Will a baitcasting rod and reel setup help me with bank fishing (over a spinning rod and reel)?

[piscis]

I do not think that simply buying a baitcasting rod and reel will make me a great fisherman.  But, in general, on the bank, does the baitcasting setup do anything to help me?  I know none of it is magic.  I'd still need to understand many things about baits, colors, temp, cover, so on and so forth.  But will the rod and reel help me better than a spinning reel?

 

I ask because if I can't catch a bass with a spinning rod and reel, what makes me think I can do it with the baitcasting?  Maybe I need a boat instead :)?

[MN Fisher]

Being that my arsenal is 50-50 baitcasting-spinning - my answer would be no.

 

Learn the water - find contour maps of where you fish.

Then learn the things you've already stated - baits, colors, etc.

 

Plenty of bank fisher-people catch bass with spinning rigs - it's finding out where the bass are and what they want that makes the difference.

[roadwarrior]

Hmm...

There is some other issue. Baitcaster vs spinning  gear is more related to the lures you

fish. As a general guideline, baitcasters are better suited to "power fishing".  Bigger lures

and moving baits. Spinning tackle for finesse: light lures and weightless soft plastics. 

[NHBull]

I would try to get off sure...if possible.

 

A kayak, Jon boat, ect.......

 

I find it hard to power fish from sure and truth be told, with the right spinning rod you can cover a good amount of techniques 

[MN Fisher]

6 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Hmm...

There is some other issue. Baitcaster vs spinning  gear is more related to the lures you

fish. As a general guideline, baitcasters are better suited to "power fishing".  Bigger lures

and moving baits. Spinning tackle for finesse: light lures and weightless soft plastics. 

I could debate that given certain equipment - and no, not inshore gear...but I'll refrain for now.

[roadwarrior]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

I could debate that given certain equipment - and no, not inshore gear...but I'll refrain for now.

 Jump in!

I have friends who use baitcasters only and some that are spinning gear only. I like both styles

and have tailored my fishing more specifically.  

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, roadwarrior said:

Jump in!

Sure - two things off the top of my head.

 

I've mentioned multiple times that I can't skip with a BC to save my life - so I set up a MH/F spinning rig to handle that issue for jigs, spinners, chatters.

 

Flip/pitch/punch/frog?

Dobyns 705SF (pick a model) with a 4000 size reel (mainly for the IPT) - I do all that with a 7' rod now, so it's not a 'step down' even though most prefer a longer rod for flipping-etc.

 

Like I've said in the past - I could go all spinning and not lose out on any technique I already use.

[DitchPanda]

I have been a bank bass angler for 20 years. While I'm far from an expert I'm also far from a newbie and consider myself to be a competent bass chaser. In my opinion you need both. There are guys that will argue that you can buy heavy enough spinning gear to do whatever. Then other guys will say you can buy BFS gear and do all the finesse tactics spinning guys can do on a baitcaster. To me there are some tactics suited for casting gear and some suited for spinning. Every pro that's out there fishing for a living has casting and spinning on deck. Again this is my opinion. But I have and always will have both.

[gim]

14 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I've mentioned multiple times that I can't skip with a BC to save my life - so I set up a MH/F spinning rig to handle that issue for jigs, spinners, chatters.

I was skipping some stick baits 2 days ago with this very setup. I’ve gotten to be pretty good with it too, although I don’t skip hard lures like jigs, spinners, or chatter baits. Just soft plastics for this guy.

[MN Fisher]

2 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I was skipping some stick baits 2 days ago with this very setup. I’ve gotten to be pretty good with it too, although I don’t skip hard lures like jigs, spinners, or chatter baits. Just soft plastics for this guy.

Weightless plastics I skip with my President XT-LE 30 and Fury 703SF...as well as other lighter lures.

[Hammer 4]

I fished for a good number of years using a spinning rig. As said, there are lures that are better suited to a baitcaster. Do you really need a bc, no, but I think if you keep at it long enough, your likely to buy a baitcaster at some point.

[haggard]

32 minutes ago, piscis said:

But, in general, on the bank, does the baitcasting setup do anything to help me?

Probably not - unless you're throwing heavier lures (1/4 oz or more) and find that you cast those more accurately with a baitcaster as compared to a spinner. Baitcaster keeps the reel tighter/closer to the rod axis which can give a tighter, more accurate, less wobbly feel than a spinning setup.That's not to say a spinner isn't accurate in the right hands. For lighter presentations (say under 1/4 oz), in general (there are exceptions), a spinning setup is the way to go.

