Closed Face Spincast Reels - Any Good For Bass Fishing?

[Rudy523]

I have 8 Baitcast reels and love them, But I hate spinning reels I have 2 and they stay in my rod locker. When I want to throw light lures and be accurate I break out my  Zebco Omega Z03 Spincast Reels 7 seven-bearing and smooth. I put a lot of fish in the boat with them and you can say what you want it's what you put in the livewell that counts.

[XpressJeff]

Barbie did a fine job for my Granddaughter catching bluegills. 

 

She uses a Shimano Spinning reel now though.

[Lures'n'Liberty]

Just an FYI while the subject is back up and running, for what it's worth there's been a lot of discussion on the zebco bullet. Anyone looking to spend $100 on a quality spincast reel with a fast retrieve ratio should know that the Daiwa SC120 has a higher IPT ratio, an all metal body, and it's half the price.

[Boomstick]

My experience with spin cast reels is that the drag maxes out around somewhere between 1 and 3lbs, but most of my spin cast reels were cheap entry level reels as well. Also, anything you can do on a spin cast reel you can do on a spinning reel and they really aren't that much harder to use.

That said, more spin cast reels are made to be cheap than be quality reels, but people have caught some serious fish on better made models, no doubt.

[Darren.]

Of the closed face, I've always preferred underspin

models as they balance better...to me. Like a spinning

rod with the reel hanging down. That said, I've used

some tiny closed face reels in both top and underspin.

 

Haven't used mine for many years. They caught me 

a lot of bass and panfish. Drag is the week spot, IMO,

agree with @Boomstick on that.

[Ecatman1]

What a great subject to talk about I really like hearing about everyone's point of view since I don't have a lot of fishing buddies..... Well my two cents.... I love spincast  because I'm the guy without the boat who ends up hiking to areas and finding lakes and ponds. I'm often walking through brush and wooded areas to get to the Shoreline and it's very nice to have a closed real that doesn't seem to catch every weed and Twig as I get to the Shoreline also I use a shorter Rod about a five-and-a-half footer so that I can flip it  it mostly because there's trees and brush overhanging I swear by spincast and I have caught 5 + Pounders on Zebco 404 and my Zebco 33. I know there's a lot of fishing snobs that look down on spincast but they suit my style of fishing therefore they are perfect and like a fella said before me the fish don't know what you're using the catch them. My favorite spincast is the  zebco prostaff 20/20 it is amazingly smooth and I can cast that really far and cover lots of water. I find that the secret to getting the most and best use out of a spincast is to use the lightest line you can for the fish you're trying to catch. I use 10 lb line because it offers a nice blend of strength and cast ability. I do have to say most of my spincast reels are vintage ...my hobby is  to collect and refurb them I have a feeling that these are higher quality than the modern ones so maybe I'm having a better experience then someone who's purchasing new ones.

5 minutes ago, Ecatman1 said:

 

Caught on a Zebco authentic series rod and a 404 reel kind of throw away set up but it' sure works.

[WB4IUY]

Old thread, but here's my 1 cent worth ?  Spincast reels have come a long ways. Been fishing about 50 years. I've been using the Zebco bullets for about 2 years, several times/week. Great retrieve rate (29 ipt), 9 bearings, smooth & stable drag, handles braid, quick change reel, smooth brake, casts like butter, no blowups under the hood. Now have several of them and love'm.

 

Dave

[roadwarrior]

No.

 

[WB4IUY]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

No.

 

Not sure what that means, but I have good luck with them.

[The Bassman]

11 minutes ago, WB4IUY said:

Not sure what that means, but I have good luck with them.

And that's what really matters. And by the way, welcome to the forums. Looking forward to your contributions (posts, not $$) lol.

[WB4IUY]

3 minutes ago, The Bassman said:

And that's what really matters. And by the way, welcome to the forums. Looking forward to your contributions (posts, not $$) lol.

Thanks, glad I found this site. A friend told me about it, lots of good info to read, for sure!

 

Dave

[papajoe222]

My wife only uses these reeks, so I bought her the best available, IMO, Pfluger. She has landed numerous 5-5lb bass and cats. She did loose her PB this season, but not because of the reel. 

[Bazoo]

Interesting discussion. I have been tinkering with spincasting reels since I was a kid, mostly Zebco 33s. Since before I learned to use a baitcaster.

 

I have 2 older 33s (I gave one to my boy because the new 202 he was using started giving him issues) and a Zebco Pro Staff 20/20.

 

I just tore the 20/20 down and cleaned and oiled it. Thinking about putting 8lb line on and using it for tight cover bank fishing.

 

Looks like some of the new Zebco models and the Diawa Goldcast are good reels. Be interesting to try some of those.

[bulldog1935]

Honestly, get over 33 and try an Omega Pro (or at least Delta).  

Adding spool oscillation for line lay really improves cast distance.  

 

[Randy Price]

My Dad had GBS (Guillain-Barre Syndrome) and had to re learn how to walk and use his hands.  He loved to fish but had a hard time with a spinning reel.  I bought him a Zebco Omega Pro push button reel and he loved it.  Never had any issues catching fish.

[bulldog1935]

@Randy Price

That's exactly why I bought Omega Pro - at 94, my dad can't cast his baitcasters any more.  

[Randy Price]

12 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

@Randy Price

That's exactly why I bought Omega Pro - at 94, my dad can't cast his baitcasters any more.  

@bulldog1935, enjoy being able to fish with your Dad.  My Dad passed three years ago at 75 to cancer.  Still miss him.