Is it possible to use nothing but baitcast gear for everything?? 2024

The Rooster reply :

Would it be possible to use nothing but baitcast gear for every lure I use, even just a Zoom U-tale worm on a 3/0 EWG hook, or even on a Rapala 07 floating minnow?? I'm talking some super light weight lures here, even a 1/8 oz. Roostertail.

I use the BPS Extreme reel and they offer so many different versions of it, even a finesse model, plus the way it casts it makes me think that I could put any size lure on it and get away with it if the reel was set up properly and had small enough pound test line on it. Like 10# or even 8# (that's as low as I'd go). I'd love it if I could get one of those finesse reels and pair it with a 6' or 6'6" medium light rod and cast 1/8 oz. lures and weightless worms and the like. I'd for sure use it on the shakey head worm rigged on the 1/8 oz. Ikey Head Ike Spike.

roadwarrior reply :

Well, sure it's "possible" and we have several members who do just that,

but it will be challenging and equipment comes into play, bigtime. I think

most people are much better suited using spinning tackle to fish light lures.

8-)

Muddy reply :

Yes you can, I have dedicated the last 2 years to mostly getting my baitcasting skills to where I am confident with them. I keep a 2 piece spiining rod behind my truck seat, for fishing ponds that have to be walked too or are in a series of ponds and pits we fish along a couple of farm roads.

This weekend I went to the river for smallies and from shore spinning definitely has it's advantages so I keep one good spinning outfit.

adclem reply :

I tried this and it is very difficult as RW pointed out. I throw everything with a BC except little light weight lures. I have a spinning reel that I use for those light weight lures and it makes things a lot easier.

But that is just my preferences.

Later.

fishfordollars reply :

I do 95% of my fishing with a baitcaster. When I dropshot I use a 7' Speck rod and fish it with 6-8lb line. Very seldom do I break off. The Speck rod is a med. wt. rod that allows me to fish this way without breaking off on the hookset. No problems casting the light stuff with my Curados or Revos. At this moment both spinning outfits are loaded with braid.

The Rooster reply :

So I guess I really won't know if I can do this until I just try it. I just wondered cause I'm going to more or less replace all my rods with Shimano Compres for casters and I was going to get at least one Clarus for a spinning rod and put a Pflueger President reel on it but I thought if I could get another casting reel and get a Compre in the medium light then I could skip the Clarus and just use that instead.

fathom reply :

sold both spinners (sjr781 and sjr782) early last year and have yet to miss either one...at least, for bass.

wind will be your biggest challenge...on windy days, i just substitute the rc .5 or pointer 65 for the #7 rapala and add a sampo swivel to the 1/8 roostertail...cutting off the stock hook on the roostertail and adding a #6 or even a #4 works as well.

bumping the back hook up one size on the #7 rapala and #5 shadrap can also make a huge difference in casting without affecting retrieve.

a little bit of modification can make almost any 1/8 bait into a 3/16 bait without affecting performance and 3/16 is do-able with almost any good ml or l out there.

The Rooster reply :

Cool, I hadn't thought of any of that. The medium light rod I was considering for this says it will handle 1/8 ounce lures, I just didn't know if the reel would throw them.

In changing the hooks around like that, doesn't that change the action of the bait?? Like on the Rapala, wouldn't putting a larger hook on the back make it float nose up instead of horizontally??

NBR reply :

Yes it is possible. You can drive a carpet tack with a sledge hammer but there are better ways. While I much prefer bait caster there are some presentations better suited to spinning gear. First to my mind is a lure less than 1/8 ounce and the second is skipping.

The Rooster reply :

Yeah I've already been thinking about how I'd skip under docks. I don't have any docks on my lakes here but I do fish one with my brother in law that has docks all over the place. It won't be an issue much but it would then. I probably won't do this but it was just a thought.

Catt reply :

It absolutely can with ease

I do not own a spinning reel & can cast any lure I want with my Shimano Calcutta 50 down to a wacky rigged trick worm, weightless baby/tiny flukes, tiny beetle spins.

dodgeguy reply :

it is good to have at least 1 spinning rod.

