Spinning reels just aren’t fun anymore

[waymont]

Beware of the emperors new clothes.

you will realize different tools for different jobs will improve your fishing.

[Mobasser]

One other thing is this. The old mindset that a spinning rod can't another site doesn't hold water. We can always look back on some famous pros who will prove this wrong. Examples are , Billy Westmoreland, with monster smallmouth, Bill Dance, through much of his career, Tom Mann, who used spin tackle excluseively , and Charlie Brewer, with Slider fishing. These are just four guys out of many, who used spinning gear, and caught lots of big bass. Spinning reels have always worked well for bass fishing.Anyone who would tell you otherwise, has probably never used a nice spinning outfit.

[Tywithay]

I grew up using spinning for the most part. Bought my first Ambassadeur at 16 and loved it for heavier stuff, but realized very quickly that I still needed spinning. Today,  I have baitcasters that can cast even the tiniest of crappie jigs and don't often use spinning. I still have some very nice spinning gear though and there's just something fun about fish pulling drag on a spinning reel that no baitcaster can replicate, even with a clicking drag. I have tried to find more excuses to bring my spinning rods with me this year. 

[jimmyjoe]

8 minutes ago, zell_pop1 said:

I suck at getting accurate casts with a spinning reel.

 

   Many people try to feather a spinning reel with their rod hand, extending their finger. You can do that, but it's not precise. Instead, put your free hand up to the spool and feather the line. You can feather it at the spool lip or you can form a "cone" a few inches ahead of the lip. It's much more precise.

   Yes, it'll feel "odd" at first. Don't worry about it; you'll get accustomed to it. Once you see how much greater accuracy you can achieve, you'll never go back.  ?   jj

[DitchPanda]

2 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

One other thing is this. The old mindset that a spinning rod can't another site doesn't hold water. We can always look back on some famous pros who will prove this wrong. Examples are , Billy Westmoreland, with monster smallmouth, Bill Dance, through much of his career, Tom Mann, who used spin tackle excluseively , and Charlie Brewer, with Slider fishing. These are just four guys out of many, who used spinning gear, and caught lots of big bass. Spinning reels have always worked well for bass fishing.Anyone who would tell you otherwise, has probably never used a nice spinning outfit.

Another guy that comes to mind more from my generation is Aaron Martens. Dude is a straight up stud...maybe one of if not the best angler to never win a classic. Yet anyhow...who knows what the future holds. I've seen him with a spinning rod in his hands half the time I've seen him. He has won many high level tournaments and millions of dollars. While some of his victories may not attest to it id bet my house that a bunch of that bank was won on a dropshot.

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, DitchPanda said:

Another guy that comes to mind more from my generation is Aaron Martens. Dude is a straight up stud...maybe one of if not the best angler to never win a classic. Yet anyhow...who knows what the future holds. I've seen him with a spinning rod in his hands half the time I've seen him. He has won many high level tournaments and millions of dollars. While some of his victories may not attest to it id bet my house that a bunch of that bank was won on a dropshot.

Yes. He's a drop shot expert.

[PhishLI]

There's nobody in my immediate orbit that really likes to talk about fishing gear, nor has there ever been. There's certainly no stigma about preference of gear whatsoever. If anyone ever tried to make me feel bad about using spinning gear I wouldn't bother with them. I have some good spinning gear and I'll do a spinning only session once in a while just because, but I prefer to use BCs. For me it's about efficiency, feel, and control. I suppose another factor could be that it took work and thought to learn them. There's a certain satisfaction that comes with having to work for something and constantly improve. Fishing should probably be strictly about catching fish, but adding an element of challenge to the mix raises the stakes. Fishing with multiple brands of BC reels at night, which is primarily when I fish, means that I have to stay sharp, be tuned in, and stay tuned in. I don't go into autopilot like I do when I'm using spinning gear. Once a fish is on the line it doesn't matter which device is winding in line, but up to that very moment I'd rather be using a bait casting rig.

