'6 pole and some thicker line, maybe 20 lbs....

Just wanted to see if I can get some input before buying the new pole and any tips...

Thanks much

[John G]

I have read on this site that the Lamiglas SR705R is the rod to get when using a DDCB. I am saving up for a 705 but not the SR.

http://www.lamiglas.com/prod_indiv.php?groupid=34

[Goose52]

Deep-cranking questions come up often. If you search, you'll find a number of threads and lots of varying opionions. For me, I use a 7'6" MH cranking rod, a 4.7:1 ratio (19 inches-per-turn) reel, and 10lb Yo-Zuri line. The 10lb YZ line has an actual breaking test of about 16lbs - it's not going to break during cranking. If you were concerned about line strength, you could always use 20-30lb braid. ww2farmer may be along with his recommendation and he recently said he is now using 20lb braid for deep cranking with good results - a nice blend of thin line diameter for deeper diving and high line strength.

If you are trying to crank while the boat is in motion, you may even need to go with a heavy-power rod and give up some casting distance. Deep-cranking for long periods is hard enough, but trying to crank while the boat is moving is gonna be a bear. For sure, you'll want a very low gear ratio reel for this application.

One last thing...if you ended up with a heavy-power rod AND used braid - you may have a problem with pulling treble hooks out of the fish - not enough "give" on the combination of rod and line...

[Packard]

I don't know your price range but if I had to choose this for my setup, I'd get a St. Croix Avid 7' Med-Hvy MF Cranking Rod and an Ardent C400. (Love that reel!)

At $330 that will be a nice combo. I have also heard good things about the Lamiglass rods for deep divers.

[Marty]

.if I got hit by a big one it seems it would break the line quick.

I don't know why that should happen if your drag is set properly.

[dodgeguy]

i use sufix 832 braid in 30 lb test on a 6-6 mh johnny morris signature series rod.

[skunked_again]

i have one of the old Woo Daves BPS Extreme cam-lock rods in MH/F and its been a great rod. it is a heavy rod in my hands but its not tip heavy. i have had different reels strapped to it over time, currently a Zillion lives on it. i love the combo.

[KevO]

I use a 7'11 MH Cumara with a Curado 200e5 with 12# seagaur invisx. Some times I go down to 10# depending on the depth I need to to hit and the type of bottom. Deep cranking requires long casts so the bait is in contact with the bottom as long as possible. The long rod and smaller diameter line allows the bait to run deeper and flouro helps it get down a little deeper too since it sinks. It will be very hard for you to reach max depth with 20# line. If you have your drag set correctly you should have no problem landing big fish on smaller line.

[Quillback]

I have a Crucial CRC711M paired with a Revo Toro Winch. Handles deep cranks well, plenty of power, and it's relatively easy on the arms and wrists. Not the greatest for sensitivity. But I can tell when I contact cover, so it's good enough for me.

[Grey Wolf]

7'6" IS A GOOD ROD LENGTH BUT YOU ARE GOING OVER BOARD WITH 20# LINE UNLESS IT IS BRAID.

[Chris at Tech]

7'6" IS A GOOD ROD LENGTH BUT YOU ARE GOING OVER BOARD WITH 20# LINE UNLESS IT IS BRAID.

Agreed. I don't even think you'd be able to get a crankbait to 15 ft using 20 lb mono/fluoro

My advice would be this -- get the longest rod you can. 7' is OK, I use 7'6" since that's the biggest I can store, and an 8' would be even better to maximize casting distance.

10 or 12 lb mono/fluoro gets the job done for me. I've never tried braid for cranking, but I certainly see where the low diameter would be helpful.

[quanjig]

I just purchases the 7'8" mojo glass CB rod and went thru a trial and error phase with it. My results my not be the same as anyone else's and this is my point! I first tried 12lb mono and found that I didn't have as much feel when making contact with the bottom and hook ups resulted in lost fish with the combination of line strech and softer glass rod. Figuring that I couldn't change the fact that being a glass rod, I tried again with 14 floro. Lower strech and it sinks. My results have been like night and day!! Better feel and sooooo much better hook up and land ratio. The point of my post is this, any combo that you choose, you may have to tinker with it to optimize your results. Good luck and let us know what you choose!!

