I generally use a spinning rod for a lot of my crankbaits, especially in the spring when the smaller cranks produce better. I'll use a 6'6" medium action spinning rod with a Pflueger Trion GX-7. I can use the 6'6" to get small shallow cranks to work around the brush better as well. Also, this set up makes you fight the fish more, and also be a little more gentle so you don't pull the hooks out the fish's mouth.
For bigger cranks you can't go wrong with a Bass Pro Shops Crankin' Stick. Bass Pro even has a Rick Clunn cranking stick if you want to pay a little more, but you get what you pay for. I've used a Lew's Speed Spool reel with a lot of success, they really cast a good long ways and also have the gears to get a DD22 down rather quickly.
Another good inexpensive rod I've used is the Berkely Bionix crankbait rod that you can get at Wal-Mart. It has a very forgiving tip and has a great all around feel to it. It's a really great value for what you pay!
One of the most important things to remember with crankbaits is to always consider line diameter. The larger the diameter, the more resistance there is in the water and the shallower the bait will run. I typically use 8 lb. line diameter with my DD22's to get the maximum depth. If I'm working cranks around grass, I'll up the line diameter to get the bait to run just above the grass - usually a 17 or 20lb diameter.
Good luck!