swimbait on spinning gear?

[.dsaavedra.]

ok i plan on getting one of the mattlures ultimate bluegills soon. i also plan on getting a H or MH rod and some braided line for it. what im wondering tho is should i get a spinning or casting rod and should i spool my spinning reel or casting reel w/ the braid? i have a medium sized spinning reel adn its an excellent all around reel...its an Okuma Stratus ST-30. i can cast w/ both spinning and casting gear, but im MUCH better w/ spinning gear. both my reels have a 5.1-1 gear ratio. my casting reel is an old abu garcia ambassaduer 5500C. i can cast with it but im not the best caster and i cant cast very accuratley and im afraid that i may nest it and then i wont be able to use it for the rest of the day and then i coudlnt use my swimbait anymore. also i might accidently cast into some snags because im using casting gear. so i think it would be alot better and safer for me to use spinning gear w/ this bait, what do you guys think?

thanks,

dave.

[burleytog]

It will wear you out.

And paragraphs are your friend.  

[flechero]

Don't worry about birdnesting... the matt lures bluegill is plenty heavy that you can set the reel's brake tight enough not to ever backlash and still get good distance.  Accuracy will come with some practice.  As for snags... if you fish a swimbait in cover, it doesn't matter if it's on spinning or casting gear, it will hang up.

Go with whichever you think makes the most sense.

I'm not familiar with your spinning reel but the Abu 5500 will work fine if you decide to go with baitcasting gear.  I think the casting gear makes more sense but that is only my opinion.

[Raul]

Fish Chris swimbaits with spinning gear.

[.dsaavedra.]

ok. well the reason i said what i did about snags is because with spinning gear, i can cast right next to it w/o problems, but w/ baitcasting gear, im not so accurate so i might accidently thro in it. im pretty sure i will go w/ spinning gear because i am much better w/ it. thats what makes the most sense to me...how about you guys?

[bassn4life]

like burley said it will def wear you out.  much easier with a casting setup and will help you to get better with it anyway.   ;D

[.dsaavedra.]

how come the spinning gear will wear me out when baitcaster wont? the each have the same gear ratio.

[benpsut]

From the little experience ive had with baitcasting it's much smoother than spinning gear.  I use spinning gear only and when i crank em or swim em, it's a hell of a battle.  THe added "wobble" from the crank to me makes it feel like the reel is off balanced and you fight it so it wears you out.  Even the most expensive most balanced reels feel al iittle off.  With baitcasting the line spools left to right smoothly, spinning gear line spools up and down so to say and around in a wide circle.  just my thoughts

[Randall]

If you are more comfortable with spinning gear then use it. For spinning gear I would suggest 40lb  braid and a larger saltwater type reel. I have at times cast my Mattlures Bluegill on spinning gear although I prefer a baitcaster. It worked just fine for me and didn't wear me out at all but I do feel I can bring a fish to the boat faster and with more power with a baitcaster. The baitcaster is a winch where a spinning reel is designed just to take up line.

[.dsaavedra.]

well  im used to using spinning gear and i dont get worn out plus im most comfortable w/ it so ill use it, now im not gonna use periods just to make burley mad  ;D but anyway im not gonna go buy a whole new reel just to fish one lure i'll stick w/ the reel that i have, its a standard bass reel and has never let me down

[burleytog]

Ain't gonna make me mad. ;D

[.dsaavedra.]

hahahaha!!!! ok it will just bug you then

[T-rig]

Fish Chris swimbaits with spinning gear.

That's all I use as well!

Berkley Vertic Rod VTC682H

Shimano Exage 4000

The rod is a bit on the light side for the Hud.

[Captain Cali]

Fish Chris swimbaits with spinning gear.

Yup! A buddy of mine does the same. Braid and all.  

[RoLo]

There's nothing unusual about fishing swimbaits with spinning gear.

Baitcasting gear is nice to have when live-bait fishing or when trolling.

But wherever casting is involved, I invariably use spinning gear (saltwater too).

The baitcasting reel is a revolving drum and unexcelled for winching.

But the biggest fish are never fought with the reel, they are pumped with the rod.

The reel is merely used to wind-up the slack line, each time the rod is lowered.

As Randall suggested, 40-lb PowerPro is perfect, and only 0.012" in diameter (equivalent to 10-lb mono)

Roger

[Tucson]

I think the most important part of the equation is the rod, not the reel.  I tried casting a Matt's lures Bluegill (think it's 2oz) with a medium-heavy spinning rod and it badly overpowered the rod.  Did a little better on a medium-heavy baitcaster but to really fish this bait I'll need something with signifigantly more backbone.  Maybe a heavy fiberglass (!!) rod would do the trick.  Additiionally, I'm not in a position to stick $100 + into a specialized rod for just one bait.

Regarding reels, a heavy spinning reel would surely work but a baitcaster really has the advantage of cranking power.  Think of it as a 4wd lure retriever.  

[CyBasser]

Yes, you can use swimbaits such as mattlures on spinning gear. I personally prefer casting gear, I find it far more easy on my hands and I prefer the extra power and the more direct feel I get from the lures. I do have a friend though who is still only a spiining gear guy and uses them without real problems.

What you should pay attention though is the ability of the rod to cast them - you don't want the rod breaking in mid-cast. I would not use a spinning rod that would be rated for less than 2oz casting weight. And also pay attention to the line. I fish swimbaits on 50lb braid, if I get snagged in a bush or tree branch I usually end up pulling out the entire snag (and then have to resharpen the hook and re-tie the lure, but at least I don't lose the lure - at least most of the time!). Don't go with light braid, it will eventually fail you.

Good luck!

[bpm2000]

any specific spinning rods people are using?  

[.dsaavedra.]

ok good...now i dont feel so uneasy about using spinning gear...

ill have to check out Dicks to see what rods they have...

actualy my friend has a saltwater combo made by shakespeare that he's selling....maybe i'll ask him about that.

[ABC123]

I'll let RoLo borrow my equipmet anytime, he knows how to use it.

dsaavedra,

Set up the combo your most comfortable with. I use spinning reels almost exclusively (I don't fish live bait much, but I do have a baitcaster still, just for that). I feel the balance of the spinning combo is far superior to over rod setups. I also find that with the over rod setups, the line rubbing on the blank as the rod is flexing, hinders the overall effectiveness of the rod. Both baitcasters and spinning reels take practice to use effectively, and a lot more practice to master. It all depends on what setup your willing to commit to in order to use effectively and/or master.

 As far as the baitcaster goes, proper set up is sooooo critical to proper operation, it is, IMO, the most important thing to master in using baitcasters. "Birdnesting" should never happen when using a baitcaster in the proper situation, when set up properly. Baitcasters do not work well with light lures, and are not a good choice for that type of fishing. 3/4 oz is pretty much the lightest lure I will use with a baitcaster. Lighter lures open up a large can of worms. Too many factors can effect the set up and operation of the reel, and cause issues, like "birdnesting".

  In the end, nothing is more important than going with the set up your most comfortable with. Your first post seems to show your most comfortable with the spinning set up, and that may be the best set up for you.