I put together my very first baitcasting combo about 20 years ago.

 

The reel is now junk but the rod I feel is a really good fit for spinnerbaits.

 

It's a Gander Mountain Tournament series MH fast action. 6'6" I think.

 

I've been throwing spinnerbaits on it and it seems to work. I've been throwing 20 lb braid with it. Not sure if that's ideal or not.

 

Anyways, I need to get a new reel for this rod, mostly for throwing spinnerbaits.

 

Thoughts on a reel?

 

Stick with the braid?

 

Thanks!

There are different schools of thought on reel speed for spinner baits.  I am in the fast group.  I would rather slow my retrieve when working it and get it back quickly when needed.  So I run 7:1 reels on my spinner bait rods except for A rigs then it’s 5:1.

I usually fish my spinnerbaits slow, often times as slow as I can while still getting the blades to turn. I much prefer a 5:1 as it really helps me slow down and keep that bait towards the bottom where I want to fish it. 

 

 

 

I use 5 •1 bass pro reel and an Ugly Stik Pro lite rod. 15 lb flouro. That Rod is perfect for spinnerbaits or Bladed Jigs

Mostly Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier 7.5:1, IPT 31. Get a good rhythm with good power and speed in retrieve.

Good Fishing

4 hours ago, Jig Man said:

There are different schools of thought on reel speed for spinner baits.  I am in the fast group.  I would rather slow my retrieve when working it and get it back quickly when needed.  So I run 7:1 reels on my spinner bait rods except for A rigs then it’s 5:1.

I agree with you on the spinner bait speed. I do have a couple 6.2:1 reels I don’t use now, but my workhorse reels are 7.0 8.1 and 9.0 & in my experience the faster speed elicits that reaction strike. Excepting Texas rigs etc 

Braid with spinnerbaits, for me, is a headache.  I inevitably get the line caught in split rings every few casts, and baits with larger blades seem to helicopter more with braid.  Fouled bait before it even hits the water is maddening. 

The lack of stretch on braid can be murder on those wires and reduce the longevity of the lure. I'm in the 6:1 camp on reel speed. I can slow down a faster reel but I find myself absentmindedly speeding up more often with it. Not a super slow reel like a 4 or 5 speed but easier for me to maintain the speed I like with it than my 7:1 reels.

I’m in the 6:? speed Camp as well although I think I have more 7 speeds currently 😬 As far as my spinnerbait rods I use a 6’6” medium/fast Galyans branded rod and a 6’-10” Lews Carbon Fire medium/fast action but I will say both are a bit more moderate which I like. I have one reel spooled with 10 pound Suffix Elite Mono (6’-6”) and the other with 14 pound Suffix 21 low stretch Mono (6’-10”) and I like them both.

Depending on budget, the Tatula Elite or Tatula 100 will get you most effortless distance, which is important with a shorter 6’6” rod. A spinnerbait is a relatively light, high profile lure like a buzz bait, and a reel that can cast far without over-throwing and backlashing is key.
 

Either in a 6.3 or 7.1… I use a 7.1 and it works fine to slow-roll. 

14 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Braid with spinnerbaits, for me, is a headache.  I inevitably get the line caught in split rings every few casts, and baits with larger blades seem to helicopter more with braid.  Fouled bait before it even hits the water is maddening. 

Yup, this is exactly why I always have a 25lb fluorocarbon leader on my spinnerbaits. I need braid for the lack of stretch especially because I fish spinnerbaits in thick weeds, but the limpness of braid will cause it to wrap around the blades and split rings every cast. 

On 6/6/2025 at 11:08 AM, Jar11591 said:

I usually fish my spinnerbaits slow, often times as slow as I can while still getting the blades to turn. I much prefer a 5:1 as it really helps me slow down and keep that bait towards the bottom where I want to fish it. 

Slow is always a good bet with a spinnerbait. 

 

OP, you did not provide a budget. I recommend the REVO Winch 5:4:1. I have Gen 4s and Gen 5s. I like the Gen 4 better for spinnerbait fishing, but there is nothing wrong with the Gen 5.

On 6/6/2025 at 10:41 AM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Stick with the braid?

You can't go wrong with 15lb big game fishing spinnerbaits. Braid just seems unnecessary to me. If it works for you, stick with it. I don't recommend 20lb braid on a baitcaster, as it will tend to dig. 30-40lb will work fine if you are adamant on keeping braid.

Good question on the budget.

 

I have some high dollar reels but I don’t think it’s that necessary for throwing a spinnerbait.

 

So not looking for either cheap or top of the line.

 

Maybe $200-$250?

