I like spinning reels, until I start seriously bass fishing. Matter of fact, I use spinning reels for everything else. To me they're just easier to use, better handling, and less complicated.

Definitely better at throwing lighter lures here in Australia we have a very popular species called bream which uses primarily light gear (the heaviest line I’ve used is 15lb mono) and as your throwing smaller lures you just can’t use a bait caster

They are generally better for light line and light lures. They are also more user friendly (for some ppl) as you don't have to control the spool with your thumb.

For a lot of freshwater applications, it's more a matter of personal preference than anything else.

Trolling

A lot of finesse bass techniques are more of a pain to throw with a baitcaster. It can work nowadays with custom spools and finesse baitcaster setups (BFS) but sometimes, it's just easier/cheaper to get a spinning setup.

It’s for speed mostly. They usually have high retrieve and the way you cast them (once skilled) is objectively faster than opening and closing a bail. They are great if you are trying to cast over as much area as possible.

Spinning reels are easier to use. Baitcasters have advantages but for beginners the frustrations of backlashes usually overwhelm the benefits.

Examples of benefits are being able to precisely control casting distance, better gears and generally better drag, and usually more lightweight for the same application..

A baitcaster reel is mounted on top of a fishing rod and uses a spool that spins as the user casts. A spinning reel is mounted under the rod and uses a fixed spool that does not rotate during casting. Baitcasters are typically used for heavier lures and fish, while spinning reels are more versatile and can be used for a wide range of fishing applications.

Spinning reels are generally considered to be easier to use and more beginner-friendly than baitcasting reels. They are also more versatile and can be used for a wider range of fishing techniques and species.

Baitcasting reels, on the other hand, offer more control and precision when casting, and are often preferred by more experienced anglers. They are also typically more durable and have a higher maximum drag capacity.

A baitcaster reel offers several benefits over a spinning reel, including:

Greater accuracy and control: A baitcaster reel allows for more precise casting and better control over the lure or bait.

Increased power: Baitcaster reels are typically designed with a larger spool and stronger drag system, which allows for more powerful retrieves.

Better retrieve ratio: Baitcasters have a higher retrieve ratio than spinning reels, which means you can retrieve more line with each turn of the handle.

Greater versatility: Baitcasters can be used for a wider range of fishing techniques and applications, including casting, flipping, and pitching.

Higher-quality components: Baitcasters are typically constructed with higher-quality components, which makes them more durable and able to handle larger fish.

It's worth noting that baitcasters are generally more challenging to use than spinning reels, they require more practice to master, and they are not recommended for beginners.

The most generic answer I can think of is:

Baitcaster - Heavy baits, long accurate casts, can stop the line at any time with your thumb, can pull fish out if heavy cover, often have much faster retrieves.

Spinning- Often used in finesse techniques but would work for anything. More likely to utilize the drag and have lighter rods, but that isn’t strictly necessary. Much easier to cast lighter baits. Can be harder to be as accurate at long distances but you can be pretty good at shorter distances. Not as many really high speed ones on the market. People say they have better drag. You can actually hear the drag when a fish runs.

Preference. I just like using baitcasters more, used to use spinning for finesses but they have since been replaced with bfs baitcasters.

But overall I get better distance, more control and accuracy, better ergonomics for me. Spinning is easier to use, I love the clicking drag (although my baitcasters all have em), excel on really windy days.

Spinning reels are fun to use and won't drive you insane... There's a decent risk that you'll just throw a baitcaster into the river after using it for a day

I haven’t tried a bait caster but I’m so confused by the accuracy part of it, why would A reel be more accurate when it seems to be more about knowing your rod length and the weight of what your throwing

They both have their place. A lot of it is personal preference.

I prefer spinning for finesse... Ned rigs, weightless soft plastic, drop shot, etc. smoother drag on spinning reels. These can all be done on casting gear with the right setup... I just prefer spinning.

I am pretty evenly split. I use spinning for ned rigs, drop shots, small underspins, senkos, hair jigs, etc. I use baitcasters for jerkbaits, crank baits, jigs, topwaters, spinnerbaits, etc.

Each lure has a very specific rod that will work best. Thing is, most of us don't have the money or space to bring a technique specific rod for everything we own, so its really up to the user to determine what works best for you with what you have.

