Thread: Anyone using a bait caster for salt topwater lures ?

I believe that long distance casting competitions are the domain of free spool reels. That would lead me to believe that when set up properly they will cast further than a fixed spool (technical reasoning aside).
When I used freespools land based I was using mono line (which I don't now) and also your standard spinning reel of the day didn't cut it with a decent kingie on the end (perhaps with the exception of the Penn Spinfisher). A free spool reel would also hold a lot more line for it's size and gave the rod a far nicer balance due to the reel sitting so close to the blank.
Now, the use of braid and far better quality fixed spools have turned things around. I would still rather be using a freespool once the fish was attached to the end of it but for casting in all conditions you can't beat a good fixed spool.

Whats fixed vs free spool?

Fixed is spinning reels
Free spool is overhead/bait caster

the good old eggbeater would arguably give you less birdsnests and slightly less chance of a major cockup causing it.
watching salmon fisherman is enlightening as to just how good them fellas are with a baitcaster...