Spinning rod love!

[LonnieP]

I don't hate spinning gear, I just dislike it. I don't throw anything light enough to need spinning gear. I'm a lot more accurate with a bc plus it's a pain having to flip the bail and spinning reels take up too much room on the boat deck.

[fishwizzard]

7 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

To me rods and reels are tools, just like I don't love a screwdriver more than a hammer

Oh man, I would use a ratcheting box-wrench over a ratchet and socket any time I could get away with it.  

[Jrob78]

4 hours ago, fin said:

Wow. Are there really people that call them that in a non-joking way?

 

Baitcasters are the automatic transmissions of reels.

 

People ‘hate’ manual transmissions because most people are not accustomed to manual transmissions. It’s more awkward for them than using an automatic transmission. Changing gears manually is the technically superior method, yet automatic transmissions are more common.

 

Spinning reels can do anything a baitcaster can do. The opposite is not true.

I don't know if people are serious when they say those things or not. I know it is something said with a macho attitude though, which is silly.

 

I'm not sure about your transmission analogy, if anything it is backwards. Baitcasters seem to be the one people struggle with in the beginning and have a hard time getting used to. To say that one is superior to the other is not true either. They both excel at different things and both have their place in bass fishing and you're probably limiting yourself if you don't own and use both.

 

I can get away with not using much spinning gear because of how I fish and because I have ultralight baitcasting gear that can handle light line and light weight. I do still use spinning occasionally though.

[dodgeguy]

All baitcast for me. I use 8 lb test on a medium action rod and cast 1/5 oz ned rig with it.

[Hulkster]

Quote

Spinning reels can do anything a baitcaster can do. 

not necessarily.

 

grab a big lipped crankbait or a big inline spinner and try to bring that back through the water with a spinning reel. its almost impossible.

 

just ask the muskie fishermen lol

 

As for me, i use both. Baitcaster for big stuff, spinning reel for the small stuff. 

[fin]

53 minutes ago, Jrob78 said:

Baitcasters seem to be the one people struggle with in the beginning and have a hard time getting used to. To say that one is superior to the other is not true either. They both excel at different things and both have their place in bass fishing and you're probably limiting yourself if you don't own and use both.

I started with spincasters, then baitcasters, then spinning reels.

 

I had become used to using small, light lures with the spincasters and I could never get the results I wanted with those type baits with a baitcaster, even using 10# braid. Then I got into spinning reels and that has become my go-to.

 

I still have several baitcasters and I still use them occasionally, but I'm primarily a walking-the-banks fisherman, so I don't often carry multiple rods - I'm forced to choose one or the other, and baitcasters are simply not good with light baits or coping with the wind, both very important factors to me. I love using baitcasters, but I honestly can't see what function I might be missing when I leave them at home. How am I limiting myself? What can I not do with my spinning reel that my baitcaster can do?

43 minutes ago, Hulkster said:

not necessarily.

 

grab a big lipped crankbait or a big inline spinner and try to bring that back through the water with a spinning reel. its almost impossible.

 

just ask the muskie fishermen lol

 

As for me, i use both. Baitcaster for big stuff, spinning reel for the small stuff. 

No muskie here, so I don't know about that.

 

I don't know why you find it almost impossible to pull a big crank or spinner with a spinning reel. A baitcaster is more comfortable in the hands, the balance is better, it's more stout, but it doesn't make anything more possible.

[fin]

One thing a baitcaster can do that a spinning reel can’t is backlash. With a bad enough backlash, you can be out of the game. It’s not that hard to do - catch your rod on a tree or whatever. You can get a wind knot with a spinning reel, but it’s more rare, and if you have to cut it out you won’t lose much line or time. I’ve had some backlashes where it takes a long time just to cut it out, forget about trying to untangle it. And after cutting ended up with a short spool that won’t cast as far. That's a pretty major disadvantage.

