Cranking Rod

[tbirds00]

Is it a big disadvantage to fish cranks without using a cranking rod? Right now I have three casting reel setups but no crank rods and was wondering if it would be wise to get one. I was planning on fishing cranks with a 7' md hvy fast action g loomis rod.

thanks

[ww2farmer]

Depends. I wouldn't dream of deep cranking anymore with anything less than a rod that is specificly designed to deep crank.

[retiredbosn]

Are you disadvantaged in a word absolutely. Do you have a rod for a carolina rig? If so that would be adequate for deep cranks, shallow cranking demands a rod designed for treble hooks, you can adjust your drag way down, to the point that it will slip when the fish hits and get by to a point. It's harder to get a hook set with treble hooks than single hooks like on a t-rig or jigs, treble hooks demand a smooth tightening to get a good hook set, that's the reason crankbait rods are so limber, the less line you have out, the shallower the crank and the more important you have a limber rod. Otherwise you will just end up pulling the hooks out of the fish's mouth without hooking up. The best line for cranking is mono, then a hybrid, floro and last braid, braid and floro are not recommended for crankin. There are several articles on this site that explain the proper set up and the reasons behind the recommendations. Good luck

[Ima Bass Ninja]

. The best line for cranking is mono, then a hybrid, floro and last braid, braid and floro are not recommended for crankin.

Brother, i have to disagree with you there. Most of the elite professional anglers suggest fluoro for cranking.. The reason being that it sinks and can get the bait down further. Also fluoro has greater sensitivity and abrasion resistance than mono so you can feel whats on the bottom better when digging your crank on the bottom and don't have to worry as mush with the line becoming weak if cranking in heavy cover. I switched to fluoro last year for cranking and i will never go back to mono....Just my $.02

[BradH]

Brother, i have to disagree with you there. Most of the elite professional anglers suggest fluoro for cranking.. The reason being that it sinks and can get the bait down further. Also fluoro has greater sensitivity and abrasion resistance than mono so you can feel whats on the bottom better when digging your crank on the bottom and don't have to worry as mush with the line becoming weak if cranking in heavy cover. I switched to fluoro last year for cranking and i will never go back to mono....Just my $.02

Not everyone is the same but yeah, I've tried all 3 lines for cranking and I like the fluoro and braid. Better hook set on the end of a long cast. I do fish around rocks alot so I tie a chunk of fluoro on if I use braid. If I used faster action rods for cranking I might be using mono but I don't.

[BrASSmonkey]

• I was using mon with a 7' MH mod-fast rod and found that there was way more stretch on a hookset than I liked. So, I switched to braied with a fluoro leader, and have been happy with the setup up.
  

While the fish hooking itself through smooth tightening is a potential advantage of cranking rods, the slow action is better for keeping the tension on the line, which helps to prevent the fish from using the mass of the lure to spit the hook during headshakes and direction changes. I also find that there is also some shock absorption from the thump of deep crankbaits.

[riskkid 2]

^{I think it would be wise to get a cranking rod. If funds are limited a BPS Crankin Stick is a fine crankin rod at a reasonable price. Depending on the type of cranking you will be doing they have different models to meet your needs. Despite some of the high end equipment I have I caught my personal best with a crankin stick.}

[retiredbosn]

yeah IMA I was thinking more about a stretchy line if he decided against getting a cranking rod. Although I think I read some article about the stretch of line that floro stretches more than what is commonly believed. For deep crankin you can use braid easy, I would want the fish pretty tired before it got to the boat though, a head shake at the end of a fight will throw a crankbait quickly. I know that I noticed a real increased rate of hook ups and landed fish after I started using a crankin rod. Personally I use yozuri hybrid for just about everything, I wait til I can get it for about 7 bucks for 600yds then buy a few spools. Man I'm cheap

[smalljaw67]

You would be able to get away with it using a medium powered fast action rod but not a medium heavy, it is just too stiff and when you hook a fish it is very hard to keep pressure on it since the fast action blank is quick to straighten out with the slightest amount of slack. A good 100 dollar cranking rod would be a Falcon BuKoo, the 4-17 is what you want for shallow to mid depth cranks and the 5-17 would work for deeper cranks. Your 7' MH=F G. Loomis is a great jig and worm rod but in no way is it suitable for cranks, in fact you'd be wasting the sensitivity of that rod on a technique that doesn't require as much feel as bottom contact baits.

[Midnight Splash2]

I just bought my first cranking rod mainly for lipless and squarebills. I had been using my Dobyns 703C(MH/F) for this in the past and I lost a ton of fish. I went with the 764CB RM and its making a big differance. When the fish grabs the crank the rod gives enough to allow a better hookset. With the casting MH/F it seems to just want to pull it away from the fish rather then allow it to grab the lure. I had a fish hooked up today on the 764CB and that fish danced and jumped the whole time in and still stayed on. The 703C would of most likely lost me that one for sure. If you are planning on throwing a lot of cranks it would be wise to pick up a cranking stick. It will only take a couple of fish for you to see what you have been missing.

[tbirds00]

Just bought a powell glass cranking rod. Thanks for the help.

[johnj163]

Shimano made a 7'11" ML/F shallow to medium crankin rod that they discontinued last year. Does anyone have any experience with this rod? I have a chance to pick one up real cheap.

[retiredbosn]

Shimano made a 7'11" ML/F shallow to medium crankin rod that they discontinued last year. Does anyone have any experience with this rod? I have a chance to pick one up real cheap.

Being that it is 7' 11" the rod's specs are probably more in line with a medium as far as lure and line weights recommended say 1/4-3/4 and 10-16pound test. My ml is 6'4" specs are 1/8 thru 3/8 line specs 6-10, if you are using it for square bills and not ripping bait out of grass you should be fine.