What do you guys prefer? I’m looking to get into cranking grass/weedline edges so not really hitting bottom much. I know a lot of guys up north here like the DT series for offshore weedline fishing. Haven’t tried either but wondering which series is better for my application. Looking in the 6-12’ range so I’d probably start with a DT 6 in the Rapala series or whatever the Strike King equivalent is. Let me know if you need more context!

I'm just getting into crankbait fishing myself.

 

So far I only have Strike King, but that will change I can guarantee.

 

I think I've heard the DT has a tighter wiggle so some prefer those in cooler water.

 

I'm definitely going to buy some flatside cranks for this fall.

 

FYI: Omnia has Strike King 25% off right now.

 

Looking forward to other replies.

 

 

6 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I'm just getting into crankbait fishing myself.

 

So far I only have Strike King, but that will change I can guarantee.

 

I think I've heard the DT has a tighter wiggle so some prefer those in cooler water.

 

I'm definitely going to buy some flatside cranks for this fall.

 

FYI: Omnia has Strike King 25% off right now.

 

Looking forward to other replies.

 

 

The 25% off deal from Omnia is exactly why  I wrote this post LOL! Got some credits I can use towards it too to sweeten the deal but I’m sure they’ll have a Rapala promo soon to follow so I’d rather have my mind made up now before the Strike King one goes away just in case.

 

I heard the Rapalas float up faster which would be helpful in weedy situations.

 

 

4 minutes ago, UmairF said:

 

I heard the Rapalas float up faster which would be helpful in weedy situations.

 

 

It's possible.

 

I THINK the DT's are made of balsa, while the XD's are more like a plastic.

 

Key word, THINK.

 

I'm normally wrong 60-100% of the time. 😆

 

5 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

It's possible.

 

I THINK the DT's are made of balsa, while the XD's are more like a plastic.

 

Key word, THINK.

 

I'm normally wrong 60-100% of the time. 😆

 

Well, while we’re both in the same confused boat together , what are you planning on throwing your cranks on? Going to use my P5 Javelin with a Steez A II in a 6.3:1 gear ratio probably 16lb sniper fc

23 minutes ago, UmairF said:

Well, while we’re both in the same confused boat together , what are you planning on throwing your cranks on? Going to use my P5 Javelin with a Steez A II in a 6.3:1 gear ratio probably 16lb sniper fc

 

Well, I bought a dedicated rod but only for "deeper" cranks. For example 10-20 feet deep.

 

Went with the Dobyns Champion 804CB as I wanted to be able to bomb them out there.

 

I figured I didn't need a super expensive rod for crankbaits, so this was a good happy medium.

 

I've barely fished since I've got it so I'm excited to catch a bass on it. Did however get a crappie on it the other day. Just been either super hot or the water has been super dirty.

 

Put a Shimano 150 Bantam on it. Seems to work good.

 

It's my first and only Dobyns rod. I was leaning towards Dobyns and then one evening I happened to be on youtube and there was a guy that had Gary on live. I was sold. I know he sold his business but he seemed like a guy that really knew his stuff and took great pride in his rods. Oh, and probably the most HONEST businessman I've ever seen.

27 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I THINK the DT's are made of balsa, while the XD's are more like a plastic.

This is correct. As you get more into crankbait fishing, you'll notice differences between balsa, cedar, and plastic baits. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. 

9 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

Well, I bought a dedicated rod but only for "deeper" cranks. For example 10-20 feet deep.

 

Went with the Dobyns Champion 804CB as I wanted to be able to bomb them out there.

 

I figured I didn't need a super expensive rod for crankbaits, so this was a good happy medium.

 

I've barely fished since I've got it so I'm excited to catch a bass on it. Did however get a crappie on it the other day. Just been either super hot or the water has been super dirty.

 

Put a Shimano 150 Bantam on it. Seems to work good.

 

It's my first and only Dobyns rod. I was leaning towards Dobyns and then one evening I happened to be on youtube and there was a guy that had Gary on live. I was sold. I know he sold his business but he seemed like a guy that really knew his stuff and took great pride in his rods. Oh, and probably the most HONEST businessman I've ever seen.

I saw that Hellabass stream with Gary when he first streamed with him a year or two ago. Was super informative when I was into Dobyns. Sold all of mine when I started upgrading to P5, NRX+, and Steez rods.

 

That Champ XP line is special for sure. I loved my 734. 

1 minute ago, UmairF said:

I saw that Hellabass stream with Gary when he first streamed with him a year or two ago. Was super informative when I was into Dobyns. Sold all of mine when I started upgrading to P5, NRX+, and Steez rods.

 

That Champ XP line is special for sure. I loved my 734. 

 

After a quick search, yep that was the channel.

 

Except this live stream was just 2 weeks ago.

 

My last 4 rods have been either NRX+ or P5, the later being my favorite.

 

I just didn't think a crankbait rod warranted the extra money. I've also seen many highly recommend the Dobyns cranking rods.

17 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

 

After a quick search, yep that was the channel.

 

Except this live stream was just 2 weeks ago.

 

My last 4 rods have been either NRX+ or P5, the later being my favorite.

 

I just didn't think a crankbait rod warranted the extra money. I've also seen many highly recommend the Dobyns cranking rods.

