fishing reels

[ironman]

Do reels even affect the way you catch bass? I have a spinning combo but on the fishing shows they always use the baitcasting reels. Should I get one?

[Tnbasser]

Are you having problems with the spinning gear? The advatages of a baitcasting reel are the ability to use heavier line and more cranking power. Most Bass sized spinningreels don't cast very well with line larger than 10lb test, and line smaller than that does not work well on baitcasting reels. As far as whether or not you should get one, I myself would be very miserable without my baitcasters, but they do take a lot of practice to use correctly. Expect a frequent amount of backlashes until you get used to it.

some people never use baitcasters and have no problems. You have to decide if you think you need or want it. I don't think many people could tell you if you should get one. Only u can answer that.

[Bender]

This is my first year using bait casters and I like them a lot. It is easier for me to keep my finger/thumb on the line when palming the reel and I think that I have caught more fish becuase of this. I can feel the slightest little tick on the bait with a worm or jig on there and the bite has been pretty soft for me this year.
Edit: One other suggestion is not to get a cheap one. I bought a cheap Quantum from Wal-Mart last year and every time I tried it there was backlash after backlash. I picked up some better ones over the winter and now backlashes are much fewer, they still exist but not so much.

[betursweetbass]

I use the baitcaster for a couple of reasons, number one, I feel the baitcaster is a more powerful tool for working bass from cover. I don't have to worry about breaking off light line in the weeds or losing expensive lures, and or bigger fish.

Number two, they allow me and just about anyone else the ability to use a wider varity of lures that the spinning gear will not.

[LoneStarAngler07]

what lures you talking about there??? by the way...kevin van dam uses spinning gear and he catches some of the nicest fish with no problem, and tons of other pros do too...its all personal preference.

[betursweetbass]

Oh very true, alot of pros use spinning rigs, but most of them are finnese fishing using shakey worms or something like that. A deep running crank bait on a spinning rig with light line is going to put quite a bit of pressure on the reel. The larger crank baits and heavier lures like buzz baits and spooks, make the casting and retrival of these lures quite a challenge for spinning gear.The rod usually states the line weight limits and the lure weight as well.
In a nut shell, I use Spinning Gear for finnese fishing or lighter lines, and I use Baitcasters for power fishing and heavier lines and lures.

[basscatcher03]

not reely its more about the weeds in the lake if your casting into a place with a lot of weeds baitcatsers will help u monuver around them and not get hung. i still use spin reels but hey i hate backlashing

[LoneStarAngler07]

thats true...theres pro's and con's to each...but not enough to convince me to go through the backlash period again...hey! you cant get backlash with spinning gear....go spinning.

[Hef]

IMO it's not about personal preference, but more like application. I was born and raised in Oklahoma and fishing them waters, NOBODY used a spinning reel. When I got up here, Spinning reels are the norm and very few use baitcasters. I had to buy one for certain situations I coudn't use a baitcaster (i.e. 1/8oz, shakey head etc..) and it has paid off. So I believe you do need to have one (even if it does sit in your rod locker for 9 months out of the year.

[zooker]

am with hef on this..

zooker

[Rebbasser]

Me too. The only thing I use spinning rods for is drop shotting, shakey head, and some cranks that are too light to throw on a baitcaster, i.e. some of the smaller Rapalas.

As far as I'm concerned the application dictates the gear. For example, any bait that has a single hook like a worm or jig I fish on a MH or H action rod-I want the backbone for a good hookset. This weekend the two guys I fished with were using spinning gear and missed a number of fish because the rods they were using didn't have the backbone for a solid hookset.

Besides, I just have more confidence in baitcasters.

[JB]

Same here, even when I was 8 years old my dad had me witha old ambassader bait caster, which I never did learn to use, but spinning outfits weren'taround yet, the closed face push button reels and bait casters were the only ones in our garage....fast forward to when I started bassfishing, I learned some spinning gear, but all my buddies more or less pressured everyone into learning baitcasting...
and yes, I still get backlashes, always my fault when I throw to hard and don't apply enough thumb pressure...

[WTL]

I too prefer baitcasters, I would say 95% of the time. They feel smoother and more efficient in my hands. Not just that, but small ultra-light baitcasters are becoming more and more popular. I throw a Morrum SX 1600 50% of the time, and am able to work most crankbaits, floating worms, you know a lot of stuff that I thought I couldn't throw on a baitcaster previously. A lot of people like the Shimano Scorpions for the same reason.

[flfireman]

Not gonna agree or disagree here. I use both and am proficient w/ each. My biggest plus w/ baitcasters is my accuracy on cast's. I have 2 rods that are my most heavily used rod/reel combo's. Either one of these I am pretty much point and aim with. For the most part I'll hit within a foot of where Im aiming for. I do like my spinning outfits for unweighted plastics, still have decent accuracy. I prefer them for this application because I can give them a good solid crank and pop my plastics through heavier growth. Bottom line, you will become comfortable with whatever you use the most of and make it work for your specific needs.