I have been thinking about upgrading the spinning reel on my bait fishing rod this year. I've been looking at the baitrunner-type reels that 'let the fish run' before you set the hook....but wonder if they are worth it. My only succesful bait fishing experiences (so far ;) ) have come from chunking or using dead bait. When tring to live-line is it just as (or even more) effective to flip the bail and feel the line with your fingers?

Do you hold your rod or spike it? If you hold the rod, flipping the bail when you feel a pick-up and feathering it with your fingers is one way to go. But if you spike it, you have to loosen the drag, then reset it as a fish is running off line. Better to go with a baitrunner reel. The Penn baitrunners are a little small if you chunk with mono. I'd go with a Shimano BTR-4500 or 6500. The regular BTR reels are good enough, no need to spend big bucks on the heavier Thunnus models.

I'll probably be holding the rod almost the time. One other thing is that I release nearly all the fish I catch....do you gut-hook more fish by letting them have more time with the bait?

I fished almost exclusively with bait runners this year. Mixed reuslts. The penn is not big enough and you cant apply enough drag pressure without bottoming the screw on the larger reels (12-15lb test is the max on that reel you want to go). However they have a good single disk system that works ok. It casts and the baitrunner drag for live eel fishing is great. At the end of the surf season, they became very sticky on cold nights and did not engage. (probaly my fault for not cleaning them but I just rinse them off and I do use them kind of hard.) GBottom line: I would only get the penn for a light action set up.

The Okuma bait runner is big, and smooth and the drag and handle are wonderful....but the ******* bail flips on hard casts. fix that and you have a good reel.

I need to fish more with the shimano only used it a couple times so far it was pretty good but it is fully automatic...the penn is manual. (fully automatic is when you crank, it engages the primary drag, manual you flip a switch)


So...the concept is great (for eeling or live herring with spinning reels IMO) I don't do much spike fishing but they clearly have a place there too.
I like it far better then flipping a bail and letting the line pull thru your fingers...but that is me. Get one and try one you may like it. I wish they made a higher quality reel that had those features...

Now I am on the hunt for a good level wind reel for bottom fishing that has a lever drag for boat set ups for my kids.

I fish almost always with bait (boat).
I have been using Shimano 6500 bait runners (4 of em') for years, and I can state they are an awsome reel.
Only this year did one need some repair, but it has many years behind it and was never opened til this year.

The best thing is you can set quick without messing with the bail or palming the spool, so there are very few gut hooks even
with J-hooks which I also always use.

I use them for chunking or live lining. It works equally as well.
Oh yea and I have put up to 50 lb on them. (way over the rating !!)
usually I use 30 or 40 no problem.
Again from a boat..

Good Luck.

i agree with Van i have used baitrunners on chunk bait and livelinning for years and this year i the first and only problem i have had with them is with the anti reverse and "steve from mass" sorted me out in minutes. It is an easy fix once you know it.

I had to break one of them down this year, there are lots of parts in there, but its not that hard to repair. I bought a couple of new bearings. ($8 ea) and they were good to go.

Young Salt, definatley go with the Shimano 4500 or 6500. The size should depend on the length of the rod and how it balances out. Best reels for livelining, ch#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& or eelin.

I have been using the Shimano baitrunner 4500 for 3 years chunkin and live linein macks. It hasn't had any problems so far. I really like the water proof drag system.

OK, you guys have convinced me to go with the baitrunner 4500. I've seen it in catalogs for $110 + shipping. I'd much rather buy it here in RI but most of the bait shops I know are closed this time of year...Are there any expo's during the winter (in RI) that sell them?