Fishing isn’t all about catching fish—you have to enjoy it, and one accessory that significantly contributes to the comfort is the fishing reel. Regardless of your skill level and fishing rod quality, if your fishing reel sucks, you won’t enjoy your fishing.
If this is your first time buying a fishing reel, you must be wondering, which type of fishing reel is best? Well, it’s hard to answer this question conclusively as the different types of fishing reels are designed for different types of fishing. The most popular types of fishing reels you will come across are:
Spincast reel
It’s the simplest and most modern reel in the market. Featuring a basic design, the spincast reel is the best fishing reel for beginners and those working on a tight budget. The most identifying feature of the reel is the metal nose cone that hides all the reel components. There is also the drag adjustment mechanism that allows you to adjust the amount of resistance the fish feels when pulling on your line.
To cast the reel, you need to press the spool control button, take a swing then release. Once you release the spool control button, the line flies out to where the rod tip is pointing. To stop the line, you need to press the button one more time.
Although the reels are easy to use and affordable, they have several flaws. One of the flaws is their closed face design keeps water and debris inside, which can cause damage over time. The closed spool cover causes a lot of friction that limits the reel’s range.
Since the reels are made for budget anglers, they are often of poor quality, so they often don’t last for more than one fishing season.
The reels are small, so you are limited in the areas you can use them. While this might not be an issue when fishing in freshwater, you will be limited when undertaking saltwater fishing or looking to get large fish.
To conclude, spin casting reels are excellent and convenient reels for angling beginners and those intending to catch small fish. As you gain more experience and improve your skills, you should switch to more advanced types.
Luckily, there are plenty of high-quality reels in the market you can go for. Go here to find Penn fishing reels and many other advanced reels you can buy.
Spinning reels
They are the most popular reels in the world, and both new and experienced anglers love them as they are easy to use, versatile, and highly dependable.
Unlike other reels in the market, the spool in spinning reels doesn’t rotate. Instead, the bail arm rotates around the spool and wraps the line on it.
To cast the reel, you need to disengage the bail and squeeze the line against the rod with your index finger to prevent it from unspooling. You should then swing the rod from your side then as you release your index finger, aim the tip of the rod where you want the bait to land.
Many anglers using the reels for the first time find them challenging to use as they reengage the bail after casting. To avoid this, always pull the bail back after throwing the line out. The reels might be challenging to use at first, but once you get the hang of it, they are one of the easiest to use in the market.
While the reels are easy to use, and you can use them in different habitats to catch different fish species, they can easily give you nasty line twists and tangles if you aren’t keen on handling the bail. The reels also can’t handle heavy lures and lines, so you are limited to using only lighter gear.
Despite these flaws, spinning reels are an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced anglers.
Baitcasting reels
These are popular with experienced anglers, and there are plenty of reasons for this. One reason is that the lines don’t twist during the cast. This is because the spool rotates as you release the line while casting. The reel also has a greater casting distance than other reels in the market.
When it comes to casting, since the reel doesn’t have bail, you have to press your thumb against the spool to stop the line from spooling. For precise casts, press the thumb against the spool when the line is mid-flight. As soon as the bait hits the spot, you should press a clip to lock the line, and you are good to go.
Baitcasting reels are one of the most powerful fishing reels in the market, and they can easily handle heavy lines and produce a lot of pulling power, making them one of the best reels for catching larger fish.
The baitcasters are also highly versatile, so you can use them to do drop shots or pull out bottom fish from heavy cover.
Although, they come with great features, their major downside is they are expensive.
Fly fishing reel
This reel is designed to cast excessively light lures. To cast these light lures, you use the fishing line’s weight instead of the lure’s weight. To make this possible, the line is thick and strong.
Fly fishing reels come in a wide range of sizes and strengths, and you can use them to catch fish of different sizes. A while ago, the reels were a reserve for catching Salmond species, but this is no longer the case. Now anglers are even using the reels to catch saltwater species such as trevally, mackerel, and many others.
Which fishing reel is right for you?
From the above-analyzed reels, which one do you think is the right one for you? As you can tell, one reel won’t catch all the fish in the sea and the reel you need at any given time depends on your skill level, the fishing you do, and your budget.
Regardless of the type of reel you need at the moment, ensure its high quality and within your budget and skill level. Don’t buy an advanced reel to appear macho and experienced while you can’t use it.
