Do you generally find baitcasters to be more or less difficult to use than spinning for river smallmouth?

[Ohioguy25]

Now that I’m lure fishing and seeing the immediate benefit of water coverage I can’t help but think I would get even more casts in with a casting setup.  Am I misunderstanding how they work or is it a much simpler one-handed action that would be far easier in a kayak than spinning which requires two?  I envision just chucking those heavier turn em burn em style top waters cranks and spinnerbaits left and right seamlessly with a baitcaster as fish finders when I’m on the move and then using my spinning setup for finesse jigs like the Ned and grubs, and for tough days or when I just feel like throwing some live for old time’s sake or to switch it up.
 

Is this what most smallmouth anglers do or do a lot of people still prefer spinning even for heavier cast and retrieve baits simply because it’s somehow better suited for creeks and rivers? Is there a major learning curve for baitcasters or is it fairly easy to get the hang of? I’ve heard it can spool up and be frustrating, is this any more of a headache than spinning twistups loops and tangles? Thanks!

[Russ E]

Baitcasters are always my first choice. it does not matter if I am fishing rivers or lakes. it also does not matter which species of bass I am pursuing. the only time I use spinning outfits is finesse fishing with light baits.

there is a learning curve  . A lot of it depends on how your reel is setup. it is all based on thumb control.

with Baitcasters line twist is not much of an issue, but you will get a few birds nests while learning.

there are a lot of youtube videos on setting up and using Baitcast reels.

once you learn, the spinning outfits will get much less use.

 

A good quality reel is much easier to learn. cheaper reels are functional but take more skill to use.

 

 

[Ohioguy25]

3 minutes ago, Russ E said:

Baitcasters are always my first choice. it does not matter if I am fishing rivers or lakes. it also does not matter which species of bass I am pursuing. the only time I use spinning outfits is finesse fishing with light baits.

there is a learning curve  . A lot of it depends on how your reel is setup. it is all based on thumb control.

with Baitcasters line twist is not much of an issue, but you will get a few birds nests while learning.

there are a lot of youtube videos on setting up and using Baitcast reels.

once you learn, the spinning outfits will get much less use.

 

A good quality reel is much easier to learn. cheaper reels are functional but take more skill to use.

 

 

What would you recommend for a good starter setup?

[Russ E]

6 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

What would you recommend for a good starter setup?

Depends on your budget. An abu garcia black max is functional. It takes a little longer to learn than higher end reels, but only cost $50.00

A diawa fuego reel is pretty reliable and easy to setup. It retails for around $100.00 but can often be found cheaper.

If you can afford it, a diawa tatula sv is one of the easiest reels to use. It retails for around $200.00. It is not completely fool proof, but backlashes are much less common than other reels.

[mrpao]

If I'm bank fishing, I usually prefer spinning.

Its easier to cast in tight places. Handle smaller lures better.

And if I snag a twig or limb, I don't have to worry about backlash.

It just makes life much easier.

[Spankey]

Most likely any bait you’d be throwing at your Smallies can be done with a spinning reel. Can’t imagine you having to fish over 3/8 oz., crankbaits, spinnerbaits, Topwater and plastics. 
 

But I do fish a high percentage of my crankbaits with a casting setup. Jerkbaits, Shad Raps and Topwater I don’t. Plastics I do not. 
 

Buy a decent medium power setup with a moderate or moderate fast tip. You’ll use it. You’ll grow to like it. 

[bulldog1935]

7 hours ago, Russ E said:

Baitcasters are always my first choice. it does not matter if I am fishing rivers or lakes. it also does not matter which species of bass I am pursuing. the only time I use spinning outfits is finesse fishing with light baits.

there is a learning curve  . A lot of it depends on how your reel is setup. it is all based on thumb control.

with Baitcasters line twist is not much of an issue, but you will get a few birds nests while learning.

there are a lot of youtube videos on setting up and using Baitcast reels.

once you learn, the spinning outfits will get much less use.

