Choosing Bass Fishing Reels
Whether you are going striper, peacock bass, largemouth or smallmouth bass fishing, you’re going to need one of the bass fishing reels that is going to be able to handle the species of fish that you are after. Every bass fisherman has their favorite rod and reel to fish with and sometimes, it just takes time to find the right combination that feels right to you and can handle the fish.
When choosing a reel, there are basically 3 types and they are an open-faced spinning reel, a closed-faced or spincast reel and a baitcasting reel. Each one has it’s advantages and disadvantages. One of the first things you need to figure out is what kind of fish are you going after. If your answer is peacock bass, then a spin casting reel is not the one you would choose.
The open-faced spinning reel takes a little bit of practice to get used to, but once you have mastered the technique, you’ll love it! An open-faced spinning reel is ideal for light tackle fishing conditions like smallmouth bass fishing. Here you would use a lighter line weight like 2 – 4 pound test and a light to medium action rod. It is also good for heavier tackle that would take on stripers and snook. You would use a 10 – 20 pound test line for this. You can even use an open-face spinning reel for ultra-light fishing such as when you try for crappie. One of the disadvantages of this kind of reel is that after awhile, the line tends to form loops as it is cast and can become a real rat’s nest. To help prevent this, change your line often and in between fishing trips, keep the line wet.