New Article: Spinning Vs. Baitcasting

[Glenn]

New fuel for the age-old debate!

 

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/spinning-baitcasting-choice.html

 

[jdw174]

I once fished with a guy who used nothing but spinning tackle.  His casting accuracy was fantastic, and he could make a lure land in the water with barely a ripple.  It was fascinating to watch him fish.

[SirSnookalot]

I can't find anything to disagree with in the article with the exception of a snap swivel, bb or not I don't care for that much hardware near my lure.  I'm nothing but a spinning user, I can cast very accurate, I can pitch with a simple backhand flip.  Using 15 or 20# braid to pull bass out of heavy cover has never been an issue.  There is a rod made to handle all lure types and sizes, never could understanding why I need to label power and finesse fishing.  Open water IMO is where I see spinning really shine.  Right tool for the right job, for me it's the right spinning outfit to deal with certain elements and species.

[nosdog2]

Great article.

[WRB]

With today's size 50 series bait casters designed for light line & lures with med-light or 2 power rods you can get bye without a spinning outfit.

With that said I have 3 spinning outfits rigged most of the time for finesse small plastics; slip shot, drop shot and light nail rigs.

The lure that got me started using spinning outfits for bass fishing was the original Rapala F9 minnow, too and wind resistant to cast well with a bait caster.

Tom

[BassMaster17]

I have never even used a baitcaster, they were always too expensive for me, unless you want a crappy one which i would rather pass. Spinning for days

[MIbassyaker]

I also have never used a baitcaster. I grew up on spinning tackle in northern water and have just never made the switch. I keep thinking I should get a nice baitcaster and learn it but I haven't really felt the urgency, since spinning gear still seems to work fine for the various locations and presentations I fish.

[CeeJay]

Excellent article.

 

I only use spinning, as I have supreme confidence in it from using it for so long.  I tend to do a lot of backhand casts since I'm a bank angler.

However as far as line goes, I've pretty much decided to switch to braid...or, I should say, I've decided to at least try it out. 

[Marquis Cooper]

Really good article! I only have used Spinning myself. I am just more comfortable with it. I haven't run into any issues so I don't see the need to rush and get a Baitcaster. I have to admit I so want one for the sake of having it with me. For now, I'm going to try Braid line on my spinning reel and see how it goes.

[RoLo]

For me the transition has been just the reverse.

I used both spinning tackle & conventional tackle in saltwater, but for many years

it was strictly spinning gear for all my freshwater fishing (even muskies).

I should add, the casting gear of yore cannot hold a candle to the sophisticated casting reels available today.

 

Roger

[Brnnoser6983]

I use to only use spinning reels, but two years I bought my first caster combo. It wasn't easy to make the change. But this year my caster has been my #1 go to setup on the water.

[KayakBasser]

Always nice to get more info.

[Jrob78]

If I went the rest of my life and never used another spinning set up I would be ok.  I learned on baitcasters and I much prefer using them.  I own spinning gear but I rarely break them out.

[K_Mac]

I use both. I prefer baitcast for all but the lightest line and baits. I could get by with only spinning though. It is really only a matter of preference.

[Danturner]

Great article!

[visagelaid]

I've never used a baitcaster.  I've never really had a problem with my spinning gear.  I just dont see the benefit to change over.

[greentrout]

Spinning gear with 8 lb. test Texas-rjgged Zoom finesse worm has put a few LMB in my boat.

 

The old school basser...

[yugrac]

The highest priced rig I have is a baitcaster, G loomis rod with a Quantum KVD Tour series reel, that said I fish with almost all spinning tackle. St Croix rods and pflueger reels. Fished with spinning rigs for the last 40+ years, they both have there place and time, but I really like spinning better. But If you go to baitcasters, dont waste your money on cheapos, you wont have a good time and get very frustrated, I know I tried it.

