Why Use a Spinning Reel?? 2025

NealinMO reply :

I've used baitcasters for the last 20 years and I see alot of guys using spinning reels bass fishing.. I've only used spinning reels for crappie.. Why use one bass fishing?? Finesse??

Thanks for the help!!

grimlin reply :

Because some people can't cast 1/4 oz or under on baitcasters.Like me...

So yes...it's a Finesse thing.

I'm more comfortable with a spinning reel than i am with a baitcaster. I've got 20 years of spinning reel experience under my belt...only have like 4 with baitcaster.

bilgerat reply :

Why not ? There's quite a few members here (myself included) who only use spinning.

Speaking for myself, I'm a light tackle guy. I don't feel I'm missing out on anything by not using baitcasters, including accuracy. I own one, even got decent with it at one point, but it just never "did it" for me.

=Matt 5.0= reply :

What's a baitcaster?

guest reply :

skipping docks

Jake. reply :

Good question.

mrlitetackle reply :

i only fish spinning gear.....

ive had my hand at BC's, but their not worth my time..... i fish the lightest tackle possible at all times, and with spinning gear... i dont worry about light lures, or the wind.... and im sure i can accomplish any feat you can on your BC with my spinner...

its all a matter of simplicity for me.....

if it wasnt for the d@mn line twist, they'd be perfect

although, better models solve this.... to an extent.

Dave T. reply :

Quote

if it wasnt for the d@mn line twist, they'd be perfect

and with the right braid line... they are very close to perfect.

FishDontLikeMe1301600221 reply :

x2 on dock skippin and drop shots.thats bout it.or if its balls out windy that day.

mrlitetackle reply :

Quote
Posted by: Dave T.
mrlitetackle wrote on Today at 8:13pm:

if it wasnt for the d@mn line twist, they'd be perfect Wink

and with the right braid line... they are very close to perfect.

how right you are.......

the braid has exponentially cut down my line twist probs!!!!!!!...............but they still lurk from time to time.

Blues19 reply :

I have been fishing for about 6 years now. Started with spinning and have about 4 years using baitcasting. I feel alot more comfortable fishing a shakey head worm on spinning. I just feel like i have more control. Also I like the spinning cause it can hold smaller line for the more finesse presentations like fishing a senko. If I can, Id rather go baitcaster. Im thinking its all personal preference

bigtimfish reply :

I ask the same question. I see absolutley no reason to use one. When i was young I used one for ultralight. But other than that I can't see a reason to have one. what can it do that you can't do with a baitcaster and 10lb line?

FishDontLikeMe1301600221 reply :

Quote
I ask the same question. I see absolutley no reason to use one. When i was young I used one for ultralight. But other than that I can't see a reason to have one. what can it do that you can't do with a baitcaster and 10lb line?

right there...cant do ul with a baitcaster,atleast not without backlash city and day full of swearing haha.i like them both sometimes its nice to switch it up and have a different feeling.and you also dont see to many baitcaster ice fishing setups ;D

bigtimfish reply :

Quote
x2 on dock skippin and drop shots.thats bout it.or if its balls out windy that day.

It is very simple to skip craws and tubes under docks with a baitcaster if you practice. drop shot with them too. watch the Jackall Cover Craw demo on youtube and you will see some great baitcaster skipping

FishDontLikeMe1301600221 reply :

i just think its easier done with spinning imo,i get to many birdnests tryn to skip on my bc's.sometimes its all about finesse and bc's arnt the greatest in the finesse area my sol is ok at it but id still rather a openface for that.and when the winds are blowing in hardcore a openface will out perform a bc anyday imo.but to each his own they both have places in my fishing.

Fish Chris reply :

I'll tell you why I fish with spinning gear 95+% of the time......

Because I absolutely SUCK with a baitcaster !:-) No really !

True story > I was born left handed, and forced to be right handed by old school parents who believed life would be easier for a right hander..... not understanding that a person is born, with their brain wired to their body in a particular way, and that their are major consequences for forcing somebody to do otherwise.....

Like I could never throw a ball worth a crap.... hit a ball with a bat.... or (pertaining to fishing) cast with a baitcaster.

