Baitcaster vs spinning

[fluna]

Is bass fishing with a baitcaster better or is it more personal preference? I can throw all my top water lures with a spinning setup, want to learn to throw a baitcaster better. Trying to convince myself why do I want a baitcaster set up? How much better is it?

[Darren.]

2 minutes ago, fluna said:

Is bass fishing with a baitcaster better or is it more personal preference? I can throw all my top water lures with a spinning setup, want to learn to throw a baitcaster better. Trying to convince myself why do I want a baitcaster set up? How much better is it?

No, it is not "better", it is different.

You can do it all with spinning, but if you want
to learn bait casting, then by all means, do so.

This is what I did, and I consider myself pretty
proficient at casting my Chronarch 50e, even
skipping it on a ML casting rod.

But I've also settled more into spinning as a 
better all-around setup for me. I don't do tourneys,
and I'm not concerned with a ton of different
techniques.

But is it worth learning? Absolutely. Better? Not
really.

[new2BC4bass]

Ultimately it is personal preference.  Many...and I include myself among this group....feel that each have places where one excels over the other.  Can you do it all with just spinning?  Absolutely.  I know of at least two members on bassresource that only fish with spinning reels and do very, very well.

I think that a baitcast reel is superior for chucking and cranking.  Faster for me although I have to admit there aren't many times when I....as an Average Joe fisherman...need a quick repeat cast.

I was 100% spinning until I decided to get back into fishing locally in '09.  Decided to try baitcast reels.  Loved them.  Haven't looked back.  Now I fish almost exclusively with baitcast reels.  However, I am reaching the point where I want to start using one or two spinning rods on a regular basis because of a couple techniques I want to learn.  I feel spinning will be more beneficial than my baitcast combos.

[riverbasser]

I really love palming my BC. Its just very comfortable way to work my lures. I also don't have as many curly's in my mono since switching. I know guys who use both and I still have a few spinning but for some reason after switching I have lost all accuracy with my spinning setup.

[soflabasser]

31 minutes ago, fluna said:

Is bass fishing with a baitcaster better or is it more personal preference? I can throw all my top water lures with a spinning setup, want to learn to throw a baitcaster better. Trying to convince myself why do I want a baitcaster set up? How much better is it?

It's mostly personal preference.I only use baitcasters when using big swimbaits and use spinning setups for everything else.So far it has worked very well for me.

[Jrob78]

Baitcasters are better for heavier baits and heavier cover, as well as a few other things.  Spinning combos are better for light line and light baits, as well as a few other things.   You can use one or the other for everything but it won't be as efficient as using both.  

I use baitcasters about 97% of the time in my own fishing but I have "specialty" rods and reels to cover some techniques that would generally require spinning gear.   I use casting gear because it's what I enjoy the most.    

[kickerfish1]

For vertical presentations where line is essentially free spooled, and the angler is using their electronics to target fish deeper a spinning rod is a good choice. I also like spinning gear for finesse presentations where I am tossing smaller baits and lighter weights.

Casting gear is great for techniques requiring 1 of 3 things. High resistance baits that put a lot of strain on a reel. Take deep diving cranks or really big spinnerbaits for example. These would be very tough to use on spinning gear. Another example where the excel is heavy cover fishing when one is punching/flipping or tossing frogs over heavy vegetation. Last place would be for big swimbaits. There aren't many spinning rods that are geared for this technique outside of using a Muskie or Catfish spinning rod.

Another thing to consider is gear ratio. Bait casters are made in some very fast ratios like 8:1 or 9:1 or faster.

They are just tools like anything else. I would try a decent casting setup and see if you like it. Until you use one you won't be able to form your own opinion on what you prefer. Personally I have 2 casting setups to every 1 spinning setup. Some guys will use 100% casting gear or 100% spinning gear. Neither is right or wrong its just what they prefer to use based upon their experience and the lakes they fish. Guys fishing Lake Okechobbee or Bacarac can make a good case for exclusively using casting gear. Guys fishing lake Erie or some of the deep clear lakes in CA could make a case for an arsenal heavy on spinning gear.

[gim]

Like what has pretty much already been mentioned, there are practical and efficient applications for both.  For power, you need a winch which is a bait caster.  When using lighter tackle that you can't really cast, a spinning setup has to be deployed.  You generally have much better line control when your using a bait caster too and you aren't going to burn a buzz bait on the surface very effectively with a spinning setup, but you can't cast a ned rig with a bait caster either.  So ya, they both have applications out there and it would be wise to use either when the situation calls for it.

