Hey all-

 

I've typically used a 7' MH Fast setup for most of my work in the past.  Wanting a dedicated cranking setup, and trying to get a couple more setups in my boat.  My rod storage is limited- and the actual rod cubby is about an inch or two short of holding 7' rods.  I've been looking at some of the Lew's Cranking Rods, specificially the David Fritts 6'8" MH crank and the speed stick custom 6'9" crank rod.  They sound short though, anyone have experience with these rods?

 

I don't really deep crank- I pretty much stick to 1.5's, 2.5's, and DT-6.

 

I'm also trying to decide between a 5.4 and 6.3 ratio reel.  I've always used the standard 6.3, but I like to reel fast and that doesn't work well with cranks so I am thinking of going down....

you don't need a huge rod for your crankbaits if your deepest diver is a DT-6. Anything in the 7' range is fine. my squarebill/mid-diving crankbait rod is a daiwa tatula elite 7' ML randy howell shallow crank/jerkbait rod

Although I cannot comment on the rods I use a ‘7-3” TP1 perfect crankback with a revo x in 5.4:1 gear ratio and a kastking royal legend 2 5.3:1? On a lews carbon fire ‘6-10” medium  and have been happy with both. I’m planning on another revo x this year as the kastking is not built to last imo but hey at$30.00 on sale I’m not complaining.

14 minutes ago, Eric 26 said:

Although I cannot comment on the rods I use a ‘7-3” TP1 perfect crankback with a revo x in 5.4:1 gear ratio and a kastking royal legend 2 5.3:1? On a lews carbon fire ‘6-10” medium  and have been happy with both. I’m planning on another revo x this year as the kastking is not built to last imo but hey at$30.00 on sale I’m not complaining.

Would you recommend the lower gear ratio even if I won't be using any deep divers?

My squarebill rod is a 7m bass pro cranking stick. With a 6.4 Lews bb1. I wouldn’t go to a lower ratio  for non deep divers you could actually go up.
 

 

I'm liking a 7' for my cranking. Fuego CT-H 6.3:1 on a Dobyns Fury 705CB.

You'll be fine with any cranking rod 6'6"+ and a 6.3 ratio. Those baits don't pull hard like 20' divers so you'll have no problem.

 

Who said reeling fast doesn't work with cranks? If you mean it can be tough to do with deep divers id agree. But if youre just saying it wont catch fish then id have to disagree.

7 minutes ago, Vilas15 said:

You'll be fine with any cranking rod 6'6"+ and a 6.3 ratio. Those baits don't pull hard like 20' divers so you'll have no problem.

 

Who said reeling fast doesn't work with cranks? If you mean it can be tough to do with deep divers id agree. But if youre just saying it wont catch fish then id have to disagree.

Oh I've caught plenty of fish on cranks reeling fast- I just tend to go into overdrive and have trouble slowing down when I want to...

I fish a 5.4:1 and would recommend that even if shallow. I feel it provides more feedback which helps me respond quicker when coming through cover. I'm sure part of it is perception but I find myself being able to cleanly come through weeds much better as I can feel when i make contact earlier (or stop earlier, it could be that too).

 

While this won't make much of a difference with wider wobbling lures such as squarebills which already provide plenty of feedback, for lures that don't have such an aggressive wobble, its really helped me.

2 hours ago, ajschn06 said:

Oh I've caught plenty of fish on cranks reeling fast- I just tend to go into overdrive and have trouble slowing down when I want to...

Ok. If that's the case then go ahead and grab a 5 ratio! I tend to just fish the same speed no matter the conditions which is slower than maybe I should be. I feel I don't get the reaction strikes from fishing fast erratic baits.

If you can afford/ justify the reel I found it makes cranking more enjoyable. I have 5,6,7and 1reel in 8 speed ( not my cup of tea) and enjoy them all for different applications. Again for a lower price point try the Kastking or Piscifun lower end reels and see if it suits you. If nothing else if you have a Bass Pro nearby they do a trade-in every year,at least where I’m at.

