Chrome
Firefox
Edge
If you throw any deep diving crankbaits, you've heard of the Strike King 6XD. You may think, “Well, this is just Strike King's version of a deep-diving crankbait. They had a plastic mold and just put Strike King's name on it and said, 'Mark Rose, Kevin VanDam, Dakota Ebare, and Greg Hackney, y'all put your twist behind it and make it sell.'" That’s not what this bait was all about.
Phil Marks and Kevin VanDam had a lot to do with the design of the Strike King Pro-Model 6XD Crankbait and a lot of work went into it. I did not have a lot to do with this one other than some color recommendations, but I can’t tell you how many bass I’ve caught with it. It's been a big part of some major tournament wins of mine.
XD means "extra deep." The lip of this bait is more streamlined than a lot of other crankbaits. The subtle curvature and the cup in the lip cause this crankbait to start diving immediately when it’s thrown into the water. You may only have 80 or 90 feet on the longest cast and a small percentage of time to get the bait down into the strike zone. The Strike King 6XD goes straight down quickly and is digging the entire time you’re reeling it. It gives a lot more action than many other crankbaits that only have a big chunk of plastic for a bill.
The hook hangers on this bait are far enough apart that I can put two 1/0 KVD Elite Trebles on it. It already comes with perfectly good hooks, but I like to put a bigger hook on it. They're short shanks, so they still fit on there.
The Strike King 6XD is an absolute dynamite crankbait. It's the best deep-diving crankbait, I believe, that has ever been produced by a lure company. It's been copied, it's been mocked, but never duplicated because it’s an absolute fish-catching machine, and someone would have to break a patent on it to be able to get it just right.
I'm throwing this bait right now on a 6.8:1 Lew's Custom Pro. I always throw 12-pound Seaguar Tatsu. You can get away with Red Label, InvizX, or whatever your favorite fluorocarbon may be, but I throw a 12-pound line. I believe that 12 doesn't stretch as much on your cast as 10. Seaguar line is so thin that I don't need to go any smaller than a 12-pound line anyway. If I’m cranking a 10XD or 8XD, then I will go with a 15-pound line.
I use the Lew’s Signature Series Rod, which I believe is the best casting rod on the market for deep crankbaits. The version I'm using is the 7'11" medium-heavy. This rod is absolutely perfect in the way it loads. I understand there are some people who want glass on their crankbait rod for when the fish freight trains right at the boat and you want that reinforcement on the rod, but the end of the Signature Series Rod is designed to handle that. I don't need glass to go all the way down throughout the rod because I need the other part of the rod to launch that bait on the cast. I also need that part of the rod to set the hook on the 6XD. You have to set the hook on this bait just like you do with a worm. When you're cranking, and that sucker loads up like a sack of taters, you’ve got to lean back on him. You can't just let him be in control. That's what that backbone is for, while the light tip protects it when they surge right at the boat.
So, that's the setup. That's the bait. If you like deep-diving crankbaits, this is what you need.
--Mark Rose
