im trying to look for some options for smaller fish species, panfish, trout, etc.. my abu garcia ambassadeur will not cast lures.. when i try, i get about 2 feet.. so.. this round baitcasting reel i have just wont cut it.. however, i dont want to go back to spinning reels, after going for baitcasters i found ive been spoiled, i love the way they balance and feel, and cast.. and its nice to not have a bail smacking the knuckles on my large hand

 

my current setup is an abu garcia ambassafeur 5600C4 with a 6'6 medium heavy rod, this setup i usually catch northern pike and bass with

 

so what sort of lures work best on small trout species and crappie, and what sort of rod/reel setup would work for it?.. i wouldnt mind getting something smaller, more travel/backpack size if at all possible, i dont think i need much bigger for smaller fish

I got a 5wt fly rod for trout, caught more sunnies than anything else on it.

Well for panfish you need smaller lures more often than not and baitcasters just don't cast small lures as well as spinning reels. Just make sure your using a rod that's rated for those lure weights and you should get more distance.

You could look into a expensive ultra-light baitcaster that other guys were discussing in another thread recently

you mean like those tiny crappie baitcasters. are these any good? do they work?.. i've thought about getting one of these or perhaps a spincast if not every spincast ive ever used turned out to be junk.. thought it would be useful to be able to use the casting rods i already have.. but then i think this rod/reel setup will likely never go on any of my other rods as all my rods are too big for that gear... so in an absolute worst case scenario i could get a spinning setup just for that.. but id prefer not to

If your looking into spincasters look at the higher end zebcos they aren't half bad. And Idk I've never tried light tackle baitcaster you'll have to ask somepne else about that... When I bream fish I'm ethier using a spincast, cane pole, or spinning reel

A spinning reel is really your only good option, unless you want to spend a decent amount of money. You can find something like a Chronarch 50mg for a decent price. The rod is just as important as the reel, and a nice light action rod would be a welcome addition as well. Ultralight baitcasters are a possibility, but they're typically not cheap.

I have a broken tip fly rod that's no longer good that I put a new tip on with a ul spinning reel. I can cast a float n fly, or a rattle bobber with a 1" chartreuse grub for crappie action.

I broke the norm with this setup but it's fun to use. I have the mini cranks to use with it too.

I just purchased the misses and her coworker a plhger ul rod with a zebco ul reel to take them pan fishing. Fish and save, had it all.

A spinning reel is really your only good option, unless you want to spend a decent amount of money. You can find something like a Chronarch 50mg for a decent price. The rod is just as important as the reel, and a nice light action rod would be a welcome addition as well. Ultralight baitcasters are a possibility, but they're typically not cheap.

X2  Casting a 1/16 oz. lure on a rod with a 1/4 oz. rating on the low end typically isn't going to cut it.  Trying to cast a lure that won't load the rod is an exercise in frustration.....as you found out (the OP).  I've read of others being able to cast 1/16 oz. and less with baitcasting gear.  I can't.  Been using b/c gear for 5 years.  Admittedly I don't get out much compared to most.  Right now I can cast a 3/16 oz. lure quite well on 3-4 of my rods.  1/8 oz. will require a lot more practice.  I have no idea where your skill level is with a baitcast reel.  My personal opinion is that light lures require a lot of experience from the operator regardless of reel being used.  Unfortunately I don't own a true finesse reel...unless a TD-Z 105H can be considered a finesse reel....so that may be a false statement.

A spinning reel is really your only good option, unless you want to spend a decent amount of money. You can find something like a Chronarch 50mg for a decent price. The rod is just as important as the reel, and a nice light action rod would be a welcome addition as well. Ultralight baitcasters are a possibility, but they're typically not cheap.

I seriously doubt he can find a Chronarch 50 Mg for less than 150, why ? Because I've been looking for one in e-bay and the ones available are over 150.

Ultra light bait casting is a high dollar proposition and even then there are compromises. Spinning tackle is the right tool for the job you describe. Maybe a nice little spin cast reel would be a good option.

since when are people allergic to a good spinning reel? or would rather even choose a spincast over a spinning reel? as others have said the spinning reel is likely your best bet for what you want to do. get over yourself or continue struggling with a baitcaster that wont cast what you need it to. sure a spincast is fine for what you want to do as well, but spinning is much better...

what about reels like this?

 

http://www.basspro.com/Uncle-Buck&39;s-Deluxe-Round-Crappie-Reel/product/16504/

what about reels like this?

