Charles B.

Here's the thing: I see alot of people dissing spincast reels for bass fishing. What do you think Bill Dance and Virgil Ward used all those years of early tournaments to win with? I've been using all three type reels for years. I still use all three. And I've fished some tournaments in N.C. as well, so I'm at least a little educated on the sport. While I agree that in tournament fishing spincast reels today are probably not a good choice, recreationally speaking, I still think they are lots of fun to use. And, I still catch anywhere from 2-5 lb fish with them. Now, if you're on a body of water that you know holds giant bass....8lbs and up, again, probably not the best choice. The Upper Verde River here in Az where I fish, is a shallow, narrow river, with biggies, smallies, rainbow, bluegills and cats. The smallies get no more than about 2lbs. So you see, this all needs to be clarified somewhat per the body of water, and type of fishing done. Actually, there are some pro-quality spincasters on the market now. about $75.00 and up, that are really pretty good reels. But I still catch bass all the time on my Zebco Merc 3 Quicksilver Longcast. This one is older, and comparable to an old 33. To reiterate, if you're fishing on a serious tournament lake or river, Lake Fork, Lanier, Kentucky Lake, Lake of the Ozarks, Erie, etc, you'll need your baitcasters and spinners. But despite what the elitists say, the "bass snobs" LOL, you can still catch many good size bass on spincasters. I do it regularly. Good fishing people!!!~

Wanna catch some great Northern Pike?....just for something different?....Upper Lake Mary in Flagstaff. Big Walleyes too!.......just FYI.

Oh, in addition to my previous post, I will admit that some of this may have to do with the type of fishing you do. I am not a "finesse" fisherman. For me, it's just too boring. Chunk and wind, baby!! I catch most of my fish(bass, trout, crappie, "gills) on Rooster Tails, jointed cranks, spinnerbaits and the like. Perhaps, if you do much finesse fishing, a St Croix, Loomis, etc, may make a difference for you, but for myself, because of my type of fishing, most likely those rods would just be a waste of my money. Again, good fishing!!!

As both a low-level tournament and recreational fisherman, i will say that I've thought about this subject much. I say.....to each his or her own! All my gear is Shakespeare. It's affordable, and gets the job done. I do think that it comes down to more so the knowledge of the fisherman, than the equipment, overall. The anglers you see on TV are all fishing "stocked" waters, or, they are fishing the most productive bodies of water in the nation, which all of us are not privy to, of course. when the bite is on, you can catch "em with a stick and a piece of twine!!..When the bite is off, it's off, period. And if you're not on a great body of water for fishing, you will most likely not even get a nibble. Fish have their own timetable and agenda, so most of the time, all we can do is is use our knowledge as best we can, and of course much of the time, it's guesswork and trial and error. If one wishes to spend a "boatload"(sorry, LOL!) of money on expensive stuff, well, hey, go for it. Whatever trips your trigger. And we all know the old saying, "lures catch more fisherman than fish", and that goes for rods and reels as well. So, use whatever works for you, and good fishing to all you!!!.....Charles.