It's not an "either/or" question for me.
I do a LOT of fishing specifically for bass, and enjoy the heck out of hooking into a hefty largemouth or, even moreso, a good smallmouth. There's something I really like about the tactics of pursuing black bass, and I even enjoy using baitcasting gear much more than a spinning rig. probably because I can handle my old Ambassadeurs better than I can any spinning reel.
That said, I will occasionally leave the boat winch reels at home and set out with a couple of ultra-light outfits and a pocket-sized tackle box full of small jigs and spinners to spend a day chasing bream and crappie. It's (to me anyway) a more laid-back kind of fishing. Plus, I never keep the bass that I catch, so if I want a good mess of tasty fillets, panfish are the answer.
Tom