Can someone tell me what the advantage is of using conventional Bait Casting equipment instead of Spinning equipment? Seems to me that Spinning tackle will do all that the Bait Casting can plus being able to cast very light lures. That question has always bugged me. Thanks.

I've used bait casting and spinning quite a bit, but now have resigned myself to fly fishing only for the remainder of time.
Most of the preferences are personal but there are decisive advantages to both spin and bait casting.
Spin casting allows the use of smaller lures, longer casts which leads to an ability to go really light.
Bait casting provides more control over the cast and control in fighting an oversized fish. The cast can be feathered with both but more effectively with bait casting. Drag can be applied with the thumb in bait casting but the only drag I've been
able to apply in spin casting is by reeling backwards; the rate of reeling backups allowing a semblance of drag.

So really it comes down to what fish is being targeted. Bull Reds I prefer baitcasting, crappie, blue gills I prefer ultra light spin gear; surf fishing requires distance so I prefer spinning.

Drift-fishing Estes Flats - there are some 10-mi-long drifts over 18" water on the flats at S. Padre.
The farther you get away from the boat, the more fish you catch


one advantage of baitcasting is instant retrieve when your lure hits the water. Tougher to accomplish when messing with a spinning bail and sometimes you can pop the line when trying.
Instant control of lure depth - very important when you're casting 3/8 oz. 60 yards over 18" deep turtle grass (otherwise you're just dragging in turtle grass every cast).
I throw these only on my baitcasters

The line doesn't coil on a baitcaster, and I promise you my salty Lew's + 8-1/2' Lami inshore rod will cast farther and with more control than anyone's spinning rig.
A properly set-up baitcaster will cast a bare hook with a live shrimp (free shrimp) and you know exactly where your shrimp is at (this is fishing channel slopes and oyster reefs, and you're steadily casting and sinking/crawling retrieve as if jig-fishing).
You can also throw any bait much farther, because loading the rod is completely smooth with no reverse action that might dislodge your bait - no jerk (the time derivative of acceleration).

look at the spiral in a snail shell.
With advanced thumb control, you can gradually extend the line and casting radius as you're smoothly accelerating the rod, which also lets you use more power and body english in your cast. (Tournament casters use old Meeks for a reason.) When you get to your maximum velocity (wherever you release), the velocity of your bait is like it is on a 15' rod, even though you're casting an 8' rod.
I've pissed off a couple of coast guides by doubling their free shrimp casts with my baitcaster (against their casting instruction - no, that's not how you do it - ok). Free shrimping, when you cast twice as far, you cast half as often



the same qualities that make this tackle superior in estuary fishing give you the same advantages when bass fishing, though sitting in boats in reservoirs is not my idea of fun.
Though I can pass the time fishing this with a buzz bait

Think about the advantage of instant retrieve with a buzz bait.

Bait casters are sexier.

I am partial to the Sweden-made Abu Garcia 6500c3 for most of my conventional fishing (which is for muskie), which is pretty rare these days. My absolute favorite of all time is the Penn Squidder (aluminum spool), though, NOT magged.

I have always been curious about the Millionaires, bulldog. I think it's the name

For me, the advantage in spinning is being able to cast light lures easily. The advantage in baitcasting is no line twist and retrieve power, and to a smaller extent, cast control. For lures 1/2 oz and up, I almost never use spinning tackle. Drags on either type of reel are equivalent, if properly maintained.

Tim

Casting NLW ninteen-naughties bait reels is my idea of fishing or non-fishing fun.

I've taken them to both TU events, and good friend and pro BASS angler who has an annual July 4th BBQ. Most of his guests are bass fishermen, and they love tinkering with them.
I have a Chubb 8'3" Henshall rod, and it's a joy with a Bluegrass 33.

The casting process is so slow and deliberate - it's easy to lob 3/8" oz out to 50 yards with simple thumb work. The backlash control is actually the imbalance designed into the reel.
People who wanted more of this on their baitcasters often glued pennies or nickels inside the spool.

If any of you guys know appgap (Marc) from Clark's board, I got him into c. 1910 Shakespeare NLW reels and he takes them bass fishing with his BIL

Shakespeare Perfect top left, Talbot Niangua far left. The reel in the center is the Redifor that Pflueger bought out for its anti-backlash patent. There are two teardrop pawls inside the spool that centrifugally drag against the spool frame. (It's very similar to the centrifugal phenolic casting brakes on modern baitcasters.) But it works too well and costs you distance.

Meek and Talbot used a wonderful anti-backlash device that most people overlook. Beneath the bearing caps are oil reservoirs - the hole in the top of the bearing.

You fill this oil reservoir every morning, and oil whirl on the spindle provides your anti-backlash. You can hear the oil whirl when you cast, and that acoustic energy is being taken off the spindle, causing the spool to decelerate with the ballistics of your cast. The oil whirl generates so much work, the oil gradually evaporates.
As with (most) every baitcaster, yes, you have to use your thumb to stop it, but it's easy.
And when you do take these old braided silk lines fishing, you need your line winder to dry them so they don't mildew.

