We will cover a lot of fishing gear including reels, graphite and fiberglass rods, fish hooks, lines, and accessories. It is hoped by the end of the series your can go online and purchase the right tackle and within budget.

The first subject reviewed is the fishing reel, starting with the spincast, spinning and baitcast reels. These reels have many differences but basically do the same job, you cannot say that about the final reel in our series. The Fly Fishing Reel was designed as a way to manage your fishing line and is not used for casting or reeling in your catch.

Without a fly casting reel you would be tripping over slack line and working to bring in or let out line with each cast. The fly casting reel has always been very basic in terms of the way it is built, little has changed from their initial construction.

To use a fly reel you spool off line manually, cast forward, and then release as the rod flies forward. Modern models do incorporate a drag mechanism to stop the fish from dragging out more line that is wanted.

Contemporary fly reels can have high tech disc-type drag systems made of composite materials that feature wider adjustment range, consistency, and resistance to high temperatures caused by line drag. Another nice feature in recent year is an automatic fly reel mechanism for retrieving line back onto the reel with the press of a button.

Fly reels typically have bigger line spools built to cut line memory, maintain consistent drag and aid the quick recovery of slack line in case a hooked fish makes a quick turn back to the angler.

The negative aspect of the fly reel are limited use, since it is principally used for fly fishing and a much higher price tag, especially at the high end.

An excellent example of the fly cast reel is the “Orvis Battenkill Mid-Arbor Fly Reels,” priced at under $130. It has a classic mid-arbor design that minimizes line curl and increases line retrieval rates compared to standard-arbor reels. It has an easy-to-grab drag knob machined from 6061 bar stock aluminum and extremely durable and lightweight.

Look for our review of the Fly Fishing Reel in the next article in the continuing series “Freshwater Fishing Gear Beginners Guide.”

I personally had to do it the hard way, I bought gear that looked great but was totally wrong for the job at hand.  With the thousands of reels and rods on the market, not to mention the millions of lures, tackle boxes, fishing nets, lines types and other fishing accessories; how could a beginner not make a few wrong and costly decisions?

We started our series on freshwater fishing gear with the reel; including the spincast and spinning reels.  Today we will cover the Cadillac of the fishing world the Baitcast Reel; also referred to as Baitcaster, baitcasting, casting reel, and a conventional reel.

Baitcast reels can handle heavier lines and allows for longer casts than spinning gear in the same size range. Anglers regularly use line in the 14- to 17-pound-test range.

The design of the baitcast allows for precision casting to get the lure exactly where you want it.  They use very sturdy drag mechanisms to slow larger, stronger fish and are intended to be used with heavier lures.

The baitcast reel is the preferred reel for catching Bass, Bream, Barramundi and more.  Because of its casting accuracy it is great for fishing in water where snags can be a problem or for casting under bridges and walkways.

Baitcast reels have a revolving spool with the line spooled in the same direction as the line as it runs down the fishing rod.  They have a center pin and the disks are connected by a series of outer pins that exposes the line. Some are made partly from composites, but most are still stainless steel, often with brass parts in certain sections.  The baitcast reels sits on top of the fishing rod.

Because of it’s above the rod mounting the baitcast reel is more difficult to handle and has a much higher learning curve than either of the spincast or spinning reels.  For this reason it is not a good entry level reel for children or the beginning angler.

Also its higher cost makes it cost prohibitive for the casual weekend angler who will only fish occasionally.  Finally since it is primarily a cast reel it is not ideal for “toss it and leave it” type fishing.

An affordable example of the baitcast reel is the “Abu Garcia Black Max Series Baitcast Reels,” priced at under $50 it is the perfect choice for beginners or the casual bass angler. Designed with four ball bearings plus one instant anti-reverse roller bearing, MagTrax brake system, Duragear brass gears, cam lock,and an anti-distortion waffle spool.

Look for our review of the baitcast reel in the next article in the continuing series “Freshwater Fishing Gear Beginners Guide.”

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