 

http://www.basspro.com/Uncle-Buck&39;s-Deluxe-Round-Crappie-Reel/product/16504/

 

My man, you don´t want a spinning reel for that purpose, at least get a decent spincast reel, of course a decent spincast reel will cost you around 80 dollars. Most panfish don´t need a good reel but you happen to mention trout, those need decent reels.

well, what type of lures and what styles and weights of lures are we talking for say.. crappie, perch, brown trout, and lake trout?.. now if im not mistaken some of these trout get to be pretty d**n big and my medium-heavy rod would be necessary, but what size lures do brown and lake trout usually go for?.. and what do crappie generally prefer?.. if i knew the size of lures i needed it would help to understand what kind of gear i would need

In my neck of the woods rainbow trout that we catch in the sierra grow larger than the Florida strain LMB we catch almost in every lake and pond, shure, they are hatchery raised trout but that really doesn´t matter, so what lures do I use for trout, well with the exception of spinnerbaits I catch trout with the same lures I catch LMBS ( have never caught a trout with a spinnerbait ) because I fish for both.

 

For bluegills I fish with in-line spinners, tiny grubs, marabou jigs, squirts ( like teeny tiny tubes ) and live bait ( meal worms ). Tilapia is another panfish i fish for but those normally don´t hit lures, I use hooks and tortilla dough or tiny pieces of tortilla.

which sort of lures do you catch the trout and bass with? my most used bass lure is a texas rigged tube worm, my most used pike lures are spoons and spinnerbaits.. but it seems like my general purpose ambassadeur with a 6'6 MH rod would be good for the trout, it works great for the bass, i just need to find something for the crappie and panfish then.. i have some inline spinners and some small marabou jigs, i just need to find lighter gear to cast them with.. or add weight by means of a large float

 

i wonder if i could get a rather large float, add a couple large sinkers onto the float, so the float still floats, but allows me to get a lot more casting weight to send those small lures flying on my larger gear... problem is would i even notice a crappie bite on a medium heavy rod?

Crankbaits, large in-line spinners ( size 4 and 5 ) and you may not believe it but with soft plastics rigged with the regular rigs I do catch those trout, my only problem is that they rip the longer skinnier baits like worms with their sharp teeth.

 

I do think that you need lighter gear for panfish I´ve tried to do what you plan and it didn´t work well, but I already wanted to purchase lighter gear for that purpose so it dodn´t matter much, with 120 bucks I got what I wanted ( Shimano Clarus rod + Shimano Sedona reel ), well, that was until I had the brain fart of getting nicer gear for that purpose .....

My man, you don´t want a spinning reel for that purpose, at least get a decent spincast reel, of course a decent spincast reel will cost you around 80 dollars. Most panfish don´t need a good reel but you happen to mention trout, those need decent reels.

Most panfish fish don't NEED a good reel but it always helps to have one!

do people often add floats to panfish lures to increase the casting weight? and i have a spare 5'6 pistol grip light action casting rod.. i wonder if i put my 5600C4 onto that, added one of the heavier foam floats if id be able to get a good cast with a small marabou jig or inline spinner for crappie?

I can't believe this is even debatable, there is no baitcaster at any price capable of throwing light delicate baits 1/16 and under that will outcast a spinning reel with the proper line and rod for the application. To say there is, is simply wishful thinking. Most reels like the Uncle bucks are not used for casting, they are used on spider rigs and the likes with extremely long rods and only serve the purpose to retrieve a fish. Get a good spinning outfit and have at it, or a spin cast, but the rods are more plentiful in the weight and action needed for ultra light work with spinning gear. It is like using a hammer, they will all drive a nail, but most prefer prefer a claw hammer and one the right weight, for the size job they are doing, those that don't,  just haven't figured it out yet.

I can't believe this is even debatable, there is no baitcaster at any price capable of throwing light delicate baits 1/16 and under that will outcast a spinning reel with the proper line and rod for the application. To say there is, is simply wishful thinking. Most reels like the Uncle bucks are not used for casting, they are used on spider rigs and the likes with extremely long rods and only serve the purpose to retrieve a fish. Get a good spinning outfit and have at it, or a spin cast, but the rods are more plentiful in the weight and action needed for ultra light work with spinning gear. It is like using a hammer, they will all drive a nail, but most prefer prefer a claw hammer and one the right weight, for the size job they are doing, those that don't,  just haven't figured it out yet.

Yes there are bcs capable of casting 1/16 oz and under, the catch is they cost a small fortune and there are spool and bearing upgrades for regular reels to turn them into light bait casting machines which also cost a small fortune, Avail in Japan specializes in creating such spools.

but you see, my idea is to add some weight to the line so youre casting more than just the 1/16 oz lure

Yes there are bcs capable of casting 1/16 oz and under, the catch is they cost a small fortune and there are spool and bearing upgrades for regular reels to turn them into light bait casting machines which also cost a small fortune, Avail in Japan specializes in creating such spools.

I am well aware of specialty reels and have seen a couple, and at their astronomical cost, and as efficient as they are, they will still not cast the tiny weights under 1/16 as well as a quality spinning reel with the proper lines.