 

If you're having trouble on the bank, I think there are more productive solutions than getting a baitcaster.

 

 

 

 

[BrianMDTX]

I mostly fish from a small inflatable boat, but still fish from the bank. I’d say 60% baitcaster/40% spinning. With a caveat. 
 

I have some places where I have room to cast baits a good way with a baitcaster. You may not. You can easily flick baits with a spinning rig. You may have issues with bird’s nests with a baitcasting rig if clearance is an issue. 
 

For me, topwater baits, crankbaits, jerkbaits and Texas rigs with a bullet weight (and weightless heavy soft plastics like a Neko Macho or Fat IKA) are worked with my baitcasters. Wacky rigs, weightless Texas rigs with light soft plastics, Ned rigs, drop shot, etc. I use a spinning rig. 

[Dinger0306]

Baitcasters (or hell, even a spincast reel) have one big pro when it comes to fishing specifically plastics to me, and that’s the ability to always be able to hold your index finger under the line as it’s coming out of the level wind to feel for a bite while dead sticking, shaking, twitching, etc a plastic bait. I do this with a spinning reel too, but I have to have the bail and line roller matched up so it’s closest to the rod and it can be a hassle to do that/make sure of it every cast.

 

Other than that, it’s just so much easier to fish a heavy hard bait with a baitcaster. Once you fish a spinnerbait or crankbait on a casting reel you’ll irk at the thought of tying one to the end of your spinning rod. 
 

I say all of this but I still fish primarily spinning gear. I’m on a river smallie kick and the majority of my fishing is done with light plastics or lures well under 1/4oz which I find spinning gear to excel at. 
 

All in all, I’d advise to get a baitcaster and try it out but it’s not a necessity

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Dinger0306 said:

Once you fish a spinnerbait or crankbait on a casting reel you might irk at the thought of tying one to the end of your spinning rod. 

I have two rigs set up for crankbaits, and they always have one tied on

Fuego CT-H on a Fury 705CB MH/MF

Avocet RZT-2000 on a Okuma Stratus VI MH/MF

 

While I do use the Avocet mainly for the lighter cranks and lipless, it's my prime squarebill rod...and that includes KVD 2.5s

[ATA]

1 hour ago, roadwarrior said:

 Jump in!

I have friends who use baitcasters only and some that are spinning gear only. I like both styles

and have tailored my fishing more specifically.  

I am 10% spinning and 90% bait casting, I suggest you try it and you'll be happy of the choice(after you learn to have minimum backlash).

 

[Dinger0306]

12 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

I have two rigs set up for crankbaits, and they always have one tied on

Fuego CT-H on a Fury 705CB MH/MF

Avocet RZT-2000 on a Okuma Stratus VI MH/MF

 

While I do use the Avocet mainly for the lighter cranks and lipless, it's my prime squarebill rod...and that includes KVD 2.5s

Different strokes for different folks. I do throw 1.0-1.5s on spinning gear but I haven’t thrown a larger sized crank in forever, when I did I always liked casting gear better. Something about feeling that wobble or the vibration of a spinnerbait on a spinning reel just didn’t feel right to me. Maybe I’m weird lol

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Dinger0306 said:

Maybe I’m weird lol

Na - just different.

 

I grew up with spinning, even walleye and northerns were targeted with my old Mitchell 320. When I first went to BCs, it was primarily for trolling.

 

It's all what you're use to.

[Dinger0306]

Just now, MN Fisher said:

Na - just different.

 

I grew up with spinning, even walleye and northerns were targeted with my old Mitchell 320. When I first went to BCs, it was primarily for trolling.

 

It's all what you're use to.

Right when I wanted to learn to use a baitcaster was the same time I got interested in bass fishing, so the first reel I’d have ever thrown something like a crank or spinner on would’ve been a baitcaster so that makes sense. I still like throwing wacky rigs on a baitcaster better, for that same reason I’d imagine. 

[soflabasser]

Fish with whatever fishing tackle makes you happy whether it is spinning tackle or baitcasting tackle. 

[MIbassyaker]

I also learned to fish on spinning and used it exclusively for a long time, for everything (even spinnerbaits, jigs and frogs), before trying a baitcaster.  My baitcast to spinning ratio is 50/50 now and rarely go anywhere without both. I use casters for heavier lures, most "horizontal" crank-and-wind presentations, and for fishing in cover where I need more than about 10lb line.  I use spinning for lighter lures, more vertical presentations (especially when I want a "vertical drop at a distance"), and open water or sparse-cover situations. 

