Cranking on a budget

Hey everyone it seems like everyone but me is pulling cranks now. I want to dip my toes into it very slowly. I mostly jig standing timber and brush piles so all I have for rods is a 10' Sam Heaton Super Sensitive. What budget minded rods and reels and what budget minded rod holders would you suggest to get into it very slowly? Probably want to have 4 rods minimum? What else will I need excluding terminal tackle? I am fishing a 16' G3 with a Minn Kota Terrova and humminbird down and side scan units if that makes a difference. Would you set it up with rods out the back or sit in front with rods out the side?
Thank you for all suggestions.

Start by checking the "Classified" Forum section. You should be able
to pick up the rods and line counter reels on the cheap. Try to find
8' and 12' rods to provide tip separation. If you can find an inexpensive
set of in-line planer boards get them as well. This will help get your cranks
out off to the side away from the boat. If you need crankbaits, I'd suggest
you call Mitch at Pico Lures (he's a sponsor) and ask him what colors he would
recommend based on the water color you're fishing. As far as rod holders are
concerned, get the best you can afford. Good luck & Tight Lines!

no such thing as cranking or any other type of fishing on a BUDGET :Rofl

I started out with two old 6’ bass rods, and two 12’ PST’s that I had. Bought four Shakespere ATS line counter reels, and a dozen cranks or so from Pico. I spider rigged, so I had rod holders, just bought extra mounting tracks to put on the back of the boat for pulling. Check out the “Pulling Cranks 101” on the MS forum. Its a lot fun once you get going!!

Run the rods you have and buy a few cranks at a time. I didn’t scrimp for rod holders though. Cheap ones are disappointing and the reels sometimes get tangled up trying to get the rod out. I’ve seen some made from pvc that did real well so do some research before you buy. I bought some Hi Tek Extreme model and have never had an issue and never lost a rod. I troll from the front with my rods close to 90* out the side. After a while I wound up with 6’, 9’, and 12’ rods and like the separation to help keep the tangle gremlins away. Short rods are a short cast, middle rods an average cast, and I swing for the bleachers on the 12’ers. This also puts them at different depths by changing the length of line. Good luck and have fun,and have a long handled net. You’re gonna need it.

:hesaid

Buy once , cry once . You can always sell quality equipment .

I use Shakespeare Crappie Hunter rods in 7' & 10'. They don't make a 12', but mine seem to pull just fine. $30 if you can find them. Grizzly jig still has them I think. Bandit crank baits and Shimano Sienna reels too. Reels are also about $30. Nice combos to start, but you CAN pull cranks with just about any rod except extreme ultralight. For longer rods, try Outlaw rods. Never been a fan of BnM, sorry. :yikes

I like the Shakespeare ATS reels and Shimano FX rods. Don't think you could get much cheaper.

If you're creative, you can make a nice rod rack setup with Attwood wire rod holders that are $20 each.

I use jenko 16' spider troll, 12 ft jenko slab city and 8' ozark brush busters. I have the millinium spyderlok rod holders. I use the ATS line counter reels. I have had good luck with this setup except the line gets behind the spool occasionally on the ATS's. Cranks baits arent cheap no matter what you buy. I use bandits, pico's and arkies. Good luck, it's a lot of fun when they are hittin.

Before you buy, go with someone already set up and having success. See if you enjoy fishing this way, plus see their setup.

Just try it with some rods that you have now and some old crankbaits that you might have. I started with a couple of my old bass fishing rods and some old crankbaits that I already had. After that I gradually got what I needed to do it better.