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Conventional Vs. Baitcasting - What’s The Difference

The novice fisherman might not understand the difference between a conventional and a bait-casting reel and wonder why they appear to be similar but seem to have two different uses. While some can be used for vertical fishing (from a boat) or for casting (from the shore) there are some significant differences that are important to your success fishing.

Before we discuss differences let’s talk about similarities. The axis on the spool on both types of reels is perpendicular to the rod and they spin when you cast or let out your line. They are aligned in this manner to allow smooth casting. If you’ve looked at spinning reels, you’ll find they are parallel to the rod – holding the line in place until cast.

The crank handles on both convention and bait-casting reels are crank style – this allows for easy use whether you are a left-handed or right-handed fisherman. The level-wind feature (handy on all rods) runs up the front of the spool. The helps insure a smooth rewind of your wind and helps prevent knots and saves you the grief of hand-guiding the line.

Now, bait casters are built to maintain their best performance, meaning smooth release of the line and a safety against every fisherman’s nightmare—backlash. Most manufacturers use magnets or even centrifugal brakes to help avoid this backlash. Backlash is a common problem, happening when the lure/bait hits the water, stopping suddenly. However, the spool is still spinning, and it quickly winds itself back over its spool. Most fishermen hate this “bird’s nest” effect, but novices see it often. These reels (meant for saltwater) usually include such models as Saltiga’s Surf, Abu Garcia’s C3, the SX by AVET, and Shimano’s Calcutta, among others.

Conventional reels are more suitable for dragging fish toward your boat efficiently. The in-line alignment of this reel makes sure that all of the stress of reeling in big fish is on the fish instead of the parts of your equipment. Since they require less effort, these reels are often more comfortable, and they are designed to work well with trolls, live lining, three-ways, and jigs, like the Charter Special (Shimano), Sealine (Daiwa), and, the friend of every fisherman, the 114 and/or 113 by Penn.

There are surely a wide variety of reels on the market, so of the most popular reels include: Penn International 975 and Daiwa Sealine 30.