Fishing Frenzy

We continue our series of articles on Freshwater Fishing Tackle with part two, "The Spinning Reel." With this series we are hoping to remove the fear of buying fishing tackle from the beginning fisherman.

We will cover a wide range of fishing gear from reels, rods, lures, baits, jigs, lines, and knives. It is hoped by the end of the series your can go online and buy the right tackle and within budget.

We began our review on freshwater fishing reels with the spincast reel, the best reel for beginners and the infrequent fishermen. This review will cover the spinning reel, and will continue with the baitcast reel and lastly an article on the fly fishing reel.

Spinning reels come in many varieties and are utilized by youngsters, occasional hobbyist and enthusiastic fishermen alike. When it comes to fishing reels, the spinning reel is the most well-known and best-selling. It is mainly used for light-line fishing and rules in terms of performance and simplicity of use.

The spinning reel is ideal for catching just about any fish out there; whether it is creeks, mountain streams, local ponds or rushing rivers. You can land bass, trout, catfish, crappies it doesn't matter, if you have strong enough line your spinning reel will land the fish.

The spinning reel has a very recognizable look with the large wire bale around the open-faced line spool and a line roller to help control the line as you retrieve it. The reel handle or "crank" can have either one or two knobs, both work equally well at preventing line friction as you retrieve it, with little or no snarling. This type of reel is mounted on the underside of the rod.

There are few negatives to the spinning reel. It is only limited by the thickness of your fishing line, when compared to the baitcast reel it holds less line. This means you will need to use a smaller, lighter line to guarantee you have enough line to get to the point you want. The lighter the line the smaller fish you can land. The spinning reel is also not as accurate at casting as the baitcast reel

An prime example of spinning reel is the "Daiwa SS Tournament Spinning Reel," priced at $100 it is the perfect choice for serious or tournament angler, it features l Daiwa's long-Cast technology; a worm gear for perfect line winding; 3 stainless steel bearings; aluminum spool; and super-smooth drag with over-sized felt/stainless discs.

Look for our review of the baitcast reel in the next article in the continuing series "Freshwater Fishing Gear Beginners Guide.