 

A good quality reel is much easier to learn. cheaper reels are functional but take more skill to use.

 

 

 

I took up finesse fishing with baitcaster this year, and it's far superior to spinning.  

Properly set up, a good BFS casting reel will out cast and out fish comparable spinning tackle.  

 

In the exact same tide pass as above, below I was casting 3-g plug farther and much more accurately than 5-g plug on spinning tackle above.  

Both with same diameter braid, and 8' small game rods with the same ratings.  

 

Tide pass fishing, btw is all about current, and much more like river fishing than you might imagine.  

 

I use the same reel on a 6'7" all-range BFS bass rod with about the same results.  

 

It's also a hoot to accelerate a BFS spool to blinding speed.  

Spinning reels are not without their niche - they're no-brainer for fishing in the dark.  

[TnRiver46]

I always have one of each unless I’m wading. Baitcaster for topwaters/jigs/crankbaits,

spinning for plastics on jigheads 

[redmeansdistortion]

I use baitcasting gear for river smallies.  Where I am, most of the rivers have quite a bit of overhanging trees and overgrown banks, so I prefer a rod of 6'6" or less.  I also prefer to cast one-handed in those situations so a shorter and lighter rod is much easier to manage in that respect.  Honestly, if I could find a decent 5'6" in a bass taper and not a trout taper, I would be all over it.  The rod I'm running right now is a JDM Daiwa Bass X 64LB, 5-12lb and 1/16-3/8.  Most of what I throw are small jigs and cranks of 1/8 to 1/4, but I feel I could be more effective with a shorter rod due to the environments I find myself fishing.

[Scott F]

I’ve been involved in a smallmouth bass club that is 95% guys who river fish, (seldom out of a motor boat)for over 20 years. By far, the vast majority of all the hundreds of guys I’ve met and fished with use spinning gear or fly gear. In recent years, you’ll see more guys with baitcasters, but they are still in the minority. The main reason is that most of the baits used are on the lighter side. I’ll go to a baitcaster for heavier baits like Whopper Ploppers or bigger spinner baits, but the most common baits used are soft plastics on light jigs or fished unweighted. It really doesn’t matter which you choose as long as you can present your bait of choice with it. I only use one hand for most of my spinning rods and will use two hands on a baitcaster much more often 

[QED]

I've been fishing ultralight spinning and casting (now referred to as BFS) gear since high school.  Good ultralight casting gear is much more expensive than most ultralight spinning gear, but once you ramp the learning curve on BFS baitcasting gear, there isn't much downside to the latter.

[Ohioguy25]

38 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I’ve been involved in a smallmouth bass club that is 95% guys who river fish, (seldom out of a motor boat)for over 20 years. By far, the vast majority of all the hundreds of guys I’ve met and fished with use spinning gear or fly gear. In recent years, you’ll see more guys with baitcasters, but they are still in the minority. The main reason is that most of the baits used are on the lighter side. I’ll go to a baitcaster for heavier baits like Whopper Ploppers or bigger spinner baits, but the most common baits used are soft plastics on light jigs or fished unweighted. It really doesn’t matter which you choose as long as you can present your bait of choice with it. I only use one hand for most of my spinning rods and will use two hands on a baitcaster much more often 

How do you open the bail, pinch your line and cast with one hand??

[islandbass]

Both are tools. Both can do a lot of techniques fairly well. Each could make certain techniques more convenient to use. 
 

However, the number of casts you can make imho, is independent of the reel type you use for river or any other type of fishing generally speaking. 
 

I love to use either. 

1 minute ago, Ohioguy25 said:

How do you open the bail, pinch your line and cast with one hand??

It’s very doable with practice but I personally try to use two hands for both spinning and casting especially if the rod is longer. Once your forefinger is holding the line to the rod, it is no different than the thumb holding the spool down on a baitcaster.  But like I said, I try to two hand cast when possible because one hand casting can take its toll on your wrist and forearm over time and I ain’t a spring chicken, lol. 

