Baitcaster v. Spinning reels???????

What will a baitcaster reel do that I cannot do with a spinning reel?

Every so often I get my mind around this question and cannot come up with an acceptable answer.


I fish with lots of guys who use baitcasters and never seem at a disadvantage. In the salt we use baitcaster type reels (we call them conventional) becuase of the greater torque, higher line capacity and better drag system. It is very rare in the sweet water that any of these factors come into play.

What are your thoughts?

The only thing I see you can do with a baitcaster and not on a spinning reel is stopping the spool while your bait is in the air, but besides that I think its all just personal preffrence with what reel you use. For me a baitcaster is just way more confratble and easier to use than a spinning reel.

I use both, and I find that when using a heavier line (above 10lb test) I have more control of my cast due to line memory.
I use my spinning tackle for around 70% of my soft plastic fishing.
my casting gear is used for flipping jigs and my heavier line plastic fishing in heavy cover, my Carolina rig fishing (I like a long rod for that)
All my crankbaits and buzzbaits are casting gear as well as my topwater.

I don't see any reason not to use spinning gear for these other than line memory with heavy line, but since you use braid that would not be an issue

Wayne

Usually the only time I use casting gear for bass is when I am fishing from a boat. I generally don't use it for soft plastics because most of the soft plastic fishing I do is with light weights, or no weight, and relatively small baits. If I fished heavier cover from a boat, I would probably want to use a casting rod, just to give it a shot. I like the baitcaster when I'm casting and cranking all day with something like a spinnerbait or a spook. For me, its less tiring and I have a lot more control of my casts when trying to place a spinnerbait in tight spots. I also feel like the hooksets are stronger for these types of baits on casting gear, since with spinning gear I always backreel instead of using the drag.

The other application I use casting gear for is when live bait fishing for flatheads. I just feel more comfortable casting 6-7oz of weight and fighting larger fish with a baitcaster. Not sure why. A comparable spinning rod for this type of fishing would look something like a small surf rig. A reel that size is much larger than something like an abu 6500/7000 and feels a little awkward to me, probably because I'm not that used to it. There is also a lot of debate on "torque" and such with this type of fishing. I just think its whatever you feel comfortable with.

With BC you get better cast control and accuracy. You can stop a bait exactly where you want to and make it drop into the water with only minimal splash when necessary.

There are also times when you need to start your retrieve the instant your lure touches the water, or even before. Buzzbaits are a good example. After you cast a buzzbait with spinning gear the bait starts sinking while you're still reeling up slack from the cast. And if you close the bail during the cast the bait comes crashing down like a rock.

Baicasters are also better for "run and gun" fishing. No need to close or open the bail and waste a couple seconds reeling up slack after casting. Chuck and wind, chuck and wind...

Spinning gear is definitely more versatile though. I'd say in a given year I probably use spinning reels 70% of the time. If I could only use one kind of reel for the rest of my life it would be spinning.

Bryan - I do all that stuff with a spinning reel - i use two hand to cast, my left hand releases and controls line (like with a fly rod) so I am on the handle before the bait hits the water. I can also cast extremely accurately and without much line slack.

I have a weird but effective technique with spinning equipment.

esquired said:

Bryan - I do all that stuff with a spinning reel - i use two hand to cast, my left hand releases and controls line (like with a fly rod) so I am on the handle before the bait hits the water. I can also cast extremely accurately and without much line slack.

I have a weird but effective technique with spinning equipment.

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Well technically Snoopy rods don't count as spinning equipment. :mrgreen:

I just feel that I have better control over the bait with a baitcaster. I personally can pitch a bait more acurately bith a baitcaster over spinning. I also feel that your retrieve is much more consistent with a baitcaster. I still like spinning a lot though. As said before heavier line is better on baitcasters even when your talking about braid. I wouldn't put anything higher than 30lb braid on a bass sized spinning reel, 30lb is even pushing it imo. For the baits you fish with most of the time I think you are more suited for using a spinning rod anyways. It is just preference, I like having the option of using either though.

Man, I keep telling you it is not a Snoopy Rod - I have the Little Mermaid model

The Spongebob rod with the Plankton casting plug is the cadilac of all the cartoon themed spincasting rods IMO

BassAddict said:

The Spongebob rod with the Plankton casting plug is the cadilac of all the cartoon themed spincasting rods IMO

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I beg to differ !! the superman rod is the top after all it is superman ! the man of steel.
It only has 1 weakness and that stuff looses it's power in water

Spinning reels IMO are more forgiving. If I want to pitch a bait 20 feet under a dock or between the pontoons on a boat or even a little hole on a dock, or way back under low hanging trees, I like to use spinning. Its hard enough to cast it with authority and precision, I dont want to deal with spool control on top.

