Cranking Reel

Been using the old greenie Shimanos for several years and they have served there purpose for deep cranking! Time to replace them with something newer. I'm out of the loop on new cranking reels! What do you use and recommend?

Revo Winch works for me.

Revo winch also (have two of those)
If on a budget, I hear the Black Max winch is great for the $

I have babied mine along since 1999, when I bought 14 of them. Still have one new in box, but not selling it. I have purchases an Orro Winch and like it quite a bit too. Some of the E series reels have good backing, too, in the 5.1 to 5.4 gear ratio. What ratio are you looking for? Or just lower speed? Let us know. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

Lews BB1 Pro

I have one 5.1 gear reel for 10 XD's (Curado E5) but like at least a 6.3 and preferably a 7.1 gear when cranking, from wake baits all the way up to 8XD's. Curado E series (if you can find them) are good but the new Curado K is even better than the E series because you can really adjust the brakes for the crank/wind a lot easier.

Cranking = David Fritt's = Lew's BB1 Reel

Thanks.

For deep crank baits I like the Lews Super Duty wide spool. It comes in several gear ratio's depending on what you like. I have it in a 5-1 gear ratio. I also use this same reel in a 7-1 gear ratio for my Carolina rig. They hold a ton of line and you can make very long casts with them.

For square bills to medium depth crank baits I like a Tatula CT. It is a fantastic reel for the price. Check them out on ebay, Actually I get the Tatula and the Lews from ebay.

If you make it out to Fork one weekend, you can try out both reels and see which you like. I also have a Curado E in a 5-1 and a 7-1, and a couple of the Shimano K series reels in various gear ratios and a couple of BB1-s and BB1 pros. You can see all of them. LOL,I just about have all of the reels mentioned above except for the Revos. I am not a fan of them just because they just don't fit my hand as well as the other reels, but that's just me. I know the winch is also a very good reel for cranking. A buddy of mine loves them for cranking.

I don't know how you guys crank a 10XD with a 7-1 gear ratio reel. That would wear me out quickly. Do you think with a Curado K throwing a 10XD you would cast all the line out down to the spool? I throw the 10 XD on a Lews wide spool and a Dobyns 805 crank bait rod and it goes a LONG WAY out there.

I've been using a 13Fishing Concept A in 5.3:1 for the past few years. No complaints.

Something in a wide spool 5:1 to 6.3:1 ratios. Couple good options out there just depends on what you wanna spend.

Lots of good recommendations . I have BB1 Pro and Abu Garcia and i use the AB mostly . I’ve had Quantum and Shimano's too , works just fine . Like mentioned depends gear ratio and hand fitting . What pole length you using ?

The K will never be better than the E series reels man.... E5 or E6 will work just fine for cranking or on a budget get the blackmax winch they are cheap on ebay

I went for a AG Revo Winch (5.4:1) for tossing 6XD's and larger, for $150 (I had an Academy gift card). Hoss of a reel for under $200. That said, the Black Max Winch for $60 seems like a killer deal, and has been recommended by several hammers whose opinions I respect. Probably more plastic than the Revo and different gearing, but if you don't throw deep cranks a lot, it could be a good option.

I wish I still had all the Lew's BB1's I owned back in the day. I still have a half dozen green Curados and Super Frees, just had them all refurbed since parts are getting harder to find according to my reel doctor. But they seem kinda heavy nowadays, I'm so used to the lighter reels of today.

Thanks for the replies!

The advantage of the 7:1 is it gets the bait deep quicker. You just have to be more disciplined with the retrieve speed. I like a 6:1 but that's just me.

Yeah, I have trouble cranking a 20 - 25 ft deep diving crankbait with a 6.3:1 gear ratio reel Wears me out quickly. I use the Lew's Speed Spool BB1 Baitcast Reel 5.1:1 gear ratio. Great reel and a lot easier to crank
$159 at Academy...

Regards, Bart

I'll cheat. Cast the crank bait as far as I can and then use the trolling motor to get it to depth instead of wearing out my arm.

The Curado was an E5 or E7. The Citica was the E6

Revo Winch for me. I can cast it a mile or so and holding up well through heavy use.

I use the 3:8.1 Greenie and doesn't wear you out.

Chronarch had the E6, white one

You are correct. I don't know why they did not make a Curado E in a 6-1 gear ratio. Your choice was either the Citica or the Chronarch.

I use a BB1 Pro and this one. https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/bass-pro-shops-johnny-morris-signature-series-baitcast-reel Not a big Bass Pro fan, but I really like this reel deep cranking. I got the 30 size for that and it works well.

For the money the Curado K is hard to beat. I recently bought the Curado DC because it was too good of a deal to pass up and that thing casts a MILE when set up correctly. I have a handful of Lew's reels, a green curado, citica e's, a chronarch e and I honestly believe the Curado K's and DC I have are the best reels I own. I throw everything from wakebaits to 10XD's and Spro LJ DD70's on the curado K with ease.

For a more budget friendly reel I would probably look towards the SLX. That reel has amazed me for $90.

For the money, I think a Daiwa Tatula CT is a better deal than the Curado K. I am not knocking the Curado K in any way. I have several of them as well as the Tatula CT and both are smooth long distance casting reels but the Tatula CT's I got from ebay were less than $100,

As stated earlier, I use Revo winches at times
Full disclosure, for big, heavy, deep cranks I prefer using a size 4000 spinning reel (like a 5.7 gear ratio Daiwa BG 18lbs of drag) paired with a parabolic, stout 7’ spinning rod.

The smooth drag systems on spinning reels are great for crankbaits and there are advantages of having the guides on the under side of the rod on more parabolic rods. Spinning rods also cast cranks a mile without worrying about backlashes casting into the wind. Also don’t have to worry about main line to leader knots passing through the guides at high velocity.