Hey all,

 

I'm having some trouble with crankbait. I recently bought a medium/fast st croix bass x spinning rod with some 10lb braid. When I reel in my shallow squarebill, it requires alot of force to reel the plug in. I know my rod setup isn't ideal, but is this normal?

 

Thanks. 

What's the gear ratio of your reel? The higher it is, the less torque it applies and the more force it takes to reel in lures.

6:1

6:1 on a spinning reel is fast - my fastest one is a 5.4:1 and it's my finesse rig. The spinner I use for smaller crankbaits is a 5.2:1. If it's fairly new, I'd consider trading it in for a slower reel...or just putting up with it.

Yeah it's a struggle with every cast, the end of my rod flexes way more than i feel it should as well. I'm new to bass fishing so it seems way different to the smooth retrieval of small trout lures. 

Too big a bait on too little of a combo. 

FM

Just now, Kingkut92 said:

Yeah it's a struggle with every cast, the end of my rod flexes way more than i feel it should as well. I'm new to bass fishing so it seems way different to the smooth retrieval of small trout lures. 

Okay...most of the difference is in how the lures work. As someone who goes after trout occasionally I know. There IS going to be flex on the rod when retrieving crankbaits...it's unavoidable. Bass lures have a 'pull' because of how they move through the water. The bill on a crankbait causes resistance...much more than an inline spinner does. As long as you can retrieve the lure, I'd put up with it.

Just now, Fishingmickey said:

Too big a bait on too little of a combo. 

FM

All depends - I use my spinning reel for crankbaits up to an 07 and jerkbaits up to an 11 (Rapala sizes)...3/16 oz and less weight.

Thanks for help. Thought something was wrong, at least I understand reel gear ratios better now.

What crankbait ? Some cranks are easier to retrieve then others. The discontinued Crankin Raps that  I use a lot dont have much drag resistance .

Been using 6th sense 50s

I MUCH prefer casting gear for baits that pull back: spinnerbaits and larger billed cranks, esp. I do have some spinning reels that handle them fine, but these are larger decent quality reels, and not for big deep cranks. Nearly any spinning reel will handle small finesse cranks.

What make and model spinning reel ? Reel rotar size determines how much line is retreived per revolution (IPT) the gear ratio is only 1 factor to consider.

Tom

http://www.quantumfishing.com/smoke-ssm30xptbx2.html?pdp_parent_cat_id=34&pdp_parent_product_id=59749

What size rotor would be ideal for heavy baits?

10 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

Too big a bait on too little of a combo. 

FM

 

What would be an appropriate setup for say a 2.5 inch 5/8oz shallow crank? Spinning. 

Personally? I toss any crank 1/2oz to 3/4 on my President BC...anything heavier than that goes on the Fuego.

 

BUT...if you want spinning. Then a 2500 to 3000 size reel on an MH rod - 5/8 is about the middle of an MH rod's rating, and from experience that's where you get your best cast/control.

What kind of gear ratio? Cause that's the setup I'm currently running and it's like reeling in a freight train every cast

Step it down to a 5.2 to 5.4 - at 35IPT on your Smoke you're trading power for speed. Look at the manufacturers sites to find one that's in the 25-29IPT range with the previously mentioned gear ratio. My Trion is a 5.2:1 with 25.9IPT and I have no issues with crankbaits up to 1/2 ounce...which is what my Rattlin' Rap 07s are.

What about a reel that is 4.3:1 and 25 ipt?

Just now, Kingkut92 said:

What about a reel that is 4.3:1 and 25 ipt?

That'd give you more torque, making it easier to reel the lure in. Sounds like a reel that'd work for just about any crankbait that the rod is capable of handling.