Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Anyone who possesses more than just a couple of rods probably has at least one spinning outfit in their arsenal, and depending upon what type of fishing they do the most, anglers will use their spinning tackle a lot, or just a little, but sooner or later they’ll all experience opportunities when spinning tackle is the best tackle for the job. Last week I discussed some of the strengths and weaknesses of using conventional (revolving spool) tackle. Now it’s time to delve into the realm of spinning tackle and examine where it both shines and falters for various types of fishing.
Notice too that what I’m referring to is spinning “tackle”, which includes both the rod AND the reel. Spinning rods are typically much more flexible than conventional rods which allows them to be cast properly. The flexibility or “action” of a rod is usually described as “slow” where the rod flexes from the grip all the way to the tip (which can be good for launching big heavy baits or lures). When the action is “medium”, the rod flex starts about a third of the way up from the grip (a good all-round rod), and a “fast” action is where most of the flex is in the last third of the rod, closest to the tip (good for jigging and firing out casts with relatively light lures).
Novice anglers sometimes make the mistake of mismatching rod and reel and end up with some kind of an abomination that performs as well as a length of clothes line tied to a broomstick. Just like conventional reels need to be mounted on the proper size conventional rods, for spinning reels to perform as they were designed they need to be matched with the proper size and action spinning rod. Knowledgeable folks in tackle shops can be a big help to anglers uncertain about how to match rod and reel for optimal performance.
With that description of spinning “rods”, it should be clear that spinning tackle (rods and reels) are designed for and around the concept of “casting.” And this factor of “castablity” is one of the biggest differences between spinning and conventional tackle. Yes, some conventional tackle is designed specifically for casting, but most are much better suited to being dropped straight down from a boat or pier, or for being dragged behind a boat that’s trolling. Spinning tackle, on the other hand, was pretty much invented for the purpose of launching baits or lures out to where the fish are. All this is important stuff to keep in mind when deciding what tackle to grab off the rack for a given fishing situation.
In a side-to-side comparison, it’s easy to realize that when fighting a big stubborn fish, the smooth drag and extra line capacity of conventional tackle make it both a pleasure to use and the best tool for the job. But when it comes to casting, that’s where spinning tackle excels, and in some cases it’s the only real option for anglers. It’s sort of a trade-off. If anglers want the best tool for fighting a fish they should go with conventional tackle. If they want the best tool for getting bait or a lure to the fish, they should consider spinning tackle.
Obviously, you can’t fight’em if you can’t hook’em, so if casting is required to get the fish on the line then anglers should opt for spinning tackle and then make-do during the fight with the limitations of what they’re using. Fortunately, spinning tackle has come a long way and using it for big, fast fish is not as challenging as it used to be. It’s still the wrong tool for monster tuna, sharks, billfish or any other fish that will pull a lot of line and require heavy drag settings, and it’s rarely the best choice for bottom fishing, but for most of the fishing situations the average angler might encounter, spinning gear usually wins-out as the best all-round tackle.
Because the drag washers must be sandwiched inside the axel of the spinning reel’s spool, they can’t be as large as those found inside conventional reels, so the inherent design of the reel means that spinners rarely have drags as smooth as those found on quality conventional reels. Smaller washers mean smaller surface area, which can make for a sticky drag, particularly when a fish takes off on a run. This problem is compounded both when anglers attempt to apply maximum pressure on a fish by cranking down on the drag and when they use braided line. Every reel, regardless of the type, has an upper limit that the drag can be tightened to without sticking or binding up. This is where you “get what you pay for” because cheaper reels typically cannot be cranked down too much before they begin to cause problems, and it the same for both spinning and conventional reels.
The problem of jerky drags is intensified when spinning reels are loaded with braided line because it doesn’t have the stretch of monofilament line which helps to smooth out the rough startup of the spool when a fish suddenly accelerates. Fortunately, while a silky smooth drag is always a nice feature to have in a reel, it’s not something that the average fishermen is going to miss having unless their exploits have them dealing with big fish on relatively light tackle. A 3 lb. sea bass on 20 lb. tackle isn’t going to require much of a drag system, but hook that same tackle up to a 200 lb. tuna and you’ll quickly learn how much quality engineering was built into your reel!
Another issue with really big fish on spinning tackle is that even if the reels can handle it, the rods themselves are usually not well designed for applying lots of pressure to a fish. The flex that helps with casting becomes a detriment when it comes to pumping in a fish. It’s like trying to drag something heavy with a bungee cord - you need to pull a lot before the object at the other end starts to feel the full pressure being applied. Conventional rods are much stiffer, therefore, they’re more effective in transferring the actions of the angler to the fish. Very stout spinning rods are available, but they don’t cast worth a darn, so I don’t see much point in going that rout.
So the bottom line of all of this is that spinning tackle is great for it’s intended purpose of casting baits and lures to what might be considered the “normal” size fish an average angler is likely to encounter. We all have spinning tackle and we all need spinning tackle because under the right conditions it’s an absolute joy to use and deadly effective. But when mega-size fish or super light line come into play, fishermen are usually going to be much better off with conventional tackle in their hands rather than something that was designed more for casting than fighting.
Capt. Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and captain of the charter boat, “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
