The truth about Bait casters

I have been fishing for quiet some time now, and have always had a open face spinning reels and never had any concerns. I have been looking at trying a bait caster. Half the people I talk to say they love them and they are the best. the other 2/3rds say don't even get one they are hard to work and tangle up all the times, for pro use only. So what's the poop on these reels? should I stay with spinning reels or try a baitcaster, any recommendations of which one would also be appreciated. I fish lakes, ponds, and occasionally the Thames river.

Thank you all

I love them and have converted a few friends over.

The key is to buy a good real. The cheapos are much harder to learn on

I fish bait casters more than I do spinning reels. They are just another tool to get the job done with.

The advice to buy a quality one is excellent. The cheap models won't have spools that rotate freely and the braking systems are kinda all or nothing. I am a Shimano guy, but there are plenty of good brands. I use the Citicas. Models around the $120 -$130 range are typically offer very good performance and durability. Hit Craigslist to find some good deals.

For fishing heavy plastics or casting plugs a baitcaster is hard to beat. Once you get past the learning curve it's amazing how much more accurate you can be with them. With your thumb right on the spool you can stop your bait instantly and drop it right where you want it. For bass fishing I wouldn't be able to go without one. As said above, it is really important to get a quality reel as there is much, much more going on with them internally than with spincast reels. Also, you will benefit from a baitcast specific rod that is a bit stiffer in the tip end 1/3rd of the rod. Buy yourself a practice casting plug if you don't have one already and practice in the yard. Have your salesman show you exactly how to set up your reel for the weight of your plug. The thing is, you will have backlashes and when they are on a baitcaster they are way worse than on a spinning reel. Once you get used to it you will realize how effective they can be for placing your baits right where you want them.

Okay sounds like I shouldn't be afraid of them like I've been told. Now its time to start looking for deals.

I only used spinning reels growing up. I remember trying a baitcaster a few times, but never could figure out what all the fuss was about. I finally got the itch to learn how to use one last year and bought a Lews Wally Marshall and a Lews 7' M LS Laser rod. I spooled it with 14lb Big Game Trilene and hit the water.

First off, the reel is pretty inexpensive. I had no idea at the time that it was a reel designed for Crappie fishing. I had a friend set up the drag for a 1/2 oz spinnerbait. I would spend at least 15 minutes every afternoon practice casting. Mainly, I was trying to focus on accuracy and distance. I got the hang of it and started working on familiarizing myself with the drag system and how the setup would cast different weight lures. I still don't have it exactly perfect, but I can go most of the day without a backlash. I grew so used to using it that I drug out an old Abu Black Max reel and took it all apart, cleaned it, and put it back together. The Black Max is an older inexpensive reel, but it works amazingly well after the cleaning. I bought a new Skeet Reese pole for it and spooled it with 40lb power braid. These are the only two combos I take on the water when I go after bass.

I still have a few spinning combos, but those are for catfish, bream, and crappie only. I doubt I will ever go back to using a spinning setup for bass unless I'm going for a finess approach. It does take a little bit to get used to a baitcaster, but if you stay at it, you will love it. Lew's has several very good inexpensive reels. I love their new BB1, and hope to get one someday, but I don't feel like I have outgrown the capabilities of my current reels yet.

A little tip on digging out a backlash: There is almost always a little loop of line right below the snag. If you can find this loop and pull it out, 8 times out of 10, you will be good to go. Also, at first, stick with a good mono line. Flouro does not like backlashes or kinks. A kink or knick in the line will usually result on the line breaking there. Try to stay away from braid at first, too. Braid is pretty forgiving, but can make for some nasty backlashes. Don't buy Spiderwire ultimate Mono. That stuff sucks. Hope this helps you get started. Realistically, anything you want to know about baitcasters can be found in youtube videos or online reviews.

I also only used spinning reels growing up and didn't learn how to fish with a baitcaster until a few years ago. Now I find myself using baitcasters way more often than spinning reels.
I definitely recommend watching some instructional videos on YouTube!! There are a lot of good tricks out there that will make learning to use one a lot easier. Start with thicker line on your spool so it's easier to get the bird nests out. I also used the tape trick while I was learning. That's where you pull out about 30 yards of line and then put some electrical tape over the line so that way you never get a backlash past the tape. Good luck!

One tip with backlashes, strip off some line, put pressure on the spool with your thumbnail and reel in some line. Some times it takes a few rounds of doing this, but it works very well for me.