Jig Man reply :

I have never seen anyone fish FnF with a baitcaster. I might even pay to see it. ;D

SHIMANOFAN reply :

I won't say it's not possible but if you watch the pros almost all of them have at least one if not several light to medium spinning set-ups on their boat. They have one of the Elite series tournaments about a mile from my house and I check it out everyday. Last year KVD let me get in his boat and check it out and he had three spinning set-ups and that spoke volumes to me about their usefulness.Just as a side note he was demonstrating some casting techniques to a group of kids in the crowd and was casting a 1/8 oz. crank about 60 ft. or so on a casting set-up so if he keeps a spinner for finesse rigs in his boat that's good enough for me.

fathom reply :

Quote
Cool, I hadn't thought of any of that. The medium light rod I was considering for this says it will handle 1/8 ounce lures, I just didn't know if the reel would throw them.
In changing the hooks around like that, doesn't that change the action of the bait?? Like on the Rapala, wouldn't putting a larger hook on the back make it float nose up instead of horizontally??

not saying it ain't gonna change but, will say it ain't gonna change as much as one would think...bumping the back hook up to a #6 on the rapala will make it rest almost horizontally instead of horizontally...it doesn't affect the retrieve, imo.

The Rooster reply :

Well, since I have a fairly wild baitmonkey then if the money becomes available I'll probably grab one of the finesse model of reels and give it a go. If I end up not liking it, I can just send it back and exchange it for a regular sized one just like it and have one more reel for my arsenal.

If I try this, should I get a finesse sized baitcaster or could I just spool up some 8 lb. on a reel that is rated 12 lb./120 yd.?? I'm thinking the smaller spool would be better for smaller line. They have one that holds 10 lb./100 yd. of line, the ETX05HB.

HogHunter reply :

I have the bps pro lite finesse. I bought it with the intention of replacing one of my spinning setups. I've been better off keeping the spinning gear for light weight baits, skipping and casting into the wind. If you do go with a finesse reel i bet you will be surprised how well it will cast heavier lures as well.

Raul reply :

Is it possible to use nothing but baitcast gear for everything??

Yes, if you have the right rod the right line and most importantly, the right reel for it.

I can cast ( and have no idea how much it weights ) a 4 inch grub n 'hook 40 ft away without much effort with a Chronarch Mg spooled with 10 lbs test on my CR722, now, if you want to "save" ( yeah right, "save" is a term the BaitMonkey uses to describe something you don 't have to pay full retail price, I "saved" 600 dollars when I purchased 4 TDZs, instead pf paying $1,400 I paid $800 : ) I know the Curado 100D can do the same ( which you can find at a very good price now they are discontinued ).

SimonSays reply :

i toss most everything with BC gear minus the 1/2/3 in grubs for smallies and pan fish.

The one thing I carry a spinning rod/reel is for skipping.

TournyFish001 reply :

Last year a non-boater that drew me had baitcasting only with heavy weights and line, I had a few spots that the fish only wanted a super light shakey head worm- put it this way he was skrewed- after not getting bit half the day he put on the same bait as I did and could only cast 15ft if it was not a rat nest. Always have a spinning rod with you- I have many many set-ups baitcasting and spinning, if I were only allowed to bring one rod it would indeed be a spinning outfit. I realize not everyone fishes tournaments- the example covers bass fishing in general.

Raul reply :

Quote
Last year a non-boater that drew me had baitcasting only with heavy weights and line, I had a few spots that the fish only wanted a super light shakey head worm- put it this way he was skrewed- after not getting bit half the day he put on the same bait as I did and could only cast 15ft if it was not a rat nest. Always have a spinning rod with you- I have many many set-ups baitcasting and spinning, if I were only allowed to bring one rod it would indeed be a spinning outfit. I realize not everyone fishes tournaments- the example covers bass fishing in general.

That 's the point, it can be done ........... with the proper equipment ( rod, line, reel ). I don 't fish tournaments, I 'm a weekend warrior, if the case calls for it I can fish all day long the better part of my baits with one rod, one reel and 10 lb test line. A case would be like me going on foot patrol every week ( even though I have a boat I can 't always fish from it ).

Chris at Tech reply :

Can it be done? Yes.

But I think you'd need to spend more $$$ to get a baitcasting rig that would toss the really light stuff well. Something a spinning rig can do for much less money

The baitcasting reels known for their ability to perform well with light baits:

Chronarch Mg

Curado 100

Daiwa Alpha/Pixy

Calcutta

None of these are at the low end of the price spectrum. Meanwhile, you can get any number of spinning reels to do this, and do it very well, for as little as $50.