[Scott F]

16 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

How do you open the bail, pinch your line and cast with one hand??

I should have said I cast with one hand with a spinning rod. I open the bail with one hand, cast with the other. 

[QED]

BFS gear from high school and now.  The bottom is a Shimano GR-01451 rod with a composite Ryobi V-Mag Lite VM3G reel vs a modern Shimano Poison Adrena 163L BFS rod (JDM) and Shimano Aldebaran MGL 30HG reel (also JDM).  The latter was much more expensive even when taking into account inflation.

 

[PhishLI]

19 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Is there a major learning curve for baitcasters or is it fairly easy to get the hang of?

For some people, yes, for others, no. Many of the instructional vids I've seen leave out some of the critical details that if otherwise illuminated would significantly shorten the learning curve for those who don't get it quickly. Try to get your legs under you in your yard with no less than a 1/2 oz weight, and practice pitching immediately as it'll educate your thumb faster than any other technique.

19 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Am I misunderstanding how they work or is it a much simpler one-handed action that would be far easier in a kayak than spinning which requires two?

I wouldn't advocate that you learn to cast one handed. You'll have far less control with regard to loading and unloading the rod, which will cause backlashes. You can control that with the hand on the butt of the rod, and you'll be far more accurate. Once you've gotten your balance, have at it with one hand if that appeals to you.

[bowhunter63]

I use a spinning rod. I don’t throw really heavy lures. I use SK Bitsy bug with a baby Rage Craw trailer. Plus a lot of weightless flukes or wacky worm. Baby z craws t rigged. I use 7 ft 6 Carbon light medium heavy fast tip. Spoiled with 10 lb flouro. The reel is a lews orange crush. Never have had a problem. It works best for me 

[QED]

2 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

How do you open the bail, pinch your line and cast with one hand??

Ryobi, Shimano (and other spinning reel manufacturers) once developed touch'n trip and quickfire levers. respectively, for spinning reels that permitted exactly this.  But the market for them really never took off.

[Deephaven]

6 hours ago, mrpao said:

If I'm bank fishing, I usually prefer spinning.

Its easier to cast in tight places.

First I've seen someone say that.  WAY easier for me to cast into or out of tight places with a bait caster.

2 hours ago, Scott F said:

I should have said I cast with one hand with a spinning rod. I open the bail with one hand, cast with the other. 

No, \/ has the answer

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

I wouldn't advocate that you learn to cast one handed. You'll have far less control with regard to loading and unloading the rod, which will cause backlashes. You can control that with the hand on the butt of the rod, and you'll be far more accurate. Once you've gotten your balance, have at it with one hand if that appeals to you.

Exactly.  Two hands on the rod for nearly every cast. 

18 minutes ago, QED said:

Ryobi, Shimano and other spinning reel manufacturers once developed touch'n trip and quickfire levers. respectively, for spinning reels that permitted exactly this.  But the market for them really never took off.

Because they were not helpful and didn't last.

[Sphynx]

Personally I consider both styles to be essential tools for specific tasks, I can say that a 4lb river smallmouth on a spinning setup is infinitely more exciting to me than a baitcasting setup, but the baitcaster is much more efficient once you become well versed in its use, I never go to the river without at least one of each style in hand, and it really just depends on what I'm doing for which one I prefer, skipping is an exclusive activity for spinning reels in my world, but I don't have much opportunity to skip under docks to get good enough to justify practicing with the casting reel, on the other hand my preference for a jig rod is a 7'3" St. Croix Mojo Bass MHF rod with a 7 speed Curado K, 30lb maxcuatro braid to a 15lb maxima ultra green leader, I'm sure I could do either task on either combo, but it's just a preference thing for me.

[gim]

As @TnRiver46 stated, when I am river fishing I take 2 setups to the small river I fish in midsummer for brown bass. One is a bait caster with a topwater, wake bait, or shallow crank bait. We float with the current and cast to shoreline targets. Accuracy is essential. If you over cast, you get hung up. If you short it, you don’t get bit. Most targets are the size of a dinner plate. My personal favorite lure is the discontinued storm subwart.

