Baitcaster V's Eggbeater

Hi All,

Once again i had this little question rear up in coversation. Some fishos advocate baitcasters some advocate spin reels. So which is a better fishing tool????

I'll try and give you my synopsis on the subject but im no means an expert on baitcasters. I do however use them when i feel its going to do a better job than a spin reel. So when when is this the case????

Fishos up north in the tropics live and die by thier baitcasters and probably use them for more purposes than i do. I was born and bred on spin reels and as such feel more natural in my hands. Usually i will use a baitcaster though in these scenarios.

a) Fishing for bass with diving lures or moderatly sized top water lures - I find that i need a minimum of 7grams to effectively cast a baitcaster. There are some gun casters out there that can flick feather weight lures on baitcasters but i aint one of them. I get too many backlashes, or better known as a birdsnest.

b) Flicking lures for Jewies - I tend to use baitcasters here with lure weights over 3/8thoz jigheads. If you've spend hours on end for days on end flickin heavy jigheads with big plastix on 7 foot rods you will know how the wrist and elbow feels after the punishment. Using a shoter rod, which is typical of a baitcast rod will allow better leverage and assist in jerking the lure with minimal angler imput.

This can also be the case for big flatties as well. If your chasing crocs in deep tidal water then the heavy lead you need will also neccessitate the use of a shorter rod.

c) Flickin lures up north for Barra - Pretty much the mainstay of baitcasters here in OZ anyway. This needs no explaination so i will just say that if you used a spin reel to throw around a few gold bombers up north you might raise a few eyebrows...its an elistist thing, as baitcasters or more so fishos that use them have a perception that using a baitcaster requires more skill.

To some extent this may be so. A baitcaster requires more skill initially to cast well without birdsnests but still has some flaws of thier own...

Some of these are;

a) Difficult to cast light weights - especially into the wind. This can be a real pain in the arse. Spin reels are far superior in this dept. and in the right hands can weild spin equipment with frightening accuracy.

b) Not friendly to beginers - As mentioned, they turn off southern anglers who have grown up using spin reels as first choice. They can seem a little foreign and take some getting used to to cast well.

C) Cast distance - Contrary to belief baitcasters, in general, lack cast distance. Now i say this with some hesitation as most distance casting champs use overheads in comps. But lets face it, how many grass roots fishos are able to cast a reel like a distance casting competitor. Its a bullshit comp that proves very little, and in no way indicative of actual fishing scenarios.

Spin rods are usually longer and the ease of use with spin reels means the average angler can make longer casts and fish further from the boat etc. You cover more ground this way too, which usually means more fish.


While there may be a heap of other arguments, these are the ones that are most prominent with me. Is one better than the other??? I dont think so. Each system is just another tool for the toolbox. I try to use whatever tools are best for the job and each fisho will have his or her intepretation of what the best tool is.

My only advice is to experiment. I go thru phases as well, so what i use for a particular application today might not be the tools i use for it next month. Its just a matter of fine tuning and basically how you feel on the day.

Good luck. Hope this helps clear the air a little on the subject.