The Rooster reply :

Quote
I can cast ( and have no idea how much it weights ) a 4 inch grub n 'hook 40 ft away without much effort with a Chronarch Mg spooled with 10 lbs test on my CR722

This has got me thinking about what my reel is capable of doing. I'm going to do an experiment with the reel I already have here. It's the BPS Extreme ETX10HC (5 bearing model, technically inferior to the new 7 bearing version, of which incidentally I just ordered one of, the ETX10HD). I have it spooled up with a fresh roll of Berkley Vanish Transitions fluorocarbon in the 14 lb. test. I'll rig up several lures with it and cast them in my back yard and record what weight lures I'm able to throw and how far they go, windy or not windy, and all that and then post it here. I saw a list a few posts back of some high dollar reels that are supposed to be able to throw very light baits. I'm not expecting great results with heavy line like I have on there but we'll see if there's any chance that my $80 BPS reel can play ball with the big boys in a day or so. It'll take me that long to get time to do it........keep watching for my review!!

Simp reply :

I bought a couple spools of vanish as well to try out. I've used it some and so far so good. One thing when using it I did decide to change is what knot I use from now on period. I was always a improved clinch knot and Trilene guy but I was getting tired of these knots after learning the Uni Knot when I went to braid. With the improved clinch knot and the Trilene knot, I just lost some baits and fish once in a while because of the knot. Now maybe that's my fault for not tieing the greatest knot with it, but I know when I went to braid for my frog set up the Uni KNot NEVER let me down. I'm talking hauling 5-7lb bass threw grass mats so thick I had to support my 7ft MH rod half way up when pulling. Then after having some more bad experiences with the improved clinch knot and the Trilene knot on mono and Fluro I've moved to the Uni Knot for everything. I can already tell the difference when I'm snagged in grass with a Rattle Trap. The downside for Fluro with this is you have to be careful and wet the knot, because you cinch the knot twice so you have twice the chance to generate heat so be careful. Even with that said I think it's the best knot for Vanish and any slippage problem for me is long gone. Just remember to spit on the line and not go crazy fast when you cinch the knot each time.

bighed reply :

What Raul said.

I've come to hate spinners for the line twist and rarely use one for bass fishing. Not much that can't be cast on the TDZ's with the right line and rod. The Stella 8K and 20K with braid works great on the tuna though.

Raul reply :

Quote
What Raul said.
I've come to hate spinners for the line twist and rarely use one for bass fishing.

Tie a snap/swivel combination ---> line twist problem solved.

Big Tom reply :

For me, I don't think a spinning reel will ever be replaced by baitcasting gear. They are so user friendly and when the fishing dictates using small baits, they just far exceed baitcasters. I have buddies that prefer baitcasting only and I also have friends that use straight spinning gear. Fishing is so preference oriented anyway, it just all depends on what you feel comfortable with.

JL Zingg reply :

I bought my first BC in August 08, Quantum E760PT matched with a Quantum Tournament rod. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to use my favorite 1/8 ounce spinner-bait with the BC. Rod and reel are rated 1/4 ounce or higher with 12lb mono, however, after putting it to the test one day, I've found that by adjusting the brakes and tension I cast cast pretty much whatever I want with just as much accuracy as 1/4 ounce or higher lures.

bipr8 reply :

I say NO WAY (at least I can't with the way I fish).

I use a lot of finese techniques in NJ where there are 20+ boats on a 75 acre lake.

For instance.

3" weightless senko's (one of my favorites).

3.5 " Kut tail worms with 1/32 bullet heads.

Finese Tubes with NO WEIGHT (I can hardly cast them with my spinning rod).

THE BIGGEST THING is skipping. I dont fish docks much, HOWEVER, just about every time out I skip under overhanging trees or through tall grass.

I personally cant do any of that stuff with a baitcaster.

If you dont use any of these techniques, then I suppose you are OK without it.

Raul reply :

Quote
I say NO WAY (at least I can't with the way I fish).

The problem is not you but the combination of rod/line/reel

1.- your reels can 't cast the lighter baits.

2.- your rod doesn 't load enough with light weights

3.- your line is not the appropiate line for those weights.

Match a Daiwa Pixy to a GLoomis CR721 and spool some 4-6 lb test and you can cast a 3 inch senko into the next zip code with a flick of the wrist.

bipr8 reply :

I dont use 4-6 lb test.

The Pixy costs $300.00!!!

So, I personally cant do it this way, so I use a Spinning rod.

"THE BIGGEST THING is skipping. I dont fish docks much, HOWEVER, just about every time out I skip under overhanging trees or through tall grass".