[Yudo1]

It's mostly preference.  The only thing I use spinning gear for is drop shots and live bait.  I prefer casting gear for everything else.  I like the efficiency.  I'm more accurate too.  

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Mastering different types of tackle opens options and enhances the overall angling experience IMO. It's not mandatory for successful fishing but I'd encourage you to . 

[MassYak85]

Mostly preference. But say you want 20lbs of drag, a low profile baitcaster will get you that while you may need a much larger spinning reel to get that. Or if you want a really high speed gear ratio, like 8 or 9 speed. I've never heard of a spinning reel capable of that, of course you can compensate by increasing the reel size, which will give you a more equatable IPT to the high speed baitcaster despite the lower ratio. Basically I feel that you can get more in a smaller package with a bait caster. Especially the guys who obsess over weight, there really is no comparison. 

[fluna]

Thanks for all of the awesome input. I have been looking at some Lews and a few of the new Ardent reels. They have some with 31-35 IPT with gear ratios. I love burning buzz baits and spinnerbaits.

[Yudo1]

26 minutes ago, fluna said:

Thanks for all of the awesome input. I have been looking at some Lews and a few of the new Ardent reels. They have some with 31-35 IPT with gear ratios. I love burning buzz baits and spinnerbaits.

Stick with lews

[fluna]

Thanks, I was looking at Lews today at Gander Mountain. They have quite few. Any suggestions on a good starter reel?

[Brett's_daddy]

I am in the same boat (no pun intended) as you. I have mostly spinning gear and have just started venturing into the world of bait casting. I was told to get the best reel that i could afford as the cheaper bait cast reels would just create problems for me and I'd end up hating bait casting all together so I ponied up whatever I could and got a Lew's Tournament Pro when they were on sale for $130. I liked the idea of having centrifugal AND magnetic brakes as I figured being a newbie to casting reels I needed all the help I could get. I have practiced some with it this summer and am getting incrementally better but I still don't have confidence in my skills enough to do some actual fishing with it and still prefer to use my spinning setups. Hopefully I will get to the point where my confidence using a bait caster is high enough that I actually fish with it...lol. But to answer your question about which reel to get, knowing your budget would help with the recommendation a great deal but assuming you're like me and can't afford a $200 reel I would suggest either the Lew's Tournament MB or maybe the LFS Speed Spool but I'm sure others more knowledgeable than I will be able to chime in here :).

[U-boat Aficionado]

I prefer the actual fighting of the fish on spinning gear. 

[J Francho]

I use whatever tool is appropriate to get bit.  Sometimes that means spinning gear with light line, and a little more edge to the fish in a fight.  FOr the most part, though if I'm looking for  fight, I'll target much larger species. 

But I still prefer chess match that is bass fishing.

[blckshirt98]

I started off with only spinning gear but once I started throwing heavier baits or crankbaits that ran deeper, I really felt my spinning gear screaming at me while reeling.  I learned to use a baitcaster and now for any large/heavy baits, a baitcaster is the way to go.  kickerfish1's post summed it up perfectly.

One thing I'll add is that baitcasters with enough practice allows for super accurate casting, where you can drop a lure into a small dixie cup.  This is important for certain techniques where you're trying to methodically pick a place apart by dropping a lure into every hole or trying to cast all around a piece of structure.

[lakeannaangler]

Go on ebay and get a lews lfs speed spool for $80. Great reel for a beginner.

Go on ebay and get a lews lfs speed spool for $80. Great reel for a beginner.

[new2BC4bass]

18 hours ago, kickerfish1 said:

Personally I have 2 casting setups to every 1 spinning setup.

Get it in gear man.  That ratio is way too small. 

[greentrout]

Both are with me on my fishing trips. Use depends on the kind of water I'm fishing and lures I'm throwing. Prefer the bait caster but the spinning gear seems to be in my hands more and more.

I'm old timer and can remember when you almost never saw a Pro with spinning gear in his hands. Recently watched MLF and saw KVD and others with spinning gear in their hands quite a bit.

Times change.

[kickerfish1]

2 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

Get it in gear man.  That ratio is way too small. 

Don't encourage me. I am trying to downsize my arsenal some but that seems like a failing proposition. I have 14 casting and 7 spinning setups. I also have another 5 beater outfits. Add in the fact that I have 4 casting reels without rods you are not helping.