The really effective anti-backlash device was South Bend ABL. As line tension decreases, the spring-closed bail presses a wool pad against the inside of the spool.


You adjust the bail tension and the end cap tension separately, and when you get both adjusted properly, anybody can cast this reel without backlash. With this reel, you only need your thumb at the beginning of the cast - you don't have to use your thumb to stop the spool, and it still casts pretty good distance.

As far as the postwar LW reels, my favorite is Pflueger Skilcast - it has good a good casting drag.
Also have a gang of bait rods, cane, early Heddon Pal, American Fork & Hoe (later True Temper) square steel, Silaflex. Fenglas.


yes, spinning tackle, too, but people are asking why baitcasters

And about that light weight thing, this diminutive Shakespeare NLW freespool Tournament will cast 1/8 oz with total control - of course I have it loaded with 4-lb silk braid

thanks for the photo
I have a BB1NG (my highest mileage by far, 30 years mostly salt), a BB1N that's almost new and has only seen freshwater, and a Lew's Salt (20 years).
I've replaced the anti-reverse pawl on the BB1NG, and the handle on the Salt reel.

I have Penn spinning reels that old, too. I've landed "keeper" redfish on Penn ultralight

A few years ago bought a couple of Tica spinning reels - an ultra light and medium salt, and like them both.
Canal fishing under the lights at night, I've landed seatrout over 20" on the Tica ultralight.

This is a wonderful Japanese XUL salt rod, 7'9", 3-lb test - super soft glass tip

one more comment on what makes Lew's design cast farther than Abu - no offense to anyone.
The Lew's spool is larger diameter and Much narrower. I've mentioned how the larger diameter is automatically an anti-backlash improvement.
To cast the same distance, the Lew's spool rotates fewer times than the Abu - everything at the spindle is happening slower, while line is peeling off just as fast.
This gives you a wider error window in your casting brake adjustment, as well as in your cast - less backlash with less skill.
But also, the level-wind mechanism is fully disengaged in the cast, eliminating this source of friction in the cast and its affect on backlash control.
The spool is narrow enough that the sync difference between the LW rider and line position on the spool is insignificant.

The ballistics of casting brake adjustment are the same whether you're standing still or throwing 60 yards.
Standing still with the rod above horizontal (more or less where your cast ends), push the button and let the lure drop (be ready with your thumb).
When the spool stops just as the lure touches the ground, you have the casting brake set properly.
During fishing the heat and work are going to drift your adjustment - just watch your spool during fishing and adjust as needed, or start again from scratch.
Eliminate jerk from your cast, and you won't get backlash.

here, quick photo of my salty Lew on my salty Lami in the rod holder
BB25SW

An advantage to the Abu 6500 and Millionaire 6H is the larger line capacity - doubling the Lew's 110-yd (15 lb), though I can fit 150 yd copolymer.
Though I've been spooled by bull reds in surf on both reels - some fish you just can't stop (even had them straighten 60-lb swivels - they'll take your bait in the surf with a bang that hurts your spine from top to bottom).

The BB1 and BB1N have a vee spool, while the BB1NG and Salt have a deep U-spool, essentially giving you more room for backing.
My BB1N has 100+ yds 10-lb. copolymer
I've gone to copolymer lines, experimented with a few that sucked - my daughter was catching big sheepshead on a 10-lb Berkley copolymer line that stretched and slid inside her spool wrap (Penn UL), ending our fishing for the day (and we were ready).

we let the sheepshead go and filleted the trout


The line I've gone to, and really happy from 3 lb to 12, is Kamikaze Firepower - the last spools I bought came from Oz
http://www.kamikazefishing.com/c/fishing-lines/13

You definitely have the first model there, and that reel is a treasure.
The first I bought for my dad is a BB-1LMG, which has the mag control and his has a V-spool, but I noticed when I was searching ebay, the V-spools aren't that common.

thanks BD and Husk, nice pics and great info.cant believe i passed on those lews still in the boxes,if not new barely used.i still have some ABUs .red green and the small black one.caught a lot of bass on them ihaven,t used a baitcaster in 3or 4 years.guy that owns the local bait shop ,his family was in the tackle business for decades.still uses ancient level winds and bamboo rods.he uses bamboo spinning rods as well.he once sold a fishing license to ted williams.

that is way cool.
there are a lot of people who use old B/C tackle for bass fishing. Like trout fishing, you catch most bass at your feet, or at least in spitting distance. The most important part of bass fishing is placing your cast, not how far you cast.
That gets different when you start structure fishing in big reservoirs (again, the part that loses my interest - I'd rather have the boat somewhere up the river arm dicing stumps)
A few additional examples



Skilcast - too reflective to be photogenic