dave bug wrote:I'll be honest - I had no idea there could be this many variations in fishing reels. The tech geek in me is crazy curious about what makes them all different. Any fishing geeks out there up for a quick rundown on how you decide which one to get?
it depends on what you want, a spinning reel is simple and rugged but because it coils perpendicularly to the pole your line can leave the reel crooked and friction against the eyelets can affect distance and accuracy casting , by contrast, a bait-caster type reel for example can cast further and more accurately because it is coiled parallel to the eyelets but in the hands of an inexperienced user can become tangled or fouled by exposure to sand or other grit very easily. additionally, the inertia of the reel after the cast means that unless you're careful you could wind your line the wrong direction for several feet, which can complicate things. if you're new, get a spinning reel, they're simple, rugged, and if you like to take your things apart and then put them back together without a "where's this extra part supposed to go" you can't go wrong.
