Question About Spinning Gear

[BassSlayer71]

Recently, I saw some talk about guys using spinning reels for casting shallow square bill cranks and soft plastics like flukes.  

 

My question is do yall still stay around a 6:3 gear ratio on the reels for this and a 7ft MF action rod?  Other suggestions?

[Crappiebasser]

With spinning reels you have to look at the IPT instead of ratio. My stradic 3000 is 35 IPT which is a good bit higher than any of my casting reels.

[BassSlayer71]

Ah, that makes sense.  I would expect for the crank to stay more around the low 20s.  But the fluke... probably into the 30s?  Would that sound about right?

[Mike2841]

For flukes I don't think it matters that much, I usually twitch them, pause, then reel in the slack. I wouldn't overthink it.

[fishballer06]

The advantage spinning reels give you on lures like that is the ability to cast very lightweight lures for a pretty far distance. 

 

As stated above, spinning reels have a much higher IPT retrieve than a baitcasting reel, even if they're rated the same ratio.

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

For flukes I don't think it matters that much, I usually twitch them, pause, then reel in the slack. I wouldn't overthink it.

Some folks fish them this way with great success. I fish them very quickly so i look for as high a gear ratio as possible. (So i'm winding less)

Work a fluke too slow in gin clear water and you will watch fish come up, get too good a look.. And go back down.

(To me) the Fluke is a reaction strike lure. Its coming by fast, bass recognizes, mmmm, shad,.. I'm not hungry, but gulp,.. I ate it anyway.

Too slow can be a bad thing. Just my opinion.

[Missourifishin]

I don't think you need to fish a squarebill or other crank extremely slow in the shallows. I like to change up my speeds frequently anyway, so I would be changing the speed at which I turned the handles no matter what ipt my reel was. Before I got into baitcasters, I had no problem fishing cranks with my 7' m/f and mh/f spinning setups. Now though, I wouldn't fish a crank on a spinning setup unless the lure was VERY light, or if I decide to fish spur of the moment and only have my 2 piece spinning rod in my truck.

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Problem with crankbaits on spinning gear is it tends to make them tumble in the air. (Wrapping treble hooks in the line)

With light cranks you have little choice.

[SirSnookalot]

I use spinning for everything, all techniques, all lure types and all fish species.  Much of my fishing is moving the lure with arm movements and reeling up slack, ratio and IPT are not my paramount concern.  I don't care to burn my lures in, I honestly think just about any fish species goes for the easiest target and that's a slower moving lure.  The times I do burn my lures in I don't fish having any trouble in catching a lure if they want it.

[Sam]

I throw everything on a spinning rig and never worry about it.

 

As long as the line test and the bait's weight are within the rod's parameters you can successfully use any bait you want.

[Catch and Grease]

I like a faster reel for shallow crankbaits so you don't have to reel like a mad man, with square bills your usually reeling the bait in quick anyways so I don't see the need for a slow reel.

[Senko lover]

You can throw either of those on spinning tackle. Okay, so they don't inhale a mile of line every crank of the reel handle, but they get the job done.

Funny story.

I was visiting my Grandparents up north, and had before that done quite a bit of fishing at a private lake and pond on other stops that vacation. My spinning rod got a massive, massive tangle while I was night fishing, and it was out of commission. I was pretty disappointed, because there was a pond and a stream right by their house. So, I borrowed my little sister's rod (that I got her): a Zebco Dock demon spincast combo. About a foot 1/2 in length, bendy as a switch and could handle-at the max-four pounds. So I take it down to the stream in an attempt to catch my first smallmouth. I tried several different lures and eventually ended up catching 3 on a beetle spin. They were really small, but the true test was yet to come. The next day I took it down to the pond. I caught one bass on a plastic worm (!) and then switched to a square bill. The Dock Demon probably had a gear ratio of 1:1:1. It was that slow. But it cast a mile, and I kept whizzing that squarebill out there. Ended up catching a two pound bass on it (okay, so I well roped him in) and released it. That squarebill must have been crawling! I couldn't believe that I had actually caught one on it.

Not suggesting that you get a Zebco Dock Demon, but that story goes to show that maybe gear ratio's aren't as vital as we think.

[BassSlayer71]

(To me) the Fluke is a reaction strike lure. Its coming by fast, bass recognizes, mmmm, shad,.. I'm not hungry, but gulp,.. I ate it anyway.

          Had me cracking up and I am with you.  I believe that is totally true.

 

All great information.  Loving this forum as I wouldn't have thought to do this at all but as I try to get more use to baitcasters... this gives me a fall back and/or a new way of fishing these lighter lures.  I wondered how good you had to be to cast some of these lights lures on a baitcaster.

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Don't get me wrong, i have caught many a large bass with the fluke laying on bottom (while i take out a backlash on a baitcaster) so they do take both fast and slow,.. I find fast is the ticket though. Again, one guys opinion.

Just so much more precise w/ spinning reel, especially off angle flips, skipping up under docks etc.

"Skipping" a fluke on points can be phenomenal.. Cant do that with a bait-caster. (Not gonna happen)

[BassSlayer71]

I'm definitely going to try it out and see how I like it.

[5fishlimit]

I wondered how good you had to be to cast some of these lights lures on a baitcaster.

With the right equipment it's not that difficult.

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

You need to be low down to the water and just practice some side arm skips.. You'll eventually get to where you can skip it pretty well. Looks just like a shad skipping across the top of the water to flee an attacking bass. Really draws them over to see what the commotion is all about.. WHAM!!

[BassSlayer71]

With the right equipment it's not that difficult.

 

 

That maybe be my problem.  And setting the brakes and such correctly.

 

You need to be low down to the water and just practice some side arm skips.. You'll eventually get to where you can skip it pretty well. Looks just like a shad skipping across the top of the water to flee an attacking bass. Really draws them over to see what the commotion is all about.. WHAM!!

 

 

Well, I never really thought about the sound it makes.  I just figured it was used to get up under the dock only lol.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

If yall are using the gear ratio to bring in fluke your doin it all wrong.Making a fluke work right has nothing to do with gear ratio.Its all about rod action.Then again i use a 5'6" pistol grip med action.I can make the fluke jump.out of the water if i want but it aint from my reel bein fast.