Quote Originally Posted by BobB View Post
I've pulled cranks for crappie, but haven't pushed them. The one thing I can't get my mind around is if you are pushing with a long rod and several rods out .....How exactly do you handle that if you are going almost 2 mph? Seems like it would be trying to bend the rod backwards under the boat with the risk of getting in the trolling motor.
I'd like to try it out but might have to get out with someone experienced handling the "stuff" that happens.
There is quite a bend put in the rods, for sure ... but, that's why they use longer rods out the front. I'd have to ask, but I "think" the guys I know are using BnM PST's.
I've only been twice with the guys I know that push cranks, and the first time I was using two 7' rods out the back ... and the second time I was using two 12' collapsible rods out the back. Both times were with 2oz weights & 300 Bandits.

I mostly "push" jigs in my boat ... 1/2oz weight @ 0.6-0.8mph ... but I plan on trying a bit of crank pushing this year. I don't have the variable speed/24V TM or batteries to maintain 1.8mph for very long, so I'm gonna start out with the minnow shaped cranks & deep diving cranks of a smaller size than a Bandit 300; and I'm going to use whatever weight & speed it takes to keep the line at a 45deg angle. That way I can tell how deep the weight is running (by multiplying however much line I have out below the surface of the water times 0.6 ... which is how I determine the depth of my jigs when I'm pushing them). I did try this once before, with small cranks & 1/2oz weights ... and I did catch a few Crappie & a catfish ... but only a couple of hours of that and my battery was barely strong enough to keep the depth finder on when running at any appreciable speed. It was an old 27series though, and has since been replaced with a new 29series ... so I'm hoping to get a bit more pushing time out of it. If that isn't sufficient, I have another 29series battery that I can bring along.