Be A Happy Fisherman For Life!

The easiest saltwater fishing gears for newcomers in the angling world are usually the spin-cast or spinning rod and reel. Learning to operate and cast with one of these saltwater fishing gears is relatively painless. It is free of backlashes and tangles. These are the ones that most anglers use for fishing games. From that early experience of learning to fish, many anglers stick with spinning tackle, and are happy fishermen for years. Others migrate to the bait-casting world. So, saltwater fishing gear and lure in some parts of the country are known as the "conventional outfit". Conventional in this case refers a reel where the line is reeled onto a spool that sits perpendicular to the direction of the rod.

From a saltwater perspective, aside from the heavy trolling rods and reels, more spinning than bait-casting tackle can be seen in use. Larger spinning reels with better drags can handle heavier fish. The bass anglers that do fish with spinning tackle are generally using a very specific technique like finesse fishing or dock shooting, techniques that are difficult to master with bait-casting tackle.

In actuality, line size probably plays the most important roll in this tackle choice. Whether bass fishermen realize it or not, pros are using bait-casting tackle for a very specific reason. Bait-casting reels can handle heavier line and actually allow a longer cast than spinning gear in the same size range. Bass anglers regularly use line in the 14 to 17 pound test range. A small spinning reel has a smaller, narrower spool, which has a hard time with larger line size. Small bait-casting reels can handle these lines and provide comparatively greater casting distance.

Casting rods, size for size, also have more backbone than spinning rods. The backbone of a rod is the side of the blank that gives the least when bent. Made properly, a casting rod's backbone will lie directly on top of the blank as the angler holds the rod. This backbone allows fishing lures to be "ripped" through vegetation easily. Also insures a more powerful hook set than a spinning rod.

The arrival of braided line with much heavier breaking strengths brought some issues to light in bass fishing circles. This super thin line causes problems on bait-casting reels simply because it is so thin. Setting the hook on a fish with braided line on a bait-casting reel tends to bury the line deep into the spool, a situation that will cause a major backlash on the very next cast. That same thinness is why lines less than about 10-pound test are seldom found on a bait-casting reel.