[Heartland]

4 hours ago, NavyVet1204 said:

Ever since I bought my first bait caster and learned to use effectively a few months ago, I haven’t touched a spinning reel at all. My spinning setups haven’t left the man cave In months. I’m not saying that they don’t have their place, I just don’t get the warm and fuzzy for them like I do my baitcasters. Small creeks seem to be the most logical place for them at this point for me outside of cat fishing. 
Was it like this For you?

Hang on to them, you will come back and probably appreciate them more than originally.   

[MUSLENUTZ]

I love using a baitcaster. I’m precise and much more accurate than spinning. Unfortunately most of my catches just happen on a cheap ass ugly stick with 8lb test and a Shakespeare reel. Pull 4-5lbers thru the grass and much more fun to reel in. 

[greentrout]

I'm from and live in the Deep South. Many here still ridicule spinning gear. For me the bait caster and spinning reels are simply the right tools for the job. You've heard it before and it's true. 

 

Enjoy them both ...

 

Good Fishing ...

 

 

[brophog]

4 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

There is a stigma with a lot of bass anglers where they call them sissy sticks or fairy wands. I've never figured out if they are compensating and trying to act tough or if they had bad experiences with light tackle cuz they don't know how to fight fish on it properly. My main goal is to catch bass whether that means I need to use baitcasting gear, spinning gear or the a boot lace to my truck antennae im gonna do it.

 

 

The fixed spool design doesn’t scale well with regards to size and that greatly impacts things like drag pressure and line capacity. New materials have greatly neutralized those typical characteristics in spinning reels just as they have in casting reels.  By and large, if someone wants to just use either they can.

 

The problem is the rod market hasn’t really caught up with this new paradigm, so each reel is still sort of pushed towards finesse or power, respectively. That can be overcome to some degree, but it can often mean either needing to go custom or import.

[fishwizzard]

I go through little spells where I am really into my spinning gear, but by and large I prefer fishing with casting combos.  It's mostly ergonomic, casting combos are more comfortable for me to hold and fish with and feel a lot less bulky than spinning combos.  

 

BFS/UL casting gear lets me do anything a spinning combo can do, but there are some specific presentations or situations where I really prefer spinning: 

 

• Neko/Shakeyheads.  I do fish larger/heavier versions on casting gear though.
• Tiny hairjigs
• Tiny cranks
• Any time I am fishing overgrown/badly eroded creeks where 90% of the time I am pitching small plastics from close range to logjam holes or undercut banks.  Casting gear gets annoying very very quickly, although I have thought of getting a spare Pixy spool and only keeping like 50' of 6lb mono on it for this kind of fishing.   

[DitchPanda]

9 hours ago, brophog said:

 

The fixed spool design doesn’t scale well with regards to size and that greatly impacts things like drag pressure and line capacity. New materials have greatly neutralized those typical characteristics in spinning reels just as they have in casting reels.  By and large, if someone wants to just use either they can.

 

The problem is the rod market hasn’t really caught up with this new paradigm, so each reel is still sort of pushed towards finesse or power, respectively. That can be overcome to some degree, but it can often mean either needing to go custom or import.

What's funny to me is line capacity talk. There are guys that talk about lack of line capacity as it pertains to spinning gear but will turn around and claim that a bfs setup can do everything finesse needed. Part of the beauty of BFS is casting distance on light lures...to accomplish this usually takes a shallow spool aka less line capacity. Also how much line do you need to fight bass...I've never had one take 100 yards on a run. If you want or need more line capacity in a spinning setup run braid...that's a good option. My only issue...and this is me personally...with using BFS over spinning is cost. You can get a very solid spinning combo for $150-$200 and if you step up to $300 your talking real quality stuff. To accomplish that same level of performance in BFS or even traditional baitcaster setups your looking at twice that cost it seems.

[DitchPanda]

25 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

I go through little spells where I am really into my spinning gear, but by and large I prefer fishing with casting combos.  It's mostly ergonomic, casting combos are more comfortable for me to hold and fish with and feel a lot less bulky than spinning combos.  

