Relief When Throwing Cranks?

[jeremyt]

I appreciate all the advice, I am a Marine in my early 30's and not supposed to hurt from fishing. Took Grey Wolfs advice and went to medical. Turns out I have a stress fracture in my right wrist and I guess that last trip aggravated it enough to put me in pain. I have to take it easy for a few weeks and go from there. I truly appreciate it.

[Grey Wolf]

I'm glad you made the correct decision to correct your problem , now let it heal and give it heck later on.

[bigbassctchr101]

Dang, a fractured wrist will certainly do it! I am only 25 and I have to wear a brace on my wrist when I go to catching them on big cranks. I found that a flexible (elastic) wrist brace that tries to mobolize your thumb and wrist works the best. It also helped me to hold the blank up higher with my non cranking hand. Turns out that for me you can feel a little better against the blank like that anyway. I have about 6 total cranking configurations, but it all comes down to lighter weighted rods, and slower IPT ratioed reels help me the most. Carpal tunnel and tendonitis almost can take some fun out of fishing but a little pain just goes with the game

[Khong Y.]

Well it's getting close to winter so you won't miss anything. It's good that you got that wrist checked out too. Hope it recover well so you'll be back fishing by Pre-Spawn.

[Jim H.]

Wow, I think you guys are kinda missing something here. That is the fact that cranking deep runners requires the use of a set of muscles that are unique to that task. I once fished the St. Judes charity bass tournament and drew a retired NFL quarterback as a partner. I was tossing bagley's DB-3's and dragging them through a ditch. We caught enough fish to finish in the top 10. My partner told me after the tournament that his throwing arm was tired and he couldn't figure why a over the hill fat guy was still cranking while he was too tired. The answer is, I routinely used one set of muscles to throw crankbaits while he used a completely different set to throw footballs.

Personally, I can't see having a rod/reel combo for every possible situation. I can always turn the handle slower but there is a limit to how fast I can turn a reel handle.

[southtexasbassin]

what I like to do to get some relief is crank the reel a couple of times then use the rod. Pull the lure with the rod and reel in slack when bringing the rod back to normal position. Simple but helps a ton.

[J Francho]

what I like to do to get some relief is crank the reel a couple of times then use the rod.

Actually a REAL good technique for getting a diver through weeds. Feel a bump, stop sweeping, and let the bait rise a few inches. For some reason it's easier to stop sweeping the rod than it is to stop reeling.

[weezy109]

You don't ride a bike up hill in fast gear now do ya? Pedaling slower won't get the job done you gotta drop down to the lower(bigger) gear. Takes less effort to do the same job. Reeling a fast gear reel slower is not the same as using a low gear reel.

[Nitrofreak]

How do I spell relief when cranking deep? Trolling.

[Sam]

Jeremy, bass fishing is a sport.

Sports require specific muscles to perform an actiion over and over again.

May I suggest strengthening your muscles, expecially your wrist, hand and arm along with your legs?

You don't have to buy a set of 1,000 pound weights. You do have to purchase some hand weights or use soft-drink bottles and go on-line to find wrist and hand exercises to strengthen your hands and wrists.

You can do the hand and wrist execrises while driving watching TV, at work, at the movies, etc. These are simple exercises to help make the wrists stronger. One of those balls you squeeze can work wonders.

You will encounter problems if you continue to do a repetitive action over and over again so learn to cast your cranking rod differently.

First, when you cast be sure the reel's handle is pointing towards the sky. Not directly, but at least at an 11 o'clock position. This will help take the pressure off your wrist.

Second, as stated in the above posts, make sure you have the right equipment. A rod designed for cranks and a 5:1 reel are starters.

Third, remember to "swing" the rod to the left or right when setting a treble hook. Do not thrust the rod over your head. Just a tight swing to the right or left will set the hook.

Fourth, be sure to continue to use mono for treble hook baits. The pros are changing to flouro but I still believe mono is the best line for cranks.

And remember the old football advice: you are only as good as your legs. Don't forget to exercise your legs other than walking to and from the frig!!!!

With winter upon us it is time to get in top shape for the 2012 fishing season.

Remember, Ish and Hackney may not look like they are in great shape to fish, but they are. Even punny little Ike works out during the year.

Now go out and look like Popeye the Sailor Man!!!!!!!

Happy New Year.

[jojo&laken]

I use a carrot stick with a 7.1:1 citica yea its work but it also works the prize is always worth the pain. try moving or changing your body, hand, rod positions in between casts without changing up the retrieve. It is just like sitting in one spot for a long time your butt gets to hurting so you move or adjust good luck

[iceintheveins]

I use a 5.0:1 curado with a BPS 7' Medium Action Crankin' Stick. It doesn't take much effort with that setup. Deep divers thrown for a few hours are still a bit of a workout, but it's jerkbaits that really kill my wrists, especially hard ones. I am a big believer in a low ratio reel for most all cranking and spinnerbait action because I believe the lure is in the strike zone longer. Sometimes with spinnerbaits or lipless cranks though a fast retrieve works better, but usually only when the bass are really amped up or you are fishing really shallow water (4 feet or under).

[iceintheveins]

Heck I still prefer mono for just about all applications, it's just too versatile. With slop fishing, frog fishing, and hard jerkbaits though, I go with braid. Fluoro IMO is only good for a reel setup that you will only use for jigging or plastics.