Crankbaits require a much different rod action than most other lures in order to perform at their potential. So if you’re going to take crankbait fishing seriously you need to equip yourself with the appropriate gear, and the most important piece to that puzzle is the rod.
The best crankbait rods are going to have a lot of bend to them, especially at the tip. This is what makes the biggest difference between crankbait rods and other bass rods you would use for most baits. The amount of bend a rod has at the tip is a measure of how much action the rod has.
Some of the best crankbait rods out there for the money are St. Croix Premier Crankbait Rods. They come in either 6′-6″ or 7′-0″, and with either heavy or medium-heavy power. These rods are designed perfectly for throwing shallow to mid-diving crankbaits.
Rod Action vs Power
The majority of bass lures are best fished with a fast or extra fast action tip, but crankbaits perform best with a slow or moderate-fast action tip. This measure of speed is just how long the tip goes from being bent to being straight when released in a catapult style. The stiffer the tip is the faster it is going to get straight.
The other quality of a fishing rod next to action is how much power it has. A lot of people confuse action and power as being the same but they are not. Action is the bend at the tip and power refers to how much “backbone” the rod has, or “pulling power”
Power is measured in increments of light, medium, medium-heavy, heavy, ect. The best crankbait rods have a medium-heavy power. The medium-heavy power combined with the moderate action gives the rod a parabolic bend, meaning the entire rod bends throughout the length of the rod, like a rainbow
Why Does a Crankbait Need A Special Rod?
Crankbaits need this much rod bend to give them flexibility to wobble side to side freely and to the range that they are designed to. These slower tips also help keep the bait from getting hung up when deflecting off objects underwater.
Besides performance, the softer power and action allows bass to grab the crankbait without feeling tension or resistance right away. When a bass opens its mouth to engulf a lure it creates a sucking action like a vacuum.
A good crankbait rod will allow a bass to suck in a crankbait and hold it a little longer without feeling the line pulling, allowing for a solid hookset.
Best Crankbait Rod Brands
Different rod brands have different levels of flexibility so if you have a particular rod brand you use then you should try their crankbait rod first before testing others.
Most rod manufacturers produce a custom crankbait style rod, and if your comfortable with their other rods you’ll likely cast their cranking stick like you’ve been fishing with it for years.
