Getting Started Trolling Cranks

[bigcatpike]

I am looking to get into trolling cranks this summer so I can cover more water than a bottom bouncer and spinner or jigging. With various sales this spring I have compiled a sizable stash of #5 and #7 flickershads, #7,9,11 flicker minnows, #4 and #5 salmo hornets, and #7 shad raps. Most of my walleye fishing is done from late June-early October on Devils Lake , so I would like to be able to troll in 25-30 ft if necessary and potentially with smaller size baits. I'm in the NE corner of the state so I have never fished sak but would like to be set up to fish it as well if the opportunity arises.

Right now my plan is to start with 4 lines (2 8'6'' or 9' rods straight out the sides with 2 5'6'' or 6' rods out the back. Not looking to break the bank on rods for trolling, but would like to know what you guys would recommend, especially on the short rods. Not planning on planer boards at the moment but would consider them in the future to run a couple more lines. For reels and line I am leaning towards Daiwa sealines in either size 27 or 47 and either 18lb leadcore or 10-15# braid with maybe a snap weight in deeper water. Is leadcore necessary for my applications? If so, should I go up to the 47 size?

Any input on my plan/what I should buy would be greatly appreciated.

 

[H82bogey]

For rods, just make sure whatever you buy has glass. Much better at absorbing the shock of the fish and won't tear hooks out. Personally, I have been using the scheels brand rods for about 7 years and have had great success with them, and I mostly crank. For reels, I use the Okuma cold water series in different sizes. Larger for lead core and smaller sizes for fireline. I actually keep an extra set of the smaller reels so I can switch back and forth between lead core and fireline on the short rods. I always run fireline on my longer rods and when I need to get smaller cranks deep, I use the snap weights. Just remember, snap weights can damage the lead core line(breaks the lead inside the Dacron.

In the world of crankin', the reel is more important than the rod. It's not like jigging where you need the sensitivity, you need a quality reel that will last and has an accurate line counter.

Another good tip, when spooling your reels, get the same amount of line on each reel and fill them full so the line counter is accurate.

I could go on forever about crankin', it my favorite way to put walleye in the boat. If you have more questions, I"m happy to help as best I can.

 

[bigcatpike]

For rods, just make sure whatever you buy has glass. Much better at absorbing the shock of the fish and won't tear hooks out. Personally, I have been using the scheels brand rods for about 7 years and have had great success with them, and I mostly crank. For reels, I use the Okuma cold water series in different sizes. Larger for lead core and smaller sizes for fireline. I actually keep an extra set of the smaller reels so I can switch back and forth between lead core and fireline on the short rods. I always run fireline on my longer rods and when I need to get smaller cranks deep, I use the snap weights. Just remember, snap weights can damage the lead core line(breaks the lead inside the Dacron.

In the world of crankin', the reel is more important than the rod. It's not like jigging where you need the sensitivity, you need a quality reel that will last and has an accurate line counter.

Another good tip, when spooling your reels, get the same amount of line on each reel and fill them full so the line counter is accurate.

I could go on forever about crankin', it my favorite way to put walleye in the boat. If you have more questions, I"m happy to help as best I can.

Thank you. When I was shopping for trolling rods before, I saw planer board, dipsy diver, lead core, and downrigger all as options for a type of rod. For longlining is there a certain type that would be better than others or a kind I should stay away from?

 

[Up Y'oars]

The trolling app also shows/provides the 50 + 2 method to get your cranks down lower. A two ounce weight suspended from the fishing line (rubber clips hold to the main line) 50' from the crankbait and then released the same amount of line that the application states for each lure.

This will put your crank usually trolling at 23' deep down to 35' deep. I didn't get a chance to play with this last summer but I do plan on getting those buggers down there come August when fish are moving real deep. I also was pretty successful with the jigging raps that deep and pulled in a 27" eye off the end of a point at 47'.

