Crankbait setup help?

[bassjnkie]

When it comes to crankbaits I have many, but I hardly use them. This year thats going to change. Right now I'm using spinning setup, but would like to get a casting setup. I am not looking for Shimano products, sorry, but for the reel I would like a Daiwa, the rod I'm really not sure what to look at, line I'm thinking mono but I could be wrong. So can someone recommend a reel, specific rod, and line type and strength? For prices, I don't want to spend crazy cash.

[Bly]

Wish I could help you out Daniel but I am still using a spinning setup for most of my fishing. Good luck and let us know what you get!

[trapshooter]

A lot of rod companies have technique specific rods... i.e. crankbait rod, drop-shot rod, etc. I believe the St. Croix Avid series crankbait rod is 6'6" medium power, moderate action (casting rod). I have it, and love it. The mod. action lets you cast baits a bit farther b/c it's a whippier rod. Get the nicest low profile Diawa reel reel you can afford and put some 20lb powerpro on it. YOu can always tip it with a mono/fluoro leader. Good luck.

[Syn]

If you are buying new line anyway, may I suggest fluorocarbon. Me and my buddy were using the exact same spinnerbait in clear water casting in the same area. I kept hooking up with slabs of smallmouths, him nothing. Also flouro is UV protected, mono is not and weakens in the sun. Means that you'll have to change your mono more often. So flouro is more cost effective in the long run.

 

Line strength 10-15 lb my suggestion for 2-3" crink baits not near cover. Also flouro is more abrasive resistant when going over rocks compared to mono.

 

http://www.tackletou...carbontest.html

 

Nice lines but expensive Seaguar fluorocarbon and Yo-zuri.

 

Braided line say 30lb+ could be a great option for fishing in cover stumps, but I don't do that for fear of loosing crankbaits or the fish getting hooked and going in deeper into cover. I play it safe and switch to a weedless grub, worm, or froggy.

Edited April 6, 2010 by Syn

[EC1]

Theoretically, You want to find the lowest gear ratio in the casting reel(for power) and a rod with a moderate taper(for hooksets)...

 

I find that although it may be the "best", I don't think I'm missing much by throwing a 7'MH - F rod with a 6.3 gear ratio reel..it's not like fish don't bite if your rod is too fast or your reel is too high a gear ratio.

 

As for Daiwa, the cheapest one that contains specs like that is the Zillion Crazy Cranker, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to bust out $300 for it. Practically all of the cranking reels out there are expensive as ever.

I say just find yourself a smooth reel for whatever budget you have....Should be more than enough...Daiwa Viento's are on sale right now...

 

Oh yup, as for rods...the cheapest example I can think of would be an ugly stick..I don't like them, but they should do the job since they're glass(slow and whippy). You can move yourself up to the Loomis rods too if you decide you want to use that amount of cash too!

Edited April 6, 2010 by EC1

[ciscokid]

If you are buying new line anyway, may I suggest fluorocarbon. Me and my buddy were using the exact same spinnerbait in clear water casting in the same area. I kept hooking up with slabs of smallmouths, him nothing. Also flouro is UV protected, mono is not and weakens in the sun. Means that you'll have to change your mono more often. So flouro is more cost effective in the long run.

 

Line strength 10-15 lb my suggestion for 2-3" crink baits not near cover. Also flouro is more abrasive resistant when going over rocks compared to mono.

 

http://www.tackletou...carbontest.html

 

Nice lines but expensive Seaguar fluorocarbon and Yo-zuri.

 

Braided line say 30lb+ could be a great option for fishing in cover stumps, but I don't do that for fear of loosing crankbaits or the fish getting hooked and going in deeper into cover. I play it safe and switch to a weedless grub, worm, or froggy.

Cant u also cast a bit further with fluoro than with mono?

[Syn]

Cant u also cast a bit further with fluoro than with mono?

