ChiCityBasser

I have 2 cranking set ups with one being a spinning setup and the other a casting setup. My spinning setup is a 6'6" Daiwa Rod (D-Force) Fiberglass M / MF for Shallow and Medium Divers, Catalyst PTI-B20 reel with 6# Cabelas 100% Flourocarbon. This has been my go to setup for the majority of the year for fishing cranks. I fish from the shore so and most of the lakes and places I get to fish are pretty shallow and the setup works well. My Casting setup is a Cabelas Prodigy rod PDC705-1 MH / MF 7' rod with a Daiwa Exceler 6.3:1 reel and 14#Yo Zuri Hybrid Ultrasoft. Again this is a shallow to medium diver setup and works well with down to 1/4 oz weights. The line is a bit too heavy for me with the cranks I've been using so gonna drop it down to 10# Cabelas 100% Flourocarbon as well. The rod was on sale at Cabelas for $60 and is normally $100

Countryside in Portage wasn't too bad at all as far as size. I caught a 2 & 3lber but that was it for a couple of hours. No numbers but ok on size.

Good Luck out on the water today and temps are down here and getting rain today also in the chicago area. I'll be getting out tomorrow and hope your day was successful.

The Cabelas Prodigy rod PDC705-1 MH MF 1/4-1oz is my baitcasting crankbait rod. I got it when they were on sale for $59.99 but they are no longer for sale on the internet site but if you go into the store they still have some marked down to the sale price.

Thanks for the info about Countryside Any particular areas to try at Wolf Lake?

How is the fishing at Countryside Park in Portage?

Thanks for the info I think I'll be trying Black Oak this sunday with some of these exact baits from the shore. Thinking of trying some shallow cranks as well..Strike King 1XS and BPS XPS Egg to keep them in the 1-3' range?

I use a Cabelas XML ML spinning rod with a Shimano Sahara SH1000FD with 20#/6 braid for 1/4oz and lighter spinnerbaits and it works fine. This is pretty much all I use this setup for is slow rolling colorado blade spinnerbaits and the rod makes for a good fight with a fish or any real size but it does produce.

At the sub $100 dollar mark there is the Quantum Accurist PT from a couple of years ago on ebay for around $40-$60. Then there is the Daiwa Exceler which I have and use as a crank reel and it works pretty good tossing 1/4 oz cranks. The Cabelas Prodigy which is also made by Daiwa and on sale at Cabelas for about $70. I have all 3 and right now the Exceler gets used more than any of them since I fish cranks primarily. I don't have a Citica or PQ as others have mention so I can't speak on them at all but I would go with the Exceler for tossing cranks, the accurist for pinching and flipping and the prodigy would be next in line.

Nice post and I have an Accurist PT as well and its a great reel. I had to do the same thing one day when I went out to really stick to using the baitcaster and leave the spinning gear at home. Great way to teach yourself to stick with it and always best to have a line pick just in case.

Mann's minus 1, Bandit Footloose and the Rapala DT-1 are all in the 1 foot or less range. The Strike King 1XS is right around 2 feet and BPS has a Shallow diver as well that works pretty good. You can get the Strike King 1XS to run a bit higher in the water than the 2 feet if you hold your rod up a bit. Most of my Shallow success has been with the Strike King 1XS in Gizzard Shad, Sexy Shad or Sexy Sunfish.

Cabelas is having a sale on rods and sure you will be able to find something to your liking. I have a Cabelas Prodigy Rod normally $100 and now on sale for $60. They have both the spinning and baitcast models on sale now.

The New XT will match up perfectly with my Cabelas XML rods since they have the same paint scheme. I might have to have one in my future just for that reason. They really look nice.

Strike King 1XS has been my most successful crankbait this year.

Of the ones you have listed I only have experience with the Quantum products and going with what I know....Quantum and of the Quantums I have the Energy PT 6.3:1, so gotta again go with what I know...Quantum Energy PT

I have a IL and IN license as well as a couple of private/park lake permits as well for IL

No in my 2 years of owning one I haven't had any problems with it at all

Check Tackletour regarding the reviews on the reel. They did a review of the Older Accurist models a while back and rated them pretty good. I think the review was on the none PT models with the PT models being a step better.

I have a AC501PT as well and have had it a couple years. When I have taken it out its performed well with not a problem at all. Got it off ebay for $40 I think and one of a couple of Quantum BC reels I have.

This is exactly how I have been fishing my shallow to medium runner crankbaits. I look for patches of grass or vegetation in the water and try to run either a Strike King 1XS (down to 2 ft) or some other crank that will run just over the weeds. This will usually pull them up outta the weeds. I usually use a Gizzard shad but color really depends on water clarity as well. Yesterday I was using the Bass Pro Shops XPS SSC in Texas Shad fishing from the shore. The Lure works through cover pretty well without snagging and soon as I would get it to the weedline a fish would hit it. I caught a total of 6 in a row just fishing the weeds along the shore. Most were in the 1-2lb range with one being a little bigger. Like someone else said change up colors and the retrieve and you will get a bite...Good Luck

I used to see them on clearance all the time at Walmart and picked up a couple of the cranks but never had any luck with them before the paint flaked or chipped or they stopped running true.

I can't speak on the Pfleuger reels since I have never owned one but my brother has the one of the presidents and really likes it. I fish mainly Quantum reels both spinning and baitcasting and have no complaints. I just recently added a Daiwa Baitcaster (Exceler) for cranking and it's a very nice reel. Works great down to 1/4 oz shallow to medium diving crankbaits. I own one Shimano spinning reel (Sahara) and it's been sitting for awhile. It's a smooth reel but sometimes I haven't closed the bail by hand before cranking and now it doesn't close unless I hand close it. Anyone want a used Sahara...

I'm on the wagon with you on the Cabelas XML and have 4 of them myself. At $69 they are one of the better bargains out there right now. I don't think you would be let down if you grabbed one or two of them.

I would go with a Cabelas XML which are on sale for $70 and a Quantum Catalyst which is on sale for $90 and come in at $160 plus tax or shipping. The XML series of rods is great and is normally $140 and I have 4 of them and can't beat the warranty. If you are looking for a crankbait rod I would suggest the Cabelas Prodigy PDC705-1 MH/MF which I have and use as a shallow to medium crankbait rod. I have it paired with a Daiwa Exceler and the total combo investment is $130. Cabelas also has the XMLTi rods on sale for $119-$140 http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0030280119418a&navCount=5&podId=0030280&parentId=cat20372&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20372&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20372&hasJS=true

Check out Cabelas rod sale : http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0053032122638a&navCount=1&podId=0053032&parentId=cat20374&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20166-cat20374&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20374&hasJS=truehttp://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat20374&id=0064414123858a&navCount=4&podId=0064414&parentId=cat20374&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20374&hasJS=true The Prodigy is also on sale: