Lures Too Heavy And Slow? (Spinngerbait, Chatterbait)

[Tom Wronski]

New to the forum. Joined because I had a question. I have been using a graphite rod, 10# mono line, and spinning reel. When I throw lures like a 3/8oz spinnerbait or chatterbait it seems really slow to reel in and there is a ton of resistance.

When I reel in a 1/4oz spinnerbait it is pretty effortless. 1/4oz chatterbait is even a little tough to reel in.

My questions is what is the reason? Is it the reel or if I went with 20# braid would I be able to use heavier spinnerbaits or deeper diving crankbaits without feeling like there is a fish on the line the entire time?

I have only been fishing about a week so any advice is really appreciated. Thanks guys.

[badhatharry]

Spinning reels aren't really meant to handle large lures with that kind of resistance.  If you're going to get serious about spinnerbaits, and crankbaits for that matter, learn to use a bait-casting rig.  Good Luck

 

BTW, Welcome to the forum!

[A-Jay]

Hello Tom and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

 

As for your question:  The different level of resistance felt during the retrieve is a product of a few things.

 

Here's a couple of the main ones ( not all inclusive & in no particular order)  - lure type / design.  Some lures have more resistance on the retrieve than others.  The actual weight of the bait may or may not be the total determining factor - some baits just pull more.

 

Next is the type of tackle one uses.  Spinning gear generally provides a lot of feed back during a retrieve and the tackle is usually lighter.  So there is a feeling that the lure is "pulling" quite a bit.  Bait casting tackle is often more suited for working lures that do this. 

 

Hope that helps

 

A-Jay

[Megastink]

Welcome to the forum! I would say that the reason is because your rod is too light for the baits you're trying to fish. You should use a rod built for such baits. I suggest a 6'6" to 7' MH fast action Rod. The reason it FEELS heavy is because the rod is simply underpowered. You might want to consider bumping your line up to between 14-17lb test. Get a heavier rod. Good luck!

[Choporoz]

We may need more info - especially about your reel.  What reel is it?  How old?  Been maintained well?  What are the rod specs, as well?   How many blades on your spinnerbait?  What shape are they?

[Tom Wronski]

Rod: Quantum Graphite Rod 7' MH

 

Reel: Quantum Trax15 (capacity 115/6, 95/8) ratio is 5.2:1

 

It's ok if this set up is just not capable of using heavier lures (with more resistance in the form of blades, etc.).  If that is the case I will just use it for lighter lures and keep it as a "finesse" set-up for now and buy a bait-casting rod/reel later.

 

However, if 20# braid with a mono leader would improve things noticeably then I would try that as well.

 

By the way, right now I am only casting off the shore of small lakes and rivers right now if that changes things.

[Choporoz]

I wouldn't be too surprised if there's something wrong with your reel.  I just find it hard to imagine that there's so much different between lures that aren't all that far apart in weight.   I had two entry-level Quantum spinning reels that both only lasted about one season.....but don't write off the brand if that's the case.  Two of my favorite reels today are Quantums. 

[Tom Wronski]

The spinner baits is the strike king banshee with one big willow and one small colorado.  The zman chatterbaits I also use and find tough to reel.

 

Lures that are 3/8oz and under without anything adding resistance to them (i.e. just a swim jig) work just fine and are fine to reel in.

[Tom Wronski]

I think the biggest difference is, like someone above suggested, the resistance from bigger blades.  I feel this with larger billed crankbaits as well.

[smalljaw67]

That is a size 15 reel, you need at least a 2500 for a 3/8oz bait. You set up is unbalanced by a lot, you have a reel that is considered light on a MH rod with 10# braid, if you throw a 3/8oz spinnerbait or chatterbait with it for any length of time you'll wear the gears out as it isn't meant for that. A 3/8oz spinnerbait or chatterbait will be best on a medium to medium heavy bait casting rod with any 50 or 100 size casting reel, for spinning it should be at least a 25 or 2500 but a 30 or 3000 size would be the better option. The 7' medium heavy, fast action rod is fine, and when you want to know if a spinning reel is going to be right, take a look at the line capacity, if the reel holds less than 100 yards of 8lb line it is going to be a light action reel meant to be used on light to medium light spinning rods. So stick with smaller stuff until you get a reel capable of handling larger stuff, I would not exceed 1/4oz for any bait with that reel.

[WRB]

Your rod is OK, the reel is under powered for several reasons. As mentioned the reel is a small 1000 series called a 1500 size with shallow spool, basically a trout reel designed for small lures and light line. The gear ratio is OK, the gear material, bearings and crank handle length are marginal.

You need to change the reel to a 2500 or 3000 size, the Shimano reels are on sale at TW, the Sedona FE is a good reel for the price point.

The other issue is Colorado blades have the highest water resistance of all blades, Willow the least, Indiana in the middle. So a double willow spinnerbait will have less resistance than your Willow-Colorado combination.

The 3/8 weight should be an issue.

The chatter bait blade also pushes a lot of water and deep diving crankbaits also have very high water resistance.

My suggestion with a spinning reel is use lipless crankbaits like Yo-Zuri 3D vibe or similar low resistance lures.

Tom

[Tom Wronski]

Thanks Big 'un and Tom.

 

I am totally fine with only throwing light lures for now.  I spent about $45 on the rod and reel so I am really ok with buying a heavier set up later and just using this for light lures.  I can just keep those heavier lures for when I get a heavier set-up.  What is the downside to using a MH graphite rod with a light action reel?

 

I am open to recommendations for upgraded spinning reels or a beginners baitcasting rod/reel.

[gardnerjigman]

Lot's of guys may bash this, but the absolute best combo I have used for spinnerbaits and bladed jigs would be a 6'10" MH H20 Ethos rod paired with a H20 Mettle baitcaster spooled with 12-15lb big game. You can get the combo for under $100 and they work perfectly for this. If anything ever breaks, take it back to Academy Sports and you are in and out in 5 minutes. 

[Bass_Fanatic]

Lot's of guys may bash this, but the absolute best combo I have used for spinnerbaits and bladed jigs would be a 6'10" MH H20 Ethos rod paired with a H20 Mettle baitcaster spooled with 12-15lb big game. You can get the combo for under $100 and they work perfectly for this. If anything ever breaks, take it back to Academy Sports and you are in and out in 5 minutes.

This is the best budget combo you will find! I have a lot of H2O mettle reels and they perform as well as my zillions and curados

[Tom Wronski]

I might keep this spool for panfish and trout and swap it out for another reel for bass fishing.  Any suggestions?  I know at this point I should be using the search function for "spinning vs baitcasting" and "what size reel" etc, but I appreciate all the help here.

[WRB]

Your rod is OK for general use and the larger size reel makes a good combo for bass.

A medium or medium light spinning rod is a better balance and makes a good combo for finesse presentations using 6 lb line. The best bang for the $$ is upgrading the reel, try it before spending more money on a bait casting outfit. If your goal is using deep diving crank baits and other lures that have high water resistance, than a bait casting outfit is a good choice.

Tom

[hatrix]

They just make a ton of drag is all. You can throw those on spinning gear fine. A lot depends on the rod and what it can handle. Switching to braid will do you no favors in lessening to resistance. It will only make it worse as it has to give and you feel everything. It pulls back and the only place it can give is your rod/

[smalljaw67]

On 9/8/2015 at 11:13 AM, Tom Wronski said:

Thanks Big 'un and Tom.

 

I am totally fine with only throwing light lures for now.  I spent about $45 on the rod and reel so I am really ok with buying a heavier set up later and just using this for light lures.  I can just keep those heavier lures for when I get a heavier set-up.  What is the downside to using a MH graphite rod with a light action reel?

 

I am open to recommendations for upgraded spinning reels or a beginners baitcasting rod/reel.

 

If the link works it will take you to a place to get a 6'6" medium light, fast action Abu Garcia Vengence spinning rod for $25, the rod retails for $50. That rod with your present reel will be a better combo for fishing lighters baits and finesse presentations. The doesn't side to what you are using now is you have lack of feel, and while it may not seem like it to use, the shorter, medium light power rod will balance better with your small reel and make a world of difference in casting and feeling what is going on with your lures as you will be able to feel the difference between a light bite and your bait hitting a rock or limb.  

[bigbill]

Are you trying to burn spinnerbaits with this reel?

Tom is spot on. A 20/25/30 size reel with the same gear ratio with the larger spool would be better.

My spinnerbait setup is a OKUMA 30 epixor spinning reel.

I tried the 6.3:1 gear ratio and it wore me out the 5.2:1 in a spinning reel is much better.

If cranking spinnerbaits with a spinning reel is hard try a reel with less bearings too. Just keep it lubed.

[Tom Wronski]

Thanks!  I ordered a 40 size spinning reel and a light weight rod to go with my current 15 series reel.  Now I will have two set-ups, one for heavier lures, one for light lures with some 6# line on it.

[bigbill]

Yup a 40 is good too.

I feel really tired after making hundreds of casts with spinnerbaits.

[poisonokie]

Yeah, that banshee is a whole lot of spinnerbait.