I however never tried to skip with the pixy or smaller type baitcaster reel with 4-6 lb line. How does that work out?

Raul reply :

Quote
I dont use 4-6 lb test.
The Pixy costs $300.00!!!

Exactly, you say it can 't be done with your gear, I say it can be done if you have the proper equipment .... I didn 't say it was going to be cheap.

Don 't got the dough to get the proper bc equipment to do it then don 't think it too much, for the lighter stuff you will end up getting at least one spinning setup to handle the lighter weights.

bipr8 reply :

So you can skip under a bush with the pixy and other smaller baitcaster reels? If so, maybe i will look into it.

On the other hand, it might be tough yanking a bass from under brush/cover with 4-6 lb test and a ultra light rod though.

I guess you can use a baitcaster for any appliation if you have the right equipment. I personally wouldnt want to though.

J Francho reply :

I pretty much agree with Raul here. Skipping with a BC is simply a matter of practice. There is the financial consideration. I'd love to grab a Pixy and a nice, light fast action casting rod, but for now, it's tough to drop that change when a $200 rig works fine. I do use an Sol and an AC70MM for cranks I previously would have thrown with a spinning rod, and I have no problem handling 8# line. I just feel a BC rig is much more comfortable to fish all day than a spinning rig. there is a lot of wasted motion with spinning gear, and with the crank below the rod, I find it gets uncomfortable after several hours. Someday, a nice, yellow Pixzilla will be mine, though .

The Rooster reply :

As promised, I did some testing with my BPS Extreme baitcast reel in my back yard to see how light a lure it would throw. Wind was calm sometimes, then others it would be about 5 to 10 MPH. Didn't seem to make much difference with the casts though, only blew the baits off to the side was all.

I think the reel did very well considering this rod/reel is not set up for throwing these types of baits. It's spooled with 14# Berkley Transitions fluorocarbon line, reel is on a Quest LS-7 medium rod (fast tip??) 6 feet long, 1/4 to 3/4 lure weight.

Keep in mind, I've never had any experience using fluorocarbon line as far as casting goes (3 hours Saturday was the first time ever), and of course I wasn't trying for accuracy, just distance only. My baitcasting skills are just OK only, I'm not an expert at all.

I had the ITB brake set at about 9 out of 10. Seems it needs to be there to compensate for my thumb not being experienced enough alone, but at that setting I nearly do not have to touch it with my thumb anyway. I had the spool tention relatively loose, looser than it normally might have been in an effort to get some distance. I done fine casting though, enough that I'm interested in doing some light line and lure fishing with a casting reel. Anyway, here's the results.....

3" grub on 3/0 EWG hook, weightless (hook too large for bait ) -- 35 feet

7" Berkley power worm on 3/0 EWG hook, weightless -- 40 feet

1/8 oz. Strikeking Bitsy Bug jig, no trailer -- 50 feet

1/8 oz. Roostertail 33 feet

1/6 oz. Roostertail 62 feet

#9 Rapala floating minnow (don't know weight, 2 trebles only) -- 41 feet

#7 Rapala floating minnow (don't know weight, 2 trebles only) -- 35 feet

I think the results are pretty fair all things considered, but I'll need a better rod more suited for this, and some lighter line of course, to use it out on the lake much. The rod I used did much better with overhand casts than it did with sidearm casts. All the results above are overhand casts. Almost all of those lures though, I've never done any better than that on a spinning rod with 8# mono Trilene XL, overhand or sidearm either one. I think the baitcaster would hold it's own against them.

My primary goal with this was to see if a BPS reel could cast lightweight baits at least as good as a spinning rod. I'm going to go out on a limb though and guess that if I had this reel on a more suited rod with lighter line that it would compete with the higher dollar baitcasters as well doing this same thing. Seems like it would anyway.

Raul reply :

Quote
So you can skip under a bush with the pixy and other smaller baitcaster reels? If so, maybe i will look into it.
On the other hand, it might be tough yanking a bass from under brush/cover with 4-6 lb test and a ultra light rod though.

I guess you can use a baitcaster for any appliation if you have the right equipment. I personally wouldnt want to though.

My friend, skippin is casting technique to place a bait in places where you can 't reach with other casting techniques and that 's about it, it doesn 't mean that every time you skip a bait it has to be done to the thickest and nastiest stuff you can find underwater. You may have nasty stuff above water level, but that don 't mean it 's the same underwater.

