Closed Face Spincast Reels - Any Good For Bass Fishing? 2024

britguy reply :

Some years ago I acquired a few of those closed-face (push-button) spincast reels, hoping to be able to flip very light lures accurately into weed pockets. They seemed to cast O.K., but I often had problems with the retreive, jamming, erratic reeling , etc. Also they would often let out line when I was starting to reel in.

I gave up on them after a while, but I still have several of them around ( ABU) and was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on the efficiency and reliability of these reels. Are they really just for kids to learn casting. Or can they also be used for some kinds of serious bass fishing?

Scott F reply :

I bought one of the best I could find at the time, a Daiwa Goldcast, for my wife when she started fishing. It was pretty worthless from the start as the drag was totally unreliable. I'd set it, then when she had a fish on, she'd be winding and winding and the drag would just slip. She could not reel in a fish more than 2 pounds because the drag just did not work. I switched her over to spinning gear and she had no trouble. They still sell the same reel today, but I don't know if the drag works any better. I sure would not want one for serious bass fishing.

Darren. reply :

They can indeed be used for serious fishing, if one is willing. I know of people who that's all they know to use and they catch fish all the time.

I've tried it, a number of years ago, but it just wasn't as efficient as say, spinning gear, as far as my style goes.

2 cents...

greyleg33 reply :

Used one when I 1st started bass fishing. The secret to consistent line pick-up? With your rod holding hand keep the thumb and 1st finger on the line just in front of the reel. Its a pain and why we use other gear.

Sam reply :

Only if you are a girl!!!!

If they are old they may be collectors items.

Personally, I hate them. Just cannot get the hang of using them.

But they are supposed to be good for youngsters.

I have better luck with a kid throwing a spinning rig.

Lil'skeeter reply :

The Zebco 33's were what a lot of bass fishermen used back in the day. I still have a few of the older ones. If you can find the ones with the "screw lock" that allows you to remove the face, those are really good. Great for shooting docks! You really need good line to keep them from not picking the line up. I like Berkley XL, it seems to work the best for me. Johnson made some good ones too but you have to get the older models as well.

ChrisAW reply :

I bought the bigger Zebco Omega Pro for my girlfriend to use this summer. It actually feels really good for a spincast reel. Drag is smooth and will be plenty strong for bass. I actually stuck it on a Carrot Stik and its very light. So far she loves it, but we have yet to actuall fish with it. I admit I'd probably try to use it for skipping docks if I would have tried that out before learning to use baitcasters for skipping.

Nashua Nev reply :

I have 2 and i like them, Diawa gold cast and an Abu Garcia 1271. Both have caught many 4 lbers. There are many that are not so good, but it depends on who and what they are doing.

I have 2 spincasters and 2 baitcasters as well. I find i use the and get comfortable with them doing different things. Also a fly rod.

BrettD reply :

Both my sister and mom use a zebco omega pro. The biggest fish my sister caught on hers was 6.5#.

Shane J reply :

Just got my 5 year old a new one yesterday. I changed out the line, for some 10lb Berkley Big Game. He plans on catching bass, so it better work!

new2BC4bass reply :

Great shot, Shane!

My daughter's boyfriend uses nothing but a spincast reel. Says he can't use a spinning reel. Find that hard to believe. Doesn't stop him from catching fish. My own limited experience with them wasn't good. Personally feel that they are ok if that is the only ting you have to fish with. Better than a stick and string.

NebraskaBasser reply :

My opinion... it's like everything else... the right tool at the right time.

I fish mostly from a float-tube. I fish heavily-weeded farm ponds. I use mostly baitcasting gear, heavy braid, etc. BUT, there are occasions that I like to cast LIGHT lures (i.e. weightless tubes, etc.). And being here in Nebraska, it's ALWAYS windy!

I've tried the less expensive spincast reels and most are junk... unreliable, noisy, etc. But, on a whim, I bought a Zebco Omega Pro. Oh my! Smooth... and I can cast that tube just as hard as I need to, INTO the wind, and NEVER have to deal with a backlash or line-loops (like with a spinning reel). Oh, I still use baitcasting AND spinning reels too, but feel that there IS a place for a high-quality spincast reel in bass fishing. BTW, I use mostly mono... either XL or XT for them.

