Bait casting reel for better line control?

[Crappitier]

Last night I watched a YouTube guy from Texas explaining how a bait casting reel is much better for deep crappie jigging!

I grabbed my bait casting reel (with 10/2 PowerPro) and put it on my 7' ML spin rod. I also put some fluorescent bobber stops at 20' above my jig.

I tore up the crappie today with this rig! It's a lot easier to put the jig in 22' of water with a bait cast reel. No bails to flip, just a click and a thumb to control depth.

Anybody else use a bait cast rig for Crappie?

[Rees Guide]

A lot of us in MS use them spider rigging, cats meow!!!

[Pepop]

If you want precise depth control, bait caster is the ticket!

[Spoonminnow]

Never thought to use a baitcast for light jigs, but then again I never fish for crappy in water deeper than 10'. I presume you're fishing in Penn. - I'm next store in NY. Do you catch many fish over 13"? The crappies in my local, lower Hudson Valley lakes average around 10-12", with 13 or better unusual. The largest I've caught in a night bass tournament was in Greenwood L., weighed in at almost 2 lbs. I'd rather catch huge crappie than 5lb bass any day.

Curious.

[IkenI]

For 'cast and drag' and 'longlining' I still use spinning reels but for pitching and dipping jigs in water up to 15' deep there is nothing better than a baitcast reel. Go one step better and use one with a flipping switch. I have them on a 8', 9', some 10's and a 10.5' (not to mention my spider rig rods.) Look at some Todd Huckabee videos for info on this technique.

[justinp61]

I've had bait casters on my spider rig rods for several years, they work great.