Why Don't Bass Fisherman Use Spinning Gear?

AC Man

Talking about casting and retrieving. Not anything like pitching into heavy cover.

And why do you use right hand retrieve instead of left hand like spinning gear? Makes no sense. Cast with your dominate hand, then switch to your weak hand.i don't get it.

mplspug

Because it is easier to be more accurate with a baitcaster.  Bass fishing usually means fishing a certain part of the cover.

I use my dominant right hand to reel both for baitcasters and spinning reels.  It takes half a second to cast right handed and switch the rod to my left hand.

My reasoning is my right hand is more ambidextrous, therefore I have better movement for rotating the handle.  The rod hand and arm doesn't need to do a lot when fighting a fish.

My 2 cents.

tag

I’m right handed and all my gear is left hand retrieve. Makes no sense switching hands all day. 

SC53

I use both.  Spinning tackle is better for lighter line and lures. Some techniques are better done with spinning such as drop shot.
I cast baitcasters mainly with my right hand and do the switch but also cast left handed as well.  When I pitch, I’ll use my left hand.

The Cat's Eye

Switching the rod to your left arm (If you are right handed) also gives your dominant arm's  elbow some very important relief. 

GRIZZL

Also the pistol grip on bait caster rods..especially those where the blank is exposed under the index grip has allot more sensitivity for detecting bites. Also..BC's give you more POWER to control the fish. I guarantee you you won't turn a hog in cover with a spinning outfit if its not a tarpon rod

capt louie

I use both. As stated , lighter baits need the spinning rod. 20lb braid on a spinner can wear out a big bass quickly.

biglar

Some of it is habit.  I've used both for many, many years.  When I've bought a bait casting reel, it always came with right hand cranking.  Buy a spinning reel and it came with left hand cranking.  Why ??  I dunno, just the way it was......for decades.

Some years ago, I was looking for a new bait caster and the salesman, who knew me quite well, said, "hey Lars, why don't you try this new one with left hand cranking ??"  Huh ??  Made sense - same hand as spinning reels, don't need to switch hands after casting....??  Then he said, "hey, try it, if you don't like it, bring it back."  Ah, OK, I can live with that, so bought it.  Next day I went fishing and caught several nice fish - and that reel drove me crazy.

I know, I know, I crank with left hand on spinning tackle, but that just didn't "feel" right.  I took it back and got a lot of flak from salesman - he fully expected me to love it, so lied about it.  The store had a strict policy of not taking used tackle back.....no matter that it was spotless.  I raised several kinds of fuss and he finally, with bad grace, traded me for a right hand version.

capt louie

^^this^^   I bought one also. Couldn't use it.? Weird I know,  but felt uncomfortable.

MRichardson

Switching hands is a non-issue, it's so natural and easy it really doesn't impact anything.  I move my rod/reel from right to the left without thinking about it.  I think it's already on it's way while the lure is still flying half the time. 

As for why use the reel when it's not necessary for accuracy or heavy pitching?  When you know how to use one, why not? Everything about it is more ergonomic.

GRIZZL

I buy BC reels pretty much 50/50 right hand/left hand. I switch when I get tired and use the other hand. Also, sometimes depending on whether I am fishing off the Port or starboard side I use the left hand cast and reel for starboard casting and right for port. It helps me put the bait in/under branch cover at a 90% angle to the boat without whizzing a bait past my partner's head.I use spinning for small jerk baits and small baits in open to semi open water. But I like to fish where others dare not tread..in the junk

SC53

Also, changing between spin and baitcast throughout the day helps with fatigue. 

Jas2

tag said:

I’m right handed and all my gear is left hand retrieve. Makes no sense switching hands all day. 

   What Tag said !!  I`m right handed ....I take eight left handed baitcasters and one spinning for lighter lures  !!   Especially flipping and pitching ....hits can come in an instant ....left handed reels eliminate the hand switching !!

cortr

I'm left handed. Always used right handed bait casting reels.  Cast and retrieve with left hand. Never have to switch hands. 

