Questions...

[Yakfish]

I am asking the man in red to put a new rod/reel under my tree this year but am not sure what would best suit me. I currently have a 6'6" medium action spinning combo and am wanting a second rig.

First, can someone either give me a quick rundown on the benefits of a baitcaster vs. a spinning rig or direct me to a post that covers this topic?

Secondly, I like my current setup as it has worked well for me all around

(meaning that I have caught some decent fish with it) so I want to keep it but also want to make sure that I'm using it to its best advantage. What types of bait is this best for?

Lastly, what would be my best bet for a second rig; longer/shorter, heavier/lighter? And what would work best with soft baits/cranks etc?

I know that these are probably elementary questions but I just got back into bass fishing this year after a long time off and was never that knowledgeable to begin with.

Thanks.

[Grey Wolf]

We need more info on what type of baits you're using.

IS THAT ROD YOU HAVE A MODERATE POWER-MED ACTION ? IF IT IS IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR CRANK BAITS.

WE NEED MORE INFO.

[Marty]

I don't use baitcasting anymore. The majority of my bass fishing is done with combos like yours, spinning, 6'6" medium, and they have served me well used with a wide variety of lures and techniques.

You will probably get many reasons to use BC, but there's one that stands out as far as I'm concerned. And that would be if you want to use heavier line for such things as flipping or other techniques in heavy cover. Baitcasting generally handles heavier and stiffer line much better than spinning.

[Yakfish]

We need more info on what type of baits you're using.

IS THAT ROD YOU HAVE A MODERATE POWER-MED ACTION ? IF IT IS IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR CRANK BAITS.

WE NEED MORE INFO.

It is a moderate power/medium action. I fish mostly soft plastics and crankbaits so if what I have is best suited for cranks what would be ideal for soft baits?

[Marty]

It is a moderate power/medium action. I fish mostly soft plastics and crankbaits so if what I have is best suited for cranks what would be ideal for soft baits?

I usually see those adjectives reversed. That is, moderate is usually applied to action and medium applied to power. In very general terms, conventional wisdom has a moderate-to-slower acttion for crankbaits so the bait is not pulled away from the fish's mouth too soon.

For soft baits, a fast action is generally recommended so the energy generated by the hookset goes towards driving the hook home rather than flexing the rod.

So the answer to your question is that a moderate action rod is more closely suited to cranks than soft baits. However, I've caught fish with soft baits on flexible rods and caught fish with cranks on stiff rods, even though those rods weren't the ideal for the application.

[EWG]

Your getting good information.  The 6'6' you have would be better in a longer length  for crank baits to keep your lure in the strike zone longer (longer cast) but it would work just fine.  It sounds like a good top water rod. Woo Davies likes to worm with a spinning rod. A spin rod for plastics is fine. You can skip your bait under docks with it as well. I personally would be looking for a 6'6' MH rod with a fast tip. Definitely a sensative graphite rod. (I'm guessing you would mostly be using a texas rigged type presentation). Spend some $, you'll be better in the long run for it. There are some very good rods on the market in the 80 - 100 dollar range. (all star comes to mind) Everybody has their own preference. My guess is you don't need to spend for something like a kistler or a Loomis.