Baitcasting reels

[dollarbill]

I was out fishing today and I was trying to throw a small jerkbait.  It did not weigh that much.  I was having trouble casting it.  Are baitcasting reels made to throw lighter weight baits.  How do you know what baitcasters are made for these situations.  Also, what is the difference between baitcasters that sit low and ones that look bigger from top to bottom.  I am still in the beginner stage when it comes to using a baitcaster and I am curious if some of the higher priced reels will help with casting distance or is it the skill of the person using the reel that determines distance?  Thanks in advance for the advice.

[Micro]

A lot of people, including myself, like spinning outfits better than baitcasting outfits for throwing really light baits.  Some baitcasters, paired with a good rod and spooled with appropriate line, will handle light baits.  But I think most people would be better off with a spinning outfit for light lures.  Baitcasters shine with moderate to heavy lures, IMO.  

Baitcasters that sit low on the rod, and have a sort of "football" profile are called low profile reels.  There's a lot of variety in low profice reels - some sit high, some sit low.  Round ones that sit high are round reels.  It's a matter or personal preference as to which to use.  I use both.  But I prefer low profile reels because mine perform better than my round reels, and are more comfortable to palm.   I do use round reels for heavy stuff.  My flipping rod has a round reel, and my rods that I use for live bait have round reels.  

The price of a reel is somewhat indicative of quality and performance.  But some lower priced reels are very good, and the equal of some higher priced reels.   Abu Garcia, Shimano, Daiwa, Okuma, Quantum make good reels to fit all sorts of budgets.

Baitcasters can be tough to master and takes practice.   The best thing to do is select a reel that you are interested in and ask about it.  If it's a reel, you'll get qualified opinion on this booard about it.  Once you make up your mind and buy one, take the time to learn to use is and get good with it.   There is no substitute for practice.  

[Jeff H]

Skill, practice, experience does have something to do with it, it comes with time...

Whatever gets the job done for YOU is what you go with.   The fish don't care how it gets there or what is taking it in.  If you feel more comfortable throwing a specific bait/lure with spinning equipment, just do it.

[islandbass]

Without experience and practice on your side, tossing lighter lures will be a challenge. In addition, you have now discovered one of the inherent traits of a baitcast. Generally (Please note I said generally) speaking, baitcasters do not fare well when the weights of baits are about 3/16 oz or less. Many anglers opt for spinning gear at this weight range for the reason you have discovered.

Also, baitcasters are not equal. There are some baitcast reels than can toss lighter weights. They tend to be more expensive too. I am sure others can chime in on which other reels might fare better at these lighter weights than these:

Daiwa: Pixy, Presso

Shimano: Chronarch, Scorpion.

The other factor that is helpful is using a rod rated to throw those lighter weights.

The other reel I know that can toss lighter lures is the Curado D. Here is a picture of mine with a homemade lure that I can toss with it. As I mentioned, part of the ability rests in the reel's traits, but the rest lies in the hands of the angler.

[dollarbill]

Thanks for the info.  I have been using baitcasters regularly for the past year now and have gotten better at using them.  Especially with heavier baits.  I guess in my ignorance I thought that certain lures had to be used with a baitcaster, not a spinning reel.  When I was fishing yesterday, I switched the lure over to my spinning rod and solved that problem.  This info leads me to another question.  I have a 6'6" fiberglass crankbait rod, which I use for cranks, topwater,spinnerbaits.  Is it OK to use this rod for other applications besides crankbaits.  Or should I invest in other rods to handle those other types of lures.I figured when I'm throwing baits that could use an extra split second for the fish to get a good hold on it before setting the hook, I would just use the glass rod.

[.dsaavedra.]

they pretty much covered it on the reels.

if its a crankbait rod, use it for stuff w/ trebel hooks. for stuff with a single hook, get a stiffer rod.