By Rob Newell
PHOTO BY GARRICK DIXON
T hese days , having a solid finesse game is a necessary part of surviving the cast-forcash circuits and tours of competitive bass fishing . Casting gear usually gets credited with big single-day catches , but to be consistent over multiple days across a variety of fisheries requires the versatility of spinning tackle .
Some anglers , however , dodge spinning gear at all costs . To them , the words “ light line ” mean wind knots flittering through the guides . They would rather jump off a bridge than to fish the pilings of it with micro reels and “ fairy wands .” Given all of the different lines and knots needed to make finesse spinning gear function properly , the spinning reel has acquired a reputation for being tedious , complex and slow .
It doesn ’ t have to be that way . Due to advancements in spinning reels , braided lines and the evolution of better knots , spinning gear is far easier to use than it was 10 years ago . The hardest part about using a spinning reel is spooling one up for the first time . If done correctly , they ’ re as trouble-free to use as any baitcaster .
To get a complete breakdown of how to properly prepare spinning gear for battle , we enlisted the help of five of the top spinning reel experts in the sport : Brent Ehrler , Cody Meyer , Justin Lucas , Mark Daniels Jr . and Josh Bertrand .
This panel agreed to field specific questions about spinning reel prep , from the correct backing to mainline to leaders to knots . These are their go-to combinations for most finesse applications including dropshots , shaky heads , Ned rigs , Neko rigs and small swimbaits .
“ I ’ d say 80 percent of my finesse fishing is done with the exact same setup – rod , reel , line , leader ,” Bertrand says . “ There are still a couple of niche techniques that I ’ ll use different lines or reel ratios for , but mostly it ’ s one setup that does it all .”
The rest of the panel echoed Bertrand ’ s thoughts . They each have a go-to combo that covers 80 to 90 percent of their finesse fishing during a season . Here ’ s a closer look at how the spin masters spool up .
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