Baitcasting reels question

BAIT CASTING REELS
most likely spinning reels will cover most of your fishing needs,but if you want to use botom dragging baits like plastic worms,grubbs,jigs etc. get a light or medium weight bait caster with the handel on the left side. get a 5 1/2 or 6 ft. high quality rod and a high quality reel to match. dont go cheep on the reel or you will have problems. you can feel the bait better with bait casting equipment and can drag a big smalley out of heavy cover. make sure you get a matched outfit or again you will have problems.

i carry both when i go for brownies and use them according to what kind of structure i encounter on the stream i’m fishing.

good fishing.

For me, its always been the rod and line
that provided sensitivity, not the reel.

Baitcasters vs spinners
That always causes a big argument among coastal fishermen. Along the Gulf Coast and Florida’s two 80% baitcasting. That reversed itself in Florida.

Thanks, I was thinking
about that. The reel is more than 50 years old, I would guess 60 or 70 since Grandpa had it some years before I was born. I don’t remember the brand, but unfortunately, it was not on the list of old reels that bring in $40k at auctions. It’s just a nice old reel. I have his complete tackle box with wooden lures and bobbers. It doesn’t leave the house these days.



(Hey, what’s the deal that spell check and dictionaries do not have the word, “bobber”? Did none of these people who produced these things fish?)

Wooden lures can be worth a small
fortune. That’s especially true if you have a fish picture with the lure…best if the lure is hooked to the fish. Don’t know why dictionaries don’t have “bobber”.



The old Abu 5000’s were mostly red. There should be an emblem on the side. But, they made a bunch of reels back then, many of which are no longer with us. If its a 5000 series reel, there is little differnce, other than more plastic, in it and new ones. They were, and are, great reels. Maybe they don’t have all the bells and whistles, and aren’t as easy to control backlashes, but the Abu is field tested and has caught more fish than all the other newer vesions out there combined.

BAIT CASTING REELS
I did say equipment and balanced outfit.

Well, picked up a deal on a left-handed

– Last Updated: Apr-19-08 1:06 AM EST –

Abu 5501 C3, $40 new. The sell for $68 around here. So, will be trying it out in the A.M. Hopefully, I'll get used to reeling left handed with a baitcaster and handling the star drive from the left side. The latter has been my main objection to using a left handed baitcaster, but, for a $28 savings, I believe I can adjust.

Different reels for different situations
Like BryanM I went to a left handed baitcaster for river fishing sockeye and coho size salmon. I love it. I am right handed but I like the instant retrieve of the left handed handle. No changing hands between cast and retrieve, just like with a spinning reel. In shallow water sometimes you have to get the lure moving toward you instantly or snag.



I like spin reels for trout and up to bass and walleye size fish, though a baitcaster has more direct power or at least it feels like it to me on the larger bass, walleye and pike.



I prefer left handed baitcasters for medium sized fish such as steelhead and salmon to 15 lbs. or so.



For larger fish, such as big Chinook salmon, halibut, etc. I strongly prefer the standard right hand drive level wind/bait caster type reels. The reason is that for a long fight that requires strong power on the rod, my hands and arms tire way too much with the left hand reel handle. It is probably habits developed from early years of fishing but I get a LOT more pressure on a fish with the rod in my left hand and the reel handle in my right, and without discomfort to me. But only for big fish.



One other caveat: I heard for all of my developing years that you can’t cast accurately with a spinning reel and rod. I and my cousin fished b rushy creeks and river rapids and got so we could cast way back under overhangin brush and hit wihtin an inch of a rock wall, etc. etc. IMO a spinning outfit is just as accurate as a casting one if the user practices enough. It may take more practice, as I find that aqccurate casting with a baitcaster outfit is

Different reels for different situations

– Last Updated: Apr-23-08 3:50 AM EST –

Like BryanM I went to a left handed baitcaster for river fishing sockeye and coho size salmon. I love it. I am right handed but I like the instant retrieve of the left handed handle. No changing hands between cast and retrieve, just like with a spinning reel. In shallow water sometimes you have to get the lure moving toward you instantly or snag.

I like spin reels for trout and up to bass and walleye size fish, though a baitcaster has more direct power or at least it feels like it to me on the larger bass, walleye and pike.

I prefer left handed baitcasters for medium sized fish such as steelhead and salmon to 15 lbs. or so.

For larger fish, such as big Chinook salmon, halibut, etc. I strongly prefer the standard right hand drive level wind/bait caster type reels. The reason is that for a long fight that requires strong power on the rod, my hands and arms tire way too much with the left hand reel handle. It is probably habits developed from early years of fishing but I get a LOT more pressure on a big fish with the rod in my left hand and the reel handle in my right, and without discomfort to me.

One other caveat: I read in fishing magazines during my developing years that you can't cast accurately with a spinning reel and rod. My cousin and I learned to cast spin gear accurately. We fished brushy creeks and river rapids and got so we could cast way back under overhanging brush and hit within an inch of a rock wall below a log, etc. IMO a spinning outfit is just as accurate as a casting one if the user practices enough. It may take more practice to get good with spinning gear however. When I went from spin gear to bait casting it was almost instantly easy to cast accurately.

Good deal! Way to go.

It’s a trade-off
You get to trade line twist for bird’s nests. Which problem are you going to get more often, and which is going to bother you more? I hate line twist, so I use baitcasters frequently. But, if I start getting frequent bird’s nests, then I’m back to spinning tackle.



