Actually the reason for the "country mile" post

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Why do most baitcasters have well in excess of 100 yard line capacities..Most of us never cast anywhere near that distance and bass (at least largemouths) are not known for long runs before they can be handled, unlike many saltwater gamefish..Truthfully I can see no practical reason for having high capacity reels for bass fishing..About the only time having extra line on the reels comes in handy is when you are constantly re-tying or hanging up and having to break off..Even then only having 100 yards of line on your reel would probably be sufficient..

mac

[Cooch]

I think the answer is four fold MAC.

One of the reasons I like the round reels is for the line capacity. You've got a small diameter spool that fills with a lot of line. What I've noticed is, if that spool is only filled half way, you've got a very small tight wind on the line you're actually using. This causes a greater occurance of line memory. I've also noticed this on a number of low profile reels with a smaller "V" spool.

When the spool is full and the wind is larger, you will git greater distance out of your casting. The reel will make less revolutions allowing more line to release a lot smoother. On spinning reels, they use a thicker diameter spool. One might assume that if the spool diameter was thinner, or you only half filled the spool with line, as you'd cast, you would git a great deal of resistance due to the line slap occuring on the top cone portion of the reel spool. Tie in the memory I mentioned above, or the use of fluorocarbon on yer spinning reel, you're now looking for a disaster ta happen as you'll end up with the spinning reels version of an overspin, a tangle matted mess!

On the other spectrum of this, the retrieve ratio is going to be greater. The greater the diameter of the base, that the line is being taken up on, the faster your bait or the fish can be takin in. It takes less revolutions to take up line. This will also help to prevent less fatigue in your hands and wrists while cranking less. This is another reason I believe spinning reels have such a wide diameter spool. The revolutions and hand motions, required to turn that reel handle one turn, is much greater than say a baitcaster. Therefor, with a thicker spool, you'll take up more line per turn of the handle.

And last, the more line you can put on a reel, the less often you will have to take the time to respool. With break-offs, lure changes and line wear, sometimes it's common to peel off 10-40 feet a day under some circumstances, maybe more. If the spool capacity was say 75-150 feet, you would be respooling way too often. As you mentioned, this is simply more of a convinience factor, versus the three mechanical factors I mentioned above.

[Mark Langner]

Just a comment Cooch.....on some of my Shimano Chronarch and Calais "super free" spools....the diameter of the spool itself is much thicker (with all them holes drilled in it) providing that large spool casting concept you just described...and....using less actual line on the spool itself....

~Mark

[jeff bradshaw]

This is why Shimano changed their newer spools on the super free models as Mark mentioned. They also have to take into account that people need the flexibility to use the reels with lines ranging in different sizes and diameters. It's not uncommon to see a baitcaster on one rod with 10 pound test line then another with 20 and some guys use 25-30 pound test line for certain applications as well.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I agree with everything said so far, I know that when I have stripped or lost for any reason about 1/3 of the line on any of my reels I usually put new line on..Lately I have just added line to that remaining on the spool..It definitely seems to save quite a bit on the expense of installing all new line..Then when I get down to where the knot starts showing up on most of my casts, I just strip it off and tie on new line.. Is this a reasonable practice..

mac

[Mark Langner]

I agree with everything said so far, I know that when I have stripped or lost for any reason about 1/3 of the line on any of my reels I usually put new line on..Lately I have just added line to that remaining on the spool..It definitely seems to save quite a bit on the expense of installing all new line..Then when I get down to where the knot starts showing up on most of my casts, I just strip it off and tie on new line.. Is this a reasonable practice..

mac

Absolutely !!!

My fishing buds have been giving me a hard time cuz I've been completly stripping my reels to put fresh line on them. Most of them keep about half the reel capacity on there, and just add new line to the end as you described. I think of it sorta like "backing"...been thinking on going that route on all my non-superfree reels to save a few bucks myself as I NEVER really get down that far on the spool.

-Mark

[Long Nguyen]

Mac-

I've been watching the FLW Saltwater tour on TV and many of those pros use bass gear. The baitcasters we use for black bass is used in saltwater for inshore species like redfish, sea trout, snook, etc. Those fish take long runs and line capacity is important to them.

I've also seen on TV that the majority of the inshore anglers use spinning tackle loaded with braided line instead of casting gear. My guess is that the lures they're tossing are lightweight and easier to cast with spinning tackle. Also, I imagine they get a lot of wind on the coast, and they wouldn't have to deal with backlashes.

As a manufacturer, you need to meet the needs of many types of anglers and angling styles.

Long

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I can see your points there Long..I fully realize that baitcasting reels aren't just munufactured for us freshwater bass fishermen..Nor are spinning reels just made for trout fishermen..Has there ever been a specific species reel made for us bass fishermen, other than those with flipping switches..I don't doubt that there has been, but I can't really say that I have ever seen any..I know I haven't owned any..

mac

[Jeff Jewell]

STRIPERS

[MIKE209]

Good Point I use my heavier rods for Stripers

Mike

[DONKEYHEAD]

Line capacity also comes in handy for long casts with 8" swimbaits. I have the best luck with a 400 calcutta and 30 lb mono. Add a 7' 11" extra heavy rod and you can put em in the boat in a hurry.