Spinning Reels

Just as the loose term ‘baitcasting’ is used to describe casting artificial lures with a revolving spool (multiplier) reel, the term ’spinning’ refers generally to all forms of artificial lure fishing with a fixed spool (spinning) reel and not simply to fishing with revolving blade spinners.

The fixed spool reel is easy to cast with compared to the revolving spool, which demands a higher level of skill. For most situations, the simple underarm and over-the-shoulder casts (as used in float fishing) are fine for spinning.

The beauty of the fixed spool reel is that, unlike the revolving spool, it can be used on almost any rod except the trigger-type baitcaster. Short rods are favoured for tossing artificial short to medium range, say up to 33 yards with longer rods being good for casting up to 70 yards or more. Long, sit rods are also useful for flipping little jigs or worms into or over tall reeds for perch or crappies.

Choosing a rod is seldom easy, but while the keen angler may own a couple or three different rods to cast a wide range of lures, a medium-fast action rod of between six and nine feet will be enough for most purposes.

For the constant casting which spinning involves, always choose the smoothest reel you can afford. It should have a large diameter, smooth-lipped spool for long effort less casts, a silent antireverse, and be capable of holding 200 yards of 8, 12 or 15 pounds test line, depending on the size of fish you’re after.

The slipping clutch should be smooth and there should be a non-grooving roller on the bale arm. For ultra light spinning the choice should be a small model holding 4 to 5 pounds test line.

One of the most important factors in fishing with a lure is the depth at winch you work it. It’s no good retrieving a lure two feet below the surface if the fish are ten feet down in thick weed, or hugging the bottom in even deeper water because the temperature’s very low.

So think in terms of horizontal ‘layers’ of water when presenting artificial. At various times of the season, fish will live at different levels according to the temperature and/or where the bait fish shoals are gathered.

The spoon, due to its weight and shape, is one of the best lures for finding the right level because it can be ‘counted down’. On your first cast, leave the bale arm open during the time it takes the spoon to flutter down to hit bottom and the line to fall slack.

As the line slips through the rings, count the spoon down in seconds, an average of one foot per second being a reasonable descent rate to assume. This will give you a rough idea of how deep the water is at that point and on your following casts you can count the spoon down to whatever depth you want before you start the retrieve.

The retrieve should be slow at first, using the spoons inherent vibrations to attract a fish, but if there’s no response to this then it’s time to work the lure more. Always imagine that a fish is following the lure, and then you can visualize how it will be reacting to the movements of the lure.

Try suddenly speeding up the retrieve for a few turns of the handle, then give the lure a sharp twitch and stop winding altogether. Now the spoon will be fluttering downwards and the fish will probably go down after it; pike especially respond to this. Now suddenly zoom it upwards again, and that’s when the fish is most likely to strike.

Always keeps the rod pointing towards the lure during the retrieve, with only a slight sideways deviation for twitching and jerking, otherwise the hooks may not be driven home on the strike.

Some fish, such as large trout, hit a lure hard and swim off all in one movement, which really hooks them well. Others, though, particularly bass, walleye, pike and perch, open their mouths; grab the lure and stop swimming. These really do have to be hit with a heavy upwards strike to get the hooks in. Then, throughout the early stages of the fight, keep the rod well bent with as much torque on as you dare.

Much of the general technique of presenting spoons also applies to sinking plugs, which can also be counted down to the desired depth. But unlike spoons, which are always angled upwards from the first turn of the handle, plugs with deep diving vanes (or lower protruding lips) will stay deep and fish more or less at the same level throughout the retrieve.

Many plugs, particularly the throbbers and rattlers, have such good built-in action and vibration due to body shape and vane angle that little jerking or twitching is required from the rod tip. The rate of retrieve is, again, most of the secret.

When clipping on a new lure (use a wire leader if you’re after toothed predators) always make a few trial pulls through the water close to the boat or bank to familiarize yourself with its action. Unless you know just what a lure can do, you’ll never really use it to its full advantage.

No single swivel, however efficient, will eliminate line twist without the aid of an anti-kink device.

Concave-headed poppers, is probably the single most exciting part of all artificial throwing because you can actually see the strike. But unlike deep divers with their inbuilt action, these lures have to be made to move in a lifelike way and so soft-tipped rods, which absorb all the action you’re trying to create, are out. Movement can really only be given to these surface lures with a starfish rod.

From the moment the lure touches the surface, its movement should be as varied and unusual as you can make it. Twitch it, leave it static for a few seconds, and then twitch it again. Make it gurgle by slamming the rod tip down to the surface, jerk it, pause, gurgle again and so on. Anything that will give action to the lure spoons or spinners and simulate reality will benefit you greatly.

With the larger spinners and spinner baits use a simple countdown retrieve to explore different water levels, as with spoons. Since most of the attraction comes from the fluttering skirt and vibrating blade, additional rod tip action should be minimized. Use basic up-and-down and side-to-side movements and simply vary the retrieve with a pause or total stop every so often, allowing the lure to flutter downwards. Hits will often come the very second you start winding again.

There are two basic ways of attracting bites with lead headed jigs or bugs on a spinning outfit. They can be jigged vertically up and down in any depth of water from a boat or down beside bridges or piers. Or they can be cast out from the bank or a boat and, after touching bottom, retrieved in an up-and-down nodding action, following the bottom contours or over weed beds.

As you lift or wind, the jig’s head pops upwards and towards the rod. Then as you ease on the retrieve or stop winding, down it goes again. It’s this nodding action, plus whatever hairs, feathers or other attractors the jig has for a tail, that makes it so attractive to predatory fish.

You can also use a spinning outfit with small dead fish baits mounted on special flights, or more simply on two size 8 trebles on a 15 inch swivelled wire leader (snap tackle). The term ‘wobbling’ perhaps best describes this technique because the bait creates most vibration if it’s mounted slightly curved.

For a 5 inch bait, fix the trebles two inches apart and work two points of the top treble into the bait’s eye sockets, with two points of the lower treble inserted along the flank. In very shallow water, or to work the bait at the surface, no extra weight should be added, but to take the bait down quickly to deeper areas, fix two to four swan shots immediately below the swivel.

Once the bait hits bottom (watch out for bites on the drop), retrieve it in an erratic, sink-and-draw style with plenty of jerks, pauses and twitches. When a fish takes the bait, strike quickly and hard and keep the rod well up so that the hooks go solidly home. Some species, especially pike, are notorious for throwing the hooks at this stage, so keep plenty of torque on them.

Because constant casting tends to smash up fish baits, a good supply of fresh dead baits is necessary. This method will, on occasion, actually out-fish lures or live baits, particularly in coloured water where visibility is poor.