Cranking question ?

I did not want to hijack Doug's thread about line counter reels so I am going to ask for your thoughts to my cranking techniques . I do not calibrate my reels per say . I do put the same amount on all 4 reels(same brand/size ) of the same line (Berkley big game , 10 lb. test ). I normally start at 50,60,70,80 (fish solo ). Every 20 mins . I add 5 ft. to each reel(till a pattern is found ) . For instance if I catch fish at 70 according to the reel and it's actually 79 how would I benefit by calibrating each reel ? Since I do not remember which reels get lines shortened by breaking off or redoing due to tangles ect . , they are hardly ever exactly the same . I like the tips close to the water as possible but am sure they are not exactly the same each trip due to weight distribution, wind ect . Am I missing a factor that is worth of a better approach ?I also fish Peco, bandits, strike king , wally Marshall, flicker shads and a few others . I thought about using a backing on each reel ,then put 300 yds. on each but saw no real advantage . Am I missing something here ?

I respool my reels often since they are used so much. I try to put a comparable amount on each reel, around 850 feet of 12 pound Trilene Big Game, to start. ( I buy the 4700 YARD spools of Trilene). At the beginning of a new cranking season, I change all the line on my reels with no backing. Once I've used a reel a while and the line amount has dropped due to break offs or twisting, I'll take off an amount about 1/2 the amount of the spool then tie new line onto the old as a backing and respool. I'm not the type of guy who is anal enough to calibrate each reel amount of line. If I let out 80 feet of line with a Pico INT and catch a crappie, my next drop is going to be 80 feet. I think duplicating the amount of line each time is good enough when the fish are biting. I do set up my spread with each rod on the transom with a different amount of line until the fish tell us what color, pattern, and depth we need to be putting our other baits. Fishing is stressful enough when one guides clients. Keeping it as simple as possible has worked pretty good for me.

Early on, I would start at 30 feet.back to 60....after the sun is up good..watch the shad, and go deeper acording to what depth they are at..I use 12 lb. Mono..usually have backing, and change out 300 ft. As necessary...Doug covered the rest

Good question and info. I pretty well, do the same.

I run with rod tips about 6" above the water (all tips the same height) and keep 15 feet difference in line length between each of three rods on both sides of boat (for instance 60, 75 and 90 feet). My poles are 4'10'', 8' and 12'. I run a 14' pole on the outside with a 3oz weight. This keeps me tangle free on turns. If fish are biting at 75' of line (14' deep), I'll adjust my shallow pole to 67' and my next pole to 82' and my deep pole to 97'. I adjust my weighted pole to 19' of line to give me about 14' depth on it. This approach gives me 6 cranks at the best depth and keeps me from tangling. I reload my line counter reels with 800 feet of new hi-vis line each year and don't worry about small losses due to break offs and the occasional tangle I get when it's real windy.