Any Fisherman Here ?

[purbeast0]

Yes. A spinning reel is not "spinning" as you cast your bait. A casting reel is spinning, at a very high rate. Once your bait hits the water, the bait is no longer moving, but the reel is still moving. Hence, the bird nest.

ah okay that makes total sense.

so now my question is - why would one want a baitcaster over a spinning reel? what are the pros/cons of that when doing some bass fishing?

 

[spidey07]

ah okay that makes total sense.

so now my question is - why would one want a baitcaster over a spinning reel? what are the pros/cons of that when doing some bass fishing?

Bait casters are smoother, longer and much more accurate. The ability to stop the line with your thumb means you can put your lure anywhere you want.

I'm not trying to brag but I can put my lure in a bucket from 50+ feet away just about every time. This is nothing special about me as anybody that gets good at a baitcaster can do it. But it takes a good amount of time and practice to get good with one. I just happened to grow up on them.

It's very helpful for bass fishing as you can really target things you see in the water. You can literally place your lure 5 feet past that stump you see and run it right next to the stump or bump it. BAM, fish.

Oh, and then there's the drag aspect of them. Much smoother.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Bait casters are smoother, longer and much more accurate. The ability to stop the line with your thumb means you can put your lure anywhere you want.

I'm not trying to brag but I can put my lure in a bucket from 50+ feet away just about every time. This is nothing special about me as anybody that gets good at a baitcaster can do it. But it takes a good amount of time and practice to get good with one. I just happened to grow up on them.

It's very helpful for bass fishing as you can really target things you see in the water. You can literally place your lure 5 feet past that stump you see and run it right next to the stump or bump it. BAM, fish.

Oh, and then there's the drag aspect of them. Much smoother.

Yep, I use a baitcaster as well. I like the fact that it's a challenge (at times a frustrating one) and takes time to perfect.

Building skill > easy wham bam thank you mam

 

[purbeast0]

Bait casters are smoother, longer and much more accurate. The ability to stop the line with your thumb means you can put your lure anywhere you want.

I'm not trying to brag but I can put my lure in a bucket from 50+ feet away just about every time. This is nothing special about me as anybody that gets good at a baitcaster can do it. But it takes a good amount of time and practice to get good with one. I just happened to grow up on them.

It's very helpful for bass fishing as you can really target things you see in the water. You can literally place your lure 5 feet past that stump you see and run it right next to the stump or bump it. BAM, fish.

Oh, and then there's the drag aspect of them. Much smoother.

hmmmm okay. maybe i will try one out on my new rod. my old rod still works just the tip is broken off, so i could use that as a backup rod. i may just go to dicks and talk to the guys there and ask them what they think too about a decent reel and what i actually fish for and my skills. like i don't want to waste $100+ on a reel that is baitcaster and find out that i just don't like it heh.

 

[spidey07]

hmmmm okay. maybe i will try one out on my new rod. my old rod still works just the tip is broken off, so i could use that as a backup rod. i may just go to dicks and talk to the guys there and ask them what they think too about a decent reel and what i actually fish for and my skills. like i don't want to waste $100+ on a reel that is baitcaster and find out that i just don't like it heh.

You're going to have to practice a ton to get proficient with it. It's highly important to set the brake properly for your lure weight. Plenty of tutorials out there. And since you're new you might want to tighten it just a hair more to prevent backlash. It will decrease your distance though. It's a balancing act between how much distance do you want vs. risk of backlash at the START of the cast. But as I was saying the nicer reels have better braking systems.

It would help if you had a buddy that knew how to throw one and set it up.

Dicks to me never has any decent rods/reels. You got a bass pro or cabellas around?

 

[Vdubchaos]

hmmmm okay. maybe i will try one out on my new rod. my old rod still works just the tip is broken off, so i could use that as a backup rod. i may just go to dicks and talk to the guys there and ask them what they think too about a decent reel and what i actually fish for and my skills. like i don't want to waste $100+ on a reel that is baitcaster and find out that i just don't like it heh.

I have a Abu Garcia that was $75 bucks

Chances are that it will be your lack of skill LONG LONG LONG before the quality of baitcaster.

Again, practice practice practice....and don't let Birdsnext stress you out.

I started fishing this season and just about every time we go I get a birdsnest (but I'm getting better). Last 2 times I simply forgot to set the brake after I adjusted the reel for the new lure.

I will not give up though, and still love the bait caster > Spinning.

PS. Have Needle pliers and plenty of fishing line handy hehe. Cutting up entire line is common when you get a birds nest. There is few techniques that help (holding the thumb on it while you reel it in) and when you get to a point where you can't pull out the line, grab needle pliers and pull a bit on the loop that's stopping it.

 

[spidey07]

I don't get backlashes anymore.

I do sometimes get what we call "professional overrun"

 

[Vdubchaos]

I don't get backlashes anymore.

