Spinning reels were once thought superior

[Swamp Girl]

I was watching an old fishing video featuring "Gadabout Gaddis," the flying fisherman, and he was fishing in Georgia for bass. What I found especially interesting was his opinion of bait casting reels, which he called old-fashioned, but, he opined, they still could be used to good effect. I don't know if that was simply Gadabout's opinion or a common opinion back in the 60s, I.e. that spinning reels were superior. I do know that the bait casting reels we used in the 60s, which were old even then, were nearly impossible for us to use. 

[gim]

Up here I would estimate that more people use spinning reels than bait casters.  That's primarily because of the walleye crowd.  They often use a lighter presentation and a more vertical approach with live bait.  Most walleye anglers don't even use a bait caster unless they are trolling.

 

I probably use 75% bait casters and 25% spinning.  Lighter, more finesse presentations like a ned rig, wacky, tube, etc get the spinning nod.  Whereas the bait caster is for power tactics when I am using a faster moving lure, and when I'm muskie fishing.

 

Each one has their purpose and to avoid one or the other is foolish because all you're doing is limiting the number of tools available.  Certainly you could use a flathead screw driver for a philips screw, but a philips screwdriver is a whole lot more efficient.

[redmeansdistortion]

44 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Most walleye anglers don't even use a bait caster unless they are trolling.

Baitcasters are catching on with walleye people where I am by the Detroit River.  They like the models with the flipping switch since it lets them quickly adjust for the depth they're fishing.  Not so much casting and retrieving, but they make great jigging reels.

[you]

@ol'crickety what do you see as the biggest functional difference between those old reels and current models? Start-up inertia? Braking? Just curious about your perspective on long-term trends in technology.

 

I fish ~95% spinning gear. The other 5% is split between baitcasters and fly rods, with the baitcasters primarily used for anything with multiple trebles to avoid catching the line during a cast. Don't see many more advantages for kayak fishing where you are close to the water.

[Susky River Rat]

I would guess back then there was not as many gear ratios or maybe even 1-1. They were not as smooth etc. today bait casters are works of engineering. I enjoy both. They each have their purpose. I do lean more to spinning. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Saying is better than the other across the board is like saying a wrench is better than a screwdriver. Each tool has its time and place. 

[bulldog1935]

Except for Ambassadeur, 60s baitcasters didn't have freespool -

there were still some mainstream reels, Langley Target, without level wind - these were the only baitcasters intended to fish less than 3/8 oz.  

[gim]

36 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Baitcasters are catching on with walleye people where I am by the Detroit River.

 

I could see that.  Some of the walleyes moving through there are massive and a BC would be more practical for larger fish.

[Dan N]

Here in Wisconsin, it’s all about the walleyes. Most my buddies don’t own any baitcasting equipment beyond heavy musky fishing gear.

[Tennessee Boy]

The world record Smallmouth was caught in 1955 trolling a Bomber crankbait behind a houseboat.  If your reel doesn’t cast well you don’t do a lot of casting.  If you don’t do a lot of casting you don’t worry much about how well your reel cast.

[Bigbox99]

I know the old timey way of setting the spool tension knob for slow drop based on bait weight caused the line to become taught between the bait and reel on the cast which resulted in very little slack line sitting on the water after a cast compared to a spinning reel.  This lead to spinning reels allowing baits like a senko to sink vertically which was and still is by some touted as an advantage.

[WRB]

The Langley Target #340 was my 1st bait caster #330 Lure Cast followed, could cast light weight lures with ease,

The Target weighed 4 oz, Lure Cast with level wind was 4 .25 oz. To disengage the 340 handle from the spool you pull out the handle about 3/16” for free spool, push in the engage the handle. No anti reverse they were knuckle busters. The Langley reels date back into the mid 1940’s.

Casting rods were heavy and short. Jason Lucas recommended the reels and Connolin Feather Lite rods to me in the 50’s.

Pflueger Supreme was high casting reel back in the day, a heavy knuckle buster.

Very few bass anglers used spinning reels a few used French made spinning reels with half bails (don’t recall the brand) and  Mitchell 300 full bail. 
The Abu 500 casting red reel was a game changer as it had free spool and anti reverse with the spool engaged. The Ambassador Abu reels would dominate bass reels for 30 years until the low profile Lee’s reel design. 
Spinning reels out west became popular around 1970 with Abu-Zebco Cardinal reels with rear drag.

Tom

 

 

 

[rgasr63]

Back then in the old south the spinning rod was the setup to win with. Baitcaster reels were for saltwater fishing until the later part

Of the 70's. A lot of us only had 1 rod and reel combo .The spinning 6.5 ft rod and a 40 or 4000 series reel was universal with a extra spool available. The large  size of the reel was chosen because of the extra line capacity. It reduced the possibility of running out before it was time to go home. The fast gear of that time was 4.1to 1. In the early 80's the ratio was improved to 4.7 to 1.the ipt was 14 to 22 ipt depending on the reel brand. 

[Mobasser]

The early baitcasting reels were much harder to use overall. My dad had two Phlueger Trusty casting reels. No free spool, brakes, nothing like modern reels. A lot of guys liked spinning reels when they came out. Some well known anglers who preferred them were Bill Dance and Billy Westmoreland. I think the ABU Cardinal 4 was one of the all time best spin reels. Heavy by today's standards, but dependable and smooth.

