Larger Spools

[Robert Riley]

So is there any reason to get a larger spooled reel? I get that there is more line capacity, but I've never even run into my backing before. Are there any other advantages?

[JeziHogg]

Personally I don't think anyone needs anything bigger then a 50 size baitcaster. That being said the ONLY exception I can see is if you're throwing those massive swimbaits.

[Tywithay]

If you're casting very large baits, the added weight makes the spool spin faster. This equates to added distance. Doesn't have much use in bass fishing though.

[Tywithay]

Personally I don't think anyone needs anything bigger then a 50 size baitcaster. That being said the ONLY exception I can see is if you're throwing those massive swimbaits.

I've got reels that hold 12/120, or similar capacities, and I can spool a couple of them with 15lb fluoro a 5/8oz lipless crank. Just depends on the reel.

[Jrob78]

When you make a really long cast and almost spool the reel, you lose your ipt at the beginning of the retrieve.  This matters more for some baits than others.

[Robert Riley]

I mean I usually just fish from the banks and im not a swimbait fisherman. I could only really see myself needing it for maybe deep cranks or something like that.

[Tony L.]

I don't anticipate that you would ever fight a fish that would run your line all the way into the backing on a large spool, but there are a couple advantages that I can think of.

1) line management- if you are fishing a line like monofilament, you will have less problems with line memory on a larger spool because it is not looped as tightly as it would be on a smaller reel. That can be a pretty significant difference once you get into the heavier line. I'm sire this would be less of a factor if you were fishing no memory lines like braid or flouro.

2) inches per turn (maybe)- with all other things kept equal, a larger spool is going to pick up ever so slightly more line per rotation than a smaller one. I honestly don't know that the difference between the two is noticeable enough to really make too much of a fuss over though. Maybe someone with more experience has a better idea than I do.

The only other thing that I could possibly think of is the fact that, if you were fishing a really thick diameter line that fills the spool quickly, you might be better off using a larger spool to ensure that it holds enough for you to make long casts-- but that would be kind of a stretch. For all practical purposes, I've never had the need (or ability) to throw my lure to the moon.

[gulfcaptain]

Other then 2 300 size reels which are dedicated "larger swimbait" rigs, most of my reels are in the standard size although some have shallow spools and others deeper...IE EXO 100 has a deeper spool the a Kinetic. One I believe holds 145yrds of 12 the other 125yrds.  But with backing and braid they end up about the same. But deep cranking would be the only advantage of a deeper spool in a regular sized reel as you have more line capacity.

[OntarioFishingGuy]

Muskie fishing and salmon fishing are the only times that i need line capacity. Saltwater too, but i dont fish saltwater. I guess if you were using big swimbaits or monster cranks, but other than that, you dont really need the line capacity.

[Smallmouth Hunter]

Line capacity is not as important as spool diamter in most cases. With larger diamter spools, the spool can spin less revolutions than a smaller diameter spool because the circumference of it is larger.

Also, spool width is important. With a narrow spool, the circumference of the line on the spool will decrease faster if you will, because the layers of line are not as long. On a wider spool, there is more wraps of the line per layer so during a cast, the circumference of the line on the spool will not go down as fast, and therefore the spool will not have to keep spinning as quickly to keep up with the bait. Hard to explain but I think you get the picture.

[Robert Riley]

Other then 2 300 size reels which are dedicated "larger swimbait" rigs, most of my reels are in the standard size although some have shallow spools and others deeper...IE EXO 100 has a deeper spool the a Kinetic. One I believe holds 145yrds of 12 the other 125yrds. But with backing and braid they end up about the same. But deep cranking would be the only advantage of a deeper spool in a regular sized reel as you have more line capacity.

I was actually looking at purchasing an Exo 200, but I was wondering if I even needed the larger spool

[gulfcaptain]

I was actually looking at purchasing an Exo 200, but I was wondering if I even needed the larger spool

Depends on what you were wanting to do with it.  If you were gonna crank with it, well it may give you an advantage since you can hold more line which would equal less memory especially if it was flouro or mono.  And the 100 is a bit narrower then the Kinetic but I like it to flip and pitch since it's really light.  I'm thinking of looking into the 200 myself to put on my longer flipping rod and replace the Kinetic that's on there now.