 

[Weekender]

I'm in the same boat as you, pretty new to cranking trying to gain experience. I currently use 2 7'6 rods with braid out the sides and 2 5' rods out the back with leadcore. All my rods are the cabelas depthmaster trolling rods and reels are okuma magda pro line counters. Slowly trying to build up my crank collection, mostly flicker minnows and shads.

 

[Rowdie]

Trolling deep is a challenge. I would recommend targeting 9-15 fow first. Put lots of hours in those depths first. I read where having the same reels all with the same line is best. I would agree, but on the other hand I like testing out different brands.


When targeting deep, you can use snap weights, leadcore, of really deep divers. Dipsey divers are another option. I've been running cranks since they were called plugs...90's. And still haven't dialed in trolling deep. I've done leadcore, which is tricky. Spooling out the lead and backlash is a issue with lead line....be careful! Snaps work but I can't get consistent depths. I have the app now and have been using the 50/50 method. I think I may use that most from now on. I may put out some rods with snaps and some lead...IDK I haven't dialed trolling deep yet.

 

[risingsun]

I use mostly fireline, 3 different colors. That way if you happen to snag a paddlefish or a big northern that crosses all the lines before you get a chance to get things cleared it is easier to untangle.

 

[Rowdie]

Braided line tangles are best solved with a scissor. Or cigarette but I quit.

 

[Traxion]

Buy some Cabelas Depthmaster trolling rods, 9' planer board and the 5' shorty. The Scheels 5' shorty I like better but they're 2 x the price. Put Sealine 27's on with PowerPro. Get a set of snap weight clips and 1oz and 2 oz snap weights, maybe some 3oz as well. Take the cranks and go troll all the depths you mentioned easily. You can use the 50/50 method as a guide, but experiment from there. It's easy to dial depths once you get a feel for it. And remember, running them a touch high doesn't hurt. You don't usually have to dredge bottom to get the fish to go.

I have leadcore and it has advantages, namely how it follows the path of the boat very well and how you can speed up to bring lures up and over structure. But it is slow to deploy and you have a whole different set of reels for it. I now use snap weights 90% of the time when going to the 30' range. Simple, can use the regular trolling setups, and it works.

 

[fireone]

Great topic. I'd like to get back to deep trolling cranks also. By sheer accident the biggest walleye I caught was on a slow trip with BB/spinners. Replaced the spinner with a 4' leader and a metallic blue rattling rap. It was the only fish we hit that night. I just watched a vid where a guy on the Great Lakes was using a 3 way swivel with 1' dropper 2 oz weight and small spoons 3' back for brown trout. He was down around 40' and pounding big trout.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I use 10lb power pro depth hunter pulling cranks, mostly on the river so dont need to worry about getting deep...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/312535014556?hash=item48c489dc9c:g:6XcAAOSw015gWJa9

 

[risingsun]

Braided line tangles are best solved with a scissor. Or cigarette but I quit.

Not saying that does not happen once in a while, but a little effort saves money, and not having to recalibrate, which does make a difference to stay consistent

 

[Traxion]

Shimano TDR's are also inexpensive but decent trolling rods. No 5' versions though, you're limited to Scheels or Cabelas I think on those.

A good quality scissors is an essential too with braid. I have best luck with PP as you can often pul through some of the tangles, much better than Fireline IMO. But there are always times when cutting is just the only way. I haven't found a way to keep them perfectly calibrated as you just never know when you have a long break off. I check them every couple years and they are within reason for me.

 

[bigcatpike]

Thanks for all of the insight. Looking at the precision trolling app, with the 50+2 method they used 10# trilene xt to get their numbers. I know some people use mono extensively for trolling but I would prefer braid for snags and feel. Looks like a lot of different 40# braids would have the same diameter as the 10# xt. I would be giving up depth when trolling without the snap weight if I used 40# braid vs 10-20# but on the flip side I should be dead on the nuts with what the app is telling me. Thoughts?

 

[Aucker33]

Shimano TDR's are also inexpensive but decent trolling rods. No 5' versions though, you're limited to Scheels or Cabelas I think on those.