Charlotte

I am a right handed angler and I use left handed baitcasters in salt and freshwater. I also couldn't figure out why so many would want to switch hands. I don't understand fighting a fish with my weak arm.  Fortunately more manufacturer's are making their products in a left handed version now.  I did try the spinning gear when I first started fishing, but because I'm a female my hands are so small I couldn't reach the line with my fingertip to stop the line where I wanted it. Now the struggle is real to keep my saltwater BCs in good working condition. Got this 40in red on a Cardiff 201a.

biglar

Thinking more on this, I think the difference - for us old set-in-our-ways guys - is in the grip.  Look at how we hold a spinning rod and how we change our grip when fighting a fish.  Then look at the way we hold a bait caster.  After a lifetime of it......??  I Am set in my ways.  :-(

I'm ambidextrous and, if anything, my left is stronger than my right, so weak arm isn't a factor.

MRichardson

Back to the first question - why don't bass fishermen use spinning gear? 
Actually most serious guys do have from 1 to a few spinning setups on board.  
But all other things being equal, baitcasters are just less "clunky" than the eggbeaters, the line comes with the spool feeding it vs being pulled off at a right angle to the spool.  With practice, baitcasters actually generate less tangles than spinning reels can... it's a learning curve but once you're past it and break through they are so much more pleasant to work with.

SC53

Spinning tackle ( with lighter line) will typically outdistance a BC making casting at schoolers more efficient.  

biglar

SC53 said:

Spinning tackle ( with lighter line) will typically outdistance a BC making casting at schoolers more efficient.  

That hasn't been my experience.  I'll be interested in what others have to say.  When you cast with a spinning reel, the line whips off in a big spiral and is choked down by the 1st guide.  Seems to me there's a lot of drag there, esp. when wet.  If the line whips enuf to slap the rod, then it's far worse.  Bait caster spools are almost weightless any more; a quick tug to get them spinning and the line goes straight out the guides.

Anyone feeling ambitious ??  I can't, 'cause I don't have a spinning setup anymore.  Set up a side by side as evenly matched as possible and have a shoot-out.  Say, a med-light rod of about 7ft and 6# line - 1 ea. BC and spinning, with differing weights, starting at, say, 1/8 oz and going up to ½ oz.  Which will cast further ??

SC53

With 6# line, especially braid, and lighter lures, a spinning will beat a BC hands down.  I can throw a BC a good ways but nowhere near what a spinner can with the lighter lines. Now with 20# floro on both, give me a BC 

brandonmasterangler

Please excuse me, I'm new here. I saw this thread and couldn't help but comment. I've never understood the whole BC thing with bass. I've fished Loomis rods and Shimano spinners for 25 years plus. Mono, synthetic, and braided. I can cast a bait, live or lure inside a hulahoop probably 50% of the time, or over a branch and inside the mangrove probably 80% of the time. Rarely have I seen a bass, or snook, I couldn't whip pretty quickly. No matter the size. 

Right hand holding the rod, left hand reeling. Never understood switching hands. 

FWIW, I've never backlashed a spinning reel. 

GRIZZL

Depends on the reel. My Tatula on a 8ft MH rod will send a Zara spook 50 yards easy. My Revo on a MH Rod will send a frog farther than I'd ever want to fish it and expect to get a fish outa the pads. I go out with 8 rods 2-heavy BC for junk fishing Flip and Frog,  1 MH BC for Spinners, 1 MH BC for Cranking, 1 MH BC with Zoom Fluke or paddle tail, 1 M BC for Texas rig or Carolina Rig, 1 Spinner for drop shot, 1 Spinner for jerk baits or hair jigs. If I go to real clear water I use the spinning more because of lighter line..scale down lure size and crank/spin/worm as required on spinning outfit. When I get my new boat I'll more deck space for more rods..I hate tying on lures vs picking up a rod pre tied.

mplspug

Jas2 said:

tag said:

I’m right handed and all my gear is left hand retrieve. Makes no sense switching hands all day. 

   What Tag said !!  I`m right handed ....I take eight left handed baitcasters and one spinning for lighter lures  !!   Especially flipping and pitching ....hits can come in an instant ....left handed reels eliminate the hand switching !!

Flipping and pitching I do use my left arm to hold the rod, so there is no switching.  The rest of the time I cast right handed and switch.

The funny thing is I do the same with spinning gear.  Cast right handed and reel with my right.  I've never had an issue switching hands, I don't know what the big deal is.

I generally use both hands when casting too.  The left hand mostly steadys the rod.  The only time I I handed cast is when I am finessing the cast and I need to get it pin pointed exactly in a spot.

I've used other people's left handed spinning gear and I can use it alright, but it doesn't feel natural to me at all.

