Back in the day the only anglers that used fresh water
spinning tackle were chasing walleyes or panfish. No right thinking
bass angler would use one of those buggy whip rods and little reels
to catch bass. Real bass anglers only used the tried and true
bait-casting reel, which dominated the reel market back then. Oh!
How times have changed.
The spinning rod and reel
still dominates the market among serious muti-species anglers,
walleye anglers and panfish anglers. But the increased use of
spinning rods and reels by the hard-core bass angler is amazing;
it has jumped by leaps and bounds. So what happened? Well it's
really pretty simple and one word explains it all: technology. Technology
changes everything and usually for the better; the rod and reel
industry is no different.
I know it's hard to
believe, but I think the fishing line industry may have had one
of the biggest impacts on the development of better spinning rods
and reels. Follow me on this one; back in the 1970's and
1980's the only line you used on spinning reels was monofilament
line. And using anything stronger than 12-pound test line was asking
for line management problems. So spinning rod and reel combinations
got a reputation as a light line, open water application. If you
were going to fish in the heavy cover, throw big baits or chase
large fish like northern pike or catfish, you needed a bait-casting
outfit.
Around 1992 or 1993, high
performance fibers like Spectra and Dyneema where introduced to
the fishing market in the form or super-braid lines. Slow to catch
on at first, the fishing public finally embraced the new super-braided
lines. As the new lines became more popular the fishing public
started to demand both spinning rods and reels that would stand
up to the rigors involved with using high tensile strength lines.
We
wanted better guides, reel seats and blanks, along with a better
selection of both lengths and actions in our spinning rods. In our
reels we wanted better bail systems, bearings and tougher bodies;
and like the rods we wanted a larger selection of spool size and
styles. That demand and a willingness to spend hard earned dollars
on better equipment spurred on development, which continues to
this day. We got exactly what we asked for.
A good example
is the new C3
Carbon Cone Concept rod released by Okuma Fishing
Tackle Corporation. They have a 7-foot spinning rod, rated for lines
up to 20-pounds and will handle lures weighting up to 1-ounce... that
folks, ain't your fathers spinning rod.
One question
I get asked quite frequently in one form or another at seminars
is; "Will a spinning rod work to fish (fill in the blank)
for bass?" So when it comes to bass fishing lets look at which
techniques the spinning rod and reel excel at, which it will be
OK to use and finally which techniques are probably best done with
a bait-casting outfit.
But first a little clarification
on ground rules. I'm not
going to talk too much about spinning reels. For bass fishing two
sized reels dominate the fresh-water market, size 20 (200, 2000)
and size 30 (300, 3000). If you go smaller than size 20 you can
run into line management problems with fluorocarbon lines. And if
you go larger than size 30 you have a weight issue and balance issue
to deal with. Just a note; if you go to a size 30 reel
for some applications (and I do) use some inexpensive backing on
the reel, you will never need all the line that a size 30 reel can
hold and you will save some money on line.
Talking about
saving money, it's nice to have a top-of-the-line
spinning reel if it doesn't break your bank. However, on most
brands of spinning reels once you get over that sixty-dollar mark,
you're purchasing
a very good quality spinning reel. My best example is the Okuma
Trio. Retail price wise, it's about 3rd from the top-of-the
line V-System reels made by Okuma, but has most of the same features.
The Trio has a suggested retail price of $84.99, but you frequently
see them on sale for $69.99 and it comes in three different gear
ratio's (4.5:1 - 5.0:1 - 6.2:1) all at
the same price point.
Rod length is pretty much
a personal choice, some folks like long rods others like shorter
rods and some like all their rods to be the same length. It's pretty much
agreed upon that longer rods cast farther and pick-up line quicker
for a hook set. Shorter rods on the other hand are more accurate
when casting. That being said I will indicate when I think a technique
calls for a longer rod. Rod weight and action is also important
so to save space let's use the following abbreviations:
- M/M-medium weight moderate action
- M/F- medium weight fast action
- MH/M- medium heavy weight moderate action
- MH/F- medium heavy weight fast action
- MH/XF- medium heavy weight extra fast action
- H/F- heavy weight fast action
- H/XF- heavy weight extra fast action
Spinning tackle is a great choice for:
- Drop shotting: Whether you chose a braided line or fluorocarbon
line, spinning is the choice of most anglers. Actions M/M to M/F
both work. Here a longer rod works better as it moves the vertical
presentation away from the boat.
- Trick worm: Small floating worms, smaller hooks and braided
lines makes spinning a great choice. Add in windy days and it
looks even better. Action choice is MH/F, as you will usually
be shallow and around cover.
- Jig worms/Shaky head: Spinning always has been the primary choice
with both these techniques. Good actions are both M/M and M/F.
- Wacky rigs: With Senko style baits and small hooks most anglers
both pro and casual will reach for a spinning rod. Longer rods
excel in open water situations in M/F actions. When fishing deep
weedlines then a MH/F action 7-foot rod might be a better choice.
