Heavy Line On Spinning Reel

[stk44]

I usually hear that people use bait casting reels because they can cast heavier line. Well, I have a spinning reel that holds 185 yards of 30 lb braid. It's a penn conflict, I believe a 3000 series. I've used it for bass, and also use it for bluefish and other inshore fishing. Why is this the standard? I will say for one, that the penn conflict is pretty heavy, so casting cranks or spinners would get tiring. Are there any other reasons why bass anglers primarily use bait casting reels primarily for heavier setups and spinning gear for finesse fishing? It seems to me that spinning gear could be used for both.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Steve

[flyfisher]

spinnig gear handles lighter weight baits and line at a much cheeper cost.  you can do all the same with bait casting gear but you will have to get specific gear to do so.

[stk44]

If that's the case, then why isn't spinning gear more popular in the bass fishing world? Honestly, I love using baitcasters, but it seems like spinning gear is a lot more versatile. Ultimately, I want to know why bass fishermen don't ever talk about heavy line and big baits on a spinning setup. I mean, they use a lot of spinning gear for saltwater fishing...

[flyfisher]

I think most of it goes back to the stigma that a spinning reel is for beginners and people don't want to be looked at as a beginner.  People claim a bait caster is more accurate to which i totally disagree.  It really is a preference thing and for me the heavier weight rods feel better in a bait casting set up.  I don't have anything spinning related heavier than a M power but bait casting i have MH and H both of which the spinning versions I did not like.

[stk44]

Yeah, I agree with you completely. I was in a close quarters fishing situation this weekend where there was a small cut-out in the woods. The cover that I was trying to cast to was just far enough that I couldn't pitch to. It was next to impossible with a baitcaster. Crushed perch, rockies, and trout on a light spinning setup.

[Darren.]

Spinning gear can be used for everything you

want to use it for with regard to bass fishing.

 

I use both casting and spinning, and both are

great. I could use spinning for everything, but

I chose to learn baitcasting and really enjoy it.

 

That said, I don't need casting for how I fish.

 

And I use 1000 size spinning reels, nothing as

big as 3000 or 4000 size beasts. You can do 

almost anything with those and the right line.

 

Unless you are exceedingly well versed in the 

art of baitcasting -- i.e., skipping and such 

under docks and trees, nothing beats spinning

gear for those options.

 

I consider myself pretty decent with casting gear,

but there are times when only spinning gear will

keep me from going crazy.

[BobP]

When I use 'heavy' line on a baitcaster it's 12-20 lb fluoro or mono.  I wouldn't use that on a bass size 20-30 size spinning reel.  I use both types of reels but I'm accurate with a baitcaster when fishing shallow cover and I can feather casts for a soft landing, skip baits with one, etc.  I admire guys who can do all that with a spinning rod, but I'm not one.  I like spinning gear for dropshotting and shaky head worms, sometimes for weightless plastics and that's about it.  If you're a spinning guru and especially if you use braid for most of your fishing, there's probably no reason to switch to a baitcaster.  It's just a matter of using the most practical gear for the application and your skill level with that particular gear. 

[Fisher-O-men]

This has been bantied about before, but why not one more time.  With a baitcaster one is in closer contact with the line and bait. Yes, you can use a spinner for most anything, but it is not the best tool for everything. It is NOT the "novice stigma" in my opinion.  Any one who thinks like that is missing out on the techniques where spinners shine. 

 

One thing that is a definite drawback to the spinner is line twist.  Braided line has pretty much solved that problem.

[d-camarena]

I was a big spinning believer and i recently bought a couple baitcaster. It makes frogging and texas rigging a lot easier. I still use spinning for most of my fishing but i definetly understand why people use baitcasters. Now i throw any weighted baits on the baitcaster. Leaving plastics for spinning gear

[SirSnookalot]

I'm spinning only, even gave up the fly rod which is really the ultimate technique.  Most of my fishing inshore, my gear varies depending if I'm fishing a beach, jetty or sea wall.  The heaviest I use in 20# braid with 20-20# leader.  I load about 260-280 yds with 30# max drag@ about 14 oz, pretty light really., mh rod that handles up to about 3 oz.  This is fish specific only, larger jacks and juvenile tarpon.   I do use 30# braid with 40# leader offshsore, the fish can get bigger.   I have a conventional reel with 30# mono, never use it over my spinning and and 8000 spheros with 17# mono,  the reel is ok, line a  little heavy, good for drift fishing.