Picman

mplspug said:

Because it is easier to be more accurate with a baitcaster.  Bass fishing usually means fishing a certain part of the cover.

I use my dominant right hand to reel both for baitcasters and spinning reels.  It takes half a second to cast right handed and switch the rod to my left hand.

My reasoning is my right hand is more ambidextrous, therefore I have better movement for rotating the handle.  The rod hand and arm doesn't need to do a lot when fighting a fish.

My 2 cents.

ambidextrous

1. (of a person) able to use the right and left hands equally well.

Picman

Your right hand has more dexterity...

skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.

"her dexterity with chopsticks"

AC Man

mplspug said:

Because it is easier to be more accurate with a baitcaster.  Bass fishing usually means fishing a certain part of the cover.

I use my dominant right hand to reel both for baitcasters and spinning reels.  It takes half a second to cast right handed and switch the rod to my left hand.

My reasoning is my right hand is more ambidextrous, therefore I have better movement for rotating the handle.  The rod hand and arm doesn't need to do a lot when fighting a fish.

My 2 cents.

Ok,  so let me ask you this? So if you have a fish Hooked on Your Rod and you're right-handed, you would rather fight it with your left hand and use your right hand too real it in that makes no sense whatsoever. Watching these bass shows casting with their right hand and then switching hands makes no sense whatsoever I have never owned aright hand retrieve bass low profile casting reel

AC Man

On the contrary, fishing a conventional reel for bottom fishing is the exact opposite. Your dominate.Hand ihas nothing to do with fighting the fish. You're just holding the rod like grouper fishing and you need your dominant hand to real. That's a completely different situation there is no finesse involved. Your left arm is just an extension like a crane

GRIZZL

AC Man said:

mplspug said:

Because it is easier to be more accurate with a baitcaster.  Bass fishing usually means fishing a certain part of the cover.

I use my dominant right hand to reel both for baitcasters and spinning reels.  It takes half a second to cast right handed and switch the rod to my left hand.

My reasoning is my right hand is more ambidextrous, therefore I have better movement for rotating the handle.  The rod hand and arm doesn't need to do a lot when fighting a fish.

My 2 cents.

Ok,  so let me ask you this? So if you have a fish Hooked on Your Rod and you're right-handed, you would rather fight it with your left hand and use your right hand too real it in that makes no sense whatsoever. Watching these bass shows casting with their right hand and then switching hands makes no sense whatsoever I have never owned aright hand retrieve bass low profile casting reel

Most Rods now are two handed long butts. If you thing about it for a second, the left hand is on the butt 100% of the time like a tennis racket back swing..the right is on top and feathering the spool. Simple mechanics to leave the spool and get to the crank handle with the right hand. Most casts are whip/flips not overhead so this technique is the most efficient right or left hand..the top hand feathers spook then cranks..bottom provide power to cast

mplspug

Picman said:

Your right hand has more dexterity...

skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands.

"her dexterity with chopsticks"

Yes, thanks

mplspug

AC Man said:

mplspug said:

Because it is easier to be more accurate with a baitcaster.  Bass fishing usually means fishing a certain part of the cover.

I use my dominant right hand to reel both for baitcasters and spinning reels.  It takes half a second to cast right handed and switch the rod to my left hand.

My reasoning is my right hand is more ambidextrous, therefore I have better movement for rotating the handle.  The rod hand and arm doesn't need to do a lot when fighting a fish.

My 2 cents.

Ok,  so let me ask you this? So if you have a fish Hooked on Your Rod and you're right-handed, you would rather fight it with your left hand and use your right hand too real it in that makes no sense whatsoever. Watching these bass shows casting with their right hand and then switching hands makes no sense whatsoever I have never owned aright hand retrieve bass low profile casting reel

Yes, my left arm isn't weaker than my right arm or not enough to make a difference as far as that is concerned.  And there isn't a lot of movement except changing angles.  If I need to get a fish out of slop I'm going to use both arms/hand anyway to pull him out.

I've realized from using my GoPro that I actually use both hands on the rod to set the hook.  I found that interesting.

I've seen this topic on many forums and I think it just comes down to what feels right and is most comfortable.  I've borrowed left handed spinning reels and even though it felt a little odd, I had no problem using it and didn't feel like it mattered.

MRichardson

People that aren't good with BC will never understand.  
And they don't have to.  If you know what it's like, you know.  
If not, no big deal.  Use what you like.