spinning vs baitcaster

i have both types of reels and i favor to the spinning reels. i have heard that baitcasters are alot better than spinning reels. which one is best for all around fishing(from bass to muskie and also cats).

Well if I only had one choice for bass cats and musky it would hands down be the baitcaster.  It has more power and more capable of handling bigger fish.  I love my spinning gear but when it comes to throwing lures over 3/8 ounce for anything i prefer casting gear.

Thats no problem. Before you load up the reel w/ it spool on some mono as a base. Then when you spool on the braid, spool it tight. If you don't the line will bury itself w/in the coils remaining on the spool.

ORIGINAL: STEELYS MANFISH

Sort of off topic but can I use braid on a baitcaster.

YES tie them together. you can find online the knot to use i know how to tie it but do not know the name. Like everyone eslse is saying its all in the matter of what you like. just as long as your out haveing a good time

In the icy conditions that exist now on the Erie Tribs if I found an open area to cast in would the braided line cause me problems with the ice?    Should I stay away from braid under those conditions in favor of monofilament?

tuna
 
as a rule braided line will freeze up on you.  there are some braids specifically designed for cold weather, such as ice braid by suffix.  but regular spider braid or any un-coated braid will freeze.

are you looking to buy one to  cover all?     cuz if so id say go with the spinning.   if ur looking for one for musky id go with a baitcaster. for bass its kinda gonna be up to what ur fishing. and for cats id say spinning.. that is what i use 4 each there is no right or wrong just gotta  use what works best 4 you.

HCH, you selling the caster?

Also, just how light were you casting? I regularly fling size 5-6 rapalas with mine. Just gotta practice to the point that you're comfortable with lighter braking (they're "meant to" work with a wide range of braking).

For my part, when I'm bassing, I take 2 rods in the canoe. A spinning setup for soft plastics and a casting setup for spinnerbaits and cranks. For me, casting rods & reels are the way to go for spinners & cranks in the canoe because there's plenty of room to cast, and lots of casting to be done to cover all the available water.

In a fight tied together my Penn 7500SS will strip out the line from most baitcasters and works well with 30lb mono or 40lb powerpro
I even have a larger Penn spinning reel (9500SS I think) that has not been used yet

I bought an expensive baitcaster last year and was not happy with it. I fish light lures for smallmouth bass on a river and the lures are just too light to work with the baitcaster. YOu gotta be throwning HEAVY lures for them to be a dream. If the lure is too light, you cannot get any range or accuracy and you have to drop the spool resistance to nothing, which causes massive birdnests when the spool over-runs.

That is not true you dont have to be throwing heavy lures for a baitcaster to properly work. For weightless plastic spinning reels are better but baitcasters can handle light weight it all depends on what reel you have and your skill with it. To cast well it takes an educated thumb. When looking for a reel that can throw light you wanna find a reel with a light spool. I have a Revo STX that easily casts 1/4 oz. 1/8 is harder and takes some skill. I also have a shimano citica e that does well well with light lures. It all depends on the reel and line and rod used.

If you want a reel that can cast weightless plastic look at a TD Daiwa Sol its a little pricey another reel that cast light lures well is the Curado E.

Can i ask what brand or model your expensive baitcaster is?

I have a Quantum Accurist AC500PT. The reel has a flippin' switch on it and it was supposed to be really good with light tackle. It has a drilled spool and it had the free-est flowing spool of any of the one's that Dicks had on the shelf to play with.

I am throwing mostly tube jigs with a small slip sinker and homeade minnow spinners that have a lightly weighted hook.

I would adjust the thing and could do well with heavy lures, but I couldnt get any range with the light lures b/c of the magnetic drag on the spool. I either had to have it tight enough that my lures fell short or I would back off the magdrag and birdnests would happen on my spool. I spent a whole summer working with that thing (100s of hours) and it just doesn't compare to the spinning reels for distance and light lure accuracy.

I think that the biggest issue on those is that your lure has to generate enough kinetic energy to get the entire spool of line spinning. TO do that, the lighter lures require a fast cast and the accuracy goes to crap. Spinning reels require enough kinetic energy to unwrap the line from the spool, not enough to turn the whole spool. For that reason, physics says that a baitcaster will never outcast a spinning reel when the same rod and casting force is used.

$95 and it is yours...delivered. haha

A good general rule of thumb is spinning reels are better for handling light line and casting reels are better for heavier line.  I use no heavier than 10 or l2lb mono or 30lb braid on spinning reels and that is my starting point on baitcasters.  It is just more manageable that way but obviously if you are using a larger spool on a spinning reel you can get away with heavier line. Remember the lighter the line you're using the easier it's going to be to cast farther.

Casting reels are going to give you better accuracy because you have more control like thumbing the spool or using breaks to slow the bait down and get it to drop where you want it.  If you're making short pitches to close targets the casting reels are the way to go.  If you are trying to fish up under docks or overhanging trees it's easier to learn to skip baits with a spinning rod and reel but not impossible with baitcasting just takes a lot of practice.

As far as tuning your casting reel goes a lot of reels now have the tension knobs for the spool and a magnetic break dial as well.  The best way to start out is turn all of you're breaks off then adjust the tension knob so the bait falls easily but not too fast to the ground and when it hits gives you only two or three loose coils on the spool.  From here use your breaks to control your bait depending not only on the weight of the lure but how far you are casting it and the amount of "over hang" (how far the lure is hanging from the tip of the rod) you have on your rod.  Make sure you play around with the overhang of the bait a lot of it can be personal preference but it really can improve casting accuracy and distance.  This is how it becomes easier to cast lighter lures with a casting rod just increase the distance the lure is hanging from the rod and it will give you more initial momentum.  I personally use quantum exclusively I have 20 of them and they have been great to me that being said there are a ton of great reels out the and for mostly everything you get what you pay for.

I just picked up a PLueger Purist over the weekend. Went out Sunday, froze, 3 birdsnest, 1 required me to cut my line, sliced my finger, blood everywhere, went home, with feet frozen I limped in the house, nobody home,dark, tripped over my kids toy, smashed down on the living room floor. Man I love fishing. I think I will get the hang of the baitcaster.

Try to make sure you're loading the rod deep enough when you're starting out with a baitcaster(i.e., use a heavy enough lure/sinker).  You might also have to alter your casting stroke until you get the hang of it.  Try using a longer casting stroke(or a slower rod), instead of a short wrist pop.  Also, I have pretty big hands, some "bass" baitcasters don't leave much room for thumbing if you have meaty paws.  Abu 5500/6000/6500s are good solid reels and are what I use for night catfishing.  Make sure you wind your line on tight as well.  I also tend to like the hand-and-a-half size grips on casting rods, you can use both hands in sort of a push/pull motion; this way your master hand can focus on thumbing the spool.  I never did really get comfortable with the short stubby pistol grip type rods.


Sub