Crankin Reels

[TNtransplant08]

I was wondering what your favorite reels for tossing crankbaits?

I know ideally, the gear ratio should be around the 5.3, 5.4 range, but could I get away with the more common 6.3, 6.4 ratios? I haven't been seeing too many "low profile" reels with the lower ratios and can cast a good distance.

[Travis C.]

Great question man, I was actually wondering this myself. I will be looking forward to seeing what all everyone uses.

There seem to be a mixed bag of responses on this. A lot will say it depends on if you are throwin big cranks all day or just in parts. If all day a lower gear with light line won't wear you out as bad but the draw back is with the long casts you need to make so that your bait gets down correctly. A lower gear will make it tough to pick up the slack knocked in the line by a fish.

Currently, I just changed my deep cranking rod to a 5 and my shallow-med rod is a little higher at 6:1. Also, I changed my line on the deep rod to a small dia 10lb to help it get down deeper.

[tkwalker]

Reel Ratios are like picking golf clubs ... what are you going to do with it ?? ... You need a full aresonal of weapons ... which also includes the rods ... Spinner baits ... Top water .... cranks ...etc ... There is no one rod/reel combo ... It is like ladies shoes !! ... LOL !! <'TK><

For big crankbaits like the 6XD series I throw a 5.2 on a 7 and half foot rod. I originally threw them with a 6.3 and it wore me out. For smaller 200-300 series bandit I will throw with a faster reel but that's because I don't feel like re-tying to my slower reel. However IMO the slower reels will be better for any crankbait. Ive never had alot of luck burning crankbaits fast. Most hits I get on smaller crankbaits with the faster reel is on the first few turns of the handle or the pause if I hit cover.

[TNtransplant08]

Could you just simply slow the speed you're winding your 6.3-6.4 reel down, so it closer matches the lower gears?

you could but I often find I forget to slow down if the the fish are either hitting good and I get excited or they are not hitting and its a tournament and I get in a hurry. so for me personally its just easier to goto a slower reel. plus I have enough rods and reels to keep one or two with slower reels for crankbaits only. I compare it to trolling for stripers ,crappie smallmouth or whatever you always read its a constant speed when trolling. With a slower reel its easier to keep that speed than it is to remember to slow down and keep the same cadence with a fast reel. But again it all come down to your personal preference. I have one fishing partner that refuse to throw any rod over 6.5 ft (his preference) me I don't throw many rods less than 7 if I can help it.

[Travis C.]

I am with you on the 7ft and up rods. But also I am starting to keep several rods with different line sizes so that I can grab another rod changing the depth of a lure instead of searching for another lure that runs shallower or deeper if it is producing.

Here is an example with using Norman Deep Little N and making the same length cast every time…

* 7.5 feet deep on 17 lb. line,
* 9 feet deep on 14 lb. line,
* 10.5 feet deep on 12 lb. line,
* 12 feet deep on 10 lb. line,
* 13.5 feet deep on 8 lb. line,
* and nearly 15 feet deep on 6 lb. line

[Cornbread]

I have started usiing 7' med action spinning with fireline and a fluroleader as the line diameter is smaller and baits seem to have better action, not to mention you can make longer casts if needed.

[Reel Tune]

Crank'in set-up's

Curado E5 7'6" Med Act Falcon Bucoo 10lb PLine Halo (10-17')
Curado E7 7' Med Act Quantum Smoke PT 12lb Pline Halo (3-10')

I don't usually crank over 15' the drag seems to turn the kayak a lot unless I'm anchored working a point, or trolling a ledge, or old creek, or river bed.

Jeremy

[whrizob]

ok guys, as most of you know, i consider myself a finesse fisherman. i take pride in getting a fish to bite, even when he is not hungry. with that said, i power fish 75% of the time. and as some may know, i love to throw crankbaits.! i spend more time cranking, then any other method out there. here is what i have learned and put together. first off, i want to start out by saying that i go a little overboard on my rod and reels for cranking. i believe that there is a rod, reel, and even line for every type of fishing. i have 6 crankbait rods that i use all the time. i will explain what they are all for and what reels and line i use. one is lipless crankbait rod, 2 are small to med crankbaits, 2 are for med to large crankbaits, and the other is for deep cranks.

#1 is my lipless crankbait rod and reel combo. i use a 7ft medium action medium fast tip rod for this technique. i do not like a glass rod. i like the composite rods bc i can "rip" the crankbait out of the grass. i use a 5:4 gear ratio reel. i like to keep my lipless just on the top of the cover i am fishing. the slow gear ratio makes sure i dont reel it up to fast. my line is a 12lb pline copolomer, flouracarbon coated. i have just had really good results out of this line. its not a true flouracarbon, so its still has a strech, but sinks bc it is flouracarbon coated. i like a little strecth in my line for most crankbait rod. helps me from pulling the bait out of the fishes mouth.

#2 is the two small to medium crankbait rods. i use these most of the time. i pretty much through bandit cranks on these rods. they are identical! they are 7ft medium action fast tip. i again use a composite rod for this. i would say if your not experienced in fitting fish on a crankbait, or have trouble keeping fish on, then you might want to go to a glass rod. it will keep you from pulling the bait out as easily. i like a composite rod, but not a cheap one. a good high quality composite rod is key. kistler makes a good one for this technique. another reason i like a composite rod is bc its much lighter than most glass rods. and like i said, i throw these alot. now to the reel. i like a high speed reel for these rods. i use a 6:3! mainly bc im really not worried about getting max depth on these baits. i use these for throwing down banks and near cover. i like the high speed reel bc once i hook up, i can still get them away from cover quicker. again on these reels i like the same 12lb test line p line as mentioned before.