 

When they miss the subwart, I toss right back in there with a plastic presentation like a tube, stick bait, etc. My favorite in this category is a dark colored small tube with a jig head. Quite often, the very same fish that just missed my subwart will hit the plastic.

 

Unfortunately, water levels are so low here this summer I won’t be river fishing. The only other season this occurred was in 2012 and I have been living here for almost 30 years.?

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

As @TnRiver46 stated, when I am river fishing I take 2 setups to the small river I fish in midsummer for brown bass. One is a bait caster with a topwater, wake bait, or shallow crank bait. We float with the current and cast to shoreline targets. Accuracy is essential. If you over cast, you get hung up. If you short it, you don’t get bit. Most targets are the size of a dinner plate. My personal favorite lure is the discontinued storm subwart.

 

When they miss the subwart, I toss right back in there with a plastic presentation like a tube, stick bait, etc. My favorite in this category is a dark colored small tube with a jig head. Quite often, the very same fish that just missed my subwart will hit the plastic.

 

Unfortunately, water levels are so low here this summer I won’t be river fishing. The only other season this occurred was in 2012 and I have been living here for almost 30 years.?

Isn’t low water ideal as they are easier to locate being concentrated in current?

[ironbjorn]

This probably isn't going to answer your question, but I'm increasingly finding them more difficult to use in the sense of their productivity vs spinning gear. With the heavily pressured water these days and the effectiveness of finesse presentations, it's getting harder and harder to pick up casting gear.

[Scott804]

I think you are better off going spinning. Dropshot has won 18x the smallmouth tournaments as any other lure outside of a tube (and the tube is still far behind) according to Fish The Moment. Casting gear (outside of power/bubba shotting, but even then, you can probably get away with that on a medium spinning rod by some manufacturer's standards) will eliminate that as an option pretty much entirely so you are already missing out on that if you are dead set on going one way or another. Jerkbaits, which are another important smallmouth tool can also easily be thrown on spinning, and arguably better than they can be on casting. There are plenty of downsized topwaters and jigs, as well as many other types of lures that will work on spinning. 

 

If you are on a budget, I wouldn't even consider casting gear. I don't think it is worth it to buy a casting reel under 100$. Casting gear should have power and be heavy duty. Anything under 100 will not grant you that adequately in my opinion. 

 

In the end, you should choose what you think you will have the most fun with. I have not seen a piece of bad advice in this thread, just differing opinions. Pick whatever seems like the most fun, that's what it is all about. 

[Ohioguy25]

8 hours ago, Scott804 said:

I think you are better off going spinning. Dropshot has won 18x the smallmouth tournaments as any other lure outside of a tube (and the tube is still far behind) according to Fish The Moment. Casting gear (outside of power/bubba shotting, but even then, you can probably get away with that on a medium spinning rod by some manufacturer's standards) will eliminate that as an option pretty much entirely so you are already missing out on that if you are dead set on going one way or another. Jerkbaits, which are another important smallmouth tool can also easily be thrown on spinning, and arguably better than they can be on casting. There are plenty of downsized topwaters and jigs, as well as many other types of lures that will work on spinning. 

 

If you are on a budget, I wouldn't even consider casting gear. I don't think it is worth it to buy a casting reel under 100$. Casting gear should have power and be heavy duty. Anything under 100 will not grant you that adequately in my opinion. 

 

In the end, you should choose what you think you will have the most fun with. I have not seen a piece of bad advice in this thread, just differing opinions. Pick whatever seems like the most fun, that's what it is all about. 

Really? I was smackin em the other day on the whopper plopper. I found that much more efficient to use than finesse jigs, I covered infinitely more water. My plan wasn’t to eliminate spinning, as I said in my OP just to have casting to cover water in between spots when floating.