 

 

 

In all honesty when I bass fish I don't give much thought to lines, usually it's 10# braid.

[Raul]

I'm spinning only, even gave up the fly rod which is really the ultimate technique.  Most of my fishing inshore, my gear varies depending if I'm fishing a beach, jetty or sea wall.  The heaviest I use in 20# braid with 20-20# leader.  I load about 260-280 yds with 30# max drag@ about 14 oz, pretty light really., mh rod that handles up to about 3 oz.  This is fish specific only, larger jacks and juvenile tarpon.   I do use 30# braid with 40# leader offshsore, the fish can get bigger.   I have a conventional reel with 30# mono, never use it over my spinning and and 8000 spheros with 17# mono,  the reel is ok, line a  little heavy, good for drift fishing.

 

 

 

In all honesty when I bass fish I don't give much thought to lines, usually it's 10# braid.

 

That´s the reason why you don´t catch anything worth mention, you aren´t using the "right" gear ( baitcasting )   , if I remember well Fish Chris ( for those who don´t know who he is you can google it ) was your brother in arms, he too, never caught anything interesting.

[Darren.]

That´s the reason why you don´t catch anything worth mention, you aren´t using the "right" gear ( baitcasting )   , if I remember well Fish Chris ( for those who don´t know who he is you can google it ) was your brother in arms, he too, never caught anything interesting.

 

Fish Chris... Amateur!   

 

I hope he comes back....

[WRB]

The late Bill Murphy (In Pursuit of Giant Bass) fished with spinning tackle using a salt water size Cardinal 6 reel and rods with larger size guides, 14 lb mono. The key to using heavier or larger diameter line is using larger diameter spinning reel spools that reduce the coil affect. The other option is use braid.

Tom

[the reel ess]

If that's the case, then why isn't spinning gear more popular in the bass fishing world? Honestly, I love using baitcasters, but it seems like spinning gear is a lot more versatile. Ultimately, I want to know why bass fishermen don't ever talk about heavy line and big baits on a spinning setup. I mean, they use a lot of spinning gear for saltwater fishing...

Spinning is popular in the bass fishing world. Ask any pro. I had to get one for weightless Trick Worms. After a while trying to cast a Rapala Minnow on my lightest BC combo and picking out backlashes half the day, I bought another Med/moderate spinning combo for that duty.

[the reel ess]

The late Bill Murphy (In Pursuit of Giant Bass) fished with spinning tackle using a salt water size Cardinal 6 reel and rods with larger size guides, 14 lb mono. The key to using heavier or larger diameter line is using larger diameter spinning reel spools that reduce the coil affect. The other option is use braid.

Tom

The 300 or 3000 sized spinning reel should make that easier. I use 20#  braid on both my bass spinning combos.

[bigbill]

I haven't talked with our brother Fish Chris in years. Hope he's ok. Good fisherman. Great guy.

The "20" sized spool for 6lb test to 8lb test. The distance on the spinning reel is still good. The "30" sized spool I use 8lb, 10lb, 12lb. With some 30 sized reels they have a slightly larger spool. On this it's 14lb and 17lb on my heavier baits. I also have "40" sized reels too. The 6lb is for the light, small lures.

I have inshore salt water tackle.

The line test does effect the action of the lure and how deep it will run.

The lighter the line the deeper it runs and we get free action too.

[Raul]

The late Bill Murphy (In Pursuit of Giant Bass) fished with spinning tackle using a salt water size Cardinal 6 reel and rods with larger size guides, 14 lb mono. The key to using heavier or larger diameter line is using larger diameter spinning reel spools that reduce the coil affect. The other option is use braid.

