Trials And Errors With A Baitcaster Pt. 1: Why Get A Baitcast Combo?

[Senko lover]

Note: This is a series I'm starting about straightening your learning curve with a baitcast reel. I purchased my first last year and am hoping to help other beginners gain confidence with an awesome type of reel. This is NOT targeted toward pros and I'm not pretending to have all the knowledge in the world about them.

 

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Last year, I got my first baitcast combo. I watched thousands of YouTube videos on the subject, did a ton of research, and invested in a nice rod and reel. I am now casting with ease, remaining (relatively ) backlash free, and flipping, pitching, and skipping like a boss. Well, not quite! But I do practice a lot with it and have become decent at using my reel.

 

There are many people who refuse to use a baitcasting reel. I was one of them just months ago. Here are the two biggest and most common misconceptions about these reels:

1. They will explode in a birds nest if you take your thumb off the spool during the cast.
   This is simply not true. If you have your brakes and spool tension set right (I'll talk about this later in the series), you can lightly feather the reel or take your thumb off for parts of the cast, and your reel won't overrun.
2. They cost you an arm and a leg:
   Not all baitcasters are expensive. They run in range from $30 all the way to $500+ reels. A happy "medium" (of sorts!) for a beginner is around $100. 

 

So why would you make the switch from spinning or spincasting gear to a baitcaster? Here are my top reasons.

 

• Your accuracy will increase greatly
  Being able to feather the spool means you can stop the bait exactly where you want it. For picking apart any kind of cover, this is invaluable. You will eventually learn how to flip and pitch (also coming later in the series), and once you get these skills down you can put your bait exactly where you like.
• You can cast at much shorter ranges.
  Ever tried to cast three feet in front of you with a spinning reel? It can be done but it's a LOT easier to do it with a baitcast, especially if you learn how to flip and pitch.
• You can handle heavier baits
  Spinning reels can throw heavy baits, but it starts to get hard and pinch your finger if the weight gets too heavy. This is where a baitcaster excels. With the right equipment, you can throw 3+ oz. baits. Baits in the 3/8 to 3/4 oz. range are more reasonable if you're just starting. Besides, the reels can handle much heavier rods than a spinning reel normally can, so you can easily pull the biggest bass out of thick cover.
• You can cover water faster
  Using a baitcaster, you can cover water much faster than with a spinning reel. Instead of lining up the hinge point, flipping the bail, holding the line, and casting, (as you would with a spinning reel), all you have to do is depress the thumb bar and cast. It may not sound like much but believe me, casting becomes a much smoother and quicker process.

However, I don't want to paint too rosy a picture for you. Baitcasters do have some downsides.

• You won't be able to cast light baits with any ease.
  Weightless plastics and baits in general under 3/8s of an ounce become difficult to control on a normal baitcaster (there are finesse versions, however.). BUT you probably will still have your spinning rod, and that's where a spinning combo excels.
• You do get backlashes
  Your patience will be tested: baitcasters do get backlashes. However, they're not as intimidating as they might seem. Most can simply be pulled right out and reeled up.
• You won't be able to cast as far at first.
  If you're accustomed to spinning reels, which can hurl a bait long distances with ease, you may have trouble at first casting far. But don't worry, you'll soon get over it.

 Hopefully this helped you get over some misconceptions you may have had with these reels. In my mind, the pros FAR outweigh the cons for buying a baitcaster. Some money invested and time spent, and you'll be well on your way to casting like KVD.

 

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Next up in the series: Buying the combo.
 

[retiredbosn]

Very well written and thought out, good luck with this series.

[22hertz]

Well written, and thank you for taking the time to write it for a noob like me wanting to know the differences and looking into buying my first baitcaster (and if it was worth the investment)

[massrob]

Good idea with this series I just got my first baitcasters and it's not going well. Hopefully this will help. Thanks

[F14A-B]

Good idea with this series I just got my first baitcasters and it's not going well. Hopefully this will help. Thanks

If your having issues, post a question or two on the forum.. Lots of experience on here, plenty of people want to help beginning fisherman in all aspects of angling, to succeed ..

[SirSnookalot]

It is a good list and I'm sure many people will appreciate it.

Every benefit listed can be done with spinning gear, as far as I'm concerned the rod and reel is only a means to deliver the lure to a target.

With spinning

Accuracy.......................I can cast to a pin point.

Flipping.........................As Glenn posted a video, I did that when I wore knickers.

Distance........................Not a problem if needed.

Lure weight...................Rods made to a wide range of lures, with desired actions.

Covering water.............Many spinning reels have more IPT.

Drag.............................Don't see much difference there.

Pulling fish from cover..The rod does the work.

Backlash or digging......Not with spinning, windknots yes but easy casting reduces it.

Line twist......................Yes with spinning & mono, trolling out remedies that.

Power vs finesse..........Who made that nonsense up, the rod is the key not the reel.

Fish size.......................Big fish are caught on both spinning and B/C.

 

If one prefers a B/C, be my guest I'll stick with spinning. 

[deep]

Agree with everything SirSnook posted.

 

However, I roll 100% casting gear. There's one thing I can't do well/ comfortably with spinning gear- hold the line between my thumb and forefinger on my non-reeling hand to feel for bites. That, and I'd have to go get saltwater gear to fish swimbaits on a spinning combo.

[merckxrider]

I prefer both options for different scenarios. I use both in salt and fresh areas. I found that I do better with a medium to heavy rod with the casters. For more finesse needs,I go to my spinners. Either way, good start with the series. I'll be following along.