In general, if you were going to buy a dual purpose reel, say for bass and catfish (smaller cats not giants) which of the above would you get?

I prefer the baitcasting, as I will guess most will.

my thoughts

baitcasting- costly, but even the cheap ones seem to last a long time and are reliable. You gotta learn how NOT to birdnest them though, and it takes a while!!

Spinning- easy to throw, relatively inexpensive unless you spend $$$$ on high-end ones, but are prone, badly, to line twist, especially if you put the line on the reel the wrong way.

Spincasting (like a Zebco 33)- Dirt cheap and fairly reliable, very easy to throw and use. Downside is that they tend to wear down the line more than the other two, and they don't have much capacity in case you hook a real giant.


So your thoughts???

 

baitcasting..HANDS DOWN!!

usually i dont buy into the higher price, better results theory (i.e. golf clubs), but with reels, i really believe it!

if you can stay in the $40-$100 range, you can get a baitcaster that will last forever and much harder to "birdnest". the better quality ones have 3-4-5-6 bearings and magnet brakes on them...just play with the settings, adjust to the weight of your bait/lurer and off you go!!

i use spincasting for panfish and trout ONLY..usually 4-6 pound test line.

stick with the "known" brands as well..shimano, ambasador, garcia, etc...

 

I use baitcasters for most of my medium duty stuff (bass, catfish, etc..) but when I'm slinging a 4 oz sinker into the surf at Folly Beach I have to use a 10 ft Shakespear Big Water spinning combo. In those situations I think spinning, BIG spinning, is appropriate. There are a lot of baitcasters that will work even better, but I paid $35 BRAND NEW from www.eangler.com for the Big Water combo. Great setup.

 

Hello: Gents

I fully agree. Baitcasting without doubt. Best there is.

I prefer buying name brands also. For the express purposes of getting better quality, longevity & reliability too.

In hunting, fishing, camping gear & computer equipment that is...

Regards,
Tom_B

 

Yes, I also think a baitcaster is the way to go. Here are my reasons.
Baitcaster: No line twist. More accurate casts.(a must with bass fishing) varied gearing for line retrieves. Handles heavy line better.

Spincast: Bad line twist no matter if it is cheap or expensive. Hard to be accurate with a cast. Great for vertical jigging (walleyes etc.) That is all I use my spinners on.

From what I can tell the prices are the same. It may take some time to get accustom to the baitcaster and cut a lot of line out from backlashes, but once you educate your thumb and it clicks, you will love it.

 

Mako,
I don't do polls or surveys - But, I didn't see that word anywhere - lol.

For Bass and cats - yep the baitcaster.
I do bass, stripers, walleyes, and muskies(mostly) - the BC wins hands down. But I will say I have caught 45" muskies on spinning with 10lb line though - I think it was accidental luck.

My Hatteras trips get the big spinning combos. I tried BC there, but always go back to spinning.

Spincast - last resort. Great for the kids.
fred

 

Yes...it's baitcasting all the way. But learning to throw one of them without birdnesting is a lot like riding a bicycle...once you learn how you'll never forget. If you'll stick with it, it is very rewarding.

 

Thanks for the input!

I have about 3 baitcasters and the rest spinning (save for a few lil Zebco 33's I let real young kids use). I fish with kids often so I don't get to buy the "good stuff" since I'm often buying a rod that will be used by experienced and non-experienced folks and kids. I think I have about 15 total setups I've accumulated over the years, including an old Ocean Star spinning reel (all metal), an old Penn Pier-something reel, and an old Pfleuger spincaster on a 6' telescopic rod.

 

Gee, it would be an understatment if I said I was going against the prevailing current but all the reels I own save one are spinning reels. Since I change the line every spring on the mono line, twist has never been a problem. On my favorite walleye/bass rod I use Spiderwire & it seems to last forever. I changed it last year just because I couldn't beleve how long it was lasting. I spot checked it for wear & abrasions. Didn't find any. I probably don't fish near as much as the rest of you all but there is this... A bad day of fishing beats a good day at work

 

I'd have to agree w/baitcasting too. They're extremely accurate which is important when you're going for bass as you stated and very easy to use after a little practice. And if you're tourney fishing and need something speedy and dependable, baitcasters are right there.

However, for a great fight, I'll recommend nothing less than an Abu Garcia spinning reel on an Ugly Stick ultra-lite. With Spiderwire, the fights don't get any more fun. Flip a chartreuse Big-O around a stump to pull out a 16 inch large-mouth and an entire week of getting skunked is worth it.