7' vs. 7'6" crankin rod

[WildDog3]

What, if any, are the advantages of having a 7'6'' crankin rod? What do you prefer?

[Lancer]

i believe that rod size depends on how tall a person is cause i love a 6'6" - 7 ft rod for cranks but i am only 5'8" so thats pretty short compared to jimmy and skeet reese and most other fishermen who would probably go with a longer rod. 7'6" is my flippin stick and thats he longest i go with. most my rods are same length but different actions for diff presentations hopefully this helps !

[Paul W]

A 7'6" crankin rod is good for cranks that you want to throw a long way and cover water with, like a lipless crank or deep diving crank. It will also allow you to get a good long distance hookset. It can be used really for any crank, but short, pinpoint casting is obviously harder w/ such a long rod. I have never really gotten into this trend of real long rods. I still prefer a rod no longer than 7' for cranking. It's good for all crank types, will cast far, but can still be pretty accurate at the closer ranges. It's also a better length if you plan on using the same rod for ripping purposes.

Paul W

[Guest]

Not true... it's all about casting distance. Check out the Classic Patterns Season 2 Vol 8 DVD by Jason Quinn.

http://www.classicpatterns.com/collecto ... _vol8.html

He uses a 7'10" custom made rod for his big crankbaits and uses the bigger rod to get that extra distance with the bait. I have an older GLoomis GL3 7'6" rod w/ an extra fast taper that works great for chucking those deep diving crankbaits but can still handle throwing a CB-350a. When trying to achieve maximum casting distance and depth I'll often times use that rod along with a "kneel and reel" approach to get the bait down as deep as I can. Sometimes that extra 1-2 feet is all you need to entice the fish to bite on a particular spot.

And BTW I'm also 5'8" and use rods up to 8' depending on the situation and technique.

[swimbait]

It breaks down to two things for me. Casting distance vs. accuracy.

Whenever possible I crank with a 7'10" loomis walleye rod (941C). Awesome casting distance and so much flex when you're fighting the fish. You'll almost never tear one off the hooks with this rod and you can fire a rattle trap a mile.

The big drawback with that rod is that casting light baits for accuracy is a bit of a joke. If you're really used to the 7'10" you can still cast pretty well but there's a lot more room for error on your cast compared with a 7 footer.

In my mind, you gotta have a long rod and a short rod for cranking to cover all situations.

[Lance]

I'll take the 7'6" over the 7 any day

[Andy Giannini]

If you are going to launch bombs, say big surf casts for deep divers its 7.6 easy. Seven footers work great for longer casts in general, but they excel at circle S casts which are closer range targets. Shorter distances can mean shorter rods yet.

Awesome casters can make pinpoint casts with longer rods, but for the vast majority of guys shorter rods mean more accuracy.

.02 A.G.

[fisherboy]

HeHe..I'm only 5ft exact im not 13 yet so and i use 7ft

[RogerB]

I use 6 1/2', 7', and 7 1/2' rods for crankin', but I especailly like the latter for casting and retrieving buzzbaits. The extra length keeps more line off the water and leads to better lure control during the retrieve and better hooksets.

[RogerB]

The other advantage of the longer rod, especially when crankin', is the better control you have when playing a hooked fish. It seems much harder for the fish to throw the hooks when you're playing them with the longer rod.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I keep hearing that the length of the rod has an effect on accuracy..Personally I don't think this is true at all..Accuracy is dependent on the person using the rod and their experience using it..If you like long rods stick with them, if you like shorter rods use them instead..I do agree that the length of the rod can have some effect on the control of certain baits..Everyone has their own preferences..

mac

[BassTraveler]

Your 5'8"...Vince. Come on now...is that with high heels on.

I would get one of each....matter of fact I have a 6', 6.5', 7' and a 7'.8".
I use each one with a different application.
example...6' with a speedtrap working the Delta riprap.
the 7.8 with a dd22 going deep.
What do you want to do with your cranking rod?

[Riplip]

Yeah, what Seig said...

I mean about the rods, not you Vince

[JimmyReese]

Wild dog,
All these guys have valid points. This is why we (I) carry so many differant rods in our rod lockers. Personally depending on the time of year I may have 5 differant crankbait rods on the deck!

