Baitcast vs. Spinning Reels: Choosing the Best Reel for Bass Fishing

The Beginners Guide to Baitcast vs. Spinning

Discover whether a baitcast or spinning reel is better for your bass fishing style. Learn the pros and cons of each, tips for beginners, and expert advice on reel selection. / Abu Garcia | Daiwa

If you’re just getting started with bass fishing, you’ll quickly notice that experienced anglers seem to use one of two distinctly different styles of fishing reels. But how do they choose between a baitcast vs. spinning reel for bass fishing?

What’s the Difference Between Baitcast and Spinning Reels?

Baitcasting reels are compact, with a spool of line mounted perpendicular to the rod. The line comes off the spool like a winch or a tow truck. And the reel is mounted to the top of the fishing rod with medium to small line guides which are also mounted to the top of the rod.

A spinning reel appears to be more delicate with graceful moving parts, and hangs under the fishing rod with larger line guides along the bottom of the rod. The spinning reel’s spool is inline with the fishing rod and a thin metal arm called a “bail” spins around it, collecting and positioning the line back onto the spool as the angler turns the reel’s handle. It has always reminded me a bit of the look a spider spinning and organizing silk with its legs as it makes a web.

The two reel styles are pretty dramatically different. But which is the best choice for you?

Top Reasons to Use a Spinning Reel for Bass Fishing

I’ll start with the spinning reel, since it is generally thought of as the best reel for bass fishing beginners.

Closeup of a spinning reel, ideal for beginners and finesse fishing. / Kurt Mazurek

Spinning Reel Benefits:

1. Ease of Use: I’ve started with spinning reels because they are well known for their user-friendly design, making them an excellent choice for beginners. The learning curve is minimal, in fact, I taught my five-year-old daughter to use spinning gear in less than ten-minutes. Simply pinch the line against the rod using your index finger, open the bail with your other hand, ease the rod back over your shoulder, then arc it forward toward your target. As the tip of the rod is nearly pointed at your target, release the line with your index finger and the lure will sail off in that direction.
2. Finesse: Generally speaking, spinning reels excel when presenting small or light lures on light line. Because of their design, the only resistance working against the lure during a cast is the weight of the fishing line (not much) and a little bit of friction as the line moves through the rod guides (again, not much). Spinning reels will allow surprisingly long casts with relatively light lures. Therefore, they are well-suited for finesse fishing techniques, such as drop-shotting, ned rigs, or other small, soft plastic presentations. I’m much more likely to think about my spinning gear when I’m chasing smallmouth bass. But with that said, there is definitely heavy-duty spinning gear available, capable of throwing heavy baits and catching giant fish—think saltwater. Lots of really big bass have been caught on spinning gear. But from my experience, especially if you’re just starting out, focus on spinning gear for your lighter presentations.
3. Affordability and Availability: Because most people start this sport using spinning gear, all the reel manufacturers offer several, great, entry-level, affordable reels. I would recommend a 2500-size spinning reel as the most universal and the best bet for someone just getting started.

Effortless casting with a spinning reel, perfect for reaching distant targets. / Kurt Mazurek

Spinning Reel Drawbacks:

1. Limited Power: Just by their design, spinning reels aren’t as powerful as baitcast reels. The same design that allows long casts with light lures because the line comes off the spool without resistance, requires the line to make a 90-degree turn as it’s winding back onto the spool. As I’m cranking in a fish, I’m reminded of the delicate feeling of a spinning reel. You don’t just winch in the fish with spinning tackle.
Also, the gear ratios of spinning reels tends to be significantly lower than baitcast reels. You’ll see ratings like 5:1, which simply means that for every one time you turn the handle, the spool turns five times. For comparison, baitcast reels usually start around 6:1, and some models are even reaching as fast as 10:1 now. Just to clarify, this isn’t really a power issue but more of a speed issue. A slower gear ratio makes faster presentations like buzzbaits, difficult with most spinning tackle.
2. Line Tangles: Because of the design, where the line makes a 90-degree turn to get back onto the spool, it will have a tendency to become twisted over the course of the fishing day. Eventually, as you’re casting, a big tangled mess of line will come flopping off of your reel. It’s not pretty and it will take a good amount of time and effort before your next cast. As spinning reel and fishing line technology and design has evolved, this has become somewhat less of a problem, but it still happens.

