Tim's Adventures with a Spinning Rod

Tim

Tim

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I hadn't touched a spinning rod in probably 20 years before last week. I have 7-8 fly rods that get regular use for everything: small stream tiny trout, monster salmon and steelhead, bass....whatever. Well, my buddy convinced me I need a spinning rod and that I'd 'catch more fish' with rooster tails and stink bait vs. hand tied #16 Irresistibles.

So, I popped into the Sportsman's Warehouse and after 5-10 minutes of serious examination and thorough research walked out with a 6'6" Fenwick with a President reel. Spun up with 8# mono and 6# florocarbon tippet. A handful of 1/16 and 1/8 oz rooster tails topped it off. I fish Wild Trout waters that require single hook artificial lures only, so I haven't gone full redneck with the worm dunking. As it is, I had to snip 2/3 of the dang grappling hooks off...things look like Ninjas could swing from them.

I spent 4 days in a row of fishing with the thing on 4 different streams and I can honestly say...I hate it. Yes, I caught more and bigger fish. But, dang, I look like I've got cerebral palsy trying to cast this thing. When I actually remember to flip the dang "bail" open to cast the damn thing, about 1/2 the time my line turns into a rat's nest of frustration. If I DO get a cast out, who the heck knows where it'll land. And...come on man...that big "kerplunk!" of a lure smacking the water has got to chase the trout a mile downstream!

I miss my 3 weight roll casts of a perfectly placed dry fly, the perfect drift over that hole nobody else can see in the middle of the stream....and the gentle sip as the trout takes the fly.

I suppose what I'm really tryinig to say is I don't care if I actually catch the little guys. I leave 'em where I find them anyway. I much prefer the quiet and rhythm of fly casting.

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You eventually had to be indoctrinated into the Way of The Redneck. My favorite for spinner fishing is a Mepps Plain Ultralite (1/18) single hook. Maybe try some smaller gear, although a 5' rod would look like a fly swatter in the hands of someone your size.
 
You may be be catching more and bigger fish, but since you dont keep the fish, the question that must be asked is are you catching more and better zen?
If not, ditch the spinner...
 
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draco88 said:
You may be be catching more and bigger fish, but since you dont keep the fish, the question that must be asked is are you catching more and better zen?
If not, ditch the spinner...
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^ this guy gets it!
 
Cmon man. I’ve taught kids and women to cast baitcasters 😉

Kidding. Sounds like the peace of mind is in the fly.
 
I'm a spinning reel guy through and through, but I also had fly rods growing up. There is zen in them, but I can fish places you wouldn't dream of taking a fly rod. Places where you lay on your belly to keep from casting shadows on the water or crawl through thickets to get to that one place you can cast to that deep pool that holds the big ones. Don't worry about the lure falling in the water, things fall from trees constantly and splash down, some times it's even food that falls in the water, and the trout know it. Hang on to the spinning reel, you may find a perfect hole to use it in one day.
 
slow is slow said:
Hi point concealed carriers agree with this statement.
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Nope, High Pointers can’t figure out which comes first, pushing the button or throwing the line. Sorta in the same group as the Glockers. Most Zebco folks carry no guns but rather two knifes, one for social events and one for general purpose.
 
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Walmart 4’ open face for the win while my friends catch minnow trout. Cast anywhere in mountain streams. Gotta brand new $275 flyrod never been out of the case. Neither have wader felt boots.
 
slow is slow said:
There is zen in them, but I can fish places you wouldn't dream of taking a fly rod. Places where you lay on your belly to keep from casting shadows on the water or crawl through thickets to get to that one place you can cast to that deep pool that holds the big ones.
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The funny thing is, I could have written that same post and substituted my little creek fly rod.

Would be fun to hit up a stream and take turns hitting those small holes to see who came out on top.
 
If you get a chance, try false albacore off Cape Lookout in the fall when they school up and have feeding frenzies. A 10 weight rod and plenty of backing can produce lots of fun if you hit it right.

Small mouth bass on topwater flies is hard to beat in fresh water.

For sheer fun, bream on popping bugs is great. They taste good too.

There are times when a spinning rod if the way to go, but I am seeking out those times less and less as the years go by.
 
Tim said:
I hadn't touched a spinning rod in probably 20 years before last week. I have 7-8 fly rods that get regular use for everything: small stream tiny trout, monster salmon and steelhead, bass....whatever. Well, my buddy convinced me I need a spinning rod and that I'd 'catch more fish' with rooster tails and stink bait vs. hand tied #16 Irresistibles.

So, I popped into the Sportsman's Warehouse and after 5-10 minutes of serious examination and thorough research walked out with a 6'6" Fenwick with a President reel. Spun up with 8# mono and 6# florocarbon tippet. A handful of 1/16 and 1/8 oz rooster tails topped it off. I fish Wild Trout waters that require single hook artificial lures only, so I haven't gone full redneck with the worm dunking. As it is, I had to snip 2/3 of the dang grappling hooks off...things look like Ninjas could swing from them.

