Home Forums Fishing Saltwater question on reels--spinning vs. casting

I am not a saltwater fisherman, but have a question about reels. I'm familiar with the pros and cons of spinning and casting reels in fresh water, with spinning reels being lighter and generally more suited to lighter line and finesse presentations. However, with saltwater reels, it seems like metal framed spinning reels weigh quite a bit more than similar capacity conventional reels. So, what's the benefit of a spinning reel over a casting reel for surf fishing? Is it for casting into the wind to avoid backlash problems? Other reasons? Just curious.

I don't do much casting in the salt, so all of my reels are conventional bait (casting) reels.

To my way of thinking, the advantage of the spinning reel is eliminating backlash on casting, and further casts. With the larger conventional reels you have alot of mass and inertia in the reel, which means more stuff to speed up, which hurst distance, and more stuff to slow down, which makes for a horendous backlash.

The downside of the spinning reels is excepting the top notch big dollar reels, you don't have the structure for a serious drag system. The bail and levelwind setup is something to fail under strain, and you can't use your finger to add additional drag.

It seems that reel manufacturers are just starting to design conventional saltwater reels to take advantage of braided lines. The challenge braid presents is you don't need a huge spool, which is a good thing, but when you put 50-80# braid on an old style small reel it doesn't have sufficient drag for such use. There are just a few reels that meet my criteria of ideal saltwater reels, which is less than 20 oz, spool that will take 250 yds of 80# braid, and a drag system that will put out 30# of drag. Oh, and anti-reverse bearings and pawls that won't gon't t/u when bouncing 16-20 oz jigs. But there are a few out there, and many more soon to hit the market.

There are different kinds of spinning reels for salt water:
* Short, deep spools like the older Penn reels

* Newer longer stroke reels like the new Penns and Shimanos.

* Very long, shallow spools for surf casting, like the Daiwa.

Then there are baitfeeder reels, short spool like the Shimano Baitrunner, or longer spools like the Okuma.

If you are new to this, I recommend a compromise reel, like the Okuma 50 or 65 with baitrunner drag. Spool it up with 30-lb Power Pro super braid and 6 feet of 40-lb or less flouro leader.
Get an 8 or 9 foot graphite rod like a Penn or Star 2-piece with thin handle for sensitivity on live baits.

What's the difference in the spool designs? I assume the longer, shallower spool casts farther than the short, deep ones. I'd also guess that the longer ones, if paired with a faster oscillating gear would be better for braid to keep it from digging in. Is that right?

i can out cast any spinning reel with a baitcaster. plus i perfer tthem because they will hold more line. you never know what you might hook in saltwater aqnd i've seenm manny a spinning reel get strip

Fishing on the Outer Banks of NC for striped bass a few years ago, there was a fellow there who used Abu Garcia 6500 baitcasters and could throw plugs 75 yards. He used to fish professionally on the BASS circuit.

A standard spinning reel like a Cardinal, Okuma 65 or Penn 5600 Slammer will hold 325 yards of 14-lb mono, or 300 yards of 30-lb/10-lb diameter super braid, with 75 yards of 20-lb or 50 yards of 30-lb mono backing, if you want that. It will hum a 1 oz sinker plus live bait 75 yards or more, and smallish plugs 50 yards.

The Penn Liveliner and Slammer have really good drags, as do the Shimano Baitrunner and Spheros. My biggest fish on the Penn 5600 have been a 90 lb shark in the surf on 14-lb mono, and a bigger one from a kayak on 30-lb Power Pro braid.

A big spool Daiwa would probably be my next pure surf reel.

abu carcia 6600c4 holds over 600yds 30# power pro this is one of the black tips i've caught on it but not the biggest.biggest was about 150#. i've caught untold numbers of kingfish jacks cobia and a 5ft greater barracuda

Nice fish, stx. It looks hot out there, too.
What kind of rod are you using?

I use an Abu 5601C4 for heavy fresh water - stripers, catfish, pike, muskie. I just changed the line out from 14-lb Berkeley Big Game to Power Pro 30-lb and it really casts well, especially with lighter plugs and live bait. It is really a smooth reel with smooth drag that can be just dialed in as you need to.

american rodsmiths genesis titanium series

That poor fish didn't have a chance.
And you kept him, too.

For Surf fishing the real benefits of conventional reels only starts to come through when you start heaving heavy weights and bait. Try casting a six ounce weight and a bunker head with a spinning reel and you will quickly see where conventional reels
start to take over. For casting plugs and light weights the spinning rods are great but try heaving heavy weights with full power where all that force is on your index finger is almost impossible. With a decent conventional reel the skys the limit as you can hold almost any amount of weight/casting force with your thumb against spool.

FinNor OFS spinning reels will handle about anything you want, so will the Accurate Spinners, Van Stall, and Shimano Stella's will also run neck and neck with a converntional reel.

However.... these are all premium reels, they are more expensive then an equal line capacity and strength conventional reel. They will easily provide more drag then you can hold. When I read and hear people talking about drags over 15-20lbs, I have to wonder how long they will hang onto the rod with that level of drag. You need to be strapped into a seat with more then 20lbs of drag or you will not be fighting for more them a few minutes.

I have my OFS 75 spinner spooled with 50lb braind. My drag is set for 15lbs measured all the way out to 150 yards ( as spool diameter decreases, drag goes up) It's all a strong adult male can handle to hang onto this rod for more then 30 minutes. The Sharks I catch in the keys with this are in the 4-8 foot range. Probably 50-250 lbs (bull sharks are freaking heavy!)

I've never needed more then the FinNor OFS 75 and it's an absolute blasst to catch fish with. It's also far eaiser to cast a bit more fragile baits without having them come off the hook. I've found the "snap" and the torque needed to launch a bait with a conventional rod and reel causes me to lose bait more often.

I have caught these same sharks with a FinNor Ahab 12a reel and 15lb mono. It was a very long battle and required some use of the boat to prevent getting spooled. The drags never failed, and never let up. The FinNor Drag is legendary though and not typical of an ordinary spinning reel.

The point is that it's not just a simple matter of Conventional reel VS Spinning reel. It's a matter of Which exact spinner VS which exact Conventional. Few conventional reels priced under 300 bucks will come close to the ability of the VanStaal, or The Accurate 30 or 50 Spinning reels. These however are elite and incredible machines!



http://www.finnorfishing.com/offshoresp.html

http://www.finnorfishing.com/ahab.html

http://www.vanstaal.com/

http://www.accuratefishing.com/products/twinspin/twinspin_index.php

For a new fisherman, the spinning reels are easier to master for full power casting.

Reels under $100 will do a fine job.
Under $150 will get you a terrific reel.
Look at
Ocean Master
Okuma 65 with baitfeeder drag
Daiwa Emblem and higher grades
Penn Slammer
Shimano Spheros

Just be aware that composite framed or integrated composite/metal framed will not be as solid as all metal reels. I have the opportunity to fish a private hole for enormous Redfish 4 days per year. Often, on those trips, the trick is to actually catch one between 20-28". The biggest was 42". I reckon I hauled in nearly 40 in two days with none under 32". Anyway, I was using a Daiwa Pro Caster which is a composite framed reel. THough it did do the job it popped, flexed and grunted the entire time. It is a great reel but it ain't made for Trophy Redfish yanking.

My choice is the Garcia 6500/6600. I love mine and I have one of each. Both are spooled with 50# Spiderwire & Eagle Claw Laser 5/0 Kahle hooks. Instant death on swimming population.

I went there today and caught roughly 30 or so.