Question for crankers using braid

Up until now I had not considered using a braid line on my Okumas for trolling cranks. I have always used 10 pound hi-vis mono tied to a snap swivel on the bait. I have nightmares of breaking rods trying to pull a Bandit lose when the braid won't break like mono. Last year I probably ended up losing about 50 crankbaits, one day lost a dozen on one KY Lake ledge that was not accurately marked on the Navionics Premium chart. Just bought a version2 LakeMaster card for my 898. Maybe that will help that situation.

How do you attach the braid to the crank? If a swivel, what size?

What brands and size braid works best for you? Do you use hi-vis and does it fade fast like I have seen some do?

How do you go about pulling a hung bait loose? Do you thumb the spool till something gives? I used Spiderwire and Fireline when it 1st came out for bass fishing and got some really nasty cuts from it. Ended up carrying a 6 inch piece of broom handle to wrap and pull hang-ups loose.

Do you ever get a bait that comes loose fly back at the boat or your head?

I don't purposely target snags. I try to run just off the breakline and target suspended fish near the drop. Inevitably, I'm going to cut a point or ledge that has stumps or man-made structure and hang up. I'm just trying to justify the additional cost of the braid vs the cost of lost cranks. I've looked into the titanium split-rings that pull away and leave the hook hung up but they aren't inexpensive by any means. They seem to work but I worry about lost fish also.

my opinion on braid for trolling. You will tear the hook out of a lot of fish because the line don't stretch. You might also break a rod tip. I do use braid when I am jigging because you can feel the thump better. I do use about a two ft. leader of fluorocarbon. Do what you may just my opinion. Good fishing!

i use 30 lb power pro

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Originally Posted by mrdux

Up until now I had not considered using a braid line on my Okumas for trolling cranks. I have always used 10 pound hi-vis mono tied to a snap swivel on the bait. I have nightmares of breaking rods trying to pull a Bandit lose when the braid won't break like mono. Last year I probably ended up losing about 50 crankbaits, one day lost a dozen on one KY Lake ledge that was not accurately marked on the Navionics Premium chart. Just bought a version2 LakeMaster card for my 898. Maybe that will help that situation.

How do you attach the braid to the crank? If a swivel, what size? barrel swivel,not sure of the size,

What brands and size braid works best for you? Do you use hi-vis and does it fade fast like I have seen some do?30 lb power pro is all i have used,it fades in a year or two,some people say u can use a marker to bring the color back

How do you go about pulling a hung bait loose? Do you thumb the spool till something gives? I used Spiderwire and Fireline when it 1st came out for bass fishing and got some really nasty cuts from it. Ended up carrying a 6 inch piece of broom handle to wrap and pull hang-ups loose.grab rod and thumb spool and hold line tight against pole with the tip pointed back towards the hangup and it will usually pull loose,have had a few break off and float up after a breakoff

Do you ever get a bait that comes loose fly back at the boat or your head?yes

I don't purposely target snags. I try to run just off the breakline and target suspended fish near the drop. Inevitably, I'm going to cut a point or ledge that has stumps or man-made structure and hang up. I'm just trying to justify the additional cost of the braid vs the cost of lost cranks. I've looked into the titanium split-rings that pull away and leave the hook hung up but they aren't inexpensive by any means. They seem to work but I worry about lost fish also.

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Don't use anything but braid. Use 20/4 Cajun red because it was cheap. That's why you have a drag on your reel. Set it where it will pull off when you hang a snag or get a lot of pull from a fish. Don't know I have ever pulled one out of a fishes mouth. Most are hooked so deep you have a hard time getting hooks out. Use medium action rods. Have never broken a tip. Yes it will all fade after awhile. Order you a big spool from China off eBay. Lot cheaper and works fine for pulling. Get a couple different colors, makes it easier to untangle.

I've used braid and mono, both work well. set the drag and you'll be fine. for freeing up snags, I bought a telescopic lure retriever. more or less a wire corkscrew on the end of a pole. it paid for itself on the first trip out. kind of a pain to use but you will get most of your cranks back.

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Originally Posted by cray

Don't use anything but braid.

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Me too! And I don't use a clip or even some fluorocarbon for a leader.

Braid is so thin, and has no memory, so I tie a 12 turn Uni direct to my small crankbait. It shakes like crazy with the thin line.

Braid is very strong, so you have to hold your rod tip straight or it will break.

I like Power Pro and NanoFil the best.

I use 30# power pro in Hi=viz yellow, it does fade some after time but still very visible. To attach the crank I use a duo lock snap red in color. To free a snag keep the rod straight with the line grab the spool and pray,it comes loose most times. Good luck Doug.

With a lure retriever u have to stop, eight pulling poles and four pushing poles u stop and u have a mess.thats the reason i use braid thirty pound, so u can pull the baits loose and never stop.when i started out cranking i used a lure retriever, but ended up going on a guided fishing trip pulling cranks and thats where i found out its better off not to stop for a hang up

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Originally Posted by blueball

With a lure retriever u have to stop, eight pulling poles and four pushing poles u stop and u have a mess.thats the reason i use braid thirty pound, so u can pull the baits loose and never stop.when i started out cranking i used a lure retriever, but ended up going on a guided fishing trip pulling cranks and thats where i found out its better off not to stop for a hang up

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The only time I stop is when I have a limit or when my batteries die. The rest of the time it's 1.7mph. I can have up to 10 rods out at one time and I'd rather lose one bait than tangle up 10.