When sitting low in the water (in a tube), I also find them a little easier to cast that a spinning reel... but, that's just me. I grew up in the 50's/60's and there weren't a lot of quality, easy-to-cast baitcasting reels back then. I learned on the old Abu 160's and 170's. They came spooled with 17lb. test line. I never had any problem with line pick-up's nor with casting accuracy. By touching the line as it came out of the hole in the cover, I became VERY accurate.

I stil use them today... two baitcasters with braid/heavy stuff, and two Zebco Omega Pro's from my tube. Love 'em...

Paul Roberts reply :

Just realize spincasts limitations and you should be fine.

The drawbacks to spincast are primarily 2-fold:

They tend to have slow line retrieve rates and thus are not suited for some techiniques.

They tend to lack cranking power in terms of torque. This is an issue with spinning tackle too actually, but less so. Nothing beats a baitcasting reel for cranking torque. For heavy cover flipping, crankbait fishing (esp deeps) and for spinnerbait fishing a BC'er is requisite IME.

A third issue is quality/durability, as few are made that actually stand up to the rigors of bass fishing.

Another issue, not often an issue among bass fisherman is the fact that SC'ers are prone to freezing up in firgid weather due to ice up. This became a major issue for a buddy trying a high quality model out for winter steelheading.

The above said, there are some good quality spincasters out there for light to med duty bass fishing and with retrieve speeds that are enough to cover all but the faster applications. My son uses an ABU 170i which is a pretty solid little reel. So far so good. I upgraded the 12lb XL it came with, with 12lb Sensation -a stronger lb/dia line. NebraskaBasser's post above on the Omega Pro is encouraging.

Just realize the limitations: retrieve speed, torque, and mid-range power (lb test) applications. Oh, and buy quality, with spincast especially.

Dyerbassman reply :

Bass Pro has a new Extreme Spincast Reel, 4.6:1 ratio, can handle braid, star drag, and not too heavy. It casts well as I threw lipless cracks just as far as my spinning reels. And it's under $30. Not bad for a reel to mess around with. Works well around docks. I will definitely use it along with my others. The fish don't know the difference!

HeavyDluxe reply :

/sarcasm on

Bass refuse to bite baits cast at them on spincast reels. You will never catch trophy fish on a spincasting reel, guaranteed.

/sarcasm off

Ok, seriously. The fish don't care about the rod and reel that present the bait to them. You can catch just as many fish on a spincaster as you can on anything else. That doesn't mean it's the equipment best suited to any particular kind of fishing. For example, you lose casting distance over an open-faced spinning reel. And, most spincasters are geared low - you don't have to reel hard to retrieve against a fish, but you also don't get a lot of line back per crank.

Assuming you're willing to accept its limitations or work around them, I think you'll find that you can catch plenty of fish (and, yes, bass) on a spincast setup.

einscodek reply :

Don't knock good spincasters.. spent alot fo trial and error putting together my spincast outfit and its very productive.

Catch 3 lb+ LMB all the time on my Daiwa Goldcast GC120 outfit working anything from light swimbaits, crankbaits, worms, topwater frogs.

35-40 yd casts with 20 lb braid.

If I go back to mono no doubt I could add another 10+ yds to those casts.

I do carry a spinning outfit also but the Daiwa GC outfit is by far the most trouble free allowing me to fish more of the time.

pbizzle reply :

The main reason I don't like them is because of how they feel in your hand. They can really hurt your wrist after a long day of crappie fishing. As for bass fishing, I've only used the cheap one's and wouldn't trust them. That's not to say that one made of quality fish aren't any good but they definitely aren't as good as any $100 baitcaster although I can't afford one of those. However, for the cost of a quality spincast reel you could get a great spinning reel or an h2o xpress mettle.

einscodek reply :

Yes spincasters in general have some overall issues.

However, Daiwa GCs I've used have reduced most of those.