 

I'm no expert, just some guy who likes to fish. Perhaps google might find you some real world numeric test results.

 

If I were to guess I'd guess that limper mono casts farther than a stiffer flouro. Not all flouro is of the same stiffness though.

 

I never actually tried mono vs floro casting side by side sorry. But I did find my Seaguar invisx to be stiffer than my berkley mono IIRC (I forgot to soak the spool d'oh) when I put it on.

 

I don't expect (no proof) there to be much more than say 10-15% distance in casts between the two lines but that gets quickly fixed by using line conditioner, and a slightly heavier crank bait or crankbait that is more aerodynamic, a better tuned reel, and lighter line. For shore casting and for easily spooked fish I could see how long casts could benefit, but I can cast pretty far especially with the wind lol, from a boat.

 

Also noticed floro has less stretch than mono, dare I say too little at times when I am overly excited and set the hook to hard ( I need to learn to relax). So for long distance casts flouro will let you set the hook better because of less stretch, but you still do yourself a world of good by having those hooks sharpened from the night before.

 

 

Yet another eidt:

Some great tips here for crankbaits (check out when to use a snap): http://centralcoastbass.com/tips&tricks.htm

Edited April 7, 2010 by Syn

[Garry2Rs]

When you are trying to get the most for your money, BPS frequently has combos on sale. That might be the best place for you to start. In the lower price ranges you won't find 7:1 gear ratio's, but you don't need them. Ratios of 5.3 used to be standard for bass size cranks, but take what you can get, it won't matter. Whatever you decide on, buy the best reel you can afford, the rod isn't that big a concern.

 

I would start with a 6.5 or 7 foot "medium" graphite rod. Medium heavy might be a better all around rod, but we are talking crankbaits...There are special Crankbait rods, which will combine some glass with the graphite to make it softer, but I doubt you will find one within your price range.

 

If you are only using one rod and reel, I recommend that you start with 40 pound braid. It's the diameter of 12 pound mono, it casts well, is easy to pick tangles out, while your learning, and it's strong enough that you can pull most snags free. Using braid you can add a mono, fluoro or wire leader to suit specific conditions.

 

Because Cranks are reaction baits leaders are often optional. Line visibility isn't usually an issue with fast moving baits. However it's easy to tie on a leader if you want one.

 

I don't like straight mono because it is so stretchy that I don't feel like I'm "in-touch" with the bait. Tangles are also hard to deal with.

 

Straight fluorocarbon is okay, but it sinks and isn't tangle friendly either. It's good for deep divers, jerkbait and other twitch and stop presentations. However, it's not that great an all around line, in my opinion.

Garry2R's

Edited April 6, 2010 by garry2rs

[bassjnkie]

Thanks for all the quick replies. I might have made a mistake with the "I don't want to spend crazy cash", I should have mentioned that I don't want to spend more than $500.

 

Anyways. Let me get this straight, I'm looking for a a moderate action rod, preferably with mixed glass for a softer action. The ideal reel should be a lower gear ratio, preferably 5.3. Best line for this application would be either braid with flouro leader or straight flouro.I think I got it, I'll start my search tomorrow.

 

Thanks again for all the help, Daniel.

[Jackie]

I think the size of the bait you are using also matters too...

 

I just started fishing crankbaits, and i have read articles and heard from some experts about the things you need for cranking.

Here is the rod I would suggest to use: Shimano Compre TC4 6'6"/6'10", Action:XF, Power:MH, Line Wt: 10-20lb, Lure wt: 3/8-1oz. I think they are selling this rod at Le Baron for $119...

 

For reels, Team Daiwa (TDSOL) would be good. 7.4oz, 8.8lbs drag, 5.8:1 Gear ratio.

Curado 200E5 would also serve your purpose efficiently. 7.6oz, 11lb drag, 5.0:1 Gear ratio, and you don't have to pay as much.