 

BFS/UL casting gear lets me do anything a spinning combo can do, but there are some specific presentations or situations where I really prefer spinning: 

 

• Neko/Shakeyheads.  I do fish larger/heavier versions on casting gear though.
• Tiny hairjigs
• Tiny cranks
• Any time I am fishing overgrown/badly eroded creeks where 90% of the time I am pitching small plastics from close range to logjam holes or undercut banks.  Casting gear gets annoying very very quickly, although I have thought of getting a spare Pixy spool and only keeping like 50' of 6lb mono on it for this kind of fishing.   

The top paragraph I can understand. Even as a guy who has thrown spinning forever I tend to agree that casting gear is generally more comfortable. Also it tends to be lighter. I was definitely not knocking BFS by the way...I hope I didn't offend any BFS users. In fact I am quite intrigued by it..I was just stating that there are some times I feel spinning is still more effecient and that some of the downsides to spinning aren't rectified on bfs. You illustrated several of the things I was thinking technique wise.

[NavyVet1204]

Sorry guys after reading some of the comments, My intention wasn’t to say that casters are better than spinning setups. My observation was that I keep finding it harder and harder to want to use one over my caster(s). 
 

Hear me out on this:

 

I have more miles backing up to curbs on a spinning setup than I do going in a straight line with a caster. I am just slowly becoming more fascinated with what I can do with a caster than what I was doing with a spinning setup is all and I’m finding the precision of a caster to be more profitable than a spinning setup in any situation.

[jbmaine]

100% spinning for me. I admire people who use bait casters, but I just like the idea of no matter the weight or the wind, I just open the bail and cast.

[DitchPanda]

5 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

Sorry guys after reading some of the comments, My intention wasn’t to say that casters are better than spinning setups. My observation was that I keep finding it harder and harder to want to use one over my caster(s). 
 

Hear me out on this:

 

I have more miles backing up to curbs on a spinning setup than I do going in a straight line with a caster. I am just slowly becoming more fascinated with what I can do with a caster than what I was doing with a spinning setup is all and I’m finding the precision of a caster to be more profitable than a spinning setup in any situation.

No need to apologize at all I completely understand what your talking about. I wasnt reacting to your post entirely..it just made me think of other times in other posts or conversations I've had when it started how you did and ended up where I was defending spinning gear...so I jumped the gun and went into defense mode..totally lost in a tangent. I apologize if it seemed like I was attacking you...totally not my intention.

[islandbass]

I love to use both. I do however see them as tools and my shop teacher taught me back in 6th grade two things that have stuck in my head:

1) Always use sharp tools. They’re safer and easier to use. 
2) Use the right tool for the job.

 

For example, I utterly dislike that if I drop shot with casting gear that I have to pull a lot of line off just to help it have a better more natural descent usually if what I’m fishing is deeper than normal. But if it’s like 5-8’? What’s a few tugs?

 

9 times out of 10, I will use the reel that is best suited for the task at hand. Of course every once in a while I won’t. I might throw a 1/8 inline spinner on my curado for kicks. I might throw a rapala DT 6 on my spinning rod. 

Thanks, Mr. Kaufman!(my wood shop teacher) ?

 

[NOC 1]

14 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

To be honest, I do like having to play a bass (any fish) vs reeling it straight in like a crane pulling a load. I know depending on conditions (high water temps for one) it may be better for the fish to reel it in quickly. But that 6-7 lb’er I caught on a UL spinning rig was a helluva fight and I had to really play her to land her. 

I agree that having to fight the fish is the fun part. The thing is you don't have to do the common casting rig using a MH rod with 30lb line and a 15lb drag on.

 

Fishing light isn't limited to spinning rigs these days. I know old habits tend to die hard and that many people aren't going to change theirs, but the truth is the old saw about casting down to 1/4oz and spinning below that, is just outdated and archaic these days. The truth is you can fish Casting just about as light as you want to and fish spinning gear just about as heavy as you want to.