Larger aperature reduces line friction.. I also mirror polish the line contact areas with a dremel to lower resistance.

The larger model has an oversize spool so it can hold more line and higher # .. still not as much as a baitcaster tho.

4.3:1 is a decent gear ratio can pull good line on each turn

Oscillating spool means I load it with braid

I do have a quality spinning reel but my spinning setup is not as trouble free as my spincast..

Trouble-free means I get to spend more time fishing going after the big ones!

Loop_Dad reply :

It looks like some of you had good experience with Daiwa Gold Cast, which is hard to believe after my experience with Silver Cast.

I bought my daughter a Silver Cast a couple of years ago, so that she can use some of my casting rods to go to a lake where larger bass are found. It has the same lager hole design as Gold Cast. This reel gave me nothing but trouble casting. I would cast and for some unknown reason the line gets locked midair. I was using the line size within the recommended range. I tried a couple of different ones with no luck.

My first reel when I was boy was a Daiwa's spin cast. I didn't have any problem with it. So I didn't see this coming and was very disapointed. One other person I met on other fishing forum had exactly the same problem.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

Spin-cast reels come in a range of prices and qualities same as other reels. The better ones will handle some bass fishing applications. They are fussy about line similar to a spinning reel so just keep an eye on that.

einscodek reply :

Heard that about Silvercast somewhere before.. think ad to do with small clearance it had for the line and maybe just for the smaller Silvercast models..Also Silvercast doesnt have oscillating spool and line has better chance to dig in..

Silvercast or even Goldcast .. I'd stay away from the smaller models as the spools are low capacity and when the spool is low the angle at which the line needs to go gets steep and casting distance from there suffers..

But to say spincast cant catch bass is silly..its just a fishing tool..its still about the man behind the tool.. besides when spincast was in its hayday in the 60s, 70s, 80s .. they caught lots of bass everywhere on those old Johnsons and Daiwas.. like any tool, it has its plusses and minuses and some variations and models are better than others..

I recently pulled in a 21" LMB on my GC setup/composite rod.. had no problem pulling in that 4 pounder..

bigbill reply :

I keep a zebco reel on a telescopic with some lures under my motorcycle seat. I have two ultra light zebco reels on ultra rods. There a blast to use on panfish.

We used the zebco reel "202" on a short rod for freshwater fishing and saltwater fishing too, when were kids for many years. We actually wore one reel out per year. The shafts with no bearings would wear so bad the teeth would skip engagement. But we hammered these reels with saltwater fish too. We caught fish from flounder, harbor blues to 6' eels. Way beyond the panfish they were made for. These reels kept us fishing as kids.

willembop reply :

On 4/13/2013 at 5:03 AM, britguy said:

Some years ago I acquired a few of those closed-face (push-button) spincast reels, hoping to be able to flip very light lures accurately into weed pockets. They seemed to cast O.K., but I often had problems with the retreive, jamming, erratic reeling , etc. Also they would often let out line when I was starting to reel in.

I gave up on them after a while, but I still have several of them around ( ABU) and was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts on the efficiency and reliability of these reels. Are they really just for kids to learn casting. Or can they also be used for some kinds of serious bass fishing?

I fish mostly with spincast reels. The Garcia Abumatic 170i has an oscillating spool and is probably the best one you can buy now (just over $50 on ebay). I have a couple of older models that are similar (Abumatic 475 and 1275), and they have worked great for a long time. I like fishing weightless Senkos in weed-choked parts of the Potomac, and pinpoint casts are easy with these reels. I have tried lots of other brands, but I think those without oscillating spools have all the problems you mentioned. I have had a couple of Zebco Omega Pros, and they work well, but don't seem to be as durable as the Abumatic 170i.

RoachDad reply :

Interesting topic. I had not used a SC reel in 20 years and when my daughter in law moved here I bought a fairly expensive one for her to use. I was very disappointed. I thought by now that they would be better.

We used them when I was a kid for bobber fishing but for lures, they are very limited. slow retrieve and they twist the line. For some reason, I guess the oscillating reel, spinning reels work much better even though they also twist the line.