- Split-shotting/Twitching: A light finesse technique, similar
to an ultra-light Carolina rig. A longer rod works better as longer
casts are the norm. This is not a heavy cover technique; it is
more of a finesse technique. So a M/F action shines at this technique.
- Small crank-baits: When the fishing gets
tough you can usually force some bites using small cranks like
Strike King's Mini
3 or Bitsy Minnow. These small 1/8th ounce to 3/8th ounce baits
are much easier to cast on spinning gear. Here accurate casts
are important so a shorter rod is the ticket. And since small
cranks have diminutive hooks your going to need a M/M action rod,
as it will be more forgiving than a stiffer action rod.
- Jerk-baits/Stick baits: These slender
light baits call-out for a spinning rod. You're usually tossing stick-baits in clear
water so light lines and longer rods are called for. A good
choice is a 7-foot M/F action rod.
- Small Buzz-baits/Small Spinner-baits:
Things like Strike King's Mini Pro-Buzz or Micro-King generate a lot of bites anytime, but
on tough bites they can be a go to lure. But they are light baits
weighting in at a mere 1/16th ounce, tailor made for spinning
gear. The same 7-foot MH/F rod you used for Wacky Rigging will
work great here. The longer rod not only lets you cast these small
baits further, but allows you to steer them into or around cover
and lay-downs, just by pointing the rod to the left or right.
There are other
techniques that a spinning outfit may not be the absolute best
choice for, but will certainly work on. Add braided line into
the equation and it makes the spinning rod just that much more
versatile.
- Dock skipping: To this day I still use
a spinning rod to skip docks. I like a shorter rod for skipping,
as it gives me better control and accuracy. Combined with a
size 30 spinning reel and 65- pound braid it's a combination
that is hard to beat.
- Texas rigging worms: I use a bait caster for T-rigging. But
my tournament partner Mike DaLoia, who is a custom rod builder,
having built well over 250 rods in the last five years, uses a
spinning rod for T-rigging worms and small creature baits. Mike
could use any rod he wants, his rod room sometimes looks like
a porcupine shed its coat there, rods all over the place. But
he chooses to use spinning gear and braided line. If you use a
spinning rig for T-rigging then go with a MH/F action.
- Top-water baits: For tossing smaller prop-baits, chuggers or
poppers you can certainly use a spinning rod. Again, go with a
longer rod. You will get more distance and pick-up line quicker
on the strike. The same rod you would use to fish Jerk-baits.
However, the same rod recommended for small cranks will work for
fishing around or along side docks where short accurate casts
are called for.
- Spinner baits: The most popular spinner
baits are in the 3/16th ounce to 3/8th ounce categories. I like
a bait-casting rod for blade baits. But a MH/F spinning rod
will certainly handle blade baits in these weights. A longer
rod with braid would be my first choice for open-water presentations.
When you're fishing
heavy cover where short accurate casts are called for then I would
opt for a much shorter rod and heavy braid. The same spinning
rod you would use for dock fishing would work great here.
- Carolina rigging: This one is a toss up.
I've seen Mike
DaLoia do it; I use bait-casting rods for this technique. But,
a 7'0" to 7'7' H/F action rod should
work... and they actually are pretty common. I think they
are designed primarily for fishing swim-baits.
There are techniques
that are better done with a bait-casting outfit. You can certainly
use a spinning rod for these techniques, but using a bait-casting
outfit makes using some techniques much easier and more efficient.
- Flipping/Pitching is the first one that comes to mind. With
a spinning rod even a H/F action rod it can be frustrating. You
would be better off skipping the bait.
- Deep Cranking: Again you can do it with spinning tackle. However,
by the end of a full day of fishing cranks your wrist is going
to be really tired and sore.
- Slow Rolling Big Blades: Just like above, you can certainly
do it and they now build rods that are heavy enough to handle
it. But, slow rolling 1 and 2-ounce spinnerbaits for hours is
tough on the wrists and just as tough on a spinning reel bail
springs.
- Swim Baits: The big baits from out west
are best fished on a technique specific bait-casting rod. However,
I fish the smaller swim baits on a spinning rod with braided
line. My choice of rod is a 7'2" H/XF action. This
rod lets you make extremely long casts. A heavy action rod and
braided line is a must as some swim baits have heavy thick shanked
hooks; on the end of a long cast it takes a lot of energy to
drive those big hooks home.
Well as I said in the opening, "these ain't
your father's spinning rods". And thank heaven for that.
We have so many more options to choose from now than they had back
in the early days of spinning rod and reel development.
As always, stay safe and we hope to see you on
the water.
Wayne Ek
Wayne Ek is a fishing
guide, tournament angler and writer in Alexandria Minnesota.
You can reach Wayne Ek at Agape Fishing Guides, agapefishingguides.com