A beautiful smallmouth bass caught with finesse bait and spinning gear. / Shane Beisner

Why Baitcasting Reels Are the Go-To Choice for Many Anglers

The baitcast reel is the style that seems to be more closely tied to bass fishing. But, why? Lets start with baitcasting reel benefits.

Closeup of a baitcasting reel, ideal for bass anglers needing power and accuracy. / Kurt Mazurek

Baitcast Reel Benefits:

1. Precision Casting: As an ambush predator, bass are often found closely positioned in and around heavy, underwater cover. One of the most significant advantages of a baitcast reel is its unparalleled casting precision. A practiced angler can use their thumb to control line speed during the cast, and present lures to very specific spots within structure or cover with pinpoint accuracy and stealthiness. Under many circumstances, placing the lure within inches of a bass, compared to within feet of a bass, can make the difference between getting bit and going home skunked.
2. Power and Control: By their design, baitcast reels are powerful. The gears and the spool are all aligned with the direction the line is traveling. From a mechanical and physics standpoint, it all makes sense. And when you’re fishing with a baitcast reel, you can just feel it. It’s more compact and solid than a spinning reel. You feel more in control when fighting a fish.


3. Speed: And, as mentioned earlier, baitcast reels come in faster gear ratios than spinning reels. Each turn of the handle winds more inches of line back onto the spool. This will be critical when presenting faster moving baits like buzzbaits, spinnerbaits or even some crankbait presentations. But also imagine times when the cast is long, but the strike zone is small, like topwater frogging. You know that once you’ve worked your frog away from the cover, that you’re very unlikely to get a bite. With a high-speed baitcast reel you can retrieve your lure quickly so you can make that next cast and get your bait back in the strike zone. It may seem like a small thing, but that efficiency over the course of a day can make a huge difference in your success.
4. Larger Baits: The sturdy design mechanics means baitcast reels will allow you to use larger, heavier baits and presentations with confidence. Most baitcaster also have large capacity spools and work well with heavier, thicker line, making them the only choice for the swimbait and glidebait crowd.

An angler casting a baitcasting reel, showcasing its power and control for bass fishing. / Kurt Mazurek

Baitcast Reel Drawbacks:

1. Learning Curve: The most significant drawback for beginners is the learning curve associated with mastering a baitcasting reel. To cast, place your thumb on the top of the spool and click the spool disengage button. Ease the rod back over your shoulder, then arc it forward toward your target. When the tip of the rod is nearly pointed at your target, release the spool with your thumb. As the lure moves away, feather the spinning spool with your thumb until the lure reaches its target. If you don’t properly control the speed, the spool can get spinning faster than the lure is moving forward, and the excess line will create a backlash, also known as a bird's nest—a ball of tangled line that can be frustrating and time-consuming to untangle. However, with practice and patience, anglers overcome this hurdle. There have also been some design advancements in recent years, like Shimano’s DC (Digital Control) baitcast reels, which can dramatically reduce or even eliminate this problem.
2. Not for Light Lures: Because of a baitcast reels design, the weight of the lure needs to overcome the resistance of the spool spinning as the line feeds out during a cast. With heavier lures, this generally isn’t a problem, and very long casts are possible. But with lighter, smaller presentations, it can limit your casting ability. I should mention, there is a new category of BFS (Bait Finesse System) baitcaster, like the Shimano Curado BFS, which has gained popularity recently. BFS reels are specifically designed to perform well with lighter lures, but still provide the benefits of baitcasting. So, light lures may not be a negative point for baitcasting reels for long.

Largemouth bass caught on a topwater frog, landed with heavy-duty baitcasting equipment. / Kurt Mazurek

Choosing the Right Reel for Your Bass Fishing Style

So, which style of reel is better for catching bass? The honest answer is neither is better all the time. Each angler’s style, personal preference and lake conditions will help them decide. I always have both available and choose whichever rig is best suited for the specific scenario I’m faced with at that moment. I’ll bet I have baitcasting tackle in my hand between 80-and-90-percent of the time I’m fishing. But for that other ten-to-twenty-percent, my spinning rods are invaluable.

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