Do I Need A Baitcast Combo?

[hoglaw]

The ONLY difference in "accuracy" between a baitcast reel and a spinning reel is the ease with which you can stop line coming off the spool. With a baitcast reel it's as easy as putting your thumb down. With a spinning reel it takes a lot more effot. In a sense, the spinning reel is more accurate. A baitcast reel has an extra variable - you have to thumb the spool at some point to prevent backlash. That inherently makes your cast less acurate, assuming you make a perfect cast to begin with. But no one is perfect, and the ability to slow down the line at any point in the casting stroke does indeed make the end result with a baitcast reel "more accurate."

If you're not a seasoned expert, a spinning reel is much easier to skip, flip under stuff, etc. The ergonomics of a baitcast reel make them much more enjoyable to fish with for me, and the vast majority of anglers other than the occasional weekend warrior. I'll just say this. A baitcast reel takes a lot more getting used to. But once you get used to it, you'll quickly find yourself using them even in applications where a spinning reel might be the clearer choice. For me, that's enough to prefer the baitcast reel in the vast majority of situations. But for delicate presentations and live bait situations, it's hard to get past the "fire and forget" advantages of a spinning reel.

I say give it a try and commit to getting good at it. I promise you'll grow to prefer it for most artifiical lure situations where the lure and line size are properly matched to a baitcast outfit.

[Wayne SW/MO]

More misconceptions...every one of my baitcasting reels that I use for the river (all ten of them) weigh less than 8.5 ounces, and the newer ones weigh in the mid 7 ounce range. Weigh your favorite spinning reel. Unless it's an ultralight, it weighs more than that...probably in the 10 ounce range. None of my baitcasters has line heavier than 10 pound test on it, nearly all have 8 pound test. Baitcasting outfits don't have to be heavy, and in fact you don't want a heavy one for the rivers, or even for most lakes, except for applications where you're fishing heavy cover for big fish.

I seldom get a backlash that has to be picked out. Occasionally I'll get some loose line, which may not disappear with the next cast, or I might have to lift the rod tip at the end of the cast occasionally to bring out the last of the loose line. Once in a great while, maybe twice in a full day of fishing, I'll make a long cast to the middle of the river and make sure the loose line down deep in the spool is all gone. But with today's baitcast reels with both friction spool control, counterbalancing weights, and often magnets, you can "dial in" your reel to where backlashes only happen in major disasters, like when your lure hits something halfway between you and where you're aiming, and stops dead. Those adjustments are important, even for somebody who uses the reels all the time and has a very experienced thumb. Get them wrong, and you WILL have problems. Get them right for you, and baitcasting becomes at least as trouble-free as spinning.

I agree, but the bottom line is that baitcasters are more accurate, in the hands of experience, because of the control. Bass relate to cover and it's not unusual that one needs to keep his lure tight to the cover. Nothing beats a bait caster when it comes to hitting a target.

[rps]

Those who have trained their thumb will understand what I am about to attempt to explain. I hope I write this well enough for all others to follow.

Even when unobstructed by limbs, other people in the boat, engine cowlings, or other objects, anglers rarely make a precise vertical back cast and forward cast in a direct line at the targeted area.The listed objects can make the off line variation worse. Now consider that head winds, cross winds, and even tail winds affect a cast. As a result the release point for the line varies by far more factors than distance, rod length and load, line weight, and lure weight.

To become accurate under the above circumstances, one must learn two things. First you become skilled with your back and forward cast. Second you learn to control all the factors and do so through adjustment of not only speed but also trajectory and direction AFTER THE CAST IS MADE. No one is that proficient with a spinning rod. However if you watch veteran baitcasters, you will see them use their thumb to feather the spool speed, as well as move the rod tip to change the bait direction, and then stop the bait at the correct distance. With a spinning rod in your hand, if you attempt any of these methods, the coils of line disconnect you from the bait. In fact, the coils accentuate the trouble in cross wind situations. There is a reason all the casting accuracy contests were won by bait casters - even back in the days of the knuckle duster.

As a further comment, someone mentioned that certain famous anglers used spinning gear almost exclusively. Billy Westmoreland was one example. He was (I assume he has passed) an outstanding fisherman and he did rely heavily on spinning gear. However he fished highland reservoirs with small hair jig and rind baits weighing 1/8 ounce and accuracy was not vital. And I read once that when he fished lowland tournaments, he switched to bait casting equipment.

I carry a spinning rod in the boat an days I will be throwing Shad Raps and crappie jigs. Everything else is on a bait cast rig.

[Terrierman]

You may not need one but you might enjoy one. I know I do sometimes. I'm a troglodyte and only fish Ambassadeurs. 4500C on a 6' medium weight medium fast action is my river favorite. I spool it up with 8lb green Maxima. Like I said, troglodyte. I especially like the baitcaster for fishing spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Why not give one a try and find out for yourself?