I am trying to crank a little deeper than 12lb allows...so I respooled with 8lb. Now I am worried its to light? Thoughts?

for big cranks i think it is. my only worry is if you get a backlash when hurling it, it might snap sending the crank flying. i like 12 or 14lb.

As long as you have your reel dialed in properly, it shouldn't be much of an issue and it's just about necessary if you're fishing very clear water.

Like SFA alluded above, I'd stay with the smaller cranks. Start getting into the 3/4 traps and DD14+ then you might be losing some cranks pretty quick should you have a "professional overrun".

go ten

you could get away with 8 lb gamma edge or sunline shooter

Ten pound is used by a lot of people for fishing crankbaits. You can get away with 8# for throwing medium sized CBs if you are fishing in a lake that doesn't have much or any cover. Be sure to have a bait retriever in the boat; if you get hung up you won't be able to jerk on it very hard.

I just got some of the Deep Crankin line from Suffix. It feels heavier and more limp, I have yet to try it out but can't wait. Has anyone used this stuff yet?

I use 8lbs xps floro alot in the late fall through winter to get 6a bombers and bandit300 type baits deeper. I like 10lb better in the summer when the water is warmer and the fish fight harder.

8lb will snap occasionally when you really fling a 1oz crank out there. I would stick with 10

Think about hanging up on rocks or wood with 8lb? I'll stay with my 12, even if it means sacrificing a couple feet in depth. Maybe 10? Maybe.

+1 for the 12 lb

i stick to 10-12 for my lightest, 8 is just to light for a baitcaster, IMO

You would have to stay away from any vegetation, wood and rocks.... That's about it.

And you would have to carryy multiple baits in the colors you like. More than 2.

10 pound, but I'm paranoid.

Here is the formula I use for determining my crankbait depth according to "advertised" depth and line diameter. At 100 feet out a CB should run %90 of it's depth on 10 pound test. On 8# test add %10 depth, on 12# subtract %5, on 14# subtract %15. Lure retrieve speed is almost irrelevant to dive depth.

Mike McClelland wrote a book about crankbait diving characteristics called Crankbaits. Then Steve Holt and Mark Romanack wrote a book expanding on McClellands called Precision Trolling. Holt and Romacks book goes into a lot more detail about line diameter, stretch, etc. All those guys are walleye fishermen but their theories still apply to bass crankbaits. Interesting reading if you haven't already read it.

Thanks everyone....great input.