Everyday Blog

The novice fisherman might not understand the difference between a conventional and a bait-casting reel and wonder why they appear to be similar but seem to have two different uses. While some can be used for vertical fishing (from a boat) or for casting (from the shore) there are some significant differences that are important to your success fishing.

You should start by learning how they’re the same. Each has a spool axis that is perpendicular to the rod that it is mounted to. A spool is designed to spin when you cast or release the line. This is so the line is released smoothly, because the spool is what releases the line. On a spinning reel, the axis runs parallel to its rod, and holds the line still during your cast. The line is released in loop fashion before it even hits that first guide.

The crank handles on both convention and bait-casting reels are crank style – this allows for easy use whether you are a left-handed or right-handed fisherman. The level-wind feature (handy on all rods) runs up the front of the spool. The helps insure a smooth rewind of your wind and helps prevent knots and saves you the grief of hand-guiding the line.

Onshore bait-casting reels are designed to maximum performance. A smooth release and protection against backlash are two major performance enhancing features. Bait-casting reels designed for saltwater include models like AVET’s SX, the Calcutta (Shimano), C3 by Abu Garcia, and the Saltiga Surf (by Daiwa). Backlash can cause a serious disruption in your fishing trip – it’s caused from your bait (or lure) hitting the water and coming to a sudden stop. What happens from here is a nightmare – your spool is spinning out of control, with no pull directing it. This causes it to wind back over the spool and create a mess that is often easier to cut out than work out. Ask any new angler using a bait-caster if they’ve ever had this experience, as it’s one they don’t soon forget!

If you frequently fight to drag fish toward a boat, a conventional reel does so very efficiently. This is due to the alignment of the reel, ensuring that all stress is on the fighting fish instead of the angler’s equipment. These reels are very comfortable, and require much less work, so use them with three-ways, jigs, live lining, and trolls. This includes the Daiwa Sealine, Shimano’s Charter Special, and the ever-popular Penn 113 and 114.

There are surely a wide variety of reels on the market, so of the most popular reels include: Penn 975 Reel and Daiwa Sealine 30.