I'll be on the lookout for some of these better reels as my grand-daughter is almost old enough to start fishing with paw-paw.

einscodek reply :

Havent tried the Abu but all the top-of-line spincasts should have oscillating spools..Abu, Zebco.. I just like a larger aperature so I went with Daiwa.

I think plenty of guys fish with spincast but since there seems to be some stigma about it being a beginner reel kids use & most dont come out and certainly dont boast of it.

But when I hear knocks against spincast, I just have to say its the best setup I have even tho it took me forever to find the right combo for effective fishing. Not saying it right for everyone by no means (and it may be too heavy for kids) but its right by me.

4.3:1 retrieve isn't as fast as my Trio30s by any means but its plenty good..

Daiwa GC120 (12oz)

Sufix 832 20# Braid (I dont like dealing with mono memory issues esp in spincasts)

Use it on my Crucial flippin stick and yes call me crazy but also on my swimbait rod..

If weights an issue, GC100 is 10oz and I'd probably pair that with 10# 832

roadwarrior reply :

On 8/15/2013 at 8:50 PM, RoachDad said:
I'll be on the lookout for some of these better reels as my grand-daughter is almost old enough to start fishing with paw-paw.

Well, I think the point is that there are much better options for those that plan to get involved in the sport.

Spincast is perfect for kids and people that have never fished or don't fish often. When my buddies guide

they always carry spincast reels as an option for their clients.

Quitlimpin reply :

The best fisherman with whom I have ever fished used nothing but spincasters. I saw that old man pull more bass, crappie, gasper, etc. out of Lake Ivie than everyone else in the boat. There was nothing like the site of a deck full of GLX's with Zebco 33's mounted.

J Francho reply :

I have a very old Zebco 33, and have set relatives up with Daiwa Goldcast reels. The Daiwa is essentially the same as a spinning reel inside, complete with a line roller instead of a pickup pin and an oscillating spool, so twist isn't nearly as bad. Drag issues usually can be traced to contamination of the drag pads, and that's true for any type of reel. Some of reasons spincasters get finicky, especially that trick where you reel in, and the pick up doesn't engage is lack of tension in the line. Tug on the line, and reel in, and it will work fine. I generally find that anything larger than 8# diameter line doesn't work well, so keep that in mind. I occasionally use the 33, just to prove that it still works. It kind of fun, and is perfectly capable of catching pretty big fish. I know I caught a fish over 6 with it way back in the day, and my son has whacked many three's and four's, learning to bass fish. Bass fishing is complicated enough, if a spincaster opens the door to it, then so be it. I will say this, beware of cheap reels. My 33 was around $40 in the late 80s. Plan to spend a little less than twice that if you want one that will last you.

s freud reply :

Caught my pb on a $15 Walmart Shakespeare sc combo. He was 4lbs. It is what I grew up on. Have also caught 3 foot northerns on them back in the day. That said, I bought a cheap spinning combo at a yard sale this year for $8 and then decided to try my hand with baitcasters. I like them both better than sc. Cast farther, retrieve faster, more reliable. I still have the sc Combos, but use them for the kids, guests, and a fourth combo for just dropshotting, which I have not tried much.

All that to say they work fine, but I am glad I have tried the others.

bigbill reply :

We beat up the cheapest zebco's way beyond believe as kids. In saltwater we would cast out the whole spool using a 1oz. sinker. Thank you zebco for many years of fishing fun as kids. You made the summer fun. You kept us out of trouble too.

Dave P reply :

I would venture to guess the Zebco 33 has accounted for several thousands of bass. My wife's 5 pounder came on a zebby. Are they my #1 choice? No, but they are far from worthless as long as they are of reasonable quality.