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, fin said:

One thing a baitcaster can do that a spinning reel can’t is backlash. With a bad enough backlash, you can be out of the game. It’s not that hard to do - catch your rod on a tree or whatever. You can get a wind knot with a spinning reel, but it’s more rare, and if you have to cut it out you won’t lose much line or time. I’ve had some backlashes where it takes a long time just to cut it out, forget about trying to untangle it. And after cutting ended up with a short spool that won’t cast as far. That's a pretty major disadvantage.

On the converse side of that - just in the interest of fairness - too stiff of a line on a spinner and you have loops dropping off. A baitcaster can handle that stiffer line better.

[fishwizzard]

6 minutes ago, fin said:

 That's a pretty major disadvantage.

It’s only a disadvantage while you are learnings, I think I maybe get one show-stopping backlash a year, not counting UL casting, which is far fussier.  I will take the risk of backlashing over dealing with line twist and loops from spool memory. 

[Tyler.]

One thing I have noticed is that a spinning rod can handle those leader knots a lot easier. I have been using the FG Knot and can always feel them going through the tip guide of the baitcaster rod. I have also broken more line on my cast with the casting rod vs spinning. That is using both braided line with leader. 

 

Since being introduced to braided line it is so much easier to cast them lighter lures and more sensitive. I love it. 

1 minute ago, fishwizzard said:

It’s only a disadvantage while you are learnings, I think I maybe get one show-stopping backlash a year, not counting UL casting, which is far fussier.  I will take the risk of backlashing over dealing with line twist and loops from spool memory. 

You try braided line in the spinning reel? When i get the line twist over time I just walk it out with no lure and then reel it back in with some pressure. Tends to help. I also use some line conditioner prior. 

[Jrob78]

1 hour ago, fin said:

I started with spincasters, then baitcasters, then spinning reels.

 

I had become used to using small, light lures with the spincasters and I could never get the results I wanted with those type baits with a baitcaster, even using 10# braid. Then I got into spinning reels and that has become my go-to.

 

I still have several baitcasters and I still use them occasionally, but I'm primarily a walking-the-banks fisherman, so I don't often carry multiple rods - I'm forced to choose one or the other, and baitcasters are simply not good with light baits or coping with the wind, both very important factors to me. I love using baitcasters, but I honestly can't see what function I might be missing when I leave them at home. How am I limiting myself? What can I not do with my spinning reel that my baitcaster can do?

No muskie here, so I don't know about that.

 

I don't know why you find it almost impossible to pull a big crank or spinner with a spinning reel. A baitcaster is more comfortable in the hands, the balance is better, it's more stout, but it doesn't make anything more possible.

I'm not going to try to talk you out of what works best for you. If you can throw big crankbaits, spinnerbaits, punch, flip, pitch, work large topwaters, jigs etc with spinning gear and have the appropriate rods to do it, more power to you and I don't mean that sarcastically. I just don't think most people would agree with you but that's the great thing about fishing, there are no rules and people can do it the way they want. 

[813basstard]

Growing up, only rich kids or adults had casting gear. Plus being surrounded on 3 sides by saltwater, that’s what we used.

As long as my boat is 15-20 pounds heavier between take off and weigh in, I’m good.

[Brad Reid]

Good personal observations/preferences.

 

I'd only add that if you are fishing out of a kayak, I believe this to be the fastest growing segment of fishing, you'll likely lean a bit toward spinning gear as we tend to fish shallower, tend to use more finesse presentations. There are exceptions, of course.

 

Some guy standing high on the deck of a bass boat making casts with power presentations in mind? Just a guess that casting gear can make 100 casts for every 75 or so with spinning gear. Other factors, for sure,  play roles, but that'd be the big difference for a competitive angler. Covering more water where speed is a big factor.

 

Brad

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Brad Reid said:

Just a guess that casting gear can make 100 casts for every 75 or so with spinning gear. Other factors, for sure,  play roles, but that'd be the big difference for a competitive angler. Covering more water where speed is a big factor. 

Is that because of the faster retrieve rates of high-speed BCs or something else.

 

My Fuego CT-XS 8.1:1 retrieves at 33.9 IPT

A Mitchell Mag-Pro 4000 spinner retrieves at 33 IPT.

