Any of you using braid for crankbaits? I have an older GLX 855cbr almost like new with a Metanium MGL that for years used 10lb Invizx and got along well. Last year I switched to 30lb Smackdown with a floro leader and really like it. I don’t lose fish and the casting and feel is great. After I used this for a year I saw one of videos doing same set up David Fritz uses

Depending on water clarity, I do this as well using a mono or copoly leader. But in a lot of my East Texas lakes, the water is so dark I throw straight 832 Camo in 20#. I don't horse them so I don't bend any hooks.

One of my cranking setups has Smackdown and my other setup has Invizx spooled up. No issues with either.

Yes. I've been straight braid on everything for several years. We fish in chocolate milk about 1/2 the season and green water the rest of the year.

Thanks for the replies

I do braid to 16lb leader (Sunline System). It's Daiwa Samurai braid which is a very smooth 8 carrier. Can't even tell that it's braid when reeling it in. That braid is also thinner than its rating for many brands. 40 is more like 30 in other brands cause it's rated closer to true breaking strength.

With the right rod I'm sure it can work well.

With the wrong rod I can see major issues.

Might not get as deep as you'd like compared to straight fluoro but you can always change to a deeper crank.

Just my thoughts, ain't worth much.

Straight PowerPro for cranking, topwater, and spinnerbaits.

Straight braid for anything that moves. PowerPro or Seguar Smackdown 20/30#

Braid is total overkill.

The main characteristic of braid is that it doesn't stretch. That can be an asset or a liability, depending on how you use it.

Crankbaits have treble hooks, which, by design, have small bites, small hooks, and average strength. With hooks like that, you need a rod/reel/line combination that gives and absorbs the fight of the fish, which keeps them pinned. They must work in concert, or you risk losing fish. The bigger the fish, the greater the risk. Any part of that combination that doesn't give allows the fish to use it as leverage to rip the hooks free.

Fluorocarbon has some stretch, allowing it to give under pressure, which is perfect for crankbait fishing.

Therefore, I use straight 10-12lb fluorocarbon for crankbait fishing.

We started using braid as a way to mitigate losing lures as broke college students. I’d break off trying to pull my lure out of a tree limb or stuck off the bottom of the river. That $5 was a lot of money for me 15 years ago. The braid allowed me to pull without breaking line and losing a lure. It was never about catching fish in the beginning and it just stuck.

9 minutes ago, jitterbug127 said:

We started using braid as a way to mitigate losing lures as broke college students. I’d break off trying to pull my lure out of a tree limb or stuck off the bottom of the river. That $5 was a lot of money for me 15 years ago. The braid allowed me to pull without breaking line and losing a lure. It was never about catching fish in the beginning and it just stuck.

Same but I use heavy mono.

The irony here is 90% of baits I lose are when people who use heavy braid and can’t break off and leave 30 feet of 65 lb power pro cats cradle in my favorite lay down and then of course there goes my bait and that laydown for a few years.

Do as ye will obviously but I just don’t think the theory behind the practice works out most of the time for most people.