# Crank bait help



## RANGER16 (Jan 17, 2007)

Needing some help with my crank bait strike catch ratio. I have lost alot of fish (and money) on shallow cranks in the past two weeks. I am using a 7' medium action rod,10lb line, mustad triple grip hooks on my cranks. When I get a strike I sweep the rod,have the fish on for a couple cranks and then it's gone. Have tried different colors, hook sizes. I just don't get it! Any help would be appreciated.


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## JohnPD (Jun 12, 2012)

You said 10lb line, what kind of line are you using? Any leader etc.? Other than the possibility of line stretch maybe contributing to a proper hook set, I would say the other thing that could cause a bad hook set with a crank bait is the rod tip, is the tip a fast action too? You might need to get a slower action rod tip, or a heavier action rod than medium, like medium heavy. I like a medium heavy rod with a fast action tip for crank baits. If you have a medium rod with a fast tip it might not be beefy enough for a good hook set, or your line could be stretching, or it is possible to just be setting the hook wrong. Hard to say. what the problem is.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I'd have to second the thought of the rod being under powered. I used to use the same set up that you described, and had the same problem. This past spring I bought a 7' medium heavy crankbait rod, and have only lost two fish all year. I use it a lot and have caught a lot of fish with it. Also, as the previous poster mentioned, the action of the rod makes a huge difference with crankbaits. The action may be too fast. I've watched underwater video of LM bass hitting crankbaits, and they not only grab the bait through body movement, they also suck the bait in at the same time. They approach the lure, mouth closed and at the last second, they open their mouths and flair their gills just as if they were sucking in a stationary soft plastic bait. A rod with a faster action will actually pull the bait away from the fishes mouth. The rod I bought is specifically designed for crankbaits. It has a medium fast action. The slower action doesn't pull the bait away as quickly as a fast action rod would. 

One thing I immediately noticed when I switched to the slower action rod, is that I am hooking 90% of the fish with the front hook. When I was using the medium powered rod with a fast action, I was hooking them with the back hook. Even though I went to a more powerful rod, the rods slower action is letting the fish get the lure into their mouth better. I went to the higher powered rod because I felt I needed the extra power because of the length of casts. The two changes, rod action and rod power have made a huge difference in my landing percentage. I use fluorocarbon line for all my crankbaits except for suspending lures. Fluorocarbon has less stretch than mono. I've also stepped up from 10 lb. line to 12 lb. line because I can get almost the same depth because fluorocarbon line sinks. 

You mentioned the KVD triple grips. Those are great hooks but I only use those on rattle trap style baits or any shallow runners or square bills that I am throwing into cover. I use the short shank 2x strong ones. I like the 2x strong on the fast moving rattle baits because the hook won't flex as much as a lighter wire hook will. I really think hook flex plays a big roll in landing ratio on a fast moving lure like that. And I like the 2x strong wire on heavy cover crankbaits for obvious reasons. Other than in those two instances, I use Owner ST 36 treble hooks as replacement hooks on all of my other crankbaits. I know there are other good trebles out there, but IMO there are none better than the Owners.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Ranger, I had an old friend teach me more about setting a hook in 5 minutes then I'd learned in years with a simple experiment.

Set you rod up with a single hook. Have a friend walk the hook and line out the distance of a normal cast and pinch the hook. You set the hook as you normally would. Then repeat while you hold the hook. (I put the hook through a piece of cardboard)

You'd be surprised how "hard" you have to pull to set the hook well. After I did it I was surprised I ever set the hook at all.

Hope this helps! And remember that changing the line or the rod will change how hard you set as well. I prefer a medium rod as well but I also can't seem to find the big boys this year!

A

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## RANGER16 (Jan 17, 2007)

Great info guys. Is there a specific brand of rod?


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

There are a lot of good crankbait specific rods, and everyone has their personal preferences and loyalties. Personally I use almost all Shimano rods. I'm not saying they are the best rods you can buy, but they are good quality rods that have never let me down. The rod that I mentioned that I bought this spring, was a Shimano Convergence crankbait rod. I got the 7' medium heavy model. It has a medium fast action and is rated for 10 - 20 lb. line and 3/8 to 1 oz. lures. The blank is IM 7 graphite and it uses Shimano's TC4 construction, which means it has two layers of "dynamic fibers" with an inner and outer layer of IM 7 graphite. I paid $70 for it. Not real cheap but not very expensive. I love the rod. It has a nice smooth action, especially when fighting a fish. It has a split rear grip with EVA foam handles, and a real sweet reel seat. It casts lures within the rated range really well. It will handle pretty big fish easily. (I caught about a 12 lb pike on it earlier this year) To be honest I haven't used any other companies crankbait rods, but I can't see how you could find a better crankbait specific rod for the money.

If you end up deciding on the same rod, I ordered mine from LandBigFish.com. I will say that their shipping wasn't the fastest in my case. It took almost 3 weeks from the time I ordered it, until the time it came in. BassTackledepot.com also offers the same model at the same price. I've never ordered anything from them as of yet, but other members of OGF have said that their shipping is very good. 

Hope it helps


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## mo65 (Aug 5, 2011)

Have you heard about Browning reintroducing the Silaflex rod? One of the greatest fiberglass rods ever...these new ones are made just like the old ones...but with modern guides and handles. For only $50 at BPS, it is a great buy, and probably the finest "crankbait" rod I've ever fished. Paying $200 for a 'glass or composite rod is ridiculous...it doesn't cost that much to make a 'glass rod. The Browning is priced right...and the performance is tops.


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