I do sometimes get what we call "professional overrun"

Well, I'm a newb, only been fishing 5-10 times (if that).

 

[Jeffg010]

The worst bird nests I see is with bait casters. When it goes bad it goes really bad. So be prepared to cut line when it happens.

When a spinning reel goes bad I can unscrew the top off an pull it apart not so easy with a bait caster.

 

[spidey07]

Well, I'm a newb, only been fishing 5-10 times (if that).

If you can throw a baitcaster with that little experience you should be proud.

What most newbs don't get with a baitcaster is you really have to "load up the rod" on the cast. That means using the lure's weight on the backswing to really bend the rod and then as you move forward release the spool.

And as you've learned, you must set the brake correctly for each lure/weight.

 

[purbeast0]

yeah all this talk i think if i do buy another reel it will be a nice spinning reel lol.

 

[Chaotic42]

The worst bird nests I see is with bait casters. When it goes bad it goes really bad. So be prepared to cut line when it happens.

When a spinning reel goes bad I can unscrew the top off an pull it apart not so easy with a bait caster.

I always balance it when I put a new lure on. Hold the rod up at a 45° angle and set the brake to where the lure *just* holds its place at that angle.

It seems to work pretty well.

 

[weirdichi]

... i plan on going to dicks tonight after work...

I'd go to a Cabelas or Bass Pro Shop. The kids at Dicks don't know what they are talking about. I see Dicks as more of an all around outdoors sports retailer that carries some fishing gear whereas Cabelas and Bass Pro have dedicated personnel there who actually know more (although they may try to upsell you). Also, you can't beat the selection at either place.

Once you know what you want and have a feel for it and want to save some money, tacklewarehouse.com occasionally runs deals where you can get pretty nice stuff for cheaper than B&M if you don't need it right then. That's where I got my Abu Garcia reel.

And as mentioned, practicing on a baitcaster will make you better. What I do is set up hula hoops (or use strings set up as circles) on my lawn at various distances and aim for them. Again, it's all about practice.

 

[purbeast0]

filled up my boat tonight for the first time.

http://i.imgur.com/AkViNax.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7UFOOig.jpg

gonna leave it filled all night to be sure there are no leaks. there is a bottom valve that i did not fill up either, and I didn't put the hard floor in it yet either. i'm hoping that I can take this out this weekend if I can get it registered tomorrow.

 

[purbeast0]

got a question for the more experience fishermen...

today i caught a little bass and the hook was right through his eye. i felt so bad for the little guy. since i didn't really know what to do i just cut the line and put him back in the water with the hook in his eye. after it got it's bearings it ended up swimming off like nothing was wrong with it.

what are you supposed to do in this situation if you do catch and release? had i tried to pull the hook out his eye was coming totally out. it was kind of "out of the socket" already . in hindsight i am thinking maybe i should have cut the end of the hook off and tried to slide it out possibly?

but man i felt bad for the little guy

 

[Chaotic42]

I'd have removed the hook and the if the eye came out, then the eye came out. As it is now, I doubt he can see anyway.

 

[purbeast0]

yeah i don't know, i just couldn't do it

so today i had another "bad luck hook" moment and i left the lake so sad/disappointed/down lol. i was fishing at a new lake for like 90 minutes with my softbait worms and tubes. didn't even get a bite or anything the entire time. however while fishing i realized there were no branches down in the water and nothing was getting snagged.

today i went to dicks and got 2 new lures, 1 spinner bait, and 1 buzzbait, both 5/16oz. so since i had no luck w/my worms and i saw there was nothing to get stuck on, i said what the hell let me try the spinner bait.

i put a shad tail on it and tossed it on my line. it's a pretty big setup.

about 10 casts later, i had the biggest bass on my line i've ever caught. i reeled it in and it was jumping out of the water the whole time. so i get it on the shore and up on land, then i realize my tackle box is over on the other side and i needed to get my pliers. also i was kinda flustered since this was the biggest fish i ever caught so i wasn't thinking right. so i went to putt he fish back in the water while i ran over to my tackle box, and as i did that the line was too tight and the fish wiggled and snapped my line.

so the fish fell back into the water, with the big spinner bait still in his mouse . i saw him slowly swim off, but it had the huge lure still in it's mouth.

so i was pissed that i lost the biggest fish i've ever caught, and i'm also sad that the fish now has a huge lure in it's jaw. i don't know but i hope it can work it's way out.

but man, that bass was at least 2 feet long too i was going to get my tape measure out of the tackle box too and was already thinkinga bout that before i had it on land. so i definitely learned a lesson about how to handle bigger fish on the line when landing them.

