Mono or Copolymer for cranking?

[TBait]

Which and why? Graphite or Glass? Which line is the lowest in diameter to allow a crank to acheive maximum depth, yet still retain some stretch to absorb some of the fishes movement.

Any comments on Silver Thread AN 40?

[jaime]

i've use stren mono for many years and just this past spring i got a free spool of the AN 40 Silver thread. in my opinion, I don't think it's any different than mono, well maybe in diameter. I've had just as many problem with the silver thread as I've had with the mono (line twists, break offs, etc.).

[mossman]

http://www.riversmallies.com/guestart_cdefronzo12.html

This site helped me with my choices, I also compare how the line works on the reel; Twists/tangles, cast. I've tried most of these lines and prefer Gamagatsu co-polymer. I night jig walleyes in rivers primarily, 8lb test,1/8 to 1/4 oz jigs.

[cotton]

This is a question, not a comment since I have little experience with cranks...wouldn't a fluorocarbon (or a psuedo fluorocarbon like Berkley Vanish) work well cause it sinks? I tried some Berkely Vanish and it does sink...which isn't good for some applications but might allow a crank to go deeper. Just curious.

Kevin

[TBait]

From what I have heard...Flouros are very unforgiving in the stretch area. So if you are using a sensitive graphite rod for cranking this may be a bad combo. Virtually no stretch. Which may cause the bait to tear out of the fishes mouth. Although the sinking line may add to the depth.

Still leaning towards Silver Thread An40...low diameter with stretch.

[TrophyFishR]

McCoy Mean Green, It's really smooth, has some stretch, casts really well, I haven't broken the line on a hook set. 10# mean green is my go to deep cranking line. I like 6# on a spinning reel fro really small finesse cranks (creek fishing 4 smallies) :-D

[fatfingers]

Before I became addicted to muskies, I fished for the "little creatures" too.

Hands down, my favorite line was the mono made by Fenwick. It is supple, extremely clear, knots well, and is highly scuff resistant. In the stretch department it is forgiving but not so much that it kinks up after being leaned on.

[Skeeter]

If you are fishing a graphite rod then use mono. If you use a fiberglass rod then most use copolymer. Why? Graphite rods are more sensitive than most glass rods. Therefore you can still feel pretty well with a graphite rod. So you can use mono without any problems as far as feel goes. Since fiberglass rods are more forgiving then you can loose alot of sensitivity while cranking the bait. This is why folks like Fritts use copolymer line. I have been using 12 lb. Bass Pro Shops Excel mono for over 15 yrs. now. It has a good price, I trust it, and I buy it in bulk so that I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the year. Go to the General forum and read my article on Deep Water Crankbaiting. Alot of your questions could be answered there.

Skeeter

[fivebigfish]

I am going to offer my personal preferences. However, understand that you could ask 10 different fishermen and get 10 different answers. For the sake of simplicity I will break this down into 2 categories. For shallow cranking(when you are trying to hit structure or cover in 8 feet or less) I like mono. Mono has floating characteristics that help a bait to float up, or back up when you make conact with cover. Mono obviously has a certain degree of stretch which I find to be desirable in this application, especially in very shallow scenarios(3 feet or less). Due to this stretch factor, mono will also give the bait a livelier action when it deflects from cover or when you snap, or jerk the rod. I have been using Suffix Siege and Elite. They are fairly new lines that seem to have exceptional abrasion resistance(which is crucial when cranking shallow), incredible handling characteristics(which is due to their precision winding process) and great knot strength. For deep cranking(10 feet and deeper) I mix it up between mon and flourocarbon. For depths where the structure or cover is around 10 feet, I will use tha aforementioned Suffix mono. I will generally use 10 LB. test but will sometimes use 8 depending on the style and size of plug that I am cranking with. For cranking deeper than 10 feet I alomst always use Seaguar Flourocarbon in 8 & 10 Lb. test. The flourocarbon line sinks and I feel that it will give you that little bit more when hitting a certain depth is key. It has little to no stretch and I feel that gives me an edge to feel and get the hooks in fish that are deeper of farther out(due to the long casts that are required when getting a lure down deep). Flourocarbon does however afford the lure the "bounce" provided by the stretch in mono. Some might argue that this hurts the action of the plug but I personally have seen no effects of this. As far as rods(Graphite, Glass, etc.), I only use a Castaway Launcher(7'6" fast tip) for deep cranking and a Castaway Mini-Launcher(6'6" moderate tip) for shallow cranking. These 2 particular rods encompass are as reminiscent of glass as you can get in a graphite rod. For the record, I am not sponsored by Suffix or Seaguar. I truly believe that they are superior line choices that are well sutied for the cranking technique. I am sponsored by Castaway simply because I firmly believe they they have the industry standard for crankbait rods. Sorry about the length, I get a little wordy talking about something that I truly enjoy.