 

I was also wondering about size. 200?

I am throwing spinnerbaits and bladed jigs on the same outfit. I use a 7 ft 3 Dobyns heavy, which is a light heavy on a Daiwa Tatula 100 6 speed with Daiwa 16 lb. fluoro line, works for me. I mostly try to work my spinnerbait just under the surface, just where I can barely see it.

My spinnerbait reel is an Abu Garcia 5th Gen Revo X in 7.3:1. Coming in at 120.00 bucks, it's not a bank breaker and the ratio gives you speed if you need it and since I crank my spinnerbaits S-L-O-W anyways it works perfectly. If Abu isnt for you thats fine but I say a reel in the 7 to 1 ratio area is where you want to be. As far as the speed goes it's like a parachute. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

It depends on the bait. Heavy, thumping baits lower ratio (IPT), willow leaf burning baits higher speed. Too fast and some baits **** sideways and don’t run true. If you get frustrated keeping the cranking cadence that’s effective in a given scenario you can pick a reel to help there too. 

I use a Daiwa Tatula in the 6.3 to 1 ratio.  I like to slow roll the spinnerbait along the bottom just enough so I can feel the blades thump.

6:3 Reel speed for me

Oh no.  Here comes Doug with some off the wall response.  Here you go:  Dobyns Mavericks are being blown out on Amazon for as little as 35 bucks.  Eleven bearings, good effective cast control system in 7:2 ratio with 100 MM handle!  Are you insane?  Nope.  These reels are better than they’ve been given credit for.  You can also just jump to a JDM Zillion and call it a day.

21 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

It depends on the bait. Heavy, thumping baits lower ratio (IPT), willow leaf burning baits higher speed. Too fast and some baits **** sideways and don’t run true. If you get frustrated keeping the cranking cadence that’s effective in a given scenario you can pick a reel to help there too. 

^^I'm in this camp with Mike^^

 

Springtime when the water levels are up and typically dirty, or even summertime after heavy rains and the water is a little dirty, ... large thumping Colorado blades on a slower reel work for me. My two largest bass have both come this way. Clearer water with smaller Willow blades get a faster reel from me.

 

My two main Spinnerbait setups I REALLY like right now are a Daiwa TDZ 100ML "US Trail" on an odd Lews Custom Speed Stick "Spinnerbait" rod with that different Gclutch reel seat. That US Trail just melts away into that reel seat for me and my favorite for casting large Colorado blades spinnerbaits in and around trees and stumps. 

 

The other is an old Shimano Curado 201E7 the I put on a Megabass Levante Diablo Spec R. That old metallic green E7 is smooth as butter and looks/feels great on that Levante for running Willow blades spinnerbaits on a little faster retrieve.

 

My advice in newer, still available reels is look for the smoothest reel you can find at the price point you choose. A 6 to 7 speed reel typically works well. It's up to you to decide if you can adjust your default reel speed, or if you need to choose a gear ratio that fits the speed you fish most.

Braid to leader for spinnerbaits for me (40lb --> 16lb). I fish spinnerbaits mostly as search and reaction baits so for me that means moving fast and making lots of casts. I almost exclusively fish 3/8 and 1/2 oz. 7 speed reels work well for me. If I was making a dedicated setup I would consider an 8 speed even. 

On 6/7/2025 at 7:22 PM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Good question on the budget.

 

I have some high dollar reels but I don’t think it’s that necessary for throwing a spinnerbait.

 

So not looking for either cheap or top of the line.

 

Maybe $200-$250?

 

I was also wondering about size. 200?

 

I'm a mono and faster rod guy for spinnerbaits.  I'm also a 7:1 guy for almost all of my baitcasting.  Topwaters get a higher speed, some bottom contact does also.  Otherwise I just buy a 7:1 and keep everything consistent across all of my setups and get used to how they fish with every lure.

 

If you are going to spend $200-250, then either a JDM Zillion or a Bantam (depending on your preference for Shimano or Daiwa) and call it a day.  You don't need a big reel for spinnerbaits.  You were talking braid above so you definitely don't need a big reel for that.  I wouldn't go with 20 lb braid, but 30-50 will be fine if you want braid.  I throw 16# mono (JDM sizes) but something like 15# big game would be a good choice too.  None of those require anything more than a 70 sized reel so just get a standard Zillion or Bantam (which is a 100 capacity spool).

Love Spinnerbaits. 6.4 reel speed. I like a Medium Rod on 3/16 - 1/4 oz Spinnerbaits unless around heavy cover. MH Rod anything bigger than that. I like to slow roll them most of the time. 12# mono is my line of choice.