If you struggle with a baitcaster and don't enjoy using it, then a heavier action spinning rod will work just fine for your jigs. If you love baitcasters, you'll have better casting accuracy and sensitivity when working the jig. This pretty much goes for all techniques.

Spinning. What i learned early and don't want to bird nest my reel to learn a new technique. Basically I'm old and don't wanna learn a new trick.

I'm not a good enough fisherman for it to make a difference!

I prefer to never have to fuck with a rats nest in my reel. Does that answer your question?

For me personally, I can use heavier line with lighter lures on a bait caster, as well as hit a target a little more accurately. So for hard fighting sport fish that you’re confident are hiding in a tiny spot, they’re a great choice. I just never really do that kind of fishing much however.

Spinners I find nicer however when using light lures and light line - so for small fish - but they’re also so much easier for me when using floating lures. That, and the lack of line capacity of a lot of baitcasters makes them kind of mediocre for surf and pelagics. Spinners and overheads are usually preferred there for me.

Then finally there’s just ease of use. Spinners are generally just way simpler to operate. You don’t need as much finesse to do the basics, so great for beginners and great for those who don’t want to have to overthink their cast.

Baitcasters are fantastic for an experienced angle doing the standard American bass hunting affair, but there are plenty of reasons to use alternative reels when doing different fishing.

Don't have to worry about backlashes

Cast light lures further/better

Spinning reels are easier to maintain

Easier to make adjustments to drag on the fly with a spinning reel

Spinning reels are easier to learn to use

Spinning setups are typically cheaper than casting setups of similar performance levels

I have way more spinning rods but I love bait casters as well. Spinning is preferred for panfish and very slow baits. I use BFS for small bass baits though so you don’t need spinning unless you just want to use it.

Kinda funny...as someone who learned on and primarily uses spinning rods, I've often asked myself the same question as OP except about baitcasters.

For me, spinning rods are just for light finesse baits. If i can throw it on a baitcaster, that’s my first choice.

Spinning rod = not having to un-fuck a bait caster

I wouldn’t say there are none, even with BFS most people aren’t throwing 1/64th jigs or weightless worms (live). Not many casting reels get down to a 5:1 gear ratio so they are needed for things like Ned rigs, drop shot and other slow presentations.

You can get a really good spinning setup for the cost of a BFS reel not even counting the rod so price is a major advantage. Yes there are budget BFS setups that work well but they are not available in the action and power you may need for the technique you are using.

Spinning reels are more flexible then baitcasters as they can be used for almost every applications from bass, trout, steelhead, catfish, etc in freshwater and used for fish up to 100 lbs in saltwater. In bass fishing spinning setups are more efficient for throwing smaller or more sensitive lures. They are also a lot more rugged amd you can be more precise in fighting a fish with a spinning reel. Baitcasters you should veiw as a heavy duty scalpel. They throw heavier baits longer distances and more accurately. The rods are setup to be more specific as well. In all honesty you should have both in your arsenal especially in the north. The people who say baitcasters are better or only use baitcasters are like kids who think an ar is better for hunting then an actual bolt action. Sometimes you need a slower and smaller presentation to get a bite. Baitcasters will not throw things like neds, grubs, or spinners very well. What happens when you have to resort to using flies? Not even a bfs baitcaster reel is good for that. People in the trout fishing community will laugh at you for throwing those.

I fish both baitcasting and spinning. For bottom drift fishing, baitcasters are definitely preferred. Guides on top of the blank helps me set the hook better and dropping to the bottom is way easier with casting gear. Same for slow pitch jigging, and livebait. I’ll use spinning gear for getting bait with small spoons. Spinning is used in freshwater for wacky worms almost exclusively. Overall I prefer casting gear in saltwater for bigger fish and heavier baits and spinning for smaller more finesse baits

I personally use both baitcasters and spinning. Heavier lures go on the casting rods and light stuff on the spinning.

More control with baitcasters, handle heavier baits well, a bit more ‘responsive’ (?), better speed options, smaller package for what you get.

Why not both? You'll enjoy fishing with either one.