 

[purbeast0]

yeah i don't know, i just couldn't do it

so today i had another "bad luck hook" moment and i left the lake so sad/disappointed/down lol. i was fishing at a new lake for like 90 minutes with my softbait worms and tubes. didn't even get a bite or anything the entire time. however while fishing i realized there were no branches down in the water and nothing was getting snagged.

today i went to dicks and got 2 new lures, 1 spinner bait, and 1 buzzbait, both 5/16oz. so since i had no luck w/my worms and i saw there was nothing to get stuck on, i said what the hell let me try the spinner bait.

i put a shad tail on it and tossed it on my line. it's a pretty big setup.

about 10 casts later, i had the biggest bass on my line i've ever caught. i reeled it in and it was jumping out of the water the whole time. so i get it on the shore and up on land, then i realize my tackle box is over on the other side and i needed to get my pliers. also i was kinda flustered since this was the biggest fish i ever caught so i wasn't thinking right. so i went to putt he fish back in the water while i ran over to my tackle box, and as i did that the line was too tight and the fish wiggled and snapped my line.

so the fish fell back into the water, with the big spinner bait still in his mouse . i saw him slowly swim off, but it had the huge lure still in it's mouth.

so i was pissed that i lost the biggest fish i've ever caught, and i'm also sad that the fish now has a huge lure in it's jaw. i don't know but i hope it can work it's way out.

but man, that bass was at least 2 feet long too i was going to get my tape measure out of the tackle box too and was already thinkinga bout that before i had it on land. so i definitely learned a lesson about how to handle bigger fish on the line when landing them.

 

[purbeast0]

got another question for fishermen...

if you were to spend $100 on a reel for bass fishing, what would you spend it on? also, are baitrunner reels any better than normal spinning reels for bass fishing? i'm having trouble really understanding what they will do to help if i'm going to be doing lure fishing for bass, but i just thought i'd ask here.

also, i'm curious to hear what things i will notice with a $100 reel over the $40 shimano reel i currently have, which feels really smooth with the cast. i would like to be able to cast a little further too, so i'm hoping that will happen with a more expensive reel.

then what are the differences between a $200 and $100 reel? like, not just feature wise, but what would you actually notice when using it?

 

[weirdichi]

Smoother cast and it'll most likely last longer.

From experience, my Shimano Sedona and Pflueger President (both ~$60) last me about two years. The Shimano just quit on me. The Plueger's drag broke, so I would try to set the hook and the drag would initiate so I couldn't set the hook at all. This comes from normal every day use. It could be that those are rare cases, but there's a reason my brother doesn't bother with those beginner reels. However, I've had cheapo Shakespeare rod and reels last me 10+ years. I use them, but only for lazy fishing, what I call using hook, line, sinker, worm, and drinking beer while waiting for fish to bite.

I'd suggest going to a specialty bait shop and asking them, as they probably know their stuff. Get as much info as you can and test them out, then you can find a good price on the one you want from different retailers.

Here's my whopper of a largemouth this weekend up in Minnesota.

 

[onza]

Two monsters I caught.

Species: Bluegill / hybrid

Measured around 9.5"

Measured around 9.75"

 

[spidey07]

Good eats right there.

 

[purbeast0]

anyone have any comments/opinions on this reel?

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Symetr...himano+symetre

as far as the different sizes go (shimano seems to have numbers like 2500, 3000, 4000, etc), other than holding more line on the spools, is there any difference between the reels?

i'm kind of looking at that one or an abu garcia orra s or sx. but i'm leaning towards shimano since that is what i have right now and i like it. the shimano reel i have now is a $40 reel that i've had for like 2-3 years so i'm curious how much better/different a $100 reel would be.

i plan on putting 10lb mono on whatever reel i do end up getting.

EDIT:

and how much "better" would something like this be, that is nearly double the cost of that one?

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Stradic-FJ-Spinning-Reel/dp/B007J2887Y/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

 

[Durvelle27]

wow glad to see this thread is till alive. Planning to head to the lake this weekend as u haven't been in awhile

 

[Jeeebus]

anyone have any comments/opinions on this reel?

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Symetr...himano+symetre

as far as the different sizes go (shimano seems to have numbers like 2500, 3000, 4000, etc), other than holding more line on the spools, is there any difference between the reels?

i'm kind of looking at that one or an abu garcia orra s or sx. but i'm leaning towards shimano since that is what i have right now and i like it. the shimano reel i have now is a $40 reel that i've had for like 2-3 years so i'm curious how much better/different a $100 reel would be.

i plan on putting 10lb mono on whatever reel i do end up getting.

EDIT:

and how much "better" would something like this be, that is nearly double the cost of that one?

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Stradi...pr_product_top

Completely different reels for different purposes. The Stradic is a saltwater reel that can do battle with tuna and kingfish alike. Not familiar with the Symetre, but I suspect it's an older-design reel (not necessarily bad, just older). Shimano makes good reels, but I feel like a lot of what you pay is for the name. Okuma is making great reels in the same price range, as is Penn, Abu, etc.

The 2000 3000 4000 etc. refers to reel size. Bigger numbers, bigger (and heavier) reels. Drag weight also tends to go up as you go to a bigger reel.