 

I don't see much of a difference...I think with a good high-speed spinner you could cover the same amount of ground so the 75/100 ratio goes out the window.

[Brad Reid]

7 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Is that because of the faster retrieve rates of high-speed BCs or something else.

 

My Fuego CT-XS 8.1:1 retrieves at 33.9 IPT

A Mitchell Mag-Pro 4000 spinner retrieves at 33 IPT.

 

I don't see much of a difference...I think with a good high-speed spinner you could cover the same amount of ground so the 75/100 ratio goes out the window.

Some of that, for sure, with some of the retrieval rates of the high ratio casting reels and less so with spinning reels.

 

But, no, what I mean is I think if you watch a power angler, say KVD, that he can make more casts per unit of time than someone with a spinning reel using it for power presentations. It just appears more seamless to me, casting over spinning prep for a subsequent cast.

 

Heck, there might be someone out there just as fast with spinning gear, but we tend to seem a bit slower.

 

Brad

[A-Jay]

Say what you want about spinning gear ~

Love it or hate it. 

But the majority of the field fishing the MLF event today is paying the mortgage and putting their kids through college with it.

A-Jay

 

[fin]

4 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

On the converse side of that - just in the interest of fairness - too stiff of a line on a spinner and you have loops dropping off. A baitcaster can handle that stiffer line better.

True, I don't have much experience with that, thankfully. 99% of my experience is with braid on spinners. If not for braid, I'd probably favor baitcasters.

 

4 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

It’s only a disadvantage while you are learnings, I think I maybe get one show-stopping backlash a year, not counting UL casting, which is far fussier. 

Learning is the worst, that's true, but it can still happen to the best of us at anytime. You get in a hurry, you have the sun in your eyes, you get tired, you're not paying attention, etc.

[Darren.]

Love me some spinning gear. Like BC for some, but I paired down

casting in favor of spinning a while ago.

[fin]

6 hours ago, Tyler. said:

One thing I have noticed is that a spinning rod can handle those leader knots a lot easier. I have been using the FG Knot and can always feel them going through the tip guide of the baitcaster rod. I have also broken more line on my cast with the casting rod vs spinning. That is using both braided line with leader. 

I've never tried the FG knot. I use the Alberto, and once learned, the only time I've had the kind of problem you mentioned is when I've cut the tag ends too short. I leave about 1/16-1/8" now. You might want to give the Alberto a try - it's a smaller knot so I assume it would go through the guides easier. The FG is supposedly a stronger knot, but I've never had an Alberto break out of hundreds of knots.

 

But whatever you do, you shouldn't accept breaking line when casting. You might want to start a new post about that.

[Tyler.]

49 minutes ago, fin said:

I've never tried the FG knot. I use the Alberto, and once learned, the only time I've had the kind of problem you mentioned is when I've cut the tag ends too short. I leave about 1/16-1/8" now. You might want to give the Alberto a try - it's a smaller knot so I assume it would go through the guides easier. The FG is supposedly a stronger knot, but I've never had an Alberto break out of hundreds of knots.

 

But whatever you do, you shouldn't accept breaking line when casting. You might want to start a new post about that.

I like the Alberto knot. Good one. But with 15lb fluorocarbon I felt it got a little to big for my small guides. Plus I found an easy way to tie this FG knot from a YouTube video. Feel more comfortable with it now. 

[keagbassr]

I was once all spinning but have steadily made the transformation to mostly casting. I still have two spinning rods but only use them to throw small topwaters for river smallies in Maine. 

[blckshirt98]

If I only want to bring one rod with me to the water, it's going to be a spinning reel.

I think because a baitcaster can backlash if the user isn't skilled there's the notion that it's a more difficult tool to learn and master, something a novice just can't pick up and use, and therefore a tool that implies you're a more skilled angler.  Plus you have the people who brag about not needed any/minimal brake setting on their baitcasters ("You set it all the way?  I set mine to zero ." *flex*)

I can't pitch my spinning setup too accurately but in terms of casting it out and trying to hit a spot, I can usually get my spinning gear pretty darn close to what I'm aiming for.

[Tyler.]

