I can't feel my crankbait action anymore!!

[Jeff R.]

Over the winter I upgraded my rods and reels. I had been using $25 Berkley Cherrywood rods (which aren't too bad by the way) and had BPS Extreme baitcasting reels. I bought a couple of the St. Croix Premier rods and a couple of the Daiwa Advantage super tuned reels to put on them. On my crankbait rod I am using a 6'-6" medium action rod with 10 pound test line. On my old rod and reel combo I could really feel everything the bait was doing from the wobble to digging in to the bottom or deflecting off of things. I assumed that with the better, more sensitive rod I would feel even more action, etc. but I can't even feel it wobbling hardly at all now. If I crank really, really slow I can feel a little bit but on a normal retrive I can't feel it. It feels like it does when you get the hooks fouled up or when you have some grass or moss on it not letting it do it's thing. I use Bandit crankbaits which have a very nice action to them and when I look at my bait when I drag it beside my boat it is doing it's thing wobbling back and forth. Shouldn't these rods give me more feeling and even better sensitivity from what I had been using before?

 

[Jim Carlson]

Are you using the same line in both cases?

 

[Paul Welc]

Are you using the same gear ratio reel in both the old and new reels? If your old reel was a 4:1 and your new reel is a 6:1 you are going to have to crank much slower to get the same speed and action.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

More than likely it's the rod...the tip action is probably different. There's a lot more to consiter than just the "weight" of the rod (M, MH, H, etc.). Tip and backbone as well as construction of the rod and materials.



TOXIC

 

[TritonGlenn]

When it comes to crankbait rods, I have noticed through several years of trial and error, that more expensive , more "sensitive" rods aren't always better. In fact, with crankbaits, most of the time it was just the opposite. I've been throught about 20 different models of crankbait rods, and even built a few, and one of the best crankbait rods I ever put my hands on was a Daiwa VIP fiberglass cranking rod. I think they were about $40 retail. I used a 6'6" rod - I know one was M and I believe the other was ML, and I could feel every little bump and wobble that crankbait made. I switched to the TDS cranking rods, and just like you - nothing. Couldn't feel a thing. Went back to the old cheap VIP's and there the wobble was again. When Daiwa discontinued the VIP, I bought the Heartland S rods - ML. That rod retailed for about $35, and it was a great crankbait rod also. I currently use the Pflueger 7 foot crankbait rod for my larger crankbaits, and it works great. However, for the smaller plugs, I use a home-built fiberglass blank, 6'6" ML rod, and it works great. Only problem - I bought this blank years ago, and I don't even remember the name or model of the blank, and this is my only one. If you want a good crankbait rod - I would highly suggest going to Bass Pro Shops and picking out a inexpensive one piece fiberglass rod, 6'6" M or ML (preferably ML). If you want a "better" crankbait rod, strip the guides off of that "cheap" blank and replace them with top quality SIC or at least some Fuji New Concept Alconite guides. If you do that, you will probally have a crankbait rod that you keep for life. For Crankbaits only - I'd take a fiberglass rod over a "super sensitive" graphite rod any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Jim B]

I agree with Tox. it most likley is the rod. A own a few of that same rod and they arent that great for cranks. The rod is just too stiff, way too much backbone and too fast a tip for cranks. st croix med rods are more like everybody elses MH rods, thats why you arent feeling much. St croix makes a moderate action rod designed just for crankbaits. They are much more limber and have a moderate tip instead of a fast tip. Either that or the premier fiberglass rods would be a much better choice.

 

[Jeff R.]

My old reels were 6.1 ratio and the new ones are 6.3. There is a little difference there but certainly not enough to cause the lack of feel in the bait I wouldn't think.

 

[Larry Harp]

Those are some pretty interesting answers. When I first read this question this morning I was stumped but that makes sense about the change in action and tip speed. My favorite crankbait rod is a real off brand thing that a guy gave me to try out. It had a goofy double handle that would take a page to discribe. I cut one of the handles off and put on a BPS David Fritts 4.2 to 1 crankbait reel. It's a 7 footer so it'll sling those DD22's about a mile and with the super slow reel they'll get way down there. Pretty good setup for not much $'s.



Harpo