Cranking - glass with braid or graphite with mono/fluoro

[civicrr]

I bet like most of you, I fish as much as I can. I also read a ton - if I can't fish, I read about equipment and techniques. Something that has always bother me is.......

Guys talking about how forgiving glass rods are but they use braid. The reasons listed for using braid include: better sensitivity; no stretch so better hooksets, better control of the fish. Need a forgiving rod to compensate for the braid????

Graphite guys use mono so they have the stretch. I've read this more about guys using fast action (jig) rods than about guys using graphite cranking sticks. Need stretch in the line to compensate for the stiff rod?????

Just some things that seem contradictory.

I've bought into using the correct stick for the technique. I know not everyone is but I'm fortunate in that I can now afford a bunch of rods on deck. I'm not talking about guys that can only afford one or two sticks. I've been there so I understand that.

I've tried the variations out there but I still come back to mono on both graphite & glass cranking sticks. I know there really isn't just one 'right' way to fish. It is what works for you. Tell me why...maybe I need to experiment again.

Thoughts??

[godshippy]

Mike, you and your OCD! Hahaha! There are just some guys that prefer to use braid for no other reason than it's become the norm for them. I know everyone has reasons for what they do, but there are always reasons against that. Blah blah blah! You found what you like, and now you're just confusing yourself because you see other people doing it different. I think you should just stick to your mono, especially because Siege and Elite just happen to work for you!

Personally, I like to use fluorocarbon, and I've begun to really like Seaguar Invizx. It's a very soft and supple line, and when using 15# test it gives me more than enough abrasion resistance. The reasons I like using fluorocarbon is because I like to have my crankbait staying lower and in the strike zone longer. I feel like when I'm using mono the crankbait tends to float up faster or the action is slightly "off" in my opinion when using mono. The difference in action is likely all in my head, but that's how I feel so I stick with what my gut tells me.

On another note...you like using braid with a mono leader when fishing plastics. I really want to do the same thing because of the added sensitivity and the instant hookups, but for some reason I like fishing with fluorocarbon...I dunno, as much as I tell myself to switch over I just can't do it. I try it and it works out just fine, but when it's time to respool I end up with fluorocarbon on all my reels again! I'm just wasting crap tons of money on braid!

[civicrr]

haha. Of course your right about me. Funny, I've been through a lot of different fluoro but I keep going back to Suffix Elite & Siege.

My 'system' does work fine. I just don't want to miss out in the 'best way' to do it.

[Steve Williams]

I fish glass with fluoro or copolymer 90% of the time. I only use braid in the grass with lipless baits and topwaters. I use glass because of the forgiveness in the tip. The tip does not do as much for you when fish hits at end of a cast or midway to the boat. Where the glass rod outperforms the graphite rod is when fish hits hot within 10-15' of the boat in my opinion or when you only have one hook in the fish. The glass absorbs more of the surge than a graphite rod will and gives less chance of tearing the hook loose and more fish in the boat. This is big plus in tournament fishing. Now lots of folks will say you can have a moderate actiongraphite rod and good drag and accomplish the same thing. I have only found one grapnite rod that came close to that for me but then you have to depend on your drag not failing. I have carbontex washers on my reels and service them 3 times a year but I still have more trust in my glass rod than my drag. I have had it stick just enough to tear hook out numerous times.

Regarding sensitivity wih glass rods, it is there a plenty. The trick is that you have got to be willing to put the time into the rod and learn the feel because it is different. Each glass rod is different to. I fish 4 primarily and 3 are Dobyns 765, 705 and 704 and a bs706 that is between the 704 and 705 in power. I can tell if I am on clay, rock, sand or if my line is coming over a limb before my bait gets there on all those rods. I have invested entire weekends though throwin those rods with my focus on learning the feel of the bait/rod/line and not on cathing fish. I got this tip from David Fritts over decade ago. i am nowhere in the league of Fritts, McAbee or I guess you have to throw VanDam in with the crankers now but this summer I could tell when my bait was coming through bait and schools with my 765.

On the braid, I dont use it to primarily improve my hookset or compensate for rod action. i use it in grass to rip my bait free easier. I use it on topwaters because when my bait is at the end of cast, I do want less stretch to aid not only wih hookset but it is easier to walk a bait with braid than mono. In my opinion on a lon cast the stretch in mono or copolymer hampers the action and you have work harder. With braid, very little work.
I do think graphite rods have come a LONG way in recent years but I am just old school and have about 25 years invested in cranking with glass rod either eglass, sglass, fenglass (i think they were sglass) and now composites and just prefer them. When I was 11 my uncle gave me 15+ in craw pattern and it caught me my first 5+ on an old fenglass 7' cranking stick and have been throwin them ever since on glass.

[Steve Williams]

Forgot to say that my way is best for me, not necessarily everyone else. With fishing, I think we way overcomplicate things most of the time and it really probably just comes down to confidence and preference. my father in law has been tournament fishin since before I was born. He often tells me "son, when all else fails just put it in her mouth or hit her in the head and she will bite. Now finding where she is to hit her in the head is a little harder."