I guess I could be bitter that my Mom caused me to end up with completely whacked out hand / eye coordination......

But then, had she let me be left handed, I'd have probably ended up being a hard core ball player..... and probably a pretty hard core artist, who had no time for fishing.

And besides all that, I rather enjoy being an oddball whacko, who does everything differently :-)

And I still love Mom :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So anyway, that's why I use spinning gear. But I always tell other guys, the best reels to use, are the ones that you feel most comfortable with, and which work best for you.

Peace,

Fish

SirSnookalot reply :

I only use a conventional reel for pelagic species and lately I've been using spinning instead, I have caught many over 100# and my back gives out long before a spinning reel.

Overall I can play fish much better with spinning, have no problem pulling fish out of the heaviest cover.

The only disadvantage I see to spinning is the weight of the reels, but for freshwater 2500 reels weigh next to nothing.

In saltwater it's not unusually to use an 8000 or 12000 series reel and they get heavy, but as rule aren't used for repeated casting.

ArcticCat500 reply :

I mostly throw my spinning gear, if I need pure winching power to haul somthing out of deep cover, which is not to often, then Im on my Curado.

I had 3 Curados and sold of 2, (needed some money) but held onto my spinning. I'd hate to say it but I think some guys feel its an ego thing, and think they need to throw BC's to be a cool fishermen...but Matt 5.0 can tell you, you can haul heavy strippers and bashing blues on spinning gear. I did it for years.

Hammer 4 reply :

I have a couple bc'rs, one for swimbaits, the other for jigs, but can be used for worming..Like others, I find that I can use my spinning rigs with more acuracy, guess I'm just wierd...lol

IMHO, there isn't any fish you can't haul in with a spinning rig vs a bc, although I do prefer the feel of a bc.

21farms reply :

95 percent of my gear is baitcasting but spinning stuff definitely has its place. i have 2 shimano crucial casting dropshot/ shakeyhead rods that i love but i have found that working that shaking action is easier on my wrist with spinning gear because of reel hanging down from the bottom of the rod provides more balance.

bass wrangler569 reply :

There are things that spinning reels will handle better, generally light line or finesse techniques such as dropshotting, shaky head, small plastics, etc.

There are also things that a baitcaster will do better such as flipping, pitching, swimbaits, heavier soft-plastic presentations, crankbaits, frogs, spinnerbaits, etc.

Notice, I did not say "as well," I said better. Because, while you can flip and pitch with a spinning reel, you have a lot more power with a baitcaster, and that power comes in handy when you need to pull big bass out of heavy cover. I will concede that there is nothing that you can do with a baitcaster that you can't do with a spinning reel, but that doesn't mean that a baitcaster won't do some things better. If you think that your spinning reel is the best choice for every situation, you're incorrect IMO. We all know the kind of bass that Fish Chris hulls in on spinning gear so yes, it can be done, but most power fishing techniques are still accomplished better on a baitcaster. Do you ever wonder why you never see proffessional bass fishermen using spinning reels or baitcasters exclusively? It's because they know that both have their place and excel in different situations.

RandySBreth reply :

Because here on Table Rock people who refuse to pick up spinning gear get waxed to a high sheen by those who do.

Shaky heads, long cast w/thin deep running superline for deep crankin' and even the new flutter spoons are all better down with spinning gear.

Smaller swimbaits. Oh, yeah, suspending jerks work better on Spinning tackle, too.

How far can you throw an 1/8-ounce jig w/5-inch grub on a baitcaster, against the wind? Not far enough.

Jake. reply :

Quote
Because here on Table Rock people who refuse to pick up spinning gear get waxed to a high sheen by those who do.

So using a spinning reel instantly makes you a better fisherman? :-?

catchbig0bass reply :

I have just started using baitcasters this year. From what I know and feel I think that I have better control over the presentation however sometimes in hairy situations I like the spinning gear with a shorter rod 5'6" - 6' medium action to get into tight spots where its tougher to cast with a bc (ex. when you are fishing from shore with a lot of obstacles and trees around ).

roadwarrior reply :

Quote
what can it do that you can't do with a baitcaster and 10lb line?

