What works best in Lake Wallenpaupack?
The Wally BITES team has spent three years fishing Lake Wallenpaupack. When compared with most guides and folks that have lived in the area for decades, it’s a drop in the bucket as they say. This isn’t about our way or their way, it’s about trying to help share information…. gear, lures, spots, etc. Between us, I think we have about 20 fishing rods and reels. Not a bunch, but certainly enough especially when I exclude my surf & fly rods. We’ve learned that there is a time and place for each type of reel.
Most guides here on the lake use spinning reels, unless they are using downriggers, trolling and/or bait fishing. I’m talking about the guys that are making casts–lots of casts over and over throughout the day and night. Any ideas why they use spinning reels? The answer shouldn’t surprise you, it’s because spinning reels are easier to use. Especially when you are taking out customers, each with varying levels of experience. Can you imagine taking someone out that has never used a baitcaster and allowing them to work it out on their own during a guided trip? The poor guide would spend the entire time fixing bird nests. This point leads us down a path of what to use and why, maybe even a little bit of when, too.
Spinning Reels
The strengths of the spinning reel are pretty straight-forward when you think about them. They have a spool, bail, handle, drag & sometimes an anti-reverse setting. I won’t drag this out any longer (see what I did there) my feelings very strongly support the use of a spinning reel. The #1 reason for me is the ease at which you can set the drag. Sure, anyone can argue that drags can be set and forgotten but how easy is it to adjust when you have a 30lb fish instead of a 2lb fish…. the spinning reel offers a real advantage. Why is this important on Lake Wallenpaupack or any large body of water? Because you never know when a 30lb lake monster is going to attack your lure. Again, you can use some logic around this but at any given moment you can go from catching smalls and large to an 8lb northern pike.
A few other benefits of the spinning reel over the baitcaster in my eyes is the length of casts. I’m a super long caster. To me, a long cast is like hitting a 300 yard drive on a par 5. Where that drive ends up is a different argument, we’ll get to that in a minute. Please, try and tell me that you’d rather throw a baitcaster into a dead headwind. Go ahead make your case but you’d still be wrong…. fishing on a windy day and you better believe you want to a spinning reel attached to your rod. You can also fish lighter weights and utilize lighter lines with the spinning reel.
Believe it or not, you can also skip lures better with a spinning reel. Unless you are fishing legend Kevin VanDam. Think about it, you want to place that soft bait under a tree but have to skip it in there, do you risk the backlash of the baitcaster or rip that thing in there with a spinning reel. If you are an amateur like me, the answer once again is quite simple.
Lastly, I’m a left-handed person. Have you ever tried fishing a setup when it was rigged for the wrong dominate hand? Pain in the behind, right? Spinning reels are so easy to switch out the handle,; you can have a left or right hand spinning reel in a matter of minutes if not seconds. Try that with a baitcaster!
Baitcaster
Anyone that has used a baitcaster with moderate success should tell you that the most important aspect of this type reel is its accuracy. Hands down, when used correctly and after a little bit of practice you can drop lures into a red solo cup. Preferably one that doesn’t have my beer in it, please. In addition to casting and placement accuracy these reels also allow you to land your lure or bait more softly than the spinning reel. This may help if you are attempting to hit a spot without the potential for spooking a fish in the area.
We love using baitcaster’s with heavier worms, Keitechs and just about any softbaits you run with weight. Speaking of weight, another added advantage to using this type of reel is its ability to throw heavier lures and line. You can easily mess up line weight on a spinning reel–baitcasters are more forgiving in this way. Heavier lures, heavier line and a great deal of accuracy allow you to get into some tight spots.
Think about where lunkers are hiding, are they out in the dead middle of the water swimming around? Sometimes, maybe….Most big bass love heavy cover. This includes rocks, trees, submerged cars, dead bodies, etc.. I’ve literally watched my friends pull up water-logged trees with braided line on a baitcaster. Yes, here on Lake Wallenpaupack. By the way, I never get caught up on the bottom like they do!
You can really begin to feel your lure on a baitcaster once you learn how to work it. Another strength of this type of reel is its ability to keep you connected to the lure. What I mean by this is that you rarely experience slack like you often times do with a spinning reel. The line connectivity with a baitcaster is superior in my mind. Can you out swim a fish with your reel, I guess but if a fish really wants what you are presenting it’s going to hit it! Does that mean that you should be cranking through your handle turns, not always. One of the last benefits is the speed control of your retrieve. You can fish a lure much slower with a baitcaster than you can with a spinning reel. Slow it down, make it work for you.
The only other thing I’d like to mention and very well may be the most important aspect of the baitcaster is it’s reeling power. I still vote on accuracy but I’m sure there are plenty of folks out there that would argue this point as a key strength and a stand-out feature. You get much more power from a baitcaster than you do from a spinning reel. The same rotational spin that ends up being a benefit for lure depth and retrieve on a spinning reel is a weakness for powering a fish in. The over / under retrieval of a baitcaster gives it more force and power with each handle turn. So, when you land a really big fish – it’s usually better to be on a baitcaster. There is a reason why fishing in the ocean for massive sharks, tuna, sailfish and other species – they use an over/under reel – strength, power and control. Again, if I’m going after a big striper I’d still prefer to be using a decent spinning reel (Penn or Shimano) on a St. Croix rod. That’s just me.
Which do you prefer? Spinner or baitcaster? Let us know by dropping us a line in the comments or on our social media. Hope you find some value and humor in the content we’ve been developing. Please share any questions or comments with us at [email protected]
#TightLines fishing freaks!!