#3 are my two medium to large crankbait rods. the rods are 7ft medium action with fast tip. one is a glass rod and one is a composite rod. i will throw and medium to large cranks on both rods. i like the glass over the composite on the really large profile baits. i feels that the bait itself can cause resistance and pull itself out sometimes. a glass rod will not allow that to happen. but again i use a 6:3 gear ratio reel for this technique. i feel the crankbaits will still get down to where i need them to with the high speed reel. again i use the same pline.

#4 is my deep crankbait rod. by far one of my favorite way to catch bass on deep structure in the summer. my deep crank rod is always a glass rod for me. i like a glass rod bc like i said before, i feel that the bait itself causes resistance and can pull itself out. the glass rod helps with that. i also like the glass rod bc i feel like you really need that flexibility to give the bait the most realistic action. summer fish are usually finicky, and i want it to look as real as possible. now for this technique i use slow gear ratio reel. i like a 5:4. i use this for a couple different reasons. one being it allows my bait to get to its maximum depth. the slower you reel, the more a bait can reach that depth. that slower reel allows this without me having to slow myself down. second, is bc of the pure cranking power you get from a slow reel. its gears are much bigger and stronger than a fast gear ratio reel. this is important bc you are pulling such a big crankbait and then if you add a fish. it will allow you to power the fish up to the surface. this real important. its like using a winch to get them in. now for the line, i use a pure flouracarbon for this technique. i want my baits to get the maximum depth as possible. this line sinks and will allow that. any floating line causes the crankbait to have to pull the line down with it and will not allow it to go as deep.

guys these is the set ups i have came up with and that work best for me. and as you can tell, most of the set ups are the same. i like multiple rods, bc i dont like chaning baits. my small to medium and medium to large are pretty much the same set ups. you can get away with just one rod if you wanted. i would say that if you learn how to play the fish, then any set up will put them in the boat. i know other people have different set ups they use. i know some people use only glass rods for canking. i know some people use just high speed reels for everything and just slow down there retrieve. the way i look at it is use what works for you and will give you the cofidence in landing these fish!

[jaycee]

Will someone please explain the gear ratios to me? The 6.3 I thought war 6.3 turns of the spool to one turn of the handle, etc.

Why would the higher ratio tire you out when you could reel slower than a lower ratio?

[Jim]

Think about a 10 speed bike. Down shift to start or climb hills. You do not travel far with each turn of the pedals. When you are cruising along or going down hill, you can up shift and then you travel forward more with each turn of the pedal.

Remember how hard it was to get going in high gear? It would wear you out.

A big deep diving crankbait is like going up hill. Low gears make it easier. A small worm is like flat land or going down hill. High gears make it easier to reel the line in because there is little resistance from the bait.

Same deal if you ever drive a manual transmission car. Start in 1st gear and downshift going up hill or when pulling a load. High gear (high gear ratio) for high speed, but you get low torque for pulling.

Saltwater reels for marlin can be 1:1 as you really need the torque to drag one of those monsters in. But you would kill yourself if it was cast and retrieve fishing.

My crank'ng reel speed depends on depth. If Im fishing shallow, less than 8 feet, 7.1:1 and if deeper than 9', 5.3:1. And traps are always 7.1:1.

[TNtransplant08]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

I am with you on the 7ft and up rods. But also I am starting to keep several rods with different line sizes so that I can grab another rod changing the depth of a lure instead of searching for another lure that runs shallower or deeper if it is producing.


Here is an example with using Norman Deep Little N and making the same length cast every time…

* 7.5 feet deep on 17 lb. line,

* 9 feet deep on 14 lb. line,

* 10.5 feet deep on 12 lb. line,

* 12 feet deep on 10 lb. line,

* 13.5 feet deep on 8 lb. line,

* and nearly 15 feet deep on 6 lb. line

Fantastic input guys! You answered a lot of questions I had regarding to reel speed and crankbaits. The reason I was wondering is because alot of people, like myself, can't really afford to have many multiple rods/reels for the many different applications. Yesterday I ended up buying the Abu Garcia Revo STX (6.4 ratio) at BPS with the reel trade in. At some point I'll buy a slower reel, but I felt it was a compromise for the moment, since it is probably a bit more versatile.

Now Travis brought to my attention another question I have. I don't know if this will just open a whole 'nother can of worms. Travis, you mentioned that smaller diameters typically mean deeper diving depths. What effects do the different line types have on depth (mono vs fluro vs braid)? Would a 15 lb braid diver deeper than 15 lb fluro because its smaller in diameter? On the other hand would braid be a bad choice because of the low strech and you would just end up yanking the bait out of the fish's mouth? I know this is a seperate question, but for Top water lures like a spook or popper, is mono the best because it floats?

Thanks guys!

[jebtcop]

Thanks guys! I have learned a lot from this thread. I've never paid much attention to gear ratios, rod length etc...I just tie something on and go with it. This is probably why I don't do much deep cranking either. I love to fish crankbaits, but not to any serious depth. Whenever I try a deep crank, it wears me out and I only cast a few times. It's a shame, because I know I likely missed on a lot of fish in the hot summer months. I'll have to pay attention to gear ratio and rod set up and see if that makes deep cranking a viable option for me.