[darrin]

I like mono for my cranking sticks. I don't feel I'm sacrificing anything and I get the added benefit of being able to throw some topwater if the need arises (I try not to put too many rods in the boat). I'll throw braid in the delta (at times) with my LV500s and such, but other than that, it's mono. I think Steve is right, it all comes down to confidence and what you want. If you feel braid is going to help you catch more fish, then no matter what anyone else says, you will keep using braid. Same goes for fluoro and mono.

[JLP]

I have been useing glass and braid for years. The reason I like glass rods is the slower reaction of a glass rod, from the time the bass eats your lure and the "rod" reacts, seems that the lure is hooked deeper in the mouth of the bass. The braid gives me more "feel" and small diamiter gives me the depth for deep diving baits.Any graphite rod, no mater how soft it is will increase you reaction time.This is what works for me.

[smalljaw]

I only use braid when frog fishing. I use rods that work with my line choice which happens to be copoly. I tried flouro and braid for other things but it doesn't work for me because I'm used to the added stretch of mono. For shaky head fishing with a spinning rod I use an extra fast action rod as my friend uses a moderate action rod but he uses braid so the slower action rod works for him. I use casting gear for jerkbaits and I use a fast action rod for those but it is a medium power and the line is braid and the same with cranking, I like a moderate fast action rather than a moderate action because I need the backbone of the rod a little faster to compensate for line stretch. This is what makes my search for a cranking rod so hard, either the rod is too fast or too slow. You are not alone though, I used to think I was the last of the mono guys when it came to jerkbaits and cranks but I'm seeing more and more using mono that in years past.

[T Mike]

I think I love glass more than anyone LOL. I like fluoro with the glass because of the less stretch, visibility, deeper diving aspects of it like Phippy stated. I fish clear water so that helps the cause..

[njbasscat]

I like glass rods and flouro. Flouro is more sensative than the nylon I have used but still has stretch. I used to use braid but lost to many fish due to the lack of stretch in my opinion. I only use nylon for topwater and sometimes jerkbaits. Love the way it casts and handles but don't like the lack of sensativity and how often you need to re-spool. To each there own. There is no best way.

[Somerdink]

I like fluoro and glass rods for cranking. The tip on the glass rods help me better with crankbait fishing. The only time I will use braid for cranking is ripping traps like steve said. THe Fact that fluoro and help you achieve greater depths when cranking with it unlike mono/braid because both of them float.

[qdiddy]

Braid and Graphite right here. I’m 99% braid on everything. The 1% is when I tried mono or Flouro. For some reason, I have the most break offs with mono or flouro, specifically flouro. I’ve tried cheap and expensive flouro. The more expensive one’s (Sunline and Seaguar Invizx) are better, but for some reason they seem to only be good right out of the box. After a full 8 hours of fishing, the line isn’t quite the same the next day. I’ve used line conditioner on it and there was improvement but not enough. With the original power pro and power pro super slick, break offs are very rare and the reliability and performance are the same day in day out, unless the braid is really worn.

I think the key to using braid for cranking is to use a smaller line diameter than to the mono or flouro diameter you would be using. I use 30lb test and it only has 8lb mono diameter, not that I would use 8lb mono for cranking, but this works well for me. In a lot of cases, the crank bait dives true to its depth, if not sometimes even deeper. I have found that when using heavy braid such as 65lb test, a lot of the times crank baits wont dive to their intended depths. For example, a crank bait meant to work in 5ft to 8ft, will only go 3ft deep.

Braid works well for me and I don’t use mono or flouro leaders. I have not noticed any differences as far as line invisibility goes. Braid all the way.

[Tokugawa]

Glass with copoly for me. This year I am planning to try ripping lipless cranks with a long (711) rod and braid, but just for lipless cranks.

[KillaBass]

Braid and Graphite right here. I’m 99% braid on everything. The 1% is when I tried mono or Flouro. For some reason, I have the most break offs with mono or flouro, specifically flouro. I’ve tried cheap and expensive flouro. The more expensive one’s (Sunline and Seaguar Invizx) are better, but for some reason they seem to only be good right out of the box. After a full 8 hours of fishing, the line isn’t quite the same the next day. I’ve used line conditioner on it and there was improvement but not enough. With the original power pro and power pro super slick, break offs are very rare and the reliability and performance are the same day in day out, unless the braid is really worn.

I think the key to using braid for cranking is to use a smaller line diameter than to the mono or flouro diameter you would be using. I use 30lb test and it only has 8lb mono diameter, not that I would use 8lb mono for cranking, but this works well for me. In a lot of cases, the crank bait dives true to its depth, if not sometimes even deeper. I have found that when using heavy braid such as 65lb test, a lot of the times crank baits wont dive to their intended depths. For example, a crank bait meant to work in 5ft to 8ft, will only go 3ft deep.

Braid works well for me and I don’t use mono or flouro leaders. I have not noticed any differences as far as line invisibility goes. Braid all the way.

i have to agree with u their!..i use braid with my graphite powell 704cb..i use 30 or 40lb braid..i just upgrade to all kvd elite treble hooks,so they dont bend out on a big fish

[OhioChamp183]

Been using a good quality copolymer line for around 20+ yrs for cranking......................and funny thing..................it still catches as many fish as it did 20+ yrs ago!
and it'll catch as many fish today as ANY flourocarbon line!
I'm sticking with it!
Silver Thread Excalibur 10lb