I know when cranking, it is recommened to go with a 5 gear but can you get away with a 6 if you force yourself to reel slower?

Short answer ~ Yes.

 

And being able to move the bait along a little quicker, is not always a bad thing.

 

A-Jay

Yep.  I have done it many times.  Sometimes I don't even reel slower

Cool, Thanks!

It's not about reeling slower. The idea of a lower ratio/IPT reel for deep cranking is that there's a mechanical advantage that my reduce fatigue and/or make retrieving a high resistance bait all day more enjoyable. 

In practical terms -----> reel with whatever you want, in practical effects ----> you may reel in with whatever you want but that don´t mean the lure you are reeling in will work properly.

 

A lit of lipped cranks when reeled in fast roll on it´s side and then they are not good at all, ever wondered why you don´t catch anything with X or Y crank ? well, time to think that you may be reeling in too fast and that your reel is still pulling it too fast no matter how much you try to slow down, the bait is not running properly.

It's not about reeling slower. The idea of a lower ratio/IPT reel for deep cranking is that there's a mechanical advantage that my reduce fatigue and/or make retrieving a high resistance bait all day more enjoyable. 

 

Maybe I'm doing something wrong.  When I spend a day deep cranking, my hand and wrist that holds the rod is far worse than my cranking hand.

I use a 6.3:1 for my cranks the same i use for everything else and i can fish it all da

Maybe I'm doing something wrong.  When I spend a day deep cranking, my hand and wrist that holds the rod is far worse than my cranking hand.

 

 

No, that really is the point.  If you're moving too fast on a bait that will give resistance like a crank, it will exert a higher amount of energy and thus be harder and more taxing for your rod hand to cope with for long periods.  

Maybe I'm doing something wrong.  When I spend a day deep cranking, my hand and wrist that holds the rod is far worse than my cranking hand.

 

Reeling too fast?  Once my deep diver makes contact, the retrieve gets pretty slow, and often times, I move the bait with the rod, taking up slack with the reel.  My hope is that the crank looks like a distracted, feeding bait fish.  The tip of my admittedly fairly whippy cranking sticks are barely bent, with a pronounced wobble.  I feel like I get a better feel of the bottom, and bites this way.  I'd also swear I can feel the vortex of a biting fish, before the bait is engulfed.  Probably sounds crazy, but I'm not the only one that reports this.  I should point out that I use moderate taper, graphite sticks for cranks.

I prefer a 6:1 reel for lipless cranks and most squarebills.