deep cranking???????

[artcarney_agr]

Really depends on your rod. You want a very limber rod with cranks. If your rod is too stiff it will pull the hooks more than setting them which will make you lose a fish.

The rod is the biggest piece of the puzzle when it comes to deep cranking.

A long length helps, since you tend to use a sweeping motion, and a long handle so you don't strain your wrist so bad.

[smljaw]

I've tinkered with deeper cranking (8-15') and have figured out ways to keep more fish hooked up. Here's my 2 cents...

Like others have said, the rod is very important. About 3 years ago I went away from using the BPShops Crankin' Stick because I was losing too many fish. I started using a higher end rod (American Rodsmith is what I'm using now) and started putting more crankbait fish in the boat. Quality hooks are super important with deeper cranking as well. Replacing stock hooks with Sure Set Hooks is a good bet.

Here's something else to try... Don't set the hook when they eat it. Just keep reeling until you really feel the hook up, then give the rod a good sweep.

For deeper cranking, I like throwing 10-14 pound Sufix Crankin' Line. Rapala DT cranks and Bomber Fat Free Shads top my list.

[SirBob]

I have one piece 7'-6" FIBERGLASS casting rods that were designed for walleye fishing that have worked well for my deep bass cranking. They have excellent backbone with a softer tip. Used with a Diawa and Abua Garcia 5500C reels with 5.6 ratio and 12 # test Trilene. Have lost very few with this setup. Also fishing muddy to murky water I use fire tiger or bright red color lures. My go to lure was a Bagley DB3, excellent vibration, ability to bounce off stumps and rocks. If I did hang up, I used a lure retreavor that hooks to your line, to get down and unhook that lure. This will definetly save you a few dollars in lost lures.
Hope this helps!