I spent 4 days in a row of fishing with the thing on 4 different streams and I can honestly say...I hate it. Yes, I caught more and bigger fish. But, dang, I look like I've got cerebral palsy trying to cast this thing. When I actually remember to flip the dang "bail" open to cast the damn thing, about 1/2 the time my line turns into a rat's nest of frustration. If I DO get a cast out, who the heck knows where it'll land. And...come on man...that big "kerplunk!" of a lure smacking the water has got to chase the trout a mile downstream!

I miss my 3 weight roll casts of a perfectly placed dry fly, the perfect drift over that hole nobody else can see in the middle of the stream....and the gentle sip as the trout takes the fly.

I suppose what I'm really tryinig to say is I don't care if I actually catch the little guys. I leave 'em where I find them anyway. I much prefer the quiet and rhythm of fly casting.

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Should have stuck with the fly rods! I’ve had days that I slayed them with a fly rod and hand tied fly, and I’ve had days that I couldn’t buy a bite. But it’s not always about catching fish, it’s being on the stream, quite, listening to the wind blow, changing flys, walking the banks and riffles and getting your soul back together! I can’t tell you how many good fly rods that I own and it’s always been my kind of rod, until I started to bass fish. I’ve now got 3-4 good Shimno baitcasters and have gotten pre good with them. Trout fishing is fly rod fishing and it’ll never change!
 
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I've mostly been and ultra-light guy, 5.5ft rod, 6lb line, bream/blue gills to Large Mouths. Favorite lures have been Mepp's spinners and Rapala floater/divers. Rebel's were decent too.
One lure I wish I could find again was an Abu spinner, wavy blade, yellow body with black dots. That was a guaranteed blue gill buster. But, they stopped importing them. Shyster made a name for themselves making a copy, but they were never as good.
When I was a teenager, it was out before dawn, fish till lunch then out again till after dark. Ah, surface lures dusk to dark is fun. Bloop, bloop, bloop... goes the Jitterbug...

That said, I've also enjoyed hauling in stripers (one p) down at the Santee/Cooper Reservoir with baitcast gear. Some of the most exciting and fun fishing I've ever done.
 
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I grew up spin fishing for trout. Then moved to a fly rod. I'm certain I do better with a fly rod.

And I have crawled, rolled, layed on rocks, bow and arrow cast, dapped, and done anything necessary to fish some of those holes.

You really want to have some fun? 6' Tenkara rods and small streams. Unfortunately I broke my rod in my kayak and can't find another one like it. That was a fun little rod. I'm seriously considering buying a regular Tenkara rod and putting a new grip on it to shorten it. When all you have is the rod and leader length you have to start stalking more.
 
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Tim said:
I spent 4 days in a row of fishing with the thing on 4 different streams and I can honestly say...I hate it. Yes, I caught more and bigger fish. But, dang, I look like I've got cerebral palsy trying to cast this thing. When I actually remember to flip the dang "bail" open to cast the damn thing, about 1/2 the time my line turns into a rat's nest of frustration. If I DO get a cast out, who the heck knows where it'll land. And...come on man...that big "kerplunk!" of a lure smacking the water has got to chase the trout a mile downstream!
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You spent a lot of words to say that spinning reels are better than fly rigs, but you're not smart enough to operate one.
 
I have regressed in the past two years. I've started using spincast reels and crank baits, but lately it is a spin cast with a worm on a bobber or fish finder rig. I don't go fishing to work.
 
Tim said:
So, I popped into the Sportsman's Warehouse and after 5-10 minutes of serious examination and thorough research walked out with a 6'6" Fenwick with a President reel. Spun up with 8# mono and 6# florocarbon tippet. A handful of 1/16 and 1/8 oz rooster tails topped it off.
Click to expand...
Tim said:
When I actually remember to flip the dang "bail" open to cast the damn thing, about 1/2 the time my line turns into a rat's nest of frustration.
Click to expand...

It sounds as if you do not have a good outfit for what you want to do with it. I bet it is a fairly stiff graphite rod. Eight pound test mono seems a bit heavy for 1/16 spinners. You would probably be more successful with a limber fiberglass rod using four pound test mono.

You have to balance fly rods with the line you put on it. Putting 2 weight line on a 10 weight rod does not work very well. You must do the same with spinning gear.
 
I'll echo what Charlie said above.

I've had a lot of fun with the inexpensive shakespeare microspin combos and 4 lb test line in small trout creeks.
 
I don’t generally see light action spinning rods at mass market stores.

But if you like the fly fishing process better, which is not unlike what the vinyl folk are all about, then by all means do what you enjoy. I tell my daughters that it’s fishin, not catchin.
 
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papa_smurf said:
I'll echo what Charlie said above.

I've had a lot of fun with the inexpensive shakespeare microspin combos and 4 lb test line in small trout creeks.
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I keep a cheap academy special on the boat at all times. I think it’s 5ft long with 4lb line. Caught many fish with that thing over the years and a 2lb catfish fights hard with that little pole.
 
When I was in business I had a customer bring bring me a CB whip antenna to build a fly rod on. He was tired of breaking rods in those small creeks an places he had to slither into. Turned out really nice.
 
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