 

I still have no problem using light (say, 1/8-1/4oz) crankbaits and spinnerbaits on spinning gear, but more often it's either (1) light plastics, like a senko, shakyhead, grub, or ned rig, (2) small topwaters like a torpedo or pop-r, or (3) small jerkbaits. 

[Team9nine]

2 hours ago, piscis said:

But, in general, on the bank, does the baitcasting setup do anything to help me?   

 

But will the rod and reel help me better than a spinning reel?

 

I ask because if I can't catch a bass with a spinning rod and reel, what makes me think I can do it with the baitcasting?  Maybe I need a boat instead :)?

 

In the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter. Some of it might be dictated by the type of water you have access to from the bank. Certain types of presentations and baits tend to best be presented on one or the other, and certain types of water clarities and cover might make one preferable, but will one type (spinning or baitcasting) make you a better angler over the other, or hurt your success more? Not really. A lot of fishing is simply how you choose to catch them. Some waters and days, for me, that's a baitcaster, and others, it's a spinning. If I could only pick one outfit for the bank, I'd take spinning any day over the baitcaster. Fortunately, I can fish either whenever I choose to 

[islandbass]

2 hours ago, piscis said:

I do not think that simply buying a baitcasting rod and reel will make me a great fisherman.  But, in general, on the bank, does the baitcasting setup do anything to help me?  I know none of it is magic.  I'd still need to understand many things about baits, colors, temp, cover, so on and so forth.  But will the rod and reel help me better than a spinning reel?

 

I ask because if I can't catch a bass with a spinning rod and reel, what makes me think I can do it with the baitcasting?  Maybe I need a boat instead :)?

I think you are looking at this in not so great a manner. First and foremost, it is NOT necessary, but reels are tools to help YOU. 
 

Do you want to get a bc set up because you think it will help you to be a better angler or do you want to get one because “everyone else has one?” 
 

If this is your real reason, then don’t get one because you’d be getting one for the wrong reason

 

Do you want to get one because doing so will help you grow and become a more rounded angler and add to your tool arsenal? Then heck yes, get one. 
 

Many techniques can be done excellently with both. There is quite a bit of crossover. However, as one approaches the extremes of certain limits, one reel type will serve you better. These extremes can be the line, the weight of the lure, our how you want the line to descend in certain applications. Generally (I ain’t getting into BFS as that’s another subset animal) Lighter lines and weights don’t usually fare well on casting gear. When I say light, I’m talking 1/8oz and less. Any casting real worth its salt IMHO had better be good at tossing 1/4oz or more or it isn’t in my arsenal. To me, 1/4oz is normal, not light, lol. 
 

Line type. Don’t expect 10 or 15# braid to behave line 40# braid on a bc reel. Look up the term “line dig” here. This light of braid simply doesn’t farewell on the general casting reel but spinning reels don’t have this issues

 

As you can see, there’s more to consider, but your reasons to not consider is kind of barking up the wrong tree. 
 

It behooves an angler to be proficient in the tools in his arsenal. I love and use both reel types. If all you want to do is spinning, more power to you but know you’re limiting yourself. It would somewhat be like a supposed soccer or basketball who can dribble very well with their right hand or leg but not their opposite. If you ask me, they’re basically half a player. This doesn’t translate completely in fishing but you get the point. 
 

Reels are tools. Period. ?

[new2BC4bass]

My spinning/baitcast ratio is 13%/87%.  I grew up with spinning.  Tried baitcast reel when I got back into fishing in 2009. Prefer them, and will use a baitcast reel even when I know spinning would do better.  And that is with lighter baits...as already stated by several.  Just my preference.  Naturally I want to catch fish, but derive more pleasure from a bc reel.

 

Now if I were fishing for money, my spinning reels would see more action.  Either that or I'd be spending a lot more time practicing my casting with light lures. 

 

If you are fishing from shore where casting obstructions are a pain in the butt, then I would avoid a baitcast reel.  It is so much easier with a spinning reel.  I firmly believe a baitcast reel would be a hindrance in this scenario.

 

A boat would open up a lot of fishing for you.

[jimmyjoe]

   I'm a dyed-in-the-wool shorecaster. I use both spinning and casting gear.

   Most people prefer one over the other, but if you search out the right gear, you can do anything you need to do with either one.

   The real difference comes from that preference. Go with your gut feeling. ?       jj