Hyrule Bass reply :

spincast reels are just fine for bass fishing. my PB in my avatar came on my old "lucky" spincast reel. its a walmart shakespeare tiger combo, when they were big and metal reels, now theyre smaller and plastic and i wouldnt buy one of them. i use 15lb line on it and have used up to 20lb line. most of my PBs came on this rod and reel. ive even handled a 6.5lb striper on it and many a catfish. its still going strong, the drag is a little weak, but sufficient, just have to play the bigger fish that can take it on runs, which is fun to do anyways.

i also have a zebco 33 combo but the original reel broke, a 1lb bass stripped the main gear in it. replaced it and this one is just rough. had a zebco 808, gave it away to someone who said they could fix it because the drag didnt work properly after i broke it trying to pull free from a snag. zebco has been bad luck for me mostly. that original 33 i had on my 33 rod i got as a combo was great at first though, i even hooked a 40-50lb or so flathead with it one night, fish surfaced and rolled before it snapped my line on top of the water. ive caught plenty of bass on it though with a variety of techniques from spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, top water frogs, and soft plastics...

so yeah, some are poor in quality, but they are just fine for bass fishing. also many of the problems people encounter with them, are frankly user error. like not enough line or too small or too big of a line. and this may be the wrong way to hold it, but i use a spincaster face down just like a spinning reel and it gives me no problems...

Capt.Bob reply :

You can cut a branch off a tree,,,,,,and catch fish, some use a cane pole, I think these are probably the only thing less efficient than a spincaster!! Slow gear ratio's, very finicky with line and most only work well with mono, very little cranking power, even the best have poor drags,,,,,,,,,,,just trying to keep it real!! There are much better options , I'll reserve mine for the youngest of fisherman!!

BobP reply :

Good equipment is good equipment and it catches fish. If you have a push button spinning reel that has always given you problems, then no, that's not good equipment and it will just frustrate you to use it for bass fishing. That's not to say that all spincast reels are junk. I have a friend who uses an old Abu underspin reel for dropshotting and light plastics. It's one of the old Ambassadeur models that releases line when you bump a ring in front of the spool with your forefinger. Not lots of cranking power and the drag is not the best either but man, if you want a fast action reel, that thing can't be beat. He makes 5 casts to anyone else's 3 casts with a regular spinning reel. And has no trouble catching 5 lb smallies with it.

If you like spincast reels, I suggest checking BassPro online and reading the customer reviews for various spincast models. You'll see quite a few negative reviews and a few models that guys seem to like.

Catt reply :

Do any of these ring a bell?

Stanley Mittchell

Alabama River

1981 Bassmaster Classic

Stanley used closed faced Zebco with bright orange mono to flip brush. He beat out Harold Allen and Rick Clunn.

Capt.Bob reply :

On 8/17/2013 at 3:21 AM, Catt said:

Do any of these ring a bell?

Stanley Mittchell

Alabama River

1981 Bassmaster Classic

Stanley used closed faced Zebco with bright orange mono to flip brush. He beat out Harold Allen and Rick Clunn.

Oh how glad I am I lived long enough to see the difference in reels since 1981!! WOW what a change!!!

Catt reply :

No Bob it was no his primary reel but to him it was easier to flip with the Zebco

Capt.Bob reply :

I am talking about how poor the finest quality was in 81, we really thought we had great new equipmentmy 5500C and Bantam Shimano SG I believe or something like that, I thought I had the smoothest best casting reels in the world,,,,,,,Like I say thank GOD! for what we have today!! we have really seperated the ok from the really good!!

jason41987 reply :

just my .02, but ive recently had to replace my fishing gear.. my old stuff was really old, and a cheap walmart special combo even when new.. so i spent a little extra, got an abu garcia 5600 C4 reel and a vengeance casting rod to go with it... got a bad backlash, got angry, tried to go back to spinning and i just couldnt get used to the balance of the spinning setup anymore, i found baitcasters to be so much more comfortable and better balanced

but.. when i decided i wanted to try to catch some panfish as i was in the mood for some crappie, i tried to cast some small crappie jigs, spool tension all the way off, and i got a whole two feet with it.. this rod is definitely not suitable for light stuff like that, i like to stay around a 3/8-1/2oz lure as im catching tons of bass, pike, and bowfin

so that being said i ask myself.. what can i do to cast these lighter lures, go back to spinning of which i no longer feel comfortable using (besides me being tired of the bail bashing my knuckles as i like to hold it high on the grip when fighting a big fish), but then id need new rods too.. then i thought hmm, spincast?

