baitcasting rod with a spinning reel?

[John Tom]

Got a question: I got a abu garcia n 5000c rod and reel from helping hands for $2. The reel is shot. I want to put a spinning reel on. Can it be done?

[LCG]

Can it be done, sure. 

Should it be done, no. 

 

The rod is meant and engineered to be used with a baitcasting reel. I suggest you use it accordingly. You can find decent reels for $60 new. A good reel for $100.

[TylerT123]

The reel probably needs cleaned unless it’s in really bad condition. The guides on a baitcasting rod are smaller than spinning rods, you’ll lose casting distance and casting/spinning rods are designed to bend a certain way, putting a spinning reel on a casting rod would bend the rod the wrong way and it will snap. I wouldn’t put a spinning reel on a casting rod, you could but I wouldn’t.

[John Tom]

10 minutes ago, TylerT123 said:

The reel probably needs cleaned unless it’s in really bad condition. The guides on a baitcasting rod are smaller than spinning rods, you’ll lose casting distance and casting/spinning rods are designed to bend a certain way, putting a spinning reel on a casting rod would bend the rod the wrong way and it will snap. I wouldn’t put a spinning reel on a casting rod, you could but I wouldn’t.

I had a friend look at it that rebuilds them. Says it would take around $40 to fix all the problems. So, I may go with another one. 

[TylerT123]

54 minutes ago, John Tom said:

I had a friend look at it that rebuilds them. Says it would take around $40 to fix all the problems. So, I may go with another one. 

Yeah, if it’s a good rod just get another casting. That $40 could be put toward a decent baitcaster.

[WRB]

Spin casting reel works on bait casting rods.

Tom

[Subaqua Adinterim]

I had the exact same question last year.  Several members of this forum educated me and I will relay the knowledge as best I can.

 

Short answer - yes it can be done - however, not the best idea.   The main reason is easy to see if you look at the line guide closest to the handle.  A spinning reel will sit a few inches above the first guide on a casting rod and the line will not flow straight through when you cast. A casting reel sits lower on the seat of the rod which allows the line to flow smoother, relatively straighter, through the first guide on the casting rod, which is much more efficient.  The first guide on a casting rod and the ones that follow it are very close to the body of the rod. 

 

There is a reason they make casting rods/reels and spinning rods/reels.  Hopefully the above is helpful.

 

[scolist]

3 minutes ago, RichPenNY said:

I had the exact same question last year.  Several members of this forum educated me and I will relay the knowledge as best I can.

 

Short answer - yes it can be done - however, not the best idea.   The main reason is easy to see if you look at the line guide closest to the handle.  A spinning reel sits a few inches above the first guide on a casting rod and the line will not flow straight through when you cast. A casting reel sits lower on the seat of the rod which allows the line to flow smoother, relatively straighter, through the first guide on the casting rod, which is much more efficient.  The first guide on a casting rod is very close to the body of the rod. 

 

There is a reason they make casting rods/reels and spinning rods/reels.  Hopefully the above is helpful.

 

That sure helped me out a bunch. Thanks.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

A rod will load and bend safely in any direction. Don't worry about that. 

[Tywithay]

22 hours ago, TylerT123 said:

The reel probably needs cleaned unless it’s in really bad condition. The guides on a baitcasting rod are smaller than spinning rods, you’ll lose casting distance and casting/spinning rods are designed to bend a certain way, putting a spinning reel on a casting rod would bend the rod the wrong way and it will snap. I wouldn’t put a spinning reel on a casting rod, you could but I wouldn’t.

Rods aren't designed to bend in any direction. If you buy a blank, you can pretty much put the guides on whichever side you want and it'll work. 

[TylerT123]

25 minutes ago, Tywithay said:

Rods aren't designed to bend in any direction. If you buy a blank, you can pretty much put the guides on whichever side you want and it'll work. 

I’ve had casting rods snap from bending the wrong way

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

They broke from overload/misuse. I've handled hundreds of blanks and they all bend in every direction. I think you're being influenced by the outdated theory of rod spine/spline and even at that misinterpreting what it was/is. 

[moguy1973]

23 hours ago, TylerT123 said:

The reel probably needs cleaned unless it’s in really bad condition. The guides on a baitcasting rod are smaller than spinning rods, you’ll lose casting distance and casting/spinning rods are designed to bend a certain way, putting a spinning reel on a casting rod would bend the rod the wrong way and it will snap. I wouldn’t put a spinning reel on a casting rod, you could but I wouldn’t.

I disagree with all of this.  Especially the guide part. I have a Lew's TP-1 spinning rod and it has microguides and a microwave guide and it casts just fine so guide size shouldn't matter at all.

[J Francho]

I actually had a 12' UL crappie rod that would take a casting reel or a spinning reel.  Worked great both ways.

[Tywithay]

9 minutes ago, moguy1973 said:

I disagree with all of this.  Especially the guide part. I have a Lew's TP-1 spinning rod and it has microguides and a microwave guide and it casts just fine so guide size shouldn't matter at all.

Guide size doesn't matter nearly as much as guide height.

[TylerT123]

1 hour ago, moguy1973 said:

I disagree with all of this.  Especially the guide part. I have a Lew's TP-1 spinning rod and it has microguides and a microwave guide and it casts just fine so guide size shouldn't matter at all.

It does, the first guide on your TP-1 acts like a funnel to the microguides. Video explaination at the bottom. http://www.mudhole.com/MicroWave-Spinning-Guides

1 hour ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

They broke from overload/misuse. I've handled hundreds of blanks and they all bend in every direction. I think you're being influenced by the outdated theory of rod spine/spline and even at that misinterpreting what it was/is. 

You’re right, heard wrong.

[georgeyew]

I didn't know any better when I first started fishing. I didn't know there was a difference between spinning and casting. So I went to Walmart and bought a spinning reel and paired it with a casting rod that I thought looked nice (all the spinning rods on the shelf were 2 pieces). The trigger felt a little weird against my palm, but I thought that was normal because I didn't have a lot of experience. I used that rod/reel combination for a long time.....and even caught the 5.5 lb fish in my profile pic. It served me fine until I found this website. After which I had to get the right equipment so I would not be laughed at by other fishermen. Long story short, I am older and wiser now and I don't really care about what people think anymore. And I have a casting rod that I absolute love for catfishing. I cut off the trigger and put a spinning rod on it. And it has absolutely no issues catching 15lb+ cats. The only negative that I found is that the smaller guides reduces the casting distance slightly. 

 

So my point is, yes it will catch fish, and the rod/reel will be fine. The only thing that you will have to worry about is the slightly shorter casting distance and having others laugh at you for being a newbie.