Please don't start this endless debate. Both sides feel very passionately about their opinion. Personally, I'm a primarily smallmouth bass fisherman who only uses spinning reels. I will leave it at that.

Ideally you have both

I primarily go for bass and similar fish. Occasionally target pike and bowfin.

I've used a spinning reel most of my life and it does what I need it to, no real(hehe) reason to change it.

Which one do you use, and does it catch fish? That one. In my case, I have 5-6 of each.

If you grow up, you’ll go with a Flyrod & Reel /s

To me, I just think the ease of casting baitcasters outweighs any benefits of spin casters.

Especially now that BFS is a thing. You should look up Bait Finesse System (BFS)… I don’t use anything else. They are baitcasters designed to throw very light weight lures.

Kastking Kestrel Elite is a very good BFS reel for just over 100 bucks

I've made this comment numerous times. BFS gear is a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

I use both spinning and baitcasting gear and neither one is more accurate. Baitcasters are inherently stronger due to how the gears mesh, but that doesn't matter when you are using ultra lite line, spinning reels are more than strong enough.

With a spinning reel you will get a longer casting distance each time you go down in line weight. When I first started using braid I bought 30 because it was the same thickness as the mono unused. The I went to 20, then 10, and now some reels have 8lb braid.

The benefit with baitcasters is the ability to use thicker, stronger line and not negatively impact casting distance. I've put 15, 20, and 30 lb braid on my normal baitcaster. The casting distance is pretty similar with all line classes.

IMO a spinning reel can't be beat for ultra lite fishing and baitcasters can't be beat for power fishing.

Ive been asking myself the same question. I bought one earlier this summer to learn on and even after getting the hang of it I still dont see the benefits. Its supposed to be more accurate, but i have had the opposite experience.

So you youtubers can get a dollar from the link in the description

People exaggerate a lot about the advantages of casting reels or they think because they are more accurate with the reel that it’s inherently more accurate.

It mostly comes down to preference. A casting reel CAN cast farther due to the fact that the spool aids in pushing line out during the cast.

They are not more accurate, you’ll be more accurate with the reel you’re more familiar with. Rod length plays a bigger role in accuracy.

You can stop the spool from spinning one handed or slow it easier with a thumb. This takes 2 hands with a spinning reel.

You’ll notice they balance better due to being closer to the rod. This aids in the overall feel.

They might have slightly stronger gears.

Overall, it’s just preference.

Baitcasters are just another tool. There are pros and cons to each type of reel.

The pros of baitcasters are that they can be more accurate, allow better line control with the ability to thumb the spool, and they offer more power due to the line goes onto the spool. Casting can also be done one-handled making it slightly quicker (vs. a spinning reel that requires a second hand to lift the nail).

The cons are that they can be harder to setup, easier to backlash, do not handle wind well, cannot use as light of line, and cannot cast as light of lures.

BFS baitcasters are baitcasters designed to cast lighter lures and use lighter line. They minimize some of the disadvantages of regular baitcasters but do not eliminate them.

It's all a personal choice and preference. The pros and cons of baitcasters often get way overblown and are really very minimal in real world scenarios.

I recently got one and I noticed you can cast way further and you can rig heavier lures.

I also noticed that you have a lot more control of where your lure goes, I recently fished a creek with a lot of vegetation and having so much control allowed me to not get tangled or cast into rocks, etc

The only thing I use bait casters for are anything heavier than 1/2 ounce. Anything smaller is spinning rod.

Other than that is just snobbish bull-ish.

Fish what you got. Get gud. Then think about trying out one.

20+ years of fishing experience, saltwater, freshwater, flyfishing (single/double hand)

Different tools for different jobs. Spinning gear is better for lightweight baits (until you discover BFS)

Baitcasters are more efficient (time wise) , can cast more accurately

Use what you prefer. I'm a baitcaster guy. I don't care for spinning gear. Do i have spinning rods? You betcha. Caught a decent smallmouth this morning on a Ned rig using a Light/Fast spinning setup

I also ordered a Light and Medium Light baitcasting rod when I got home. I like to have fun when I fish. A spinning rod isn't fun to me

Cast control, speed of repetitive casts/pitches, no line twist, and the ability to use much heavier line.