Catch smallmouth in gin clear water.

8-)

rubba bubba reply :

The question I would ask is "Why not use a spinning reel?" to discussions like these.

Myself, I only use bc's, even for under 1/4oz lures (wind or no wind) and less than 10lbs line. However that's my preference. I've used spinning gear for decades and still own a lot of them but never would I suggest someone should switch. I can give the reasons why I use what I use, but that's it.

RandySBreth reply :

Quote

Quote
Because here on Table Rock people who refuse to pick up spinning gear get waxed to a high sheen by those who do.

So using a spinning reel instantly makes you a better fisherman? :-?

No, you missed the point. Very often a super long cast w/ a very light lure is the ticket where I fish.

You just can't do it with baitcasting tackle, and people who fish tournaments know it. You may want to fish with the baitcaster and 10-pound test, but the fish tell you if that's gonna work or not. Beaver Lake is even clearer. You can see bottom in 30-feet of water.

There's another wrinkle, too. Drop-shotting. The Table Rock Bassmaster event back in '06 is a great example. Edwin Evers would reel in a fish and the second he put the spinning rod on the deck with bass in hand to unhook it- he would open the bail on another spinning rig that had a drop-shot rig on it hanging over the gunnels, sending it to the depths as he unhooked the fish at hand. If you freespool a baitcaster maybe you can do that, but it's sure not as easy. He didn't win, but came close running from spot to spot and getting in little flurries of activity like that.

I should just let folks miss out and fish the same way they have for eons. More for me.

sweet daddy reply :

The majority of my fishing time is spent on bass, so I use a bait caster for everything. When I fish I power fish, with lures anywhere from a 1/4 oz to 1oz so a bait caster works better for me. I keep a few spinning, and spin cast reels around for my son and his friends to go jerk bluegill and crappie off the side of the boat. I have nothing against a spinning reel, until I learned how to use a bait caster I used a pflueger president, and an abu cardinal. I feel more comfortable with a bait caster. I might not be able to throw a 1/16 oz jig, but I can haul a big bass straight to the boat all day.

DixieAngler reply :

I'd say I use my spinning reel 90% of the time. I find it more versatile and I'm more comfortable using it. I prefer to finesse fish and use the lightest possible tackle when I can, so usually my spinning reel gets the job done for me.

If I'm dealing with real heavy cover and need that extra power, I'll grab my baitcaster.

SirSnookalot reply :

Quote
If I'm dealing with real heavy cover and need that extra power, I'll grab my baitcaster.

Always have the option of using a 4 or 5000 spinning reel, I often toss 5000 or 8000 reels, 20 oz for hours at a time.

ChiCityBasser reply :

I fish spinning reels primarily as well but have my 3 baitcaster setups also. I prefer spinning reels as a sort of grab and toss method of fishing but my baitcasters have there place when I'm fishing heavy cover. I don't see anything wrong at all with using what works for you in a given situation and if you are catching fish on either a spinning reel or Baitcaster I figure you are doing good, cause catching and putting them in the bout is much better than just casting all day on either...

KYntucky Warmouth reply :

I learned on a spinning reel, caught my pb on a spinning reel (Mitchel Advocet and a lightening rod to be exact), and really have a place for spinning gear in my heart. Don't get me wrong, my baitcaster out number my spinning reels, but my spinning reel is truly my workhorse. I primarily like to fish finesse type baits like wacky rigged senkos and shakey heads and I just don't feel as comfortable with a baitcaster for these techniques.

iceintheveins reply :

Spinning reels plain and simply cast baits that are 3/8 ounce or under further than baitcasters. You don't get the backlashes either, though tangles can form the occasional bird's nest. I use them for 75% of my bass fishing. If you don't need the quite the distance on a 3/8 ounce lure a casting reel works just fine for that weight though.

But for heavy lures, 1/2 ounce and up, casting reels are a much better tool. They also wrench bass out of cover better than a spinning reel. The bare minimum weight for me to throw with a casting reel is 5/16.

3995

Why Use a Spinning Reel?? 2025

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