Random crankbait use question

[done]

Alright guys, for those who love crankbaits.

What types to you prefer (Lipless, floating, sinking, etc), size, brand name and such.

What type/strength line do you use generally?

Also, when you cast these puppies, who far do you usually throw them out?

I love these but one of my big problems with some of my lighter ones is I cannot get these things out from the boat more than a few feet. Seems they need to be out there further, but even with light line (8 lb)  they still don't get very far out.

[roadwarrior]

Don't use the lighter lures with the gear you are fishing.

I rarely fish anything less than 3/8 oz and much prefer

1/2 +.

8-)

[senile1]

Right in line with what RW stated, if you don't have a baitcaster that can handle light crankbaits, use spinning equipment for those.  A good example of a light crankbait is the Rapala Shad Rap.  You can cast them a great distance with spinning gear.

[skunked_again]

i use all types of cranks. for me i theres no one form of hard bait i prefer over another. this year did seem like the year of the lipless bait but last year was the balsa wood bait. one of my fav. baits hasnt been made for years and thanks to some good folks here i still get new ones once in a while.

brand names are the standard names you always see. rapala, bomber, strike king, lucky craft, xcalibur, this list goes on.

on my shallow cranks i like 10 lbs yo-zuri hybrid ultra soft. everything else im old school and use 14 lbs mono.

using this bait is like using any other bait, you want to run it through the strike zone, sometimes that means long casts, other times short.

casting distance will come with gear. for smaller cranks/shallow i have a Sol mounted on a Falcon Lowrider 6'6" M. 3/8 oz is as heavy as i go with this rig.

[J Francho]

I use cranks ranging from old PeeWee Warts on up to monster DD22, DT20, etc. For the peanut size, up to about a DT06, I use an Avid AVC70MM, saddled with a Daiwa Sol, spooled with 8# P-Line CXX.

For bigger cranks, I use an AVC70MHM, same reel and line, but go up to 10#.

One small crank that I've had quite a bit of success with is the Daiwa Peanut. You can find them for really cheap (like $2), and they work fine, but I like to change out the hooks. I use Owner ST-36, a #6 on the front and a #8 on the tail. This way, the hooks don't foul up on each other.

[bmadd]

I agree with what most have said. In late winter/early spring, one of my primary baits is a Rapala Shad Rap SR07. This bait is fairly light and doesn't cast well on my bait casting setups so I just throw them on a 7' M spinning rod. My best advice is just to experiment a little with different brands and models but some that I have great confidence in are:

Cotton Cordell Super Spot

Rapala Shad Rap 07

Norman DD22, Deep Little N, Fat Boy

Bomber Fat Free Shad BD 6 and 7

Lucky Craft Flat MR, DR, and D12

Strike King Series 5

anything I have by Big M

Luhr Jensen Speed Traps

Daiwa Peanuts

A spinning rod is probably the easiest choice. Since you didn't list what rod and reel you've been using or the baits, it's hard to diagnose your problem really. It could be that your rod is too heavy or has the wrong tip. It could also be that the line capacity of your reel is too high hindering it's ability to cast light baits.

[done]

good point...a little details....

2 rigs I use 7' and 6'6" rods

both are setup with spinning reels, 6'6" has 8 lb mono 7' has 15 lb flouro

I also have another 6'6" spinning combo with 8 lb microfuse braid.

I can throw my lipless easily enough and I have some heavy cranks I can throw real good, almost all of the are rapala.

The ones giving me the most trouble are:

Rapala HJ-6 Huskyjerk

Rapala original floating4g 1/8 oz

Rapala Countdown sinking 5g 3/16 oz though this one I can get with lighter gear

I do well with a couple:

Rapala Minnow rap 6g 3/16

Rapala xtreme shad slashbait not sure of the weight but it is at least 6g

[TheHammer84]

What types to you prefer (Lipless, floating, sinking, etc), size, brand name and such.

Lipless - SK Red Eye Shads 1/2 ounce and 3/4 ounce, sexy shad, citrus shad, and red crawdad

Diving - Norman DD22, Bomber Fat free Shad 1/2 ounce, Bomber Model 6, Luhr Jensen Hot Lips - Sexy Shad, chart/blue, and black/red craw

What type/strength line do you use generally?

10# fluoro

[Use ONLY Stren]

Youre puttin 15lb. line on a spinning rod?

[Hammer 4]

What actions are your rods..? i.e. a 7' mhm, isn't gonna load up enough to toss a lighter bait, however, a 7' mxf or fast will toss it much farther.

[bmadd]

For those baits, I would recommend a 7' ML spinning rod with 10# braid.

[Grey Wolf]

For those baits, I would recommend a 7' ML spinning rod with 10# braid.

X2

[done]

Youre puttin 15lb. line on a spinning rod?

I have put up to 20lb test on it and with the exception of really light baits, I can cast it forever.

When it comes to the reels, I loathe the closed reels, they always tangle up on me and tick me off. For some reason any time I spend with a baitcaster ends up more like a greek tragedy than a fishing trip. For my current fishing approach, I can get the best combination of ease of use, and effectiveness from my spinning gear. Just works for me.

Good point on the rod. My 7' ticks me off. I bought it when I had little understanding of the action of a rod. Ever since I started using it, I have regretting that purchase. My 6' 6" rods, 90-95% of the time I can accurately cast them within 3-4 inches of my intended target 15-20 ft away. With my 7', I have to use 2 hands for the cast and I will cast to an area more than a specific spot. My next round of rods I was going to replace my 7' with something with a lot less play to it.

This is great advice though guys. I am really loving it. For those using the Rapala DT's, you really like them? For some reason I just cannot get into them. I have eyed them a ton of times and I just have not pulled the trigger on them.

[dodgeguy]

rapala dts are fantastic!!!i fish them on 15 pound diameter 65 lb test fireline braid.i walk them over rocks and the fireline braid holds up all day without a retie.i also love rapala lipless cranks and there new 7/8 oz. lipless single ball cranks.