my dad has an old spincast reel, and hard to believe but this thing is actually heavy and made out of metal, is quite a few years old and still runs very smooth.. heck, even has steel gears, bait clicker, and reversible crank (though ive actually gotten used to "palming" a reel now for the added control and balance).. i had the opinion spincast reels were for ultra cheap youth setups but i actually found a niche where one could be quite useful, and unfortunately for today no one puts this much attention into a spincast reel, so im going to find an older one, like my dad uses and rebuild it.. you know, newer, better bearing, a thorough disassembly and cleaning, new grease.. make it work like new so i can cast that lighter stuff and not have to buy all new rods

as for is it good for bass fishing?.. he gets about five of them a day on a texas rigged worm.. and when we were fishing on the river we were pulling out close to to 30" carps which will put up a bigger fight than any bass ever could, so yeah, if you get the right reel itll definitely handle bass.. in fact, his gears dont even look the least bit worn after years of use on fish that size... recently ive caught a number of close to 30 inch pike and bowfins and a couple teeth in my gears are already starting to look rough.. and this is a round baitcaster designed for much bigger fish

einscodek reply :

Like I said..

Those that say spincast isnt for bass or pike+ .. tell it to a spincast reel.. it doesnt care it does what it does

When I took a 16" largemouth today I didnt even pause to think "oh my God I actually caught a bass on spincast" .. lol..

With my Daiwa GC reel, I'll take on most anything in freshwater and even some salties.. a reel is only part of the equation for fishing.. and the GC120 can handle alot for me..

The Rooster reply :

My opinion is they never made one that wasn't complete junk, even when it worked the way it was intended. A product manufactured to the highest standards that is based on a flawed, inefficient design, is junk. No serious fisherman could use one of these to do as much as we do with casting and spinning reels. They work for kids because kids aren't serious (yet). When they want to burn a bait, or play hard running fish on strong drags, or fish for hours on end and not have hand fatigue, or flip into heavy cover, or any one of a dozen other techniques we use, then they'll be serious and these reels will fail on every point. It will be time for an upgrade.

craww reply :

On 8/17/2013 at 9:28 AM, Catt said:
No Bob it was no his primary reel but to him it was easier to flip with the Zebco

I have a friend who used to fish the older pro-ams. He told me an amusing story about a few of the guys being shocked Woo daves was beating them (and winning tournaments) with zebcos.

jason41987 reply :

as i said before, i think i found a niche for a spincast reel, an area where it will do so, so much better than my baitcaster... my baitcaster as it seems cant go below a 1/4oz lure, a spincast can.. should i buy an entirely new rod, get used to a different type of reel and casting, or use a spincast for the lighter stuff?.. i dont know what else is going to be more reliable when throwing 1/16 and 1/8 oz lures?

einscodek reply :

Just got back from fishing this mornin when I shoulda been workin'

22" bass measured and weighed at 4.5 lbs (picture attached)

Caught off a spincast setup.. Daiwa Goldcast.

Caught a 21" the previous month weighing 4 lbs off the same setup.

These guys must not be feeding well, I'd expect these guys over 20" be around 5 lbs+

Sorry for the picture quality it was just me by myself and the lil piggy was shakin' and bakin'.

Oh the two anglers in the picture up the shoreline were using a spinning and baitcasting setup but didnt catch a fish this morning.

Spincast aint for bass is it?

Can you tell I love my GC?

Oh btw.. catch and release..

einscodek reply :

On 8/18/2013 at 3:50 PM, jason41987 said:
as i said before, i think i found a niche for a spincast reel, an area where it will do so, so much better than my baitcaster... my baitcaster as it seems cant go below a 1/4oz lure, a spincast can.. should i buy an entirely new rod, get used to a different type of reel and casting, or use a spincast for the lighter stuff?.. i dont know what else is going to be more reliable when throwing 1/16 and 1/8 oz lures?