21 minutes ago, blckshirt98 said:

If I only want to bring one rod with me to the water, it's going to be a spinning reel.

I think because a baitcaster can backlash if the user isn't skilled there's the notion that it's a more difficult tool to learn and master, something a novice just can't pick up and use, and therefore a tool that implies you're a more skilled angler.  Plus you have the people who brag about not needed any/minimal brake setting on their baitcasters ("You set it all the way?  I set mine to zero ." *flex*)

I can't pitch my spinning setup too accurately but in terms of casting it out and trying to hit a spot, I can usually get my spinning gear pretty darn close to what I'm aiming for.

This is a prime example of why you should use what you are good with.

 

I can cast and flip with a spinning reel way more easier than with a bait caster. I can flip easily with my spinning reel and get it close to the target. 

 

Just use what you like and are good with. Incorporate the others and over time you have a full arsenal. 

[Boomstick]

I don't personally hate or dislike spinning gear. In fact, if I am fishing for trout, catfish or using live bait, it's pretty much all that I use for those presentations. But when it comes to bass fishing I just prefer using the baitcaster for the most part simply because I prefer to fish moving baits or topwater as long as the conditions allow I can catch them on those presentations and cast much quicker on a casting rod than a spinning rod. At the end of the day, it's just a more fun presentation.

 

That said, my choice way to fish soft plastics in open water is either a ned rig or a dropshot.

23 hours ago, Tyler. said:

What’s the opinion on using spinning rod for cranks, swim baits, and spinner baits? If you like them what gear ration you use? Got a lews xfinity combo from Walmart and it’s 6:2.1. Curious if that ration would be sufficient for those baits. 

I have used a spinning rod for cranks and jerkbaits (especially in the colder weather) on a 5.8:1 reel. The thing to keep in mind with spinning gear is a 5:1 gear ratio usually takes in much more line than a 9:1 gear ratio baitcaster unless it's a small trout or finesse sized reel. Once you get to the 2500 or larger sizes, the spinning reels really take up line quickly. So that said, tha Lews Xfinity combo is about the right size reel, but you're going to have to remember to reel it very slowly!

 

As far as spinnerbaits, swim jigs, chatterbaits, t-rigs, etc. I always use baitcasters for such presentations, but my girlfriend is baitcaster challenged and I'll probably find a MH/F or MH/MF spinning setup that she can use for these presentations.

 

 

[Tyler.]

1 hour ago, Boomstick said:

I don't personally hate or dislike spinning gear. In fact, if I am fishing for trout, catfish or using live bait, it's pretty much all that I use for those presentations. But when it comes to bass fishing I just prefer using the baitcaster for the most part simply because I prefer to fish moving baits or topwater as long as the conditions allow I can catch them on those presentations and cast much quicker on a casting rod than a spinning rod. At the end of the day, it's just a more fun presentation.

 

That said, my choice way to fish soft plastics in open water is either a ned rig or a dropshot.

I have used a spinning rod for cranks and jerkbaits (especially in the colder weather) on a 5.8:1 reel. The thing to keep in mind with spinning gear is a 5:1 gear ratio usually takes in much more line than a 9:1 gear ratio baitcaster unless it's a small trout or finesse sized reel. Once you get to the 2500 or larger sizes, the spinning reels really take up line quickly. So that said, tha Lews Xfinity combo is about the right size reel, but you're going to have to remember to reel it very slowly!

 

As far as spinnerbaits, swim jigs, chatterbaits, t-rigs, etc. I always use baitcasters for such presentations, but my girlfriend is baitcaster challenged and I'll probably find a MH/F or MH/MF spinning setup that she can use for these presentations.

 

 

 

So I just checked my lure. Laid out tape measure and Reeled the lure in. 1 complete rotation was around 33”. I did it a couple times and the eye landed there. That’s on the Lew’s Xfinity 6:2.1. 

 

I may may try and get the Pflueger Presidential in 30 size which is 5:2.1 and inches retrieved is 25”. 

 

Match with Diawa medium fast 6’6” rod. 1/4-3/4oz life rating