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Let's face it, Bassing friends, January and February in the Pacific Northwest are not premium months for pursuing either Largemouth or Smallmouth. There are still catch-able fish out there, lurking in the Winter haunts we discussed last month, but it's a cold, slow game if you want to try for them. You can review the February 2009, Bob's Bassmaster Basics article on preparing for Spring Bass fishing. It has lots of useful information for planning, researching and just generally studying up in order to be really ready for your first major trips into Bass Paradise. For January and February, let's talk a little bit about rods, reels, baits and other gear. Some of this information will be very basic, but these articles are purposely geared toward folks who are newer to the Bass fishing scene, or who would just like to gain a few more tidbits of useful knowledge. As always, feel free to put in your two cents worth in the Forum section. I am forever looking for new ideas, and I believe that is one of the identifying signs of any good fisherman.

Whether you are a die hard Salmon fisherman, Steelheader or Bassing fanatic, if you have been fishing very long at all you probably have some strong opinions on the relative merits of spinning gear versus bait-casting gear.

I grew up fishing with spinning gear. As a boy I would spend entire Summer days, dawn to dark, wandering up and down the local creek near our home. During the school year I would be back down at the creek, as soon as I could dodge out of old Mrs. Peterson's class. Using worms I had dug from our garden or crawdads I caught with the worms, I would catch nice Rainbow Trout throughout the year. Many were in the 14 to 16 inch range and one monster was 20 ½ inches long. I came whistling home like Opie from Mayberry and my Dad took one look at that whopper, grabbed his gear and headed for the creek!

Dad was quite the accomplished Steelhead fisherman and had 'mastered' the Kalama, Lewis, Washougal and other rivers by the time I was getting good at free-lining worms or crawdad tails into likely seams in Burnt Bridge Creek. He fished with spinning gear, so I did too. The reels we had back then were fairly basic and cheap. But they worked, and we caught fish. I'll never forget how amazed my Dad, my brother and I were when we saw our first 5 to 1 retrieve reel. It was a D.A.M. Quick and wooee, it was FAST!

On my 8th birthday my Dad walked into my classroom at school with a brand new rod and reel, handed it to me and said: “Let's go fishin'!” The teacher and the other kids watched with open mouths as I proudly hopped out the door with my Dad (I don't think anyone could get away with that trick nowadays!). He took me to a couple of his favorite holes on the Kalama river, set me up with an Okie Drifter rig and much to my surprise, I caught two nice hen Steelhead that day. It took me over 7 years to catch another one. Okay, Dad was a little better than me.

When I finally got into Bass fishing – in my forties – I kept seeing guys using bait-casters almost exclusively. I had seen bait-casters up on the Kalama, but Dad and I just considered them oddities and went with what had always worked for us. I would watch Bill Dance and Larry Nixon and other Bass pros on T.V. and look at pictures of them in magazines. With the exception of the Lindner brothers (them good old Northern boys), everyone was using a bait-casting rig. I remember one program when the Lindners were showing how to throw spinnerbaits with bait-casting reels. They seemed surprised at how well they worked.

I was already catching nice big Bass on my spinning gear (My Dad was horrified when he found out I was using 17 pound test line – He regularly caught summer run Steelhead on 4 lb., and he always declared that anyone using more than 8 lb. was just just 'horsing the fish in!'), but I got curious and bought a low-profile bait-cast reel from a catalog. What a strange contraption! The spool was sitting sideways and it went around whenever you touched the handle, unlike the stationary spool on a spinning reel. It was a Right-hand reel, and I quickly became convinced that the pros must be wizards, because I couldn't make it work right and it always felt awkward to use. I simply could not duplicate their habit of casting and then switching the rod to the other hand.

It was a revelation when I discovered that you could get bait-casters in a Left-hand version. Since I had always used my Left-hand on my spinning reel, hanging down under the rod, it worked much better for me to have a Left-hand bait-caster, sitting on top of the handle. Also, my right arm is my power or 'fighting' arm, so I can battle the fish in the way that is 'natural' to me.

So what does bait-casting gear do that a spinning reel does not do, or can not do? For one thing, it fires the line straight off the spool when you cast. The line passes through the line-leveler and there is no spiral of line – an unavoidable characteristic of spinning reels – uncoiling off the reel, then passing through large guides on the rod until it is finally traveling in a straight line. Many people believe this gives the bait-caster an edge in distance casting.