I'd go ultralight on a spinning setup or an ultralight spincast.. problem with ultralight spincast is that I dont like the quality of the spincast reels in that segment. I'm only going to use Daiwa Goldcast if I use a spincaster.. unless they make a better spincaster than the GC.

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

Sorry for re opening an old thread, but I've been looking at some of these threads and I think I might be one of the few people left who primarily uses a variety of spincast combos. I use nearly all Daiwa, and have a mix of GC's, SC's, and a couple of vintage 210's. I love them all but notice people complaining about the reel locking up mid cast. This happens the first trip or 2 new out of the box, and it's an easy fix/operator error/know your gear sort of issue that turns a lot of people off to the Daiwa. When it does this, crank the drag down low until the knob stops, then it should cast normally. Go ahead and re set your drag where you want it while the line is out there and you'll be good to go. In my experience, baitcast backlash adds too much stress and cuts too many casts from what precious little time that I have to fish, therefore I use spincasts for the short game when I'm bass fishing and all of my bait casters have been sold on ebay. I use a spinning reel on my long top water rod and on my broom handle.

frosty reply :

On 4/25/2017 at 4:54 AM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Sorry for re opening an old thread, but I've been looking at some of these threads and I think I might be one of the few people left who primarily uses a variety of spincast combos. I use nearly all Daiwa, and have a mix of GC's, SC's, and a couple of vintage 210's. I love them all but notice people complaining about the reel locking up mid cast. This happens the first trip or 2 new out of the box, and it's an easy fix/operator error/know your gear sort of issue that turns a lot of people off to the Daiwa. When it does this, crank the drag down low until the knob stops, then it should cast normally. Go ahead and re set your drag where you want it while the line is out there and you'll be good to go. In my experience, baitcast backlash adds too much stress and cuts too many casts from what precious little time that I have to fish, therefore I use spincasts for the short game when I'm bass fishing and all of my bait casters have been sold on ebay. I use a spinning reel on my long top water rod and on my broom handle.

Welcome to the forums! I caught my pb on a pflueger spincast. I've since retired it, although my daughter and wife use it occasionally, I bought a nicer spinning reel and baitcaster that I enjoy using. I used several cheaper ones that wouldn't last a whole summer, those had a lot of issues.

greentrout reply :

Use one about 10 - 15 percent of my LMB fishing. Here's one I use on occasion >>

Catt reply :

33® Platinum Spincast Reel

Sturdy all-metal body

5 bearings

Continuous Anti-Reverse™

4.1:1 gear ratio

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

On 4/25/2017 at 8:14 AM, frosty said:

Welcome to the forums! I caught my pb on a pflueger spincast. I've since retired it, although my daughter and wife use it occasionally, I bought a nicer spinning reel and baitcaster that I enjoy using. I used several cheaper ones that wouldn't last a whole summer, those had a lot of issues.

Thanks for the welcome! The big issue that I'm running into with retiring equipment is that I don't fish one rod. I am by no means a pro, but the guys that I tend to fish with are, and when we go off to hit a lake, nobody has much time to switch lures. I'll go in with 6 baits on 6 rods. If I can't keep up, I can't keep going. Collecting quality spincast reels and rods from ebay and pawn shops has proved to be quite the affordable method for an average joe to hang with the big dogs when they're exploring before a tournament. Some of these used silvercast reels can be had on ebay for less than ten bucks and there's at least 10 at every flea market. It takes some digging, bargain shopping, and a few repairs but you can have an extremely multi functional rod locker for under $200 if you wind up in my situation. On top of that, if I want to take my girlfriend and/or her sons to the river, they can use my spincast bass rods with ease. Here in PA, we can have 3 lines in the water at a time, so 4 fishermen can easily use a dozen rods in the water with a couple extras when the kids (or the grownups) get snags and bird nests, so having a bunch of spincast combos lying around is almost a no brainer.

Rudy523 reply :

I have 8 Baitcast reels and love them, But I hate spinning reels I have 2 and they stay in my rod locker. When I want to throw light lures and be accurate I break out my Zebco Omega Z03 Spincast Reels 7 seven-bearing and smooth. I put a lot of fish in the boat with them and you can say what you want it's what you put in the livewell that counts.