I agree

What about a 4-6lb leader of Flouro? Sensitivity still there yet you can break it off

I know each person has a preferance of line and this may cause some debate, but the true experts will tell you that for trolling mono is the line you need to use for crankbaits. Let the boat do the work of setting the hook and allow the stretch of the mono to keep the hooks in the mouth and not jerk the lips off like you can get with braid. DO NOT SET THE HOOK, it's already done and just have a nice steady retrieve. Don't over think your equipment, I have been watching for years how the walleye guys on Lake Erie use 12 lbs. test mono with in-line planer boards or off a mast while trolling and catching 6, 8 or even 12 lbs. walleyes without any issues.

The only time braid for is used for trolling is if your using bottom bouncers or dipsy divers but the rods used are generally 8'6" to 10' with very soft tips. the rod is the shock absorber for the braid. The braid should only be connected to the dipsey or bottom bouncer with a duel lock snap and a floracabron leader from the device to the lure.

Now, to each his own for what they use on there boat but remember for crappie unless you are jigging, braid is over kill for trolling. Remember you can buy a spool of 3000 yard mono at $35 to $50 to fill all your reels compared to 2 spools of 125 yard braid and a spool of mono for backing to do 2 reels at the same price. If loosing a $5 bandit to a snag is a concern ask yourself how much you want to spend on new rods or replace a stripped reel when the braid doesn't break free.

6 lb diameter power pro but I push with 3 oz weights . Keep drag loose and haven't broke a tip yet. I have a couple eagle claw starfires that I run mono on because they are stiff and the braid has no stretch and I was missing alot of fish, you would see your tip bounce but no fish, went to mono on those poles and solved that problem. Lost less than 1/2 dozen cranks last year and trolled a several miles.

here is an idea if you have your cranks out and lets say they are running at 12 feet deep and you are trolling over 16 feet of water, follow the contour on your depth finder. or if you get on a high ledge that lets say gets 8 foot or shallower. then stop reel in some of your line to get the baits running at 6 feet deep..... I ususally set my cranks to a certain depth for the location I am in. then if i move locations with a different depth I adjust at my cranks also. maybe you can share where this ledge is, with all the stumps and good stuff. I fish on ky lake also

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Originally Posted by hatchieman

maybe you can share where this ledge is, with all the stumps and good stuff. I fish on ky lake also

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I have shared this area with a couple of folks who decided to share it with the world. Now I keep such areas to myself and a very few tight-lipped friends.

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Originally Posted by mrdux

I have shared this area with a couple of folks who decided to share it with the world. Now I keep such areas to myself and a very few tight-lipped friends.

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I'm also a firm believer that if you dont want a lot of company on your spots, dont post them for the world to see. If you post it, they will come.

never have ripped a lip on a fish with braid and u dont have to set the hook trolling cranks when running 2mph.when pulling cranks wwe are using light duty deep sea fishing reels to u dont have to worry about them either,and have never broke a pole either and i use 30 lb braid.the whole reason for the braid where i fish is their is stuff everywhere in the lake and if your getting hung up your probally where the fish are at,not worth $50 or more in lost cranks a day to use mono.if i fished a lake without much contours ofr stuff to get hung on i would use mono,thats what i started with in the beginning.

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Originally Posted by Large6er

I know each person has a preferance of line and this may cause some debate, but the true experts will tell you that for trolling mono is the line you need to use for crankbaits. Let the boat do the work of setting the hook and allow the stretch of the mono to keep the hooks in the mouth and not jerk the lips off like you can get with braid. DO NOT SET THE HOOK, it's already done and just have a nice steady retrieve. Don't over think your equipment, I have been watching for years how the walleye guys on Lake Erie use 12 lbs. test mono with in-line planer boards or off a mast while trolling and catching 6, 8 or even 12 lbs. walleyes without any issues.

The only time braid for is used for trolling is if your using bottom bouncers or dipsy divers but the rods used are generally 8'6" to 10' with very soft tips. the rod is the shock absorber for the braid. The braid should only be connected to the dipsey or bottom bouncer with a duel lock snap and a floracabron leader from the device to the lure.

Now, to each his own for what they use on there boat but remember for crappie unless you are jigging, braid is over kill for trolling. Remember you can buy a spool of 3000 yard mono at $35 to $50 to fill all your reels compared to 2 spools of 125 yard braid and a spool of mono for backing to do 2 reels at the same price. If loosing a $5 bandit to a snag is a concern ask yourself how much you want to spend on new rods or replace a stripped reel when the braid doesn't break free.

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i had the same problem when i went to braid,changed out all the hooks and it solved the problem.

same here,if your catching fish everyone wants to know how and where at,lol.i just want to know how u catch them all summer long,i usually do good all june and come july i cant do much good pulling cranks.:dono

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Originally Posted by chaunc

I'm also a firm believer that if you dont want a lot of company on your spots, dont post them for the world to see. If you post it, they will come.

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Originally Posted by blueball

i usually do good all june and come july i cant do much good pulling cranks.:dono

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You find the bait balls, you usually find the Crappie close by, if not right alongside them ... at least that's the way it seems to work around here. Pay attention to the thermocline, and any incoming (cooler) water. Either that or shoot the docks during the day :twocents

... cp :kewl

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Originally Posted by blueball

same here,if your catching fish everyone wants to know how and where at,lol.i just want to know how u catch them all summer long,i usually do good all june and come july i cant do much good pulling cranks.:dono

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I finally put my crankbait gear up in mid October last year. Water temps stayed up and we were catching tons of crappie under the baitballs just off the secondary channel ledges. Sept and early October were awesome.