Tom

 

There you have it, another amateur that does´t fish with the "right" gear ( bait casting ). 

 

I don´t know to which group do I belong, I do have a serious collection of baitcasters but if I were forced to choose to just one setup for the rest of my life I would pick spinning gear without hesitation and in an eye blink ( maybe because for all my foot patrol adventures spinning gear is absolutely perfect ).

 

 

BTW, he don´t know ´bout the "right" tackle:

 

 

Dude looks familiar .... wonder who he is ?

[SirSnookalot]

I have a cardinal 6 ( actually a soron 60) about 250 yds of 30# braid, in the 30# drag area I forget, but for bass, no that's a reel I use for kingfish.

 

I grew up in MIchigan, we didn't bass fish that much wasn't that popular.  We bass fished when the muskie and pike bite was slow. When I was a kid that was about the time salmon were introduced, we used spinning for everything then and I still do.  Using spinning gear is very natural to me.

The only 2 problems I encounter with spinning is twist and coil, both easily remedied by using braid.  Hardly a day goes by there isn't a thread devoted to a problem people have with b/c, from setting brakes to finesse and power fishing to digging in to lure choices and rod selections, so many others I can't think of because I don't use b/c.   Seems like people like to revel in confusion and complication.  Take a spinning set up and just go fishing, nothing complicated about it.

[MIbassyaker]

I use all spinning too, always have, and haven't ever even cast a baitcaster. I keep thinking I should get a nice one and learn it, but I have yet to hear a clear, detailed explanation by anybody for what the added benefit would be. For instance, I use a MH/F 7' spinning rod with a 4000 reel (not even saltwater sized), spooled with 50lb braid for t-rigs, jigs and frogs. I use another MH combo with slightly softer tip and a Lew's speed spin reel for spinnerbaits and heavy cranks, and a M combo for lighter crankbaits and topwaters. Then I have a few lighter combos for smaller baits and finesse work.

 

I am told BCs make it easier to use thicker diameter line, but braid seems to render that argument obsolete. I don't believe line visibility matters much so I don't see any good reason to use flurocarbon, and in any case I can always put on a mono leader. And I've never found a situation where I felt like my MH/F spinning rod was somehow not powerful enough, and that I needed a H or XH instead. I'm also not interested in throwing A-Rigs or big swimbaits, or, really, anything over about an ounce.

 

Every time this topic comes up, numerous people jump in to say, no, you don't really need a baitcaster for anything. Then someone chimes in to say, yes you do, for technique x, y or z. Then somebody else says, no, really, the right spinning rod will do just fine, as long as you have specs A, B and C.  Oh, but a baitcaster makes it easier. Easier how, exactly? That's the part I don't hear an answer to. And in the end, invariably, all the discussants agree you should "pick the right tool for the job", but also you should "use whatever works for you", which always seems a little contradictory to me.

 

I don't doubt there are good reasons to use a baitcaster over a similarly-powered and actioned spinning combo sometimes, but it I have found it very difficult to get a clear sense of what those reasons actually are, in any detail. 

[roadwarrior]

How 'bout just liking one over the other for specific techniques?

For me that means spinning tackle for light lures and bottom contact;

baitcasting for heavier baits and "moving" lures.

 

 

 

 

[zell_pop1]

I cast alot more accurately with baitcasters and have fewer problems with them, plus they are lighter and more comfortable in my hands. I only like spinning for ds or skipping or live bait fishing on the bank.

[WRB]

Gary Yamamoto of GYCB uses spinning tackle, always has.

I prefer baitcasting reels for bass fishing unless it's line under 8 lb test, then prefer spinning tackle. The reason is that is what I have always used.

Bill Murphy fished live bait fly lined and soft plastics with light split shot weight, spinning tackle works good for this, Bill also used baitcasting reels for other presentations. The right tool for the job is what works for you.

Tom