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Agreed. I don't even think you'd be able to get a crankbait to 15 ft using 20 lb mono/fluoro

My advice would be this -- get the longest rod you can. 7' is OK, I use 7'6" since that's the biggest I can store, and an 8' would be even better to maximize casting distance.

10 or 12 lb mono/fluoro gets the job done for me. I've never tried braid for cranking, but I certainly see where the low diameter would be helpful.

x2. Longer casts and thinner line keeps the bait in the strike zone longer. 20lb mono is counter to what you're trying to do with a deep crank.

[pitchinthejig]

My main DD crank setup is a Daiwa Zillion Crazy cranker (Great reel and has gobs o torque) Sunline Shooter in 12# Steez flexlite 7'2MH. This combo is deadly with every deep crank ive ever used, it handles 1oz plugs sooooooooo wonderful! I like the shooter because it has very very little stretch less then any other FC ive ever used and allows me solid hook sets at the end of a very long cast... no mushy feeling with that line and if you set your drag good you wont break a fish off unless theres a line failure some where or a bad knot has been tied.. I used to use braid a lot for deep cranking but if you do you need to use a much softer rod or you will loose fish due to ripping the hooks out mainly at the boat side but if you use a softer rod braid is a great deep cranking line.

[stkbassn]

Hi All,

My first post here...been lurkin for awhile...awesome place...hope I can contribute.

I was just wondering what some of you are using when using deep diving crankbaits, 15-20 feet...I hear some saying use lighter line to make it go deep but what I find is that when that deep thats quite a bit of pull on my line...if I got hit by a big one it seems it would break the line quick. Heck, it feels like a big ones on the line just pulling that crankbait.

(I fish back of boat mainly btw...so reeling plus a slow troll as well)

I feel like maybe going with a 7'6 pole and some thicker line, maybe 20 lbs....

Just wanted to see if I can get some input before buying the new pole and any tips...

Thanks much

LOVE my new Powell Deep Cranking Composite rod 7'11 and light as a feather..very sensitive and launches a crankbait. Curado 200 E5 paired with it. In my opionion, hard to beat.

As said in an above post, you will want to be able to make long casts for this application and the longer rod will make this much easier on you. I just fished a tournament with a friend of mine last weekend and we were both fishing deep cranks. He was using a 7' rod and his casts were considerably shorter than mine. I kept getting bit and he didn't. My bait was able to get down to the strike zone and stay there longer because of this reason....lonnnng casts.That simple in my opinion.

[breezy]

I've been pretty happy with my LTB big cranker (7' MH/Mod). It has a much more moderate action than other 'cranking' rods I have used such as the Cumara Reaction series. It throws 3/8oz well enough that it doesn't feel like a hassle but can still handle the deeper cranks. I considered the 7'10 H/Mod but wanted something a little more versatile. I would also recommend the Dobyns CB lineup: 705CB, 764CB, 805CB. The 705/764 should provide more versatility while the 805CB was designed with the DD22 in mind. If I hadn't found a great deal on the LTB I would definitely have the 764cbrm.

For line I generally use 10-14lb mono. There's a pretty noticeable difference between the 10 and 14 but sometimes I don't mind sacrificing a few feet for the added strength/abrasion resistance. May be making the switch to fluoro or braid soon, originally started using mono so the rod could double as topwater but the action is too moderate to walk the dog or work a popper well. May give braid a shot and see if the lack of stretch will help in that department.

[Diablos]

Anytime a cranking rod is brought up the first thing that come to mind is Lamiglas. Their blanks by design tend to be more moderate than other companies. If you buy a moderate Lami rod you better believe this thing will be moderate almost borderline slow. These actions tend to let the crank bait work at close to their best.

[gobig]

The lamiglas SR 705R is the rod I use. It takes some time to get used to a glass rod if all you have fished is graphite. At first I did not like the feel of this rod. In fact I was pretty much ready to sell it. A friend of mine insisted that I give it more time on the water and I am really glad he did.

The weight of the line depends on where & when I am fishing. I have gone as light as 6lb test for deep cranking, generally I use 8-10lb test and I always use florocarbon. The key to the lighter line is to constantly check your line for abrasions and retie often.