 

The most common rig I have in my hands is a M casting rod, using #8 or #10 line and a reel that has less than 9lb drag and not all the way locked down usually. Often it's a ML rod instead.

 

I know that depending on what you are doing that just doesn't work, say... pulling bait and fish through salad, launching big jigs and etc.. But it is a great feeling pulling in a 15 lb fish on a lighter rig and having had to earn it. My son, a month or so, ago pulled in a Flathead Catfish that weighed nearly 30+ lbs on a M rod using 10 Lb line. It took him 45 minutes and when he was done he got a nice round of applause from the little crowd that had gathered from the neighborhood onshore.

 

I'll admit that something like what he did is easier in a boat as you can use the boat as a sort of drag and help tire the fish.

[NOC 1]

15 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

I do love my baitcasters and use them alot. But I also like finesse...ned, grubs, weightless trick worm, shaky and slip shot rig..and now midsummer I just started picking a spinning rod up more often. Also in mid to late fall I throw shad raps alot. Between those two and panfishing often + a few walleye outings every year I spend a lot of time using a spinning rod. To be totally honest I'm just as comfortable with a spinning rod as a baitcaster.

There is a stigma with a lot of bass anglers where they call them sissy sticks or fairy wands. I've never figured out if they are compensating and trying to act tough or if they had bad experiences with light tackle cuz they don't know how to fight fish on it properly. My main goal is to catch bass whether that means I need to use baitcasting gear, spinning gear or the a boot lace to my truck antennae im gonna do it.

 

LOL, It would be some mild mannered sportsmen who used fishing casting reels to boost their masculinity I'd say. Try bicycle racing or rugby if you need that sort of cred. Half of fishing is done from a chair! Sort of like beating your chest over a checkers game. Sounds more to me like some fishing buddies trying to get your goat. I wouldn't pay any attention to it.......unless your the kind of sensitive individual that would use a sp....(Just kidding on that last line...)

[brophog]

1 hour ago, fishwizzard said:

Any time I am fishing overgrown/badly eroded creeks where 90% of the time I am pitching small plastics from close range to logjam holes or undercut banks.  Casting gear gets annoying very very quickly, although I have thought of getting a spare Pixy spool and only keeping like 50' of 6lb mono on it for this kind of fishing.  

 

This point makes me curious. Generally this is an area BFS excels in. Reels like the 

Daiwa Air Stream Custom are made just for that scenario. 

[fishwizzard]

For target casting cranks and spoons, sure, but for pitching small plastics where the chance of the lure impacting something hard before splash down is very high, a spinning combo is way less annoying.  Even with clean pitches you end up with a lot of loose line on the spool in short order as you’re never really loading the rod. That’s why I think an extremely short length of line might make it workable.  
 

On larger/more open/less damaged streams I use casting gear a good bit, but for the smaller and more damaged spots a spinning reel is a lot less frustrating over the course of a day. 

[scaleface]

95 percent casting for me . I  dont finesse much  , dont fish clear water much .  

[NOC 1]

I'm a fan of the BFS stuff too, and have gear that works for these scenarios. But it just isn't suitable for everyone. Like a few have already mentioned, it can be very spendy. The Air stream is a 350-$400 reel and the appropriate rod will have to be imported for another $200 or so at least.

 

So, for the fortunate among us who can (and would) spend a minimum of $600 to be able to "pitching (sic) small plastics from close range to logjam holes or undercut banks." you are 100% correct.

 

However, for those who cannot spend that kind of money, a $120 spinning rig will do it just as well, maybe a little better even. Actually, thinking about it, pitching small baits into logjam holes and undercut banks describes what I do every year when Crappie fishing the spawn. For that a 9' B&M Light rod and a Pflueger President works just dandy. That means that a Bass Pro Crappie rod and a Trion would work just about as well...the latter combo might cost $60-$70.

 

Not arguing that you are wrong, just trying to add some perspective to the conversation.

[optimator]

For many years I pigeonholed myself into the baitcaster only mindset. I sure caught a lot more fish when I stopped being a one dimensional fisherman.