So I am going to get a shimano crucial crankbait rod....but I'm not sure what length to go with. I will be throwing 1.5in to 2.5 in square bills and maybe some deeper divers

I would get the 7ft MH.  Not too long to get in the way of making accurate roll casts around trees and docks when fishing squarebills but still is somewhat long enough (although not ideal) to cast deep cranks long distances to get them down. 

 

7ft rods can do ALOT and if I could choose only one rod length for all my fishing this would be it.  Not ideal for everything but can do well enough for most techniques.

I would get the 7ft MH. Not too long to get in the way of making accurate roll casts around trees and docks when fishing squarebills but still is somewhat long enough (although not ideal) to cast deep cranks long distances to get them down.

7ft rods can do ALOT and if I could choose only one rod length for all my fishing this would be it. Not ideal for everything but can do well enough for most techniques.

X2 pretty much sums it up

If you're mostly throwing to specific targets, 6'6" - 7ft. If you're mostly throwing to open water, 7ft+ to maximize casting distance.

I like a 7' rod for most all of my cranking, except bombing deep divers, than I go with a 7'6" or longer.

I use a 7' M rod for my cranks. It's a Waterloo Salinity rod and is very sensitive I love it rod is normally $170 got it for an amazing price at my local academy

Allegedly, you get somewhat better accuracy with a shorter rod and more distance with a longer rod.  True fact & simple physics, all things being equal you should get more distance using a longer rod.  Shorter rods more accurate?  That is very debatable.   I think that you are the most accurate with the rod that you practice with/use the most, no matter what length it is.  Me, I use a 7'4" MH BPS Extreme for 90% of my cranking.   BPS originally  sold this rod as a lighter action pitching rod - it is way to "tippy" for me to pitch with.  Turned out, for me it works good as a square bill/ medium cover cranking rod, so I didn't waste my money.  Later, one time they went on sale and I bought a couple of extra ones so that should I ever break the original, I've got another and I don't have to learn the whims of another cranking rod.

I have to agree that for what you are doing &ft.MH is good.If you were not throwing deep divers I would say Med.

7' to 7.5' should be fine for this.

I like 7'6 for deep cranking, 7 ft for shallow cranks

I use a 7' M rod for my cranks. It's a Waterloo Salinity rod and is very sensitive I love it rod is normally $170 got it for an amazing price at my local academy

Waterloo shows a 7' MF.  Academy shows a 7' ML Med-Fast, but out of stock.

Waterloo shows a 7' MF. Academy shows a 7' ML Med-Fast, but out of stock.

Yea I don't think academy carries waterloo products anymore. When I bought them I got 2 but never used the 2nd one yet, still has the tags on it. It's a 7' Medium MF.

But I love this rod! It's sensitivity is amazing you can feel everything and it's very durable. I like it better than my St. Croix rod but I use that for froggin and that's a medium heavy.

I never heard of the company before so after I got them I found their site and their rods are legit

a 7' MH cranking rod should handle most of your shallow to mid depth cranks, I like mine for cranks that dive down to 12' to 14'. I have used a DT 16 and it worked ok but I was only doing it for an hour, I would not want to use it all day. So, if you aren't going to be cranking any deeper than say the 12' mark then the 7' is fine, if you plan of the 16' + then you will want a minimum 7'6" with 7'10" to 8' being a better choice.