If you are to fish nasty stuff then your gear should be appropiate for such conditions and then your reel may or may not handle light baits assuming you have the right line and the right rod.

Red reply :

i fish with only BC gear, i have one HVY and one MED HVY. i can cast everything in my box with these two rods and my Revo S's. even a weightless trick worm.

rfrazier reply :

I recently switched to all BC gear. I'm also using the "proper equipment" as raul would say.

Garnet reply :

As they say it's how you wiggle your bait!

Power Pro has made heavy line spinning.

So now you can take 1/2 piching jig off your BC and fish comfortably.

Just switching baits between BC and spinning makes you fish with a wider range of wiggles weather it's cranks, spinnerbaits,jigs.

Garnet

lubina reply :

I'm 90 % BC

Sam reply :

When the lure hits the water with a spinning rig it falls straight down.

When the lure hits the water with a baitcaster rig it falls back towards you.

So a baitcaster has more accuracy in placing the bait where you want it to go.

Just one more piece of the puzzel when considering to use a spinning or baitcaster setup.

Trick Worm reply :

I just bought my first baitcaster two days ago. I have experience with open face baitcasters but have never used a low profile. I started off with pitching and flipping to get a feel for my rod and reel and minimize backlashes. I found the feel came very very fast most likely b/c of my previous experience and I can now cast with my brake on three all day long with no problems. It is a Quantum code burner 7-1 gear ratio. I really like the fast gear ratio for some reason. I'm not sure if I just bought an awesome baitcaster or I am loving it b/c it is my first time with these reels but either I enjoy casting it over my spinning reels.

ptomacbass reply :

I use a baitcaster for everything. I always leave the spool tension as low as I can without the cap falling off and I leave the brakes on zero. It seems to work fine.

The Rooster reply :

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I use a baitcaster for everything. I always leave the spool tension as low as I can without the cap falling off and I leave the brakes on zero. It seems to work fine.

You must have the greatest thumb of any baitcaster fisherman anywhere. With settings like that on my Extreme, it would constantly be backlashed severely.

The Rooster reply :

Quote

3" grub on 3/0 EWG hook, weightless (hook too large for bait ) -- 35 feet

7" Berkley power worm on 3/0 EWG hook, weightless -- 40 feet

1/8 oz. Strikeking Bitsy Bug jig, no trailer -- 50 feet

1/8 oz. Roostertail 33 feet

1/6 oz. Roostertail 62 feet

#9 Rapala floating minnow (don't know weight, 2 trebles only) -- 41 feet

#7 Rapala floating minnow (don't know weight, 2 trebles only) -- 35 feet

Quoted myself to have both sets of results together.

Today I went back out to try the rod I used for the above results again, but this time for it's actual range of use. Again, it's a 6' medium rod (maybe a fast tip??) 1/4 to 3/4 lure weight, and I have it spooled with 14# Transitions fluorocarbon line. Bass Pro Shops Extreme baitcast reel.

With a 1/4 oz. crankbait I am able to hit 75 feet casts consistantly and with moderate accuracy

With a 7/16 oz. spinnerbait I was at 109 feet just trying for distance only

With a 3/8 oz. roostertail I was 120 feet trying for distance only

Again this reel amazed me, I didn't know it was casting as far as it does with my novice skills. I was also making it my business to learn to use the reel right. For the past 12 years I've been into fishing I've been using baitcasting reels but have always relied on the brakes to do the bulk of the work. I don't think I've ever really truly learned how to use these reels, only just enough to not have constant backlashes and that's it. Today I backed off the brakes a lot, down to 3 out of 10, and up to 5 out of 10 max (previously I had them set on 9 out of 10). Then I tightened up the spool tension somewhat cause I did have it ridiculously loose in order to get cast distance. I let my thumb do more work that it used to do today and I was able to cast like what I did.

I think there's potential that I could let casting reels replace spinning reels for me. That would mean far less line twist, only would be a risk for lures such as inline spinners that tend to rotate on retrieve. Also it would mean more comfort for me, maybe increased distance too cause I can't imagine a spinning rod doing any better than what I've seen so far. If I get a casting rod in the right power and action, a reel to match and some light line that is. And everytime I disassemble it to clean it, the job will be simpler, I think casting reels are a bit easier to work on than spinning reels are. Not as many parts to take down.

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Is it possible to use nothing but baitcast gear for everything?? 2024

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