A good quality scissors is an essential too with braid. I have best luck with PP as you can often pul through some of the tangles, much better than Fireline IMO. But there are always times when cutting is just the only way. I haven't found a way to keep them perfectly calibrated as you just never know when you have a long break off. I check them every couple years and they are within reason for me.

Haven't used then yet but I'm impressed with the product out of the box so far.


https://www.limitcreek.com/TrollingRods.html

 

[eyexer]

I’ve been trolling cranks since about 2000. Long before 99% of the fishermen started doing it. It’s evolved a lot since then. Personal preferences vary immensely. It boils down to what your most comfortable with, the body of water your fishing and knowing where your bait is and being able to repeat things to get your bait back to the target depth. I’ve tried numerous methods and keep going back to just a bait on a line. No lead core or snap weights for me. I have cranks of all shapes and sizes. About 500 of them. So I can usually get whatever shape,style, color, action of crank they’re looking for to the depth they’re in. Not everybody is going to be dumb enough to invest in 500 cranks so you need options like listed above. Understand that there is a huge learning curve for some types of cranking. It’s not everyday you can throw on a shad rap and troll in 12’ of water and catch fish. Without a doubt the biggest and largest number of big fish have come on cranks for me. And most in late august through October.

ive tried numerous rod setups. And to be honest this will totally depend on how you wish to set your boat up and what type rods your comfortable with. Planer boards are something I use a lot but you can’t always use them for various reasons. And I’ve owned numerous brands of boards and have rid myself of all but offshore boards. I’ve tried all kinds of different line over the years and haven’t found anything I like better than braid in the 10-15 LB range. Mostly because I crank the majority of the time when fish are down around 30’. And I can get more lures to that depth with small diameter braid. There are some things you need to know about braid though and the biggest is you have to set your drag super light otherwise you risk tearing the crank from their mouth. When I first started cranking the depth curves were huge to possess. But after cranking for years I don’t even need them anymore. You get so accustomed to knowing what depth they’re going to run at with different line setups, etc. and it doesn’t take but two minutes to determine their running depth anyway. It’s just good to know this when your looking to buy baits for certain situations.

as far as rods go you don’t need to spend a lot of money. My best performing rods used to be cheap $20 Shakespeare 6’ rods I ran in rod holders straight behind the boat. Man you could read those rods good. For planers I use 7’-6” telescopic Daiwa rods. Can’t beat em for the price. If running boards I’ll try to use my longer rods if there’s bigger waves. The number one thing I see people struggle with, especially trolling boards, is in bigger waves and wind, is trolling against the wind. That will damper your enjoyment of cranking in a hurry. Man I could go on for a really long time on this subject

 

[risingsun]

If you are going to use snap weights anyway, the easiest way in MY opinion is start moving at your desired trolling speed, clip on your snap weight, wait till it hits bottom , crank it up a couple turns and your fishing. Just be flexible and experiment how far or low you go. The fish one day want the cranks almost plowing/or plowing the bottom and will not come up to the crank, the next day they may chase it 6 or 7 feet up in just 10 feet of water. I crank plenty of shallow water, and have seen lots of crazy things happen. Everyone has their preferences and confidence in certain ways, and I am no different. I do what has worked for me for 20 years. And to add, I use 10 lb braid which is more than strong enough for me as it puts plenty of stress on the rod in a snag situation as is. Have fun figuring it out as you go, then when success happens, you will be opening up the wallet to get more.

 

[risingsun]

One other thing. Use a glove of sorts that a hook can't penetrate easy when unhooking a fish. Saves on buried hooks in the fingers. Don't ask me how I know and how many times I know. ;:;rofl

 

[westwolfone]

"the easiest way in MY opinion is start moving at your desired trolling speed, clip on your snap weight, wait till it hits bottom , crank it up a couple turns and your fishing."

That's how I do it with 3 ways and drop weights. Can also adjust the dropper length.

I use 20# PP, but I fish where there's a lot of snags.

 

[Weekender]

What do you guys use for replacement trebles on cranks? I have a number of cranks in need of new trebles, wondering if I should go with berkley fusion 19s or something else.