Ron's Catch: When Spinning Gear Excels over Baitcasting
To become a complete well-rounded angler takes years of dedication and countless hours of learning much like any other sport. As a guide and tournament Angler, one of the most frequently asked questions I get when traveling around the country would be, “Do you prefer Spinning Gear or Baitcasting?”. This is an area we could discuss for hours, but one that is imperative to understand if you are looking to stay efficient on the water and maximize your success when fishing.
Each set up has a place and time, and a good angler will be able to recognize when the Spinning application is necessary. Although I prefer a baitcasting set up most of the time when chasing bass, I certainly recognize conditions and understand when the Spinning rod needs to be in my hand. Some of the techniques when grabbing a Spinning rod are a must for me would be: Drop Shot, Shakey Head, Ned Rigging, Small spoons or Blade Baits, and even small Cranks or Jerkbait style lures.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when deciding if you should be fishing with Spinning instead of heavier tackle or baitcasting.
- Is the water you’re fishing pressured? Many times, the bass on highly pressured lakes see a lot of lures and power fishing may not be the ticket to catching fish. Downsizing to smaller lures will often require you to change your fishing application away from Baitcasting.
- Although great for casting, lures ¼ or lighter when baitcasting is just not an option. Lures of this weight and lighter are just simply difficult to cast or work the technique properly.
- Try using a lighter line on Spinning which allows for less line resistance and your lure presentations will look more natural to the fish.
- Fishing Spinning gear with light line will allow lures to reach optimum depth quicker as heavier line creates more water resistance preventing the lure from doing all it is capable.
- Keeping fish hooked up can be a benefit with Spinning gear. Since you’re using smaller hooks and hook sets, the load up prevents tearing big holes in the fish’s mouth which helps them stay pinned up without shaking off which can be the case with larger hooks or lures. The rod also acts as a nice shock absorber as they have lighter action preventing fish from spitting the hook.
- It’s hard to beat Spinning gear when fishing windy conditions. It’s much easier to launch a lure directly into the wind without having to fight with backlashes all day which often comes with a Baitcaster when windy.
- In deep or clear water conditions, using smaller diameter or fluorocarbon line will allow your lures to get down deeper much quicker than heavy lines.
My preferred all-around Spinning Gear set up: 7”0 Medium Fast Duckett Fishing Micro Magic Spinning Rod, 2500 Sri Series Duckett Spinning Reel, 20lb Seaguar Smackdown Braid with a Seaguar Invizx 8-10 lb test Florocarbon leader. My leader material is usually 10-15 feet long before tied directly to the lure.
This set up has been the perfect set up for most finesse techniques and has been my go-to for years. Although I primarily use this set up for bass fishing, it really doubles as a great Walleye rod too for any of you who like to tangle with them as well. Now it’s up to you to master the different techniques and know when it’s time to pull out your Spinning rod.
You can findDuckett Fishing products and all the finesse style lures you need at Shoppers Supply Arizona.