You’re in good shape for what you want to throw. Go 6’8” - 6’10” and use the 6.3 

 

For Crank Plugs (Billed & Lipless), an ideal rod IMO would be a 6½-7ft | Med-hvy | Fast.

That would keep me happy until Niagara Falls.

 

Roger 

I have 5:4:1 reel for cranking.  I like the lower gears.  More than anything it makes me slow down.  Sometimes with out realizing Id find myself burning a crank on faster gear ratio 

For accuracy and stowablilty the 6'6to 7 ' would work.  Cover and lure weight should dictate your power of rod. You can easily get away with a 6'9 M.  Ifnyou are throwing 1/2 lures in to grassy or saggy cover, go mh.  No more deep than you are going, a 6:1 should be fine.  Try to find a med fast or mod action.  

The Fritts 6'8" MH and a SLX or Fuego 6.3to1 would be great for your shallow cranks.

20 hours ago, EWREX said:

you don't need a huge rod for your crankbaits if your deepest diver is a DT-6. Anything in the 7' range is fine. my squarebill/mid-diving crankbait rod is a daiwa tatula elite 7' ML randy howell shallow crank/jerkbait rod

 

Interesting- a few guys here using a medium/ML light rod and looking at the specs they are lighter than anything I'd typically consider for this purpose.  I have a 7' Aird-X Medium rod here that I was planning on sending back- maybe I'll give it a shot?

 

 

4 hours ago, zell_pop1 said:

The Fritts 6'8" MH and a SLX or Fuego 6.3to1 would be great for your shallow cranks.

I was close to pulling the trigger on that rod but reading the reviews it seems there are a lot of issues with bad guides and fraying line...

51 minutes ago, ajschn06 said:

 

Interesting- a few guys here using a medium/ML light rod and looking at the specs they are lighter than anything I'd typically consider for this purpose.  I have a 7' Aird-X Medium rod here that I was planning on sending back- maybe I'll give it a shot?

 

 

The tatula elite ML casting rod is defintely more towards a medium - plenty of backbone and does not feel like a noodle when casting at all

I throw squarebills and shallow divers on two rods. One is 6’8” and the other 6’9”. 

20 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I'm liking a 7' for my cranking. Fuego CT-H 6.3:1 on a Dobyns Fury 705CB.

Will this rod handle the whole range of crankbaits, shallow to deep?

1 minute ago, 5/0 said:

Will this rod handle the whole range of crankbaits, shallow to deep?

I dunno about 'deep-deep' but I toss anything from Jointed-Shallow Shad Raps (3'-5' running depth) to Deep-Down Husky Jerks (7'-16' running depth) without problems.

2 hours ago, ajschn06 said:

 

Interesting- a few guys here using a medium/ML light rod and looking at the specs they are lighter than anything I'd typically consider for this purpose.  I have a 7' Aird-X Medium rod here that I was planning on sending back- maybe I'll give it a shot?

 

another note, randy howell won the 2014 bassmaster classic throwing a dt-6 on this rod

8 minutes ago, EWREX said:

another note, randy howell won the 2014 bassmaster classic throwing a dt-6 on this rod

That's good to know thanks..... the DT-6 seems to have more drag than the 2.5 or 1.5's

 

Appreciate all the responses- I've realized I've got an option in my arsenal that might work (7' Aird-x medium) and I still have my Fenwick HMG that I had been using successfully for cranks.  It broke, but I'm looking into a potential warranty on that.

On 7/22/2020 at 9:42 AM, EWREX said:

 

The tatula elite ML casting rod is defintely more towards a medium - plenty of backbone and does not feel like a noodle when casting at all

Hey thanks for mentioning this.... I tried throwing cranks on my aird-x 7' medium rod and it felt pretty great.  I always leaned toward a MH because I felt these lures pulled so much, maybe I was just using too stiff of a rod?  And I thought I was casting far before, whew those suckers fly on this thing.....