By Mike Frisch and the Fishing the Midwest Team
Spinning rods and reels were at the heart of my rod and reel fishing inventory for decades. However, a good while back I started fishing baitcasting gear increasingly and eventually those style combos became mainstays for most of my fishing applications. Now, however, I am trending back to using more spinning gear. Here’s why.
When I started fishing walleyes decades ago, jigs and slip-sinker live bait rigs were mainstays. Both these lures fish best on lighter line and spinning rods and reels. As time went on, however, I expanded my technique arsenal and started pulling heavy bottom bouncer weights ahead of various live bait rigs. These heavier rigs fish best on baitcasting combos and so I accumulated a good arsenal of them. In addition to bottom bouncer rigs, I also added crankbait trolling to my walleye fishing arsenal and, again, these lures fish best on baitcasting gear.
While bouncers and crankbait rigs helped me catch lots of walleyes over the years, the past few years have seen a resurgence in the use of spinning gear in my boat. Forward Facing Sonar (FFS) came on the fishing scene a few years back and casting slip-bobber rigs to walleyes “seen” on FFS is a great way to target walleyes. Slip-bobbers fish best on spinning gear and so I started using more of these combos again. In addition to slip-bobbers, another great way to targe walleyes spotted on FFS is to cast a jig tipped with a soft plastic or nightcrawler. These are lighter baits and again fish well on spinning set-ups.
Not only has spinning gear regained a prominent place in my walleye boat’s rod locker but spinning set-ups have also regained placement in my bass boat. Two of my favorite ways to fish bass are by flipping and pitching big, skirted bass jigs/plastic combos to heavy cover and casting crankbaits. Both techniques are best fished on baitcasting gear. In recent years, however, clearing water in lots of the lakes I fish have made more finesse style lures very productive on certain days as well. Ned rigs and drop-shot rigs are great ways to target clear water bass, particularly when the bite is a bit off, and these rigs fish best on spinning rods and reels as well.
With the renewed emphasis on spinning applications for both my walleye and bass fishing, I have started to add more of these rods and reels to my fishing arsenal again. The great news about spinning reels is that they continue to get lighter, stronger, and better performing. When I started using baitcasting gear years ago, I bought several Lew’s reels because of their outstanding reputation for innovation and attention to detail and continue to fish them today. Those same traits are in Lew’s spinning reels. The new Speed Spin CRX model has become my favorite. It’s silky smooth, has a great drag system, and doesn’t break the bank. I’m all about great gear that is affordable too!
The great thing about our favorite sport of fishing is that it continues to change and evolve and the most successful anglers change with it. Changing from using exclusively spinning rods and reels to more baitcast applications made me a more versatile and successful angler. Now, however, the re-emphasis on spinning helps me catch more fish too. Here’s hoping you catch more fish this season as well!
As always, enjoy your time on the water and remember to include a youngster in your next outdoors adventure!
Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series. Visit www.fishingthemidwest.com to see all things Fishing the Midwest.
PHOTO – Here’s a bass that ate a big jig fished on baitcasting gear. Big bass can also be caught on finesse baits fished on spinning set-ups too!