Another plus is that the bait-casting rod has more guides than the spinning rod, because the line passes over the top of the rod, rather than underneath. Since the line is moving straight from the time it leaves the reel, this does not slow the line at all, but it does force the line to follow the curve of the entire rod blank when under tension. When a spinning rod, which has fewer and wider spaced guides, is flexed under tension, the line makes some jagged, angled turns from one guide to the next, without really following the complete arc of the rod. This puts more strain on the line and does not take best advantage of the fish fighting ability of the blank.

One more advantage of the bait-casting rig is its ability to zing your bait out quickly, yet with some practiced 'feathering' of the spool with your thumb, it allows the bait to slow to a stop and quietly 'kiss' the water at the end of the cast. Once a spinning outfit has launched your bait, your gear is going to crash into the water with a little more force and noise, even if you try to give it a gentle toss. If you are stalking spooky fish, or if you simply do not want to alert your prey to your presence, a bait-caster can be just the thing! The only way to compensate with a spinning rig is to go to lighter gear, which you may not be able to cast as far.

Lighter gear is still the strong suit of the spinning outfit. You can throw very light weights and baits very easily with them. This makes it a cinch to 'skip' light baits in under low-hanging brush or tree branches, or underneath docks. Bait-casters have traditionally been used for heavier weights and baits, and unless you have one of the newer, low-profile bait-casters, it will be difficult to achieve the same results. Even with the finest of the high-end bait-casters, it will take some practice to 'skip' light baits without backlashes.

Now we come to it, the misery of the backlash or 'birds nest.' No reel, bait-caster or spinning, should ever bring in loose or 'slack' line. You are just asking for a tangle or stray loop caught in the wrong spot on the reel. As for outgoing line, the spinning reel casts reliably, simply with the release of the line from your finger. The bait-caster, not so much! You must adjust the braking of the spool, or it is very liable to have an over-travel problem, continuing to spin after your bait has hit the water. This will produce a birds nest so glorious it could end or seriously delay your time on the water. Even with the brake adjusted properly, a new breeze can produce enough pressure on your bait and line during flight to cause it to slow, while the spool happily whirls around, throwing out loose line that turns into tight knots.

The best bait-casting reels have more than one kind of braking system. They help you 'fine tune' the spool. Some have magnets and/or designs that adjust centripetal force on the spool. Some have other specialties, such as 'twitching bars' that allow you to bring in small amounts of line with your thumb without even touching the reel's handle (One hand twitching or hopping of baits), and some have 'flipping switches' which facilitate short-distance 'flipping' or 'pitching' techniques. Whichever bait-casting reel you choose, it will take some time to 'make your peace' with it. But you will enjoy its advantages in various situations.

I now fish with an equal number of bait-casters and spinning outfits when I hunt Bass. I adapt them to my needs, the kinds of baits I am throwing and the conditions I am facing. I still love the spinning reel, but the bait-caster is a welcome addition to my arsenal, and I understand why old Bill Dance loves his. In fact, I fish with Quantums, just like Bill. Other great brands include Shimano, Pflueger, Abu Garcia, Daiwa and others that offer high-end, smooth-casting reels.

Take a look at some common features on the spinning and bait-casting reels in the pictures provided. On the bait-caster you will see the large 'star drag,' your fish fighting friend, and the smaller brake knob. On the side opposite the brake knob on the Quantum Energy there is a dial for 'fine tuning' the travel of the spool. This is a common feature of good reels. The line-leveler at the front of the reel travels back and forth and stacks the line on evenly during the retrieve.

On the spinning reel, the large dial on top of the reel is the drag. On the Quantum Energy shown, the drag is composed of stacked ceramics, making it smooth and uniform in the pressure it applies. The line roller that guides line on and off of the spool should be large and should turn freely, to lessen the sharp turn of line from rod to spool in order to avoid line twist and/or damage. At the rear of the reel, as in most spinning reels, is the 'anti-reverse' switch. On good reels, it should be 'infinite'. That is, it should prevent the reel from reversing, no matter in what position the handle is stopped.

Now is a good time to clean and lubricate your reel, and to spool on new line for the coming season. Consult your owner's manual for recommendations for your particular reel. I find Quantum Hot Sauce oil and grease to be the best lubricants for my gear.

Next month we'll talk about fishing rods, line, baits and other gear that Bass fishermen need to consider.

In the meantime, why not go fishing? Come on! It's not that cold!

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