 

For lines...not quite sure. But I would just use mono...because it's cheap

 

Hope it helps

 

Cheers,

Jackie

Edited April 7, 2010 by Jackie

[JPD]

Some great info was given to you DanielM,

 

Medium Heavy Power, Moderate Fast Action for heavier cover, bigger baits and / or deeper diving cranks, if you are planning on throwing more tiny, shallower cranks go with Medium Power, Moderate Fast Action. The rod doesn't have to have glass to be the right action anymore, of you can find that action in a graphite blank it will be much lighter and more sensitive. I use as long of a rod as I can to get casting distance but 7' to 7'6" is great!

 

A 6.3:1 will be fine but 5:1 is what most of the top crankers use and I would highly recommend fluoro. 12-15 lb test will work great even in weeds. The sinking properties of the fluoro with the less stretch factor compared to mono will really help increase your land ratio. Braid often times will not allow the fish to get the bait fully into their mouths and cause a lot of "skin hooked" fish which is every crankers nightmare since they throw the bait so often.

 

Good luck with the search.

 

JP

[jedimaster]

If you are staying away from shimano(not sure why but your choice) I would look at a Quantum PT Tour PT705F. This is a 7 foot, Medium Power, Moderate Fast action. This rod also has a lifetime warranty. Get some 15 - 20 pound braid and spend every last nickle you got on a reel. A Shimano DPV would be a great combo, but if your looking elsewhere Maybe a Daiwa Zillion but I think they are all 7:1, and with crank baits a lower ratio is a bit easier to use. A steez 103 Would be great but pretty pricey, a daiwa Advantage may also work well, but I haven't bothered used any of the daiwa baitcasters.

[bassjnkie]

Thanks for the advice JP, I'm mostly throwing medium cranks. And I'm sold on the flouro line.

 

Now for the search!!

 

Jedi, I'll check out the Quantum. Thanks

[JohnAB]

I picked up the 7'10" KVD Tour medium heavy moderate action rod for $150 and put my Quantum Energy Power baitcaster on it with 30 lb powerpro braid and then a flourcarbon leader. Cannot wait to try it out in a month.

[adempsey]

BPS has a Daiwa Strikeforce combo currently on "sale". No clue how good it is, but it's at the low price point for this type of product.

 

edit: Something strange is going on, my reply should have been the third response. Ignore what I posted, it is irrelevant now with given the additional information you provided.

Edited April 7, 2010 by adempsey

[Blake]

Some good info on Crankbaits for sure. I throw alot of crankbaits as its one of my go to baits in tourney fishing. For rod look for length from 6'9" up to 7'6". You need a rod with a soft tip but great power in the butt. Remember you need a rod that will allow the fish to swallow the bait. With a soft tip and slower action it gives them time to get the bait in their mouths and then you need to sweep the rod back for a hookset. I use Shimano rods made of TC4 which are for cranking. For you look at the Loomis lineup of crankbait rods. I know smalliefisher has one for sale in the buy and sell for $160 for the Loomis Bronzeback Crankbait rod. For reels it depends when and where I am fishing them. I have 2 specialized setups and one reel is 5:0:1 and the other 6:0:1. I use floro exclusively on my crankbait setups. I only use P-line Halo and Suffix Floro as they cast the best and have great manageability. Good luck on the search.

[rigger]

What? No Shimano? Mono? I say spend the $$$$ now. Loomis casting rod, Shimano Calais, braided line and name brand fluorocarbon. If you shop around on the net and local, total price is about $500 bucks. Get 'er done....

 

Rob!

[OhioFisherman]

Just my opinion? Tackle is secondary to finding fish and determining what they will hit. Won a two day tournament in New York casting a crank bait non stop on a shimano medium action spinning rod with a diawa reel and 10# mono. No one else seemed to match the pattern or lure closely enough to do as well.

 

Cranks work, but a time and place for everything, some days they may not be the go to lure. $500 for one combo? over kill unless you get them from a sponsor for free.