I prefer the presentation control of a baitcast, but there are roles where a spinning rod is a better choice. I graduated from spincast about 38 years ago. 
Spinning and Baitcast for me, I love fishing ponds with ultra-lights on 6 pound test, it makes for a challenge catching good sized bass..
I started with a spinning reel 30+ years ago and it's what I still use for the most part. I tried a baitcaster awhile back but couldn't get the hang of reeling with my right hand and went back to the spinner. I bought a left hand retrieve baitcaster last year but it still gets me flustered.
I use them all. Mostly depends on what I'm fishing for. If there is room, I will use the baitcast.
Tried baitcasting once and created 2 snarls that looked like something out of a Charlie Brown cartoon, that was enough for me. Fishing is supposed to be relaxing and that just made me mad, So I'm a spinnin man.
Finesse with the thumb! I can feel a nest coming on by the way I casted it. Just a little more pressure from the thumb. You can minimize the birds nest that way. It takes practice. You need to start out by over setting the brakes on a baitcaster. This will minimize your problems until you get the hang of it. Gradually back off the brakes as you get the feel of it. I run mine with very minimal braking. The control comes from my thumb. I like the casting distance this gives.
I'm sure if I was a lake fisherman I'd have to learn, but I fish trout in rivers and streams so distance is useless, a quality reel that's properly lined will cast bank to bank at any of the places I fish. It's all about being able to stay under the trees and hitting your spots and with a baitcaster it'd probably take me 6 months to develop the kind of accuracy I have with an open face reel.
I do not discriminate based on reel configuration
Baitcast and spinning. Fly fishing occasionally for bass and bluegill.
dustingaunder's advice is good.
Some pro bass fishermen like left handed baitcast reels so they don't have to change hands after casting. I still use right hand reels. Funny how easy it is to reel left handed with a spinning reel, and how odd it feels with a lefty bait caster.
There are some newish bait cast reels that are pretty much backlash proof. Most of mine are old Ambassadeurs with flat sides, though I often install new gears to speed up the retrieve speed a bit.
I have a bunch of old reels I have bought and overhauled (somewhere over a hundred of them). My favorites are the "D" reels with the "direct drag" feature. With these (they are the green Ambassadeurs) the handle turns backward when the drag is working. If a big bass is in heavy cover, you stop the drag by holding onto the handle. It was designed for bass fishing in brushy water, and didn't go over very well, but nothing else works quite as well. There isn't a star, but a little knob where the star drag adjustment would normally be found. CB
dustingaunder's advice is good.
Some pro bass fishermen like left handed baitcast reels so they don't have to change hands after casting. I still use right hand reels. Funny how easy it is to reel left handed with a spinning reel, and how odd it feels with a lefty bait caster.
There are some newish bait cast reels that are pretty much backlash proof. Most of mine are old Ambassadeurs with flat sides, though I often install new gears to speed up the retrieve speed a bit.
I have a bunch of old reels I have bought and overhauled (somewhere over a hundred of them). My favorites are the "D" reels with the "direct drag" feature. With these (they are the green Ambassadeurs) the handle turns backward when the drag is working. If a big bass is in heavy cover, you stop the drag by holding onto the handle. It was designed for bass fishing in brushy water, and didn't go over very well, but nothing else works quite as well. There isn't a star, but a little knob where the star drag adjustment would normally be found. CB
Similar threads
