Although a lot of fella’s do tend to stick to a baitcasting setup when bass fishing there are times when a spinning rod and reel will make better sense.
For me the advantages of a spinning rig is that you can cast a lot of light weight lures with a good bit more accuracy than on a bait caster.
Lighter lures tend to look a bit more natural than bigger heavier lures.
So if it is early season or a very bright day you will want to use smaller lures and lighter lines so as not to spook the bass quite so easily.
Spinning Combo for Bass
When using a spinning combo for bass not only can you use light lines and smaller lures to really target bass, you can also fish with a lot more accuracy if using different types of rigs when using bait or artificial worms or plastics.
During the early season right before the bass begin to spawn you will generally find them in the shallows. The males are preparing nesting area’s with the females moving in latter on to mate.
When fishing for bass in shallow water presentation is everything. That means lighter lines than normal and smaller lures or well presented baits on either a drop shot or a wacky rig. You can use soft plastics on these rigs and also Wacky Worms.
Plastic worms do require a bit more finesse that say fishing with a crankbait.
At this time of the year the bass will strike hard at anything that comes near the nesting area so be sure to have a lighter drag setting than normal.
When you are using very light lines a lighter drag will help to ensure that the line does not snap too easily especially when you strike.
Reel size will generally be from 1500 up to about a 3500. There is not much need to go any higher than the 3500.
With a 1500 sized reel you can use as low as 4 lbs test fishing line which should be as about as low a line you should need to go for bass fishing.
Spinning Combo vs Baitcasting Combo
A baitcaster is great when you need to cast large or medium sized lures a good distance. The main advantage over a spinning reel that you can use your thumb to accurately control the line. As you apply pressure on the spool you can gently or quickly slow the line down.
This type of control is not quite as easy as with a spinning reel.
Baitcasters work best with 8 lbs line and up. Whereas a spinning reel is much better once you want to go below 8 lbs fishing line.
With a spinning reel paired with the right power rod you can throw some very small lures. Small spinners and crankbaits as well as very light soft plastic lures.
When using a baitcaster however, it is not always quite so easy to use the smaller weighted lures.
Trolling for Bass
If you happen to have a larger sized spinning reel you can of course use it for trolling.
If you have a size 3000 or 4000 spinning reel it can comfortably handle 10–15 lbs fishing line which is perfect for trolling with.
You can of course use a slightly lighter leader if you are looking for the best presentation possible.
When trolling for bass you are best to troll along the weed beds and other structures that bass are known to live beside.
Trolling with a spinning setup does require a larger reel as mentioned earlier but it also needs a heavier rod.
Look for a rod with a medium to heavy power rating and a medium action on the tip. A lightweight spinning rod is really not suitable when trolling as they are just too light to handle the extra loads that trolling places on your gear.