 

As far using weighted line, well were not talking less than 1/6th oz anymore. I was under the impression the OP was wanting to use it for the usual -1/16 the unweighted finesse tubes and jigs for panfish and small stream trout and the such. If you want to add weight any reel will do it, but you are no longer throwing the under 1/16 th oz, use any reel and put whatever weight on it you want to make it compatable???  The mention of the Uncle Buck's Crappie reel is a very far cry from the specialty reels mentioned by Raul, and as I said are not intended for any distance casting, but still are not capable of his intentions with a even a weighted line??? The Stradic or any other even cheaper spinning reels with 6# sufix will cast about as good as anything that is available at any price!!! And have a good assortment of rods in all price ranges made for it.  

actually.. i have no particular lures in mind.. ive tried some lures, mostly inline spinners in a fruitless effort to try to catch some crappie, ive never caught crappie so thats why im determined to catch some now.. so im not even sure what the best lures i should be looking into using for them... when i know what my options are as to lures then i can decide on a rod/reel, but it seems i could EASILY put a series of lead shot weights into the leader above a lighter lure and cast it just fine with my ambassadeur

 

the way i have my setup now is i have a swivel on my main line.. on this i tie monofilament leaders, on these leaders i have lures pre-set on it, like the texas rigged worms i seem to catch tons of bass on.. so im thinking i will make up a leader, put on a series of lead-shot weights up the line, and put a swivel or something on the end.. weight the line so i can attach lures of a certain weight to bring it up to 1/4oz to 3/8oz.. this should allow me to use the ambassadeur reel i already have.. i would just need to put it on a lighter rod so i can actually feel the fish when they bite.. as i said earlier, i do have a 5'6'' single handed casting rod i could swap my ambassadeur to for crappie

 

 i think though that if i am going to go for a dedicated panfish setup i will probably skip the mini baitcasters like the mr crappie, and probably just go with a cheap spincast, as you guys have said theres no need to go high end for crappie

 

i also have a medium-light 6' rod with a spinning reel, however.. using baitcasters for so long ive come to really prefer the balance of them and now find spinning setups to feel rather akward to me

 

___

 

so my question now is as below

 

best lures for crappie?.. i like to keep it simple, nothing too fancy as i use simple soft lures for bass, spoons for pike, whats a good, simple, reliable type of lure for crappie?

 

what weights tend to work best for the lures suggested in the first question?

 

would my ambassadeur reel on a lighter rod with a weighted line be sufficient for casting the lures?

 

and if i do get a dedicated panfish setup.. its either one of those small crappie specific little round baitcasters or a spincast as im not looking to spend more than $25 on a reel and already have a suitable light action rod i can use

actually.. i have no particular lures in mind.. ive tried some lures, mostly inline spinners in a fruitless effort to try to catch some crappie, ive never caught crappie so thats why im determined to catch some now.. so im not even sure what the best lures i should be looking into using for them... when i know what my options are as to lures then i can decide on a rod/reel, but it seems i could EASILY put a series of lead shot weights into the leader above a lighter lure and cast it just fine with my ambassadeur

 

the way i have my setup now is i have a swivel on my main line.. on this i tie monofilament leaders, on these leaders i have lures pre-set on it, like the texas rigged worms i seem to catch tons of bass on.. so im thinking i will make up a leader, put on a series of lead-shot weights up the line, and put a swivel or something on the end.. weight the line so i can attach lures of a certain weight to bring it up to 1/4oz to 3/8oz.. this should allow me to use the ambassadeur reel i already have.. i would just need to put it on a lighter rod so i can actually feel the fish when they bite.. as i said earlier, i do have a 5'6'' single handed casting rod i could swap my ambassadeur to for crappie

 

 i think though that if i am going to go for a dedicated panfish setup i will probably skip the mini baitcasters like the mr crappie, and probably just go with a cheap spincast, as you guys have said theres no need to go high end for crappie

 

i also have a medium-light 6' rod with a spinning reel, however.. using baitcasters for so long ive come to really prefer the balance of them and now find spinning setups to feel rather akward to me

 

___

 

so my question now is as below

 

best lures for crappie?.. i like to keep it simple, nothing too fancy as i use simple soft lures for bass, spoons for pike, whats a good, simple, reliable type of lure for crappie?

 

what weights tend to work best for the lures suggested in the first question?

 

would my ambassadeur reel on a lighter rod with a weighted line be sufficient for casting the lures?

 

and if i do get a dedicated panfish setup.. its either one of those small crappie specific little round baitcasters or a spincast as im not looking to spend more than $25 on a reel and already have a suitable light action rod i can use

PM sent. this is not any longer about panfish reels and rods.