XpressJeff reply :

Barbie did a fine job for my Granddaughter catching bluegills.

She uses a Shimano Spinning reel now though.

Lures'n'Liberty reply :

Just an FYI while the subject is back up and running, for what it's worth there's been a lot of discussion on the zebco bullet. Anyone looking to spend $100 on a quality spincast reel with a fast retrieve ratio should know that the Daiwa SC120 has a higher IPT ratio, an all metal body, and it's half the price.

Boomstick reply :

My experience with spin cast reels is that the drag maxes out around somewhere between 1 and 3lbs, but most of my spin cast reels were cheap entry level reels as well. Also, anything you can do on a spin cast reel you can do on a spinning reel and they really aren't that much harder to use.

That said, more spin cast reels are made to be cheap than be quality reels, but people have caught some serious fish on better made models, no doubt.

Darren. reply :

Of the closed face, I've always preferred underspin

models as they balance better...to me. Like a spinning

rod with the reel hanging down. That said, I've used

some tiny closed face reels in both top and underspin.

Haven't used mine for many years. They caught me

a lot of bass and panfish. Drag is the week spot, IMO,

agree with @Boomstick on that.

Ecatman1 reply :

What a great subject to talk about I really like hearing about everyone's point of view since I don't have a lot of fishing buddies..... Well my two cents.... I love spincast because I'm the guy without the boat who ends up hiking to areas and finding lakes and ponds. I'm often walking through brush and wooded areas to get to the Shoreline and it's very nice to have a closed real that doesn't seem to catch every weed and Twig as I get to the Shoreline also I use a shorter Rod about a five-and-a-half footer so that I can flip it it mostly because there's trees and brush overhanging I swear by spincast and I have caught 5 + Pounders on Zebco 404 and my Zebco 33. I know there's a lot of fishing snobs that look down on spincast but they suit my style of fishing therefore they are perfect and like a fella said before me the fish don't know what you're using the catch them. My favorite spincast is the zebco prostaff 20/20 it is amazingly smooth and I can cast that really far and cover lots of water. I find that the secret to getting the most and best use out of a spincast is to use the lightest line you can for the fish you're trying to catch. I use 10 lb line because it offers a nice blend of strength and cast ability. I do have to say most of my spincast reels are vintage ...my hobby is to collect and refurb them I have a feeling that these are higher quality than the modern ones so maybe I'm having a better experience then someone who's purchasing new ones.

On 1/29/2018 at 8:28 AM, Ecatman1 said:

Caught on a Zebco authentic series rod and a 404 reel kind of throw away set up but it' sure works.

WB4IUY reply :

Old thread, but here's my 1 cent worth ???? Spincast reels have come a long ways. Been fishing about 50 years. I've been using the Zebco bullets for about 2 years, several times/week. Great retrieve rate (29 ipt), 9 bearings, smooth & stable drag, handles braid, quick change reel, smooth brake, casts like butter, no blowups under the hood. Now have several of them and love'm.

Dave

roadwarrior reply :

No.

WB4IUY reply :

On 9/29/2019 at 2:45 AM, roadwarrior said:

No.

Not sure what that means, but I have good luck with them.

The Bassman reply :

On 9/29/2019 at 4:10 AM, WB4IUY said:

Not sure what that means, but I have good luck with them.

And that's what really matters. And by the way, welcome to the forums. Looking forward to your contributions (posts, not $$) lol.

WB4IUY reply :

On 9/29/2019 at 4:25 AM, The Bassman said:

And that's what really matters. And by the way, welcome to the forums. Looking forward to your contributions (posts, not $$) lol.

Thanks, glad I found this site. A friend told me about it, lots of good info to read, for sure!

Dave

papajoe222 reply :

My wife only uses these reeks, so I bought her the best available, IMO, Pfluger. She has landed numerous 5-5lb bass and cats. She did loose her PB this season, but not because of the reel.

2290

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