Spinning Rod with baitcaster?

[CrappieCHAMP]

I'm wanting to get another rod probably a 11' to use for dipping jigs around brush. I'm a bass fishermen 75% of the time and use baitcasting reels. I know in bass rods they make casting & spinning rods, they are both set up differently, bigger guides, trigger grip and the bend is different. Casting rods the guides are on top of the rod and spinning are of the bottom.

My question is can I put a small BC reel on a spinning rod? When I set the hook with guides up will the rod perform the same? Same strength? Sensativate?

Just wondeing and probably thinking to much about this?

[brushnjigs]

As long as you are just stripping the line off the reel and not casting it should be fine. Another thing you might try is to let the reel roll over, using it upside down. This will eliminate wrist and forearm fatigue and the handles are always out of the way. It doesn't take much effort to roll the wrist and have the reel back on top to reel the fish in.

[skeetbum]

Some of the better quality rods are built on the "spine" of the rod, which is a direction that the rod will bend every time, the same way. With a blank you would stand the rod on it's tip, as perfectly straight up and down as possible, and push straight down. the rod will begin to flex, and when you try to roll the blank in your fingers to move it off of this spine, it will return to it when released. I'm sure most rods are dropped into a machine that could care less and spin guides onto it. Casting comfort is the only issue I see, as the trigger grip makes it easier to hold onto. Dhort of that, it's whatever you have to work with. I've long been a proponent of "run what you brung."

[bdorman]

Any difference is going to be inconsequential compared to difference you'll feel between your bass rods and crappie jigging rod

[Cray]

If all you are ever going to do is dip jis with this rod get you one of the cheap plastic crappie reels and put on it. Way lighter and more comfortable after a day of dipping. Basically you just need a line holder.

[kingkrappie]

You'll be fine, I use big bait asters on my jig pole, but they're 12 ft rear seat poles and the big reel balances it, use em on trollin poles too, they last longer than anything else, out perform, and hold big line if I need it, none of this matters regarding your question, other than to let u know your not the only guy crappie fishin with a bass reel!

[Locator79]

Baitcast reel will work just fine for vertical jigging, any reel will for that matter.

[CrappiePappy]

I'm with Skeet on this point ... the spinning rod is designed to bend toward the guides, so ... in essence, you're causing the rod to bend in the opposite direction it was intended to bend. The rod may not perform as well as it would with a spinning reel & bending in the correct direction ... but it may not be perceptible to you. And, if you're only going to be using your Crappie gear 25% of your overall fishing time, any wear & tear caused by using the spinning rod "upside down", would be minimal, at best.

Personally, I'd try different sizes of reels ... b/c & spin ... to see which one balanced the outfit best & felt the best in my hand. Balance is the key, as I'm sure you're aware of ... and an 11' rod, even the lightest ones, can begin to wear on your wrist & forearm if they're tip heavy (too light a reel). If the outfit is butt heavy (too heavy a reel), then the outfit weighs on your shoulder, elbow & hand (grip).
You can usually easily tell if a spinning rod/reel outfit is balanced, by simply holding it the way you would when fishing with it and then putting a finger (from your other hand) in front of the 1st finger of the hand holding the rod, then take that hand off ... the rod should be pretty much balanced on that remaining finger. It should probably work for balancing a b/c reel / spinning rod combo, by just allowing the b/c reel to hang under the handle when doing this test.

It also matters whether your rod has a fixed reel seat or Tenn style handle ... since you can't alter the position of the reel on the handle with a fixed seat setup, like you can with a Tenn style handle. A Tenn style handle allows you greater weight ranges in the choice of reels, since you can move them forward/back to achieve the proper balance.

... cp