I switched to bait casters few years ago, after I learned how the reel worked. I started out with short easy casts. Smooth swings when casting, works best for me, the short snap cast I seem to get more birds nest.

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=324850#p324850 said:

03sp500 » 05 Aug 2013, 12:04[/url]"]Okay sounds like I shouldn't be afraid of them like I've been told. Now its time to start looking for deals.

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If you know how to set them....and work into it slow...you'll do fine.

I started my 15 year old on one of my older, not as good casters last time we went out fishing. By the end of the day, she was casting beautifully, catching fish and making her own adjustments to it. She only had one tangle that I had to cut out. The rest, she either got out herself or gave to me which was fixed in less than 2 or 3 minutes.

Go get 'em.....all I throw (well, 99.9% of the time)

BTW.....my brother also bought a cheap one from Bass Pro. He put it on a 6 ft REALLY CHEAP spinning rod of all things. That dang rod was a step down from a stick! Had about a 6 inch handle....he still threw it all day before I couldn't take it anymore and gave him one of my rods to keep. It was PAINFUL to watch!

No reason to be afraid of a bait caster. Especially with how good they are made these days. Again get something decent & name brand. Most of those rod & reel combos under $60 aren't the greatest ones to learn on.

Some good low priced reels are the Abu Garcia Max line up. I have a Black Max, Silver Max & 2 Pro Max bait casters. Have them on 7' medium & medium heavy rods & set each up for a different lure. I prefer 30lb braid for the type of fishing I do. Nothing like casting a weightless trick worm with 30lb line a mile accurately. The Black Max on a 7' medium casting rod is a good starter set-up IMO.

I'm a righty that likes lefty baitcasters. All that switching hands crap looks stupid to me. ;-)

I looked at the Black max combo and seemed like a good match. I think I'll use it as a back up to my spinning reel until I get good at it, then make the spinning reel my back up.

I fish with a left handed too. I just couldn't bring myself to switch hands...I don't with a spinning reel

Cheep don't work with bait casters, get a GOOD reel and with a little practice you will master it . I grew up on them , didn't have a chance to use anything else .I flew kites with old ones [Shakespeare's] as a kid . Spinning reels are Greek to me . Bait casters are like little winches , the line comes off straight, rolls up straight ,can't get much simpler

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=326162#p326162 said:

RiverBottomOutdoors » 15 Aug 2013, 08:53[/url]"]I'm a righty that likes lefty baitcasters. All that switching hands crap looks stupid to me. ;-)

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Yep, left hand retrieve for my baitcasters too. I can't believe how hard it can be to find LHR baitcast reels sometimes.

I'm on my first year using superlines. The braid is awesome handling, no memory, super strong, but buyer beware- the backlashes can be the most vicious you will ever experience. I use 50lb PowerPro on my baitcaster.

I tried to find a left hand combo set up ..... forget it they are all RH.

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=326557#p326557 said:

03sp500 » 45 minutes ago[/url]"]I tried to find a left hand combo set up ..... forget it they are all RH.

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Combo set up....likely.....but why not buy the rod that you like with the reel you like. Always IMHO a better rig than a combo rig.

There are plenty of LH BCs out there that are decent reels. That's what I use and I have about 15 or so. All either Lews, Abu Garcia, or Shimano.

Someone needs to be the odd man out.

I started with and used a bait caster for a number of years as boy, we call them open faced reels then. The I started with spin cast, a Zebco 33 which I still use 40 years later. After that I moved to spinning reels and along those lines I now prefer an underspin with a trigger.

I don't plan on revisiting my childhood toys any time soon. I will continue to use what I own. My thumb hasn't been line burnt in 40 years.



:mrgreen:

I can't see the world through your eyes, but my tired old jaundiced ones would not go with a combo. Experience talking here. Get a good reel and a quality rod and pair them. Better yet, try to find someone with equipment you can try before you make a decision.

I started out with spincast as a boy, bought an ABU 5500 in the middle seventies, then went pretty hard core spinning in the '90's. What I'm trying to say is, "Been there, done that". A spinning outfit has its place, a baitcaster has its place.

You don't hunt squirrel with a .308. You don't hunt elk with a .22.

You don't trim a room with a framing hammer. You don't drive posts with a tack hammer.

Every application is different. Find the right tool for the job at hand.

As for "switching hands", I'll cast righty, switch lefty, engage spool a nano second befroe impact and never see a backlash. All this with only a Senko and size 4 circle hook tied on. You can do it too!