When would one use a baitcast over a spinning reel?

It seems like I've seen more and more baitcast type reels in use lately, but am not sure of the advantages of this type over a spinning reel or what conditions favor this type of reel.

I have read here that they are harder to learn to cast and retrieval is slower, so under what conditions would I use one?

Thanks,

lately, but am not sure of the advantages of this type over a spinning reel or what conditions favor this type of reel.

I have read here that they are harder to learn to cast and retrieval is slower, so under what conditions would I use one?

Pinpoint accuracy (They will stop on a dime and I can consistently put my lure within a 12' area (or less) of where I want the lure placed. Something I can't do with a spinning reel.

I enjoy fishing both, but if I have a lure that is heavy enough, I'll always pick up the baitcaster.

Hi Ed, I think that most anglers use spinning reels with light weight lures and light line. I think that one major problem with spinning reels is that the line twists up if you are fighting fish than run lots of drag like salt water fish or steelhead. With heavier weights/lures and heavier line the bait caster is superior. I am not up to date with the cut off point, but it use to be around 10 pound test??

We were just in Belize and hooked some large snook on lighter fly rods. We were unable to stop the big ones. Our guide said that they go after big snook over 20 pounds in the mangroves with a bait casting outfit and 30# line!

Bill Kiene Kiene's Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA

800/4000FLY

baitcast : strength,line capacity ! when i am wanting the strength and heavy test line for powering out fish i would use baitcast! spinning : better sensetivity,casting distance & accuracy ! i use spin gear when i need to finesse or feel my lure or bait. also i use them when i need to cast far off with accuracy! i take both kinds with me ! rion

Agree on all points except I would shift accuracy to the baitcast tackle. For short range accuracy, I usually shift to baitcast gear. I think the difference is that on spinning gear you need to feather the spool to shorten the cast, but with baitcast gear you already have your thumb in position. Maybe I should rephrase that to say 'accuracy potential'. Some people's thumbs are more 'educated' than others.

Mike Stacey

As far as the accuracy is concerned, give me a tight spot to cast my spinning reel, and I'll land it there everytime. (Except in extremely windy conditions) As for the baitcaster, I'll let you know when I get the hang of that thing.

In Article Re: When would one use a baitcast over a spinning reel? ,

As one can deduce from this post, accuracy is a function of one's level of expertise with a given type of equipment.

A spinning reel is especially good for 'skipping' a lure under a boat dock or overhanging tree. You can also 'feather' a spinning reel by touching your index finger to the lip of the spool, getting the same effect as using your thumb on the spool of a baitcaster.

Although wind plays havoc with *all* casts, a spinning reel has fewer problems than a baitcaster, especially when casting directly into the wind.

Still, for some kinds of fishing, a baitcaster has the advantage of being able to haul the hogs out of the stumps much better than a spinning reel. And, when casting lures over 1/4 oz, a baitcaster can truly out-distance a spinning reel.

Good Luck and Good Fishing!

I agree with you Richard. I use my spinning reel only in open waters. Not in any heavy cover. I know better than that. I am still working on my casting, and accuracy with the baitcaster and hopes that I can one day I will have to pull them lunkers out of their weedbeds. But actually, the lake where I fish the most has very few areas with any kind of heavy cover. It mostly has submerged structures and open.

I use my spining rod in heavy cover...havent had a problem yet in 10

In Article Re: When would one use a baitcast over a spinning reel? , Greg

writes:

You can doubt all you want. And, I'll agree that a lot of it has to do with the expertise of the person using the baitcaster (not so much with a spinning reel), but I guarantee that a good baitcaster will cast a 1/2 oz crankbait *much* farther than a spinning reel, with both using the same weight of line (10# monofilament).

At 1/4 oz, it's pretty close, but above that it's no contest. I was like you. I thought that there was no way a baitcaster could outcast a spinning reel at any weight under 1 oz. But, since I started using baitcasters, I have learned different.

Nothing about the rod, although some rods do cast better than others. In general, baitcasting rods are stiffer than spinning rods, which actually puts the baitcasters at a disadvantage, in the rod department.

The big difference is in the mechanics of the line and how the 2 kinds of reels handle it. With a baitcaster, the spool turns as the line goes out. This means that you have to do more work, at the beginning of the cast, to get the spool spinning. But, once it is spinning, it has its own angular inertia, and it takes little or no tension on the line to keep it spinning. In fact, this is the cause of the dreaded backlash. Also, since the line unrolls off the spool, it goes straight out through the guides, with a minimum of friction, which is why casting rods have small guides.

With a spinning reel, the line falls off the end of the spool. This means that it takes very little effort to start the line coming off the spool, which is the reason that spinning reels excel at casting very light lures. This slight pull to get line off the spool actually increases as the line pays out and the spool gets emptier. The new long-cast spools minimize this effect by using a long, shallow spool, instead of a short, deep one.

The other problem with spinning reels is that when the line comes off the spool fast, it makes a big loop between the spool and the first guide. If there were no guides or rod, that loop would be even bigger. But, the guides have to keep the line from hitting the rod, so that loop must be squeezed down so that it passes through the guides. That is why the guides on a spinning rod start out very large and taper down to the same size as a casting rod at the tip.

When you cast a spinning rod, you can hear the line going through the guides. This sound tells you that there is a lot of frictin between the line and the guide. This friction is constant througout the cast and is what limits the ultimate effective casting distance for *any* spinning rod/reel.. Of course, the problem also gets worse as the stiffness of the line goes up with heavier lines.

This effect is virtually non-existant for baitcasting reels. When you cast a baitcaster, there is no such noise, unless you are using braided line. The only noise with a biatcaster is the noise made by the centrifugal or magnetic casting brake inside the reel. That drag is both controlled and adjustable. An expert at baitcasters can set the brakes at a minimum setting and easily cast much farther than with a spinning reel. If, like me, you need to crank up the brakes to preven backlashes, the advantage is reduced, but not eliminated altogether.

Simple, because they don't want to deal with backlashes. Remember, lots of surf fishermen are often casting into the wind, which is the worst possible condition for using a biatcasting reel. The question you *should* have asked, but didn't is, 'Why are all the long-distance casting records held by baitcasting type reels?' But, I already answered that one.

Remember, I am not a die-hard baitcaster. I only took it up about 6 years ago. Before that, I was strictly a spinning & spin-casting angler. I, like you, would have *sworm* that a spinning reel could out-cast a baitcasting reel for *any* combination of line/lure weight. I found out I was wrong by proving it to myself.

But, I still use spinning rods for a lot of situations. In fact, the last reel I bought was a Shimano Symetre 2000 to use for bass fishing. One of my cardinal rules is:

Always take at least 1 spinning combo with you, no matter *what* you are fishing for.

I do *not* have the same rule about baitcasters. d8-]

Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Speed!