In general, I am set up with baitcasting tackle for fishing heavy hardware - 3/8 to 5/8 oz spinbaits or buzzbaits or large poppers, and spinning tackle for light presentations, such as unweighted soft plastic worms cast long and left to dangle in current seams.



My surf fishing tackle, which involves throwing large lures and spoons with a minimum weight of 1/2 oz but often 7/8 oz up to 8 oz of weight PLUS some cut bait, is all baitcasting. I love the strength of it when a big one is one. A baitcasting reel is literally a winch, and it pulls like one when I need it too. I have a few spinning outfits for the surf for friends who want to give it a try. Throwing a five oz bottom rig can be hard to do, so I prefer to keep the equipment familiar when new people are giving it a try.


  • Big D

Baitcasters
C’mon, weren’t any of you folks around when thumb-busters were the norm, and spinning was still somewhat of a novelty? I learned to fish, age 12, with a no frills baitcaster…no inertial dampeners,no ball bearings, Cortland braided line, and switch hands after the cast, 'cause that’s all there was. One quickly learned how to feather the spool with their thumb. Oh, and the rod was a tapered STEEL blank with genuine red agate guides. How’s that for a blast from the past???



In all seriousness, I think the theory of cast right then switch hands was more about dexterity and power…if you are a rightie, then your right hand is supposed to be more dextrous for casting and stronger for reeling. Of course, we now know that it doesn’t really matter. I think some baitcasters can be had with a switchable handle, or ordered left or right.



All in all, it’s a matter of personal preference, I prefer to cast right and reel left, and everything I have is set up that way.

Steel
I have not seen a steel rod in close to 60 years. I was in heaven when I got a split bamboo to replace that thing. I believe the reel was a Phlueger. Later we had the solid fiberglass with Penns and Phluegers. Lots of burned thumbs from the dacron. I got my 1st spinning reel in 1953. Spinning reels are accurate if you learn to feather the line. You can use the index finger or the free hand. Dont overfill the spools.

Those old lures can be valuable. Check to see what they are worth before you fish them.

man , spin reels cast as accurate as …

– Last Updated: Apr-30-09 11:36 PM EST –

.... can be !!

Doesn't any one just use the same forefinger they intially hold the line up to the rod with , to just control the cast distance to the exact spot they want the lure to hit the water ??

Also , just in case some don't know this ... when casting and wanting to land the lure well back under an over hanging tree limb , just aim at the lowest possible spot of the limb in the direction of desired cast . Practice hitting that leaf on the way by , really ... if you don't believe me , try it a while , you be a believer . Just aim for the leaf first instead of the water .

I have a bro-inlaw who is a dedicated bass fisherman and he uses nothing but baitcasting reels . All 10-12 of them , each on it's own dedicated rod goes with him every time . I never make fun of him , it's his thing ... 99 out of a hundred times I take just one spin outfit to do the work with , although I have extra spools w/ heavier/lighter line along with me .

Spin vs Baitcaster
I used to use baitcasters like many posted here, but once the braids came out I really don’t use mine much anymore. Powerpro’s 2 lb 10 breaks at 18lbs. With a 30lb flourocarbon leader and a 7’ rod we can pull 30" snook out of the mangroves that would have been impossible with 8lb mono (which would cast worse than the 2lb 10).



If I’m standing up in a boat and fishing for bass with a spinner bait or crank bait it’s still nice to use a baitcaster, because a spinning reel will hit the first guide and you feel that in the lure.



I also find it harder to “skip” a lure under tree branches with a baitcaster.

I am a perfect example of someone who bought a baitcast reel and had no frickin’ idea how to use it. After a couple of birdsnests that cost me two extra spools of line I did my research on the internet and learned how to cast it properly (not really that difficult, but it does take a bit to get used to).
I bought a Canadain Tire special the Rhino baitcast (made by Zebco) like this https://under-the-open-sky.com/best-baitcasting-reels/ rod and reel were ~$69 2 years ago. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PURCHASES I MADE FOR FISHING TO DATE!!! Yeah it’s a cheapy but man does it ever reel in good, and you can feel hit better becuase the reeling action is vibrating through as much. I love mine and am hoping to upgrade to a better name brand one in the next little while. I use mine for all my pike and walleye fishing and it has caught many fish to date. They do suck for any light lures like small spoons and spinner (another learn by trial mistake). I have an ultra-lite for those applications, and then I have my standard spinng reel for anything else, although it hardly gets used any more.
I use either my baitcast or my ultra-light.

I found a rod and reel on the beach at an island near Charleston, SC.
The surf rod had a poorly carved wooden handle. The reel , which I still have, is one of the Abu 5000. There were holes abraided in the sides and the crank was broken. It was full of sand and shell bits.
My Dad took had it cleaned and repaired and it still works.

Hello everyone

Hello friends, I recently started to be interested in fishing, and now the question of choosing a reel for my spinning has come up. My friend has been fishing for 2 years now. He recommended Shimano reels for me. Perhaps some of you have used these coils, and can answer me or help me in choosing coils from this brand.
I would be grateful for your help, my friends.

I started using Abu Garcia level wind baitcasters in the early 80’s and still have and use a bunch of them. Have some newer ones too as well as a few other brands. I’m right handed and they were all right handed reels. About 10 years ago I switched to left handed baitcasters and love it. Beside using them casting and trolling I do a fair amount of vertical jigging and it’s an awesome setup for that. I have spinning gear I use too, but my baitcasters aren’t going anywhere.

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