Yeah he had a stream a couple years ago and just posted another one a couple weeks ago which you’re referring to. You might find some more useful information in the first one if you haven’t watched it already!

 

Yeah reaction bait rods don’t necessarily mean you need to spend a whole lot extra. Same goes for… well… everything 😂

 

I just love the extra versatility and sensitivity you get from the higher end rods, not to mention the lightness. On my P5 Javelin I can throw anything from a crankbait, bladed jig, spinnerbait, buzzbait, and swap to a reel with braid on it and throw a spook

1 minute ago, UmairF said:

I just love the extra versatility and sensitivity you get from the higher end rods, not to mention the lightness. On my P5 Javelin I can throw anything from a crankbait, bladed jig, spinnerbait, buzzbait, and swap to a reel with braid on it and throw a spook

 

Well, I told my wife I was only buying two combos this year but I think that might have been an "unintended false statement".

 

I'm thinking a dedicated topwater rod.

 

Poppers, spooks, whatever you call the shower blows thingy.

 

Once again I can go the Dobyns Champion route or something like a P5.

 

I'm a SUCKER for lifetime warranties though.

Without going to far off topic here haha, in the P5 line if you’re looking for a dedicated topwater rod the 110 Special is sweet from what Ive heard. I had the 110 Stick but didn’t end up using it as much. Plus it was a 6’5 which I didnt really care for. Probably a good target popper rod though, aside from jerkbaits.

 

 

Strike King series 4 is one of my favorites, especially for probing shallowish-mid depth structure. I would also consider a Fat Rap over the DT6 in that depth range, as they dive just a little bit deeper and deflect off obstacles better than the DT’s in my experience. 
 

Crankbaits are a wonderful wormhole to dive into - too many are never enough!

If Rapala doesn’t make it, I don’t take it.

18 minutes ago, UmairF said:

Without going to far off topic here haha, in the P5 line if you’re looking for a dedicated topwater rod the 110 Special is sweet from what Ive heard. I had the 110 Stick but didn’t end up using it as much. Plus it was a 6’5 which I didnt really care for. Probably a good target popper rod though, aside from jerkbaits.

 

 

 

The OneTen Special is one of the two P5's I have.   

 

It's my dedicated jerkbait rod and probably my favorite way of catching fish.

 

I tried it with a popper the other day. Love the action of it when you have a fish on.

 

The only problem is that the line is floro so I tied a braid leader to it. It worked but not great.

 

This fall I kinda want to have a jerkbait and a topwater rod handy at all times.

Some factors you might want to consider in your selection are buoyancy, dive angle, eye placement, stock hardware and durability.  There are some other Crankbait brands that are really good outside of SK and Rapala.

I’m thinking balsa would be a better choice in this situation because of the float factor.

 

I’m not trying to get bogged down into the weedline with it so it would be nice to tick the top and fish it almost like a bladed jig. The advantage here over a bladed jig is that I can stop reeling and have it float in place. I also have more control over the erratic movement with a start and stop retrieve.

The Rapala DT series is made of balsa, but they are heavily weighted.  They do not float like other balsa baits.  They almost suspend when stopped, but do float up slowly.  A Strike king crankbait will float up more quickly than the Rapala DT Series.  Both are great bass catchers, and I recommend getting many sizes and colors of both.  If I had to choose between Strike King and Rapla, I would choose Rapala.  The DT series are fragile, and the bills do break, but they cast a mile, and catch bass at times when other crankbaits don't.  If I'm catching bass with my Strike King crankbaits, I find that I will also catch them on my 6th Sense, and Spro crankbaits too.  I could not limit myself to one brand of crankbait.  It would be easier for me to only eat the same meal every day, than to limit myself to one brand of crankbait. 

5 minutes ago, king fisher said:

The Rapala DT series is made of balsa, but they are heavily weighted.  They do not float like other balsa baits.  They almost suspend when stopped, but do float up slowly.  A Strike king crankbait will float up more quickly than the Rapala DT Series.  Both are great bass catchers, and I recommend getting many sizes and colors of both.  If I had to choose between Strike King and Rapla, I would choose Rapala.  The DT series are fragile, and the bills do break, but they cast a mile, and catch bass at times when other crankbaits don't.  If I'm catching bass with my Strike King crankbaits, I find that I will also catch them on my 6th Sense, and Spro crankbaits too.  I could not limit myself to one brand of crankbait.  It would be easier for me to only eat the same meal every day, than to limit myself to one brand of crankbait. 

This helps a lot thanks!

If I had to choose between those 2 I'd go with strike king. Mike Russell designs the paint schemes and he is a really talented guy for the price you get a custom look.

Rapala seems to be more popular up north but I personally never got over them ruining the wiggle wart.

The Spro RK crawler is a great mid depth choice as is the old LC 1.5 DD , you can still find them on the action sites but they bring a premium.

 

 

I would, and have chosen Rapala. Only cranks I throw are the DT series. Not the most durable but they’re inexpensive and fish just slam them. 

Strike King out of those 2 but I’ve been fishing a lot of crankbaits from Berkley the last few years.

DT for me

Rapala for lipped, strike king for lipless. But if I had to choose one for both probably rapala. There is magic in the balsa wood. 

I use many brands.  This is a Rapala DT4 that broke on a hard strike from a fish.  Never had one break like that.  

Any sqarebill in my box gets used hard,  Always trying to hit something!