[fivebigfish]

I am going to offer my personal preferences. However, understand that you could ask 10 different fishermen and get 10 different answers. For the sake of simplicity I will break this down into 2 categories. For shallow cranking(when you are trying to hit structure or cover in 8 feet or less) I like mono. Mono has floating characteristics that help a bait to float up, or back up when you make conact with cover. Mono obviously has a certain degree of stretch which I find to be desirable in this application, especially in very shallow scenarios(3 feet or less). Due to this stretch factor, mono will also give the bait a livelier action when it deflects from cover or when you snap, or jerk the rod. I have been using Suffix Siege and Elite. They are fairly new lines that seem to have exceptional abrasion resistance(which is crucial when cranking shallow), incredible handling characteristics(which is due to their precision winding process) and great knot strength. For deep cranking(10 feet and deeper) I mix it up between mon and flourocarbon. For depths where the structure or cover is around 10 feet, I will use tha aforementioned Suffix mono. I will generally use 10 LB. test but will sometimes use 8 depending on the style and size of plug that I am cranking with. For cranking deeper than 10 feet I alomst always use Seaguar Flourocarbon in 8 & 10 Lb. test. The flourocarbon line sinks and I feel that it will give you that little bit more when hitting a certain depth is key. It has little to no stretch and I feel that gives me an edge to feel and get the hooks in fish that are deeper of farther out(due to the long casts that are required when getting a lure down deep). Flourocarbon does however afford the lure the "bounce" provided by the stretch in mono. Some might argue that this hurts the action of the plug but I personally have seen no effects of this. As far as rods(Graphite, Glass, etc.), I only use a Castaway Launcher(7'6" fast tip) for deep cranking and a Castaway Mini-Launcher(6'6" moderate tip) for shallow cranking. These 2 particular rods encompass are as reminiscent of glass as you can get in a graphite rod. For the record, I am not sponsored by Suffix or Seaguar. I truly believe that they are superior line choices that are well sutied for the cranking technique. I am sponsored by Castaway simply because I firmly believe they they have the industry standard for crankbait rods. Sorry about the length, I get a little wordy talking about something that I truly enjoy.

[BobP]

Good question. You can go to the Tactics page at Bass Fishing Home Page and get 100 answers, most of which are reasonable! I agree with Skeeter - you fish with a combo of reel/rod/line whose parts are interdependent. I like a graphite rod with flexible tip section and a hard copolymer like 10 lb Izor Line Platinum, or a 12 lb fluorocarbon. With a fiberglass rod, I use fluorocarbon or braid. The bottom line is you need some flex in the system, either the line or the rod, for crankbaits. Another issue is how the line handles in cold weather. Hard copolys and fluoro develop memory in the cold and that's a problem. In winter, try a soft mono like Trilene XL or Basspro Excel. If you're looking for ONLY ONE line, I also like McCoys Mean Green (green or clear). It's a copoly with moderately low stretch, good knot strength and doesn't develop significant memory even in cold weather. It's about the only line I can keep on my reels year round.

[TBait]

Thanks for all of the input....

[Dink Mendez]

TBAIT,

Great subject. I feel cranking and fishing line is determined where you fish. In the south and east part of the country there is alot of timber and cover. However; here in the central california, I'm finding out that cranking has to be modified for clear to murky water. I will explain.

When I started throwing cranks, I was using 12 lb Big game. A big mistake!!! Now I use 10 lb AN 40 for shallow cranking. When I say shallow cranking, I mean 2 to 10 feet. As for deep cranking, I use 8lb

AN 40 for 11 to 18 feet. Now line does matter for two reasons. For maxium depth and stretch.

Now for rods this is what I use. I use four Phenix 7 FOOT 8 IN level wind rods for deep cranking. They are made of combination of graphite and fiberglass. In my oppion it makes the perfect tip action and it is lite in weight. Furthermore; I use three 7 foot 6 inch spinning rods for shallow cranking. I throw small cranks, like Deep Tiny N and Radar 10 crankbaits. Deep cranking I've changed alot in my tactics. I been experimenting with wood cranks and suspending them between 12 and 18 feet. For some reason, when I pause the bait and the crank suspends at those deeps, it drives the spotted bass WILD!!!!!!! The reason I use long rods is for distance and I cover more water during a course of a day. Now where I fish, the lake are deep clear reservoirs. At certain times of the year you can see a beer bottle or car tires about 28 feet in depth.

At last, I feel the most important part of cranking with good line, it should be complimented by good treble hooks. I've tried many hooks and I like VMC trebles for the price and quality, it is hard to beat. The reason I use AN 40 Silverthread, because abrasion resistances, stretch and knot strength qualities. The most important thing to me is the thin diameter and light green color blends into the water perfect. I hope I helped out.