[Snyper]

I actually use both. There are just way too many advantages to each type of casting to limit myself. I can never catch too many bass (catch and release), and limiting myself to one casting type would limit my catch even more than just the conditions, state of feeding of the fish, etc, though I prefer to use baitcast. I even use #8WFF and a 6 lb leader / tippet for Bass Buggin' on a 9' fly rod. It is really difficult to get any distance casting a 1/32 or 1/16 oz lure on baitcast. My son only uses spinning now, but in the past used both also. I believe that he thinks it's some sort of 'chore' to cast a baitcaster. I can chunk-n-wind all day and feel good about it.

[WRB]

We sometimes forget that spinning reels have been around since the early 50's when nylon monofilament line became popular. Baitcasting reels were used with braided line long before nylon mono became popular and few bait casters could handle mono line.

The first pro bass anglers that I recall using spinning tackle was Garry & Bobby Garland and Gary Yamamoto, followed by Guido Hibbon in the 70's. Finesse bass fishing required spinning tackle or highly tuned baitcasters to cast 1/8 oz or less lures on 6 lb line.

Today most avid bass anglers have spinning outfits along with baitcasters.

Spinning reels have come along way and you see them being used for big game fish like tuna. There was a time spinning reel spools froze up and broke off striping all the guides off spinning rods when used for ocean fishing.

Tom

[fish devil]

I use both.  Love the spinning gear for jerkbaits, shallow cranks and smaller plastics.  Can't beat a baitcaster for power fishing. When the reaction bite is on and covering water is critical, the bc totally dominates.

[EmersonFish]

I've finally come around to spinning gear a lot more over the last several years, part out of necessity, since I need a better finesse arsenal since I've moved to Missouri and have been fishing a lot more water in general. The biggest thing though has been the advancements in braided line which has made spinning gear a lot more user friendly to me.

I'm not sure I agree with the articles assertion that spinning gear allows the angler "a wider range of casting motions." Hasn't been my experience.

[HoosierHawgs]

Open water IMO is where I see spinning really shine. Right tool for the right job, for me it's the right spinning outfit to deal with certain elements and species.

If you are drop shotting or some other light line technique in open water, yes spinning shines, but if I'm trying to throw a crankbait open water I want a low gear round reel that will bomb that crank 75-100 yards, and then have cranking power to get that thing down in the strike zone.

[Allen Der]

IMO everyone should have at least one of each.  sure you can get a high end supertuned baitcaster to throw light lures, but it's much cheaper and easier to get a spinning outfit.  conversely, you could get a big saltwater reel and rod to throw heavy baits, but a heavy casting outfit is going to weigh half as much and be easier to fish all day.  Everything else in between you could really go either way.  I'm probably 60/40 casting to spinning outfits

[SirSnookalot]

If you are drop shotting or some other light line technique in open water, yes spinning shines, but if I'm trying to throw a crankbait open water I want a low gear round reel that will bomb that crank 75-100 yards, and then have cranking power to get that thing down in the strike zone.

I can't cast a diamond jig with a tail wind 100 yds using an 8' rod, I could do it with a surf rod but I wouldn't be using one for bass fishing.

Finesse vs power is pure propaganda, there is virtually nothing that can't be done with spinning gear, relative to one's personal skill level.  There is a spinning rod designed for any kind of fish, technique and lure. I can make a case jigging or punching mats with an inshore rod with my hand on the foregrip, I probably have more leverage it may even be easier.  Pitching  or flipping with spinning is a proverbial piece of cake, simple backhand toss does it quite well and effortlessly. 

Maybe this applies or maybe not, yesterday I was watching Saltwater Experience on tv.  They were fishing mangroves in the Everglades, skipping lures 15-20' under the mangroves and pulling out snook.  They were using 7'6 mh rods with 14 oz spinning reels standing on a flat bottom canoe.  True they are professionals, but they are not inshore fishermen for the most part their expertise is offshore.   A good fisherman can use anything with high level of expertise.  There are just too many spinning only fishermen that do a bang up job catching all kinds of fish in any kind of environment.