What is a Spinning Reel?

You may find yourself wondering what is this type of reel and should you get it. As far as reels go, you have many different types to choose from, but a spinning reel has multiple advantages over some of the other choices on the market. Hopefully you will learn how to choose a reel more wisely.

What is a spinning reel? This style of reel uses an open-face and complements a lightweight style. For amateur anglers, it makes more sense to use because of how it is user friendly. Known for their easy operating, you put a finger on the line, flip the bail and cast.

Parts of a Spinning Reel

You have five main components when it comes to the spinning reel that include:

• Spool
• Handle
• Drag
• Anti-reverse switch
• Bail

I highlight these different parts of the spinning reel because of how you can troubleshoot it easier if you get problems with your reel. In addition, when you know the ins and outs of your reel, you can tweak it to your own personal tastes.

Spool

Below the adjustment knob, you will find the spool. Like with a spool for thread, this part of the fishing reel holds the fishing line. One of the things that separates this from other reels, when you crank on the handle, the spool doesn’t spin. Instead, the line around it spins, and this prevents your line from tangling. You get a smoother cast this way.

Before you decide to add more line to your spool, you should first check its capacity. Normally, you will find this along the face of the component.

Handle

You have an advantage with spinning reels because of how while a baitcasting reel will either work as a lefthand or righthand reel, you can choose to switch a spinning reel so that it will fit you needs. You can change this reel from a righthand reel to a lefthand reel easily. To do this, you simply unscrew the knob on the opposite side and switch the reel to the other side.

Drag

The drag will either put tension on the line, or it will get rid of the tension on the line. You will see the knob at the top of the spool, and this is known as the drag. To have this drag, it helps especially when you fight fish. How do you use the drag to your advantage? Well, when you have a lighter drag, this will give the fish greater control. The lighter drag, however, helps when you have to lower the tension.

On the other hand, you have the tighter drag, and you might use this when the tension is light, and you want to take more control over the fish.

Anti-Reverse Switch

What about the anti-reverse switch? What does this part of the fishing reel do? Usually, you will find this feature at the bottom of your reel. This becomes especially helpful for fighting the fish because you don’t have to depend solely on the drag system.

While the anti-reverse switch can work well for the small fish, for anything larger than a bass, it will work better to use the drag system.

Bail

One of the most important parts of your spinning reel, the bail serves two functions. First, it helps you cast your line into the water. You open up the bail, release the line with your finger as you cast and let loose. The system with spinning reels works incredibly easily. You don’t have much that is too complicated with this form of reel.

Once you want to stop the cast from going too far, you put your finger back over the line to stop it.

Next, let’s look at the second purpose of the spinning reel. Second, the bail serves as the reel to keep spool in check. The bail guides the line to the spool, and if it didn’t exist, the fish could take the line around without direction. You might have it cause knots or limit the performance of the reel. Through the bail, this will keep everything orderly on the reel.

When Do You Want a Spinning Reel?

Spinning reels have especially proven effective with live baits and soft plastics because of how they work well with lighter baits. The farthest cast only gets limited based on how far you can cast the spinning reel. With lighter lures, you can cast as far as you want, which makes it a great choice for far casts. Meanwhile, you don’t have to worry about a backlash that you have to worry about with the other reels.

What are the Advantages of the Spinning Reel?

You have a few unmistakable advantages that have made the spinning reel one of the best. For example, these reels cost less than some of your other choices. Meanwhile, they also don’t have a steep learning curve, and you can get good with using a spinning reel within 10 to 20 minutes. Even a beginner will quickly understand the logistics of a spinning reel. It doesn’t take much to understand this type of reel because of how it isn’t complicated.

You don’t have to worry about backlash with this type of reel. Backlash means that the line will bunch up because of how it moves too quickly. Most people say that this choice is the most suitable for the lightweight lures and lines. You can also add more line capacity with this type of reel quite easily with a second reel.

What are the Disadvantages of the Spinning Reel?

Despite the many advantages of these reels, you also have a couple of disadvantages that you should remain aware of with spinning reels. First, they don’t have as much accuracy when casting the heavier lures. The performance gets drastically affected with the heavier lures, and it doesn’t perform as well.

With spinning reels, you can slow down the cast to sneak into the water. In most cases, you will make quite a splash, which can disturb the fish below. Fish will react to this in many cases, and it can scare them off. The other thing to understand with this type of reel is that the heavier the line, the worse this reel will perform with it.

Some fishermen prefer other types of reels because of how they have more control when they go to cast. In addition, for those targeting the biggest fish, this might not be your best choice. Spinning reels don’t have a good reputation when it comes to handling the stronger fish.

When Should You Use a Spinning Reel?

You have a few cases where using a spinning reel makes the most sense. For example, when you will loan out a rod to a beginner, it makes sense to give them something like this because they will learn it faster, and they can’t mess it up too easily. You might also want to use this to target some of the small to medium-sized fish. As said above, it won’t work the biggest fish as well. With this reel, you don’t have to worry about tangled lines.

If you want a spinning reel, check out the Okuma Ceymar. Affordable and lightweight, this reel has 7+1 ball bearings, which means that you can maintain it easier without the need to replace it.

This is what a spinning reel can do for you, and it should also help you to decide if you want this type of reel or another style. Knowing about the different types of reels can help you to learn how to choose a reel that will work best for you when it comes to fishing. Some of the other things to consider with a reel include price, functionality, features, styling and the warranty.