[Choporoz]

In the 60s, my dad and grandfather generally used baitcasting gear to target bass, and spinning gear for walleye and panfish.  I think it was more about the lure/bait than the fish/cover.  When they wanted bass, they were throwing Creek Chubs, 4 inch fat prop baits, Deep bombers, and Bass O'Renos.  Vice light jigs, minnows, crawlers, 1/4 oz spoons, Lazy Ike, etc.

[Obi_Wan]

I had posted on here before, can't remember where, that I was thinking of going to all spinning gear and getting rid of my bait casters.  Still considering it. We go to Canada for Walleye and smallmouth and I only take a baitcaster so I can let my arm rest after a few days of fishing.  I have spinning rods that will do everything my baitcasting rods will do, but I just can't shake having some baitcasters around.  I do like them better for jigging and texas rigged worms but that's about it.  

 

I don't think one is superior to the other in every aspect. You can use one to replace the other these days.  But I'll probably be 80% spinning in the near future.  Not counting when I decide to go fly fishing.

[Bird]

Spinning still has it's place on my boat and always will but I've never followed trends.

The thread title says " once thought superior " and it still is in many applications....... skipping/finesse. Imo

 

 

[bowhunter63]

Tom Mann used a spinning reel almost all the time. He was really good with it 

[Dan N]

I can agree that you can do pretty much all bass fishing with spinning reels, but I would sure disagree it’s the best for all applications. 

 

flipping?

[TnRiver46]

17 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Except for Ambassadeur, 60s baitcasters didn't have freespool -

there were still some mainstream reels, Langley Target, without level wind - these were the only baitcasters intended to fish less than 3/8 oz.  

@bulldog1935 I need to clean up my antiques, I’ve got a 1929 and a 1933, both are knuckle busters as @WRB calls them. I’ve tossed a frog with both of them , they still work. At least one of them is pflueger, maybe both 

[bulldog1935]

@TnRiver46 The Japanese still bench-make direct drive reels, which they call revolvers.  

They point out the rush of catching a bass on a reel with no A/R, no drag - just you and your thumb.  

 

 

This example is full ball bearing LW, drive and spool (6 BB total), for a serious rush.  

 

 

[Hulkster]

I still love spinning gear for basically anything 1/4 oz and under (say up to a #3 Mepps spinner which is one of my favorite all time lures) but for everything heavier I use baitcasting 

[bulldog1935]

On 4/2/2024 at 7:44 AM, ol'crickety said:

I was watching an old fishing video featuring "Gadabout Gaddis," the flying fisherman, and he was fishing in Georgia for bass. What I found especially interesting was his opinion of bait casting reels, which he called old-fashioned, but, he opined, they still could be used to good effect. I don't know if that was simply Gadabout's opinion or a common opinion back in the 60s, I.e. that spinning reels were superior. I do know that the bait casting reels we used in the 60s, which were old even then, were nearly impossible for us to use. 

Gadabout Gaddis, Jim Thomas Outdoors (Texas Sportsman, not the current YouTube) - assuming the context is history and early influences.  I decided fly rod after watching aerial view of a 100' cast on Jim Thomas.  

In the OP's context, spinning reels brought fishing to blue collar masses after WWII - first time they ever had disposable income and the leisure time to take advantage of it.  Between the wars, fishing belonged to the professional class (Hemingway's dad), and before WWI, fishing was the realm of the wealthy.  The huge manufacturing base that came out of WWII also needed products to build, and a market to sell to, and spinning tackle plugged right in. 

(Glass rods came out of aircraft radar-dome production)

 

If you were going to recommend tackle to a television audience in the 60s, spinning was the no-brainer, because everybody could go fishing with little ramp time needed to work on casting technique.  The only really good baitcaster was Ambassadeur, introduced in 1954.  By the 60s, Mitchell 300 was in most fishers' quiver (or top of want list), and Cabelas was the sole importer for DAM Quick reels.  

 

Backing up a decade, here's the Ward's catalog from 1951, when even monofilament was newfangled.  The flip bail on that Shakespeare infringed on Hardy's 1932 Altex patent, but Shakespeare didn't care - so sue me.  The Bache Brown Mastereel was built by Airex under license from French Luxor to build their design in US - $22.50 in 1951 was $270 in today's money.  

This was the only '51 catalog page of spinning reels, but there were 5 catalog pages of direct-drive baitcasters.  

[Swamp Girl]

@bulldog1935: Thanks for mentioning DAM Quick reels. I hadn't thought about my old DAM Quick reel for decades. It makes me want to buy one from Ebay!

[bulldog1935]

show and tell for @ol'crickety 

Along the way, I sold a spinning reel collection that included these:  

Quick Junior, Quick Standard (never could score the earlier half-bail version)

 

familiar-shape Quick Finessa, though this is a big surf- or jetty-size reel

 

For everyone who mentioned Cardinal, this was their origin - Abu acquired Thommen Record, also where they gained Record TM they instead used on direct-drive baitcaster.  Thommen had a good drag, along with the first A/R on a spinning reel, a friction washer clutch that engaged by rotating the knurled ring on the handle shaft.  The Alabama gentleman who bought my Thommen was planning on taking it bass fishing.