If Im throwing light trout baits, Spinning is the only way to go to. Everything else...Baitcaster.

For me, I use a spinning setup for saltwater and for bream/bluegill fishing. I also have a Penn I use for bass. I usually have 10 pound line on it so I can throw lighter baits. Most everything else goes on a baitcaster

BassAddict said:

The Spongebob rod with the Plankton casting plug is the cadilac of all the cartoon themed spincasting rods IMO

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Shut up!

the casting plug is Plankton! I gots to gets me one!

oh yeah, on topic content:


-I think a spinning rig is probably more versatile since you can cast much smaller baits*

Okay, I don't want to hear from the masters out there that can cast a 1/32 oz bait on their finesse b-casting rig

-I think from 1/4 up; baitcaster is it, way smoother in my opinion. They feel mechanically superior and that appeals to the gear snob in me. Also, I feel like a pro fishing a baitcaster-and I'm enough of a tool for that to be enough, but not so much of a tool that I won't admit it. Seriously though, for moving baits like spinnerbaits or cranks B-casters are king-so smooth!

Dave I think you should get a baitcaster and use it for LM fishing and just stick with the spinning for smallies. Get something like a 6'6" to 7' medium or medium heavy. You will still be able to cast just about all the soft plastics we throw for LM with it. Senkos are heavy and cast great with baitcasters, and then you will be able to throw the big frogs without overloading your rod as usual. You can also use one of mine to decide if you really want one.

Thanks Jake - I actually have a baitcaster, I just rarely use it. I am thinking of getting a high quality set up but but am unsure if it is really going to allow me to do any more then what I do now.

Thanks for the comments everyone - keep them coming

Up until last year, I used nothing but spinning reels. I still use all spinning for saltwater. But for last christmas I got an Extreme rod and reel (which is a GREAT combo if you're in the market for a nice combo). I put 30lb. power pro on it, and 10lb. fluoro on the spinning reel. I only have 2 combos. As you can guess, I don't have enough combos for real specific lure techniques, rather, I am forced to make decisions based on the line. For my baitcaster, I have braided line, so I use topwaters (yes, I decided to use it, and I like it! Although the line does still wrap around sometimes), most texas rigs, carolina rigs, jigs, buzzbaits, and bucktails. For my spinning rod, I have fluoro, so shakey head rigs, light t-rigs (or in clear water), spinnerbaits, hard jerkbaits, crankbaits, drop-shotting, in-line spinners, some bucktails, weightless senkos/soft jerkbaits (flukes), wacky rigged soft plastics, and weightless senkos/soft jerkbaits with a screw in for a tiny bit of weight. I also can skip with my spinning outift, where as I always get backlashes trying it on my baitcaster (but then again, I don't try much on my baitcaster). The two combos seem to be balanced in terms of action they see, because both have there strengths and weaknesses. I still get backlash sometimes with my baitcaster, where as I have never gotten a backlash with a spinning reel in 7+ years. Once you get used to baitcasting though, backlashing doesn't happen that often, or too bad that you can't fix it. Growing up with a spinning reel, I learned to cast anywhere I want with great accuracy, where as I am starting to get used to that with a baitcaster since I have only had it for one year. I am learning, but I think you learn to become more accurate quicker with a baitcaster. Baitcasters generally handle heavier (or thicker diameter) lines better, while spinning reels do the light line, but I have used 20lb. mono on a bass spinning rod before. Baitcasters are generally for "power fishing," and spinning for "finnesse." IMO, this is bullsh*t. The only people that say this are probably ones that haven't done much spinning reel fishing. I have used spinning reels all my life prior to the baitcaster, and have handled all types of baits well, including frogs on weededges! Spinning is also easier to handle, all you do is release the bail and cast, baitcasters, you have to disengage, thumb the spool, and stop it at the right moment, but smoothly, not a sudden stop. You can break off, and I have broken off lures this way. Also baitcasters toss heavier baits out farther, while spinning can do both. Try casting an inline spinner on a baitcast, then on a spinning outift with lighter line (or even the same!). It's all what kind of fishing you're looking to do. Hope this helped somewhat in your decision.

soft plastics and finesse under 14 lb test spinning 14+ on bc.

Its interesting to hear what strength line everyone uses on their particular set-ups. One a spinning rig, I rarely, as it almost never, use anything heavier than 8lb mono...half the time its 6lb. As I said before, most of my fishing is of the finesse variety (this past season was almost exclusively in rivers for smallies) and I don't trust my drag, so I backreel. On my two bass baitcasters I usually use 12-15lb mono, considered pretty light for some guys I guess. I think next season I'm going to give some powerpro a try and start wormin with a baitcaster. Dave, maybe we should take some lessons :roll: