I'm going to be buying a new rod soon and I'm not sure what length to buy, I do mostly crankbaiting.

Thanks,
Austin

 

 

 

i bought a quantim 7footer and it cast great and does very well with cranks and spinners

It's hard to go wrong with a 7' rod unless you are shore fishing in a bunch of trees!

For cranks i never go smaller than 7' i prefer 7'2" to 7'6". 6.6" is out of the question for me

I would agree with everybody else - go with the 7 footer or more. You will be able to launch those lures a mile.

Also the longer rod gives you a better spine in which to fight those hawgs you'll be catching.

In general I prefer a 6'6" rod for smaller crankbaits, longer rods for distance casting of heavier lipless baits that need a long rod arc retrieve while ripping. Most of my crankbait use is close to the boat dropped into the most ideal spot available, so the shorter rods do fine while pitchin' and flippin'.

One thing I do is to aim for rod lengths that fit my height and reach, and think about carrying/storage of long rods. I've learned not to try putting extra long rods inside a pickup, and some older boats have short rod storage compartments. I have a short fishing partner that listened to me about long rods, who grew to dislike them a lot due to greater tendency to slap boat parts. He's back to no longer than 6'2". I bought his long rods while already rod-poor.

Jim

well my 2c's on this is 7' or 7'2" for baitcasters

Yep. I agree with the rest. I use a 7 foot rod for bass and trout. More casting power and distance.

7 is the magic number...

It's true the longer the rod the longer the cast. I guess some folks always cast as far out as possible. I just wanted to point out there's a huge variety of rod length, composition, power, line size, lure weight range, action, etc to exactly meet your situation out there. I buy a new rod only when there's a situation coming up that can't be solved with an existing rod, like when invited to fish the Florida Keys last year. I didn't have anything suitable, so researched that and made a good selection.
I prefer light crankbaits partly for the greater quietne{1}****ting water, and bass tend to get the whole of them in the mouth assuring an automatic hooking. I keep a heavy spoon or other long distance lure on a long rod to hit surface schooling, but have been extremely pleased with a lamiglass 6'6" for fishing narrow tributaries where lots of brush and tops clutter the channel holding lots of fish near deep holes. I flip or pitch small baits usually no more than 30 feet away. For crankbaits the action of the short glass rod is superior to a heavy modulus graphite rod IMHO. Another favorite crankbait rod is a 5'6" pistol grip graphite for slinging little baits under docks and tree canopies hanging low to the water, like weeping willows do. Many of my best catches have been taken from less than 10 feet from the boat while sitting where a long rod would have been way too much gear.

I shop a couple of marinas where they usually have a resident guide who will rig a rod for a try-out from the dock. Experiment before adding yet another rod not different enough from the others you have.

Jim

I will add my 2 cents worth here
ok you said MOSTLY
a 7 foot rod is great for cranks and spinner baits and other lures with built in action, But if you are also going to be using it for walking the dog type lures or gliders Were you have to make the action, like a Zora spook i would op for the 6'6" rod .

quietne{1}****ting     Good Grief
It was supposed to say quietness (in) hitting water. That's kinda aggravating. 

While here I would like to pose some questions to ponder to get more discussion about reasons for selecting one rod length over another. We all have our favorites, but why?  Do most of us believe a 7' rod is best for all crankbaits regardless of bait weight, type, and rod action capabilities? Glass, graphite, composite, what kind? What power is best for all sizes of bass and fishing conditions? Medium, MH, or H power?  Could you fish a 7' heavy power fast action graphite rod all day and enjoy it? Would you advise just any 7' rod to fish a 1/4 oz Norman Deep Little N a while then tie on a 7/8 oz Dive-To? 

IOW, will it really help to recommend a rod length alone?  I don't think that's the way to go. At least decide on a lure weight range, line size range, then shop rods meeting those two factors. Consider what your biggest expected load will be on the rod then selecting the right Power. The rod Action (slow, med, fast, etc) is important, decided by what lures you use most for the rod. It might turn out a shorter rod with more limber action might fit better than a longer rod with the same action. Maybe for most of your situation a 7'6" rod with moderate power and action would be better.  If you fish with both very light and heavy crankbaits, two different rods will be best.

Jim

Jim,
Good Point, but based upon OP all that was asked for was what rod length for cranking. But to be specific IMO hands down the 7'4" St Croix Mojo Bass Glass Crankster Med / Moderate action is it for cranking. I personally like the feel of using a glass rod, the sensitivity of it and I just like the look of the Mojo Bass rods. The medium rod will handle my two favorite lures Bandit 200 and 300 and cast my preferred cranking line 12lb test fluorocarbon with ease. I'm not opposed to using a 7'8" or even a 7'0". regardless of the presentation I personally would never put a crank on any smaller than 7'0" and that is because it my personal feeling that hook sets are better and fighting fish that is sometimes lightly hooked on a crank is "softer" because the rod has more play and that increases the potential to land the soft hooked fish. Just my opinions

My bass fishing bait cast and spinning rods are all 7', my bass fly rod is 9'. I use shorter rods for panfish (5'6" spinning and 8' fly rod) and channel cats (6'6"). My heavy flathead cat rod is 7' also.

7FT seems to be the magic number for crankbaits !

Here is a article on choosing the right rod may be of interest http://www.bassresource.com/beginne..._rods.html

Maybe the best advice might be to take a hard look at what you have already and purchase something different! Power and action will have more effect on the way a rod fishes than 2-4" of length.

I've got a 7' UglyStick (medium action) rod and reel combo.  It has worked fine for me.

For crankbaits I would use a 6'6" to 7'7" foot rod with a good spinning reel. The combo depends on the size cranbaits you throw, but mostly dont go with too heavy line.

I started with a 7' rod, then picked up a 6'6" rod for a little more finesse and control.