Distance=Longer rod

Accuracy= shorter rod

Fighting a fish= longer rod for more leverage

I will lose less fish with a longer rod...So sometimes I would give up some accuracy so there is more control of landing a fish......sounds nutty but its true!
Now for me accuracy seems more important while fishing docks and brush not so much as fishing open water, another thing to look at is what type of baits you are throwing. If your throwing a lipless wild vibe, I recommend a 7 footer or a 7'3" rod. If your going with a bigger crankbait like a Waterstriker DD20 or a Norman DD22 a longer rod 7'6" can be perfect and you can cast it a loooong waaays! smaller crankbaits shorter rods 6'6" and 7'0
Now as far as sieg and his 6 footer fishin riprap? Whatever! but actually that is how I started fishing ....all 6 footers.....I think I just got taller

My 2 cents!
Jimmy Reese

[Marc]

I agree with Jimmy's concepts on different rod uses, especially his comment that he loses less fish on the longer rods.

A parabolic action coupled with a long rod results in a bass have a hell of time shaking loose a treble hook if the angler learns to keep the rod fully loaded with a light enough drag to keep the rod loaded, but give line if the bass pulls.

I use the longest Lamiglas cranking rod I can get away with (from a casting accuracy perspective) so that I can land more bass.

BTW, I remember back to 1974 when I used a Zebco 1 baitcaster that was only 5-feet in length with a pistol grip so that I could roll cast crankbaits under docks and tree limbs. My 5.5 foot SkyLine Graphites were considered long. Way to make me feel OLD, Jimmy!!!

[JimmyReese]

mark, your killin me !

We are "veterans" not old! Yeah wishful thinking, so I was curious and I opened up the ol closet and the shortest rod ( fishing) I could find was a Lamiglas G-1000 ..5' 6"... I dont know how I caught fish on that thing.......Amazing how things have changed!

Jimmy

[Cooch]

Like Jimmy, I too have a number of crankin rods with me at all times. The three I use most often are all Lamiglass UMB series Mooching rods, that were custom built for me by Steve Beichman and Jeff Skaggs. One is 6'9" for smaller baits and lipless cranks, the other two are 7 footers used for bigger tasks and baits. I also have three 6'6" Camerons(also a Lamiglas E-blank) that I use for blades, buzzers and big chuggers.

I believe length is a persoanl choice. A 7'6" to 8' rod is no good in my hands. I'm a tall guy, at 6'4", with a long arm span. For me, longer rods creat more problems than they resolve. And certainly, as mentioned, when using smaller baits, that longer rod becomes a limited, ineffective tool. As Jimmy mentions, leverage IS critical, but not always resolved by length alone.

Jimmy brings up a very interesting point in regards to Distance, Accuracy and Rod load(fighting the fish). In the past, the way rod manufacturers built their rods, for us veterans ( ) his relation to the rod length is dead on. But that was only because of design flaws that mass producing rod builders limited themselves too.

In todays world, these manufactures are starting to grasp the concept that custom rod builders have known fer ages, more guides are better. We're now beggining to see 10 or more guides on these bass rods. Much like what is used on deep sea and other fresh water species rod types. When you place more guides on a rod blank, you now begin to get a far greater array of performance out of that rod. More guides properly placed along the spine of the blank, gives you a greater tool to work with.

First and foremost is line slapping on the blank. In the olden days, with 7-8 guides, when you cast your baits out, the line would slap the blank in several areas, hence hindering it's effectiveness for greater distances and accuracy. More guides allow a smoother flow of the line coming off yer reel and through the guides of the blank. A 6'6" or 6'9" rod, is capable of casting further and more accurately than a 7'6" rod with only 8 guides. Of course, line size and the smoothness of the casting reel yer using plays a part in this too. Hence my preference for the larger spools of the ABU round reels for crankin.

The other great advantage that more guides on a blank provides, is a more evenly and better displacement of the load through out the blank. It's better balanced with 10-11 guides versus 7-8 guides. With more guides, you will not have the problem of the line crossing the axis plane of the blank, while setting the hook. We git better load distribution through out the entire blank. Hence, you'll tend to have less rod breakage between the 2nd and 3rd guides. This is where most rods break while casting or on hook sets. Next time ya break a rod tip, take notice of where it broke, count yer guides. You'll prolly find two things here, one is single foot guides at the tip on the baitcasting rods are used, and second, is 8 or less guides on the blank. Hence the blank failure between the 2nd and 3rd guides. The tip of the rod can not take the overload and fatigue that is caused by too few guides along the spine of the blank. This is a concept I began to get a better understanding of with my association with the folks at Cameron, and was backed up by all of the custom rod builders I've had discussions with over the years.

Choosing the right rod for cranking, is not designated by it's length alone. You need to experiment with a variety of rods using different baits and find out what works best for you. You also must look at the rod's construction and take into consideration other variables other than length. You've got some great tips and ideas here in this thread, keep us posted on what ya finally choose for your needs!

[dockboy]

Accuracy and long casts are 2 completely rods for me. I'm down in SoCal, so I have a couple different types of water to fish.

