A Guide To Bait Casting Reels
Written by Peter Mertse on May 24th, 2009There are many kinds of fishing reels on the market these days and a very popular reel is the baitcasting reel. If you are relatively new to fishing all the reel and fishing equipment choices on the market can be a bit confusing. To clarify things a bit this article will present the features of the bait casting reel.
Knowing a few things about fishing equipment can make selecting the proper gear a bit less of a hassle. When it comes to bait casting reels there are a few things that can help both novice and expert anglers in selecting a proper reel. The two single most important characteristics are material by which the body is made from and the quality of construction; to be even more specific the bearing material and the turn ratio of the crank.
You don’t have to be experienced in using fishing reels to be able to use a bait casting reel. Although they are a bit more difficult to use than regular reels if you spend some time and learn the basic techniques and combine that with a bit of practice you will be able to get the hang of using a bait casting reel even if you are relatively inexperienced.
These days most reels are manufactured with either graphite or aluminum. These metals have different properties and are used to produce reels with different characteristics. Aluminum reels are more flexible than graphite just because aluminum can withstand more pressure. Graphite on the other hand does have its pluses. Reels produced by graphite have a stronger resistance to corrosion and tend to last longer especially when fishing in salt water.
The ball bearings of the reel are important components and you should always check them before you make a purchase. Good ball bearings or bushings mean that the reel will be smooth. A smooth reel is much better than one that is not smooth. Steel bearings are usually preferred over other materials because they are more durable.
Also, the greater the number of ball bearings the unit contains, the smoother the cranking will be. Smooth cranking is very important and a good reel will be noticeably smoother than a cheaper make reel. This is important because you can feel the action of the line in the water as well as feeling when you have a fish on the other end of the line or not. In general bait casting reels come with a range of ball bearing counts anywhere from a minimum of two to six
The crank ratio of the reel is a specification you should consider looking at when buying a bait casting reel or any other reel for that matter. Different reels have different crank ratios which means the certain reel mechanisms are more powerful than others. This means for example that a reel that has a cranking ratio of 2:1 is less powerful than a reel that has one of 1:6. The cranking ratio shows how many times the crank turns for every rotation of the spool. Therefore, a reel with a cranking ratio of 1:6 is much more powerful than a reel with cranking ratio of 2:1.
After you do your research and find a bait casting reel that has the features you are looking for then you shouldnt settle for the first one you come across. You should always shop around for your fishing gear and especially for reels. Go online check a few websites and you will find a great price for your bait casting reel.
Tags: bait casing, Equipment, Fishing, fishing kit, fishing reels, Gear, outdoors, shopping, sports