I use a 7.6, a 7, and a 6.6. The 7 is the most versatile and I fish it most. But my local lake is alot like Clear Lake, stuffed into about 200 acres of water. So since I'm fishing lots of docks and tules banks up close at times. So I'll break out my 6.6 with a Speed Trap or another little shallow-mid diver to fish a lot of times out there. But the rest of my waters are like Castaic and Mead, rock lakes with no real shore cover. Then I break out the 7.6. I can make rocket casts to fish on the bank. With the longer cast, I might lose accuracy but when your fishing clear water and spookier fish, there
is all the difference in the world between being 50 feet from a fish and 100 feet away. I can stay 30+ yards off the bank and still efficiently get to those fish.

Bait sizes usually doesn't matter, unless your fishing something less than 1/4 ounce. The soft tip on most crank rods load much easier and you can get away with samller stuff than the rod is rated for.Just adjust your reel brake and control knob to the bait weight and you're fine.

The reason it is hard for most anglers to make a real accurate cast with the 7.6 is the fact its hard to make a roll cast with such a long rod. The longer a rod is, the more line you need to get it going fast enough to make a good roll cast. With a 7.6, you might need up to 2 or more feet of line to get a good roll. Thats very hard to do consistently, without whacking the boat or bank side or impaling yourself or your partner. Not very fun to pull a couple Gammie EWG trebles out of your partner's flesh But if you really need to get an accurate cast off quick up close with the 7.6, you can just pitch the bait. If you're running your TM on high and going down the bank making long parallel casts, you might come up to this piece of cover you missed before. By the time to put that rod down, grab a shorter rod, and make your cast you've either:
a. Already moved past the cover and will have to turn around.
b. Lost the spot to your partner
c. Spooked the fish bouncing around trying to untangle your rods

So, if you're careful with your hands, pitching a crank isn't too hard to do. That's why a 7 is the all around best. You can make both long casts and short accurate ones, and fish just about any crank, and it would probably make a good rip rod too... but having the extra 2 rods will definitely make you a more efficient angler.

[Kevin Evans - Kap]

This thread is funny yet very informative. great posts, great read, great site...
Kap

[Johnny C]

They will go great with the 300 crankbaits that you have that will all be obsolete in two years..Bass fishings biggest money maker. I am one of the biggest victims. Wait a minute, I have four of those damn rods!!!

[Bassin]

ok, lets hear Randy Mcabee's take on this subject.....

[mark poulson]

Great thread.

Cooch, thanks for the rod guide info. Makes sense.

Vince, thanks for the kneel and reel info. I always thought those guys were praying for a bite!

Jimmy, thanks for the tip about how rod length affects how many fish pull off.

I, too, am "average" height, 5'9", and use anything from a 6' to a 7' rod for cranking, depending on where I am fishing. For ponds and pitching to brush, a 6' or 6'6" rod is great. For longer casts, and bigger cranks, I use a 7' rod.
What Jimmy says is true about losing less fish with longer rods. I used to use a 6' med. rod for jerkbaits, because it cast the 1/4 oz. jerkbaits I like really well, and I could jerk them and make them dance all day. But I lost more big fish because I felt I had to put too much pressure on them to control them with the 6' rod. Since I've started using a 7' med. rod with x fast tip for jerkbaits, I have a much better landing rate.

Mostly, I go with the rod that can cast and work the lure I want to use most easily and accurately. Even on long casts, accuracy is critical. Smacking a wall with a plastic or balsa crank is not good. And, like Dockboy said, at Castaic especially, long casts tight to the bank are critical for getting a reaction bite from shallow, spooky bass. That's why my garage is full of rods I've tried and put down to try something else. And it doesn't do any good to put a lure in a 12" circle if you can't work it all day without your arm falling off. Fatigue will kill your fishing day.

[lionkiller]

Why stop at 7' 6"? Get the 7' 11" Rogue....

from their website:

"...The search is over for guys who like to fish with long rods. Our long 7’ 11â€

[rmcabee]

I use the 6' 6" w/the pistol grip. Two piece so that I can sneak it onto the golf course.

[Beach Steve Biechman]

Great posts !!! I build my glass rods on Lamiglas and Seeker blanks. The BEST two blanks in the Industry are those two blanks. The Seeker has a softer tip and is better for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and smaller crankbaits. I learned this from double G though KB likes to take credit. The lamiglas has a stiffer tip and is better for large crankbaits and ripping. I learned of the Lamiglas blank from Cooch. I build these rods in lengths from 6'6" to 7'6", I only use 10 or more double foot SIC. guides. The price is $200.00. Not cheap but less expensive than the "Reese Rods".
If you are in the Lake Shasta area and would like to preview some rods contact me at 530-604-5277. I will also be at the winter NCC.