Ok, let’s rehash this. I run Siennas on most of my ice rods but I’ve always been interested in the inline reels. I haven’t found any I like though. I do get some line twist with my spinning reels but do the inlines make a big enough difference to justify spending the money on say, a 13 freefall, or some of the nicer inlines out there?
I use only spinning reels now. I just use a barrel swivel to take the twist out of the jig. I fish outside a lot and the in line reels would seem to be less cooperative in the elements for my liking. A lot is personal preference, a buddy of mine still only uses in lines and loves em.
I use both. Light stuff I like inlines and heaver lures I like spinning reels. I know people who hate them and I know people who love them. You just have to try one to find where you stand.
I use only spinning reels now. I just use a barrel swivel to take the twist out of the jig. I fish outside a lot and the in line reels would seem to be less cooperative in the elements for my liking. A lot is personal preference, a buddy of mine still only uses in lines and loves em.
That’s kind of my experience with them. I haven’t ever bought a nice one though so that’s why I’m curious.
for a few years i used nothing but inlines. i started with okuma fly reels (thanks to James, who it appears does not use inlines any longer), went to eagle claws and 6061’s, blackbetty’s, the Clam and frabil ones. all of them. I also fished the last half of the 16-17 season with a freefall because it was supposed to solve my inline woes. It did but at that price tag it wasn’t worth it.
The problem i have is their drags are not good. they aren’t terrible (well some were or nonexistant) but most are not anywhere near as good as a spinning reel. The other is that even with the freefall i felt i was peeling line off way more manually when fishing 2-4mm jigs (what i fish 95% of the time) than i do spinning reels.
regarding the idea that it results in more fish due to reducing line spin….my fishing partner never bit on the fad and we never saw a time where there was a finicky enough bite that the inline made the difference.
I keep 1 inline on a noodle rod that i’ll use for the fun of it in shallow (<10′) situations. Otherwise, i’m 100% spinning rods now.
Maybe Robby is talking about a casting reel rather than an inline ice fishing reel?????
I use a couple inline Eagle Claw reels for small panfish (mainly perch) and I have not had any issues with mine. I have not used a small spinning reel for ice fishing for 3-4 years.
Buffalo Fishhead
I use spinning reels. With the correct line and a small quality SPRO barrel swivel lures don’t spin at all.
I use spinning reels. With the correct line and a small quality SPRO barrel swivel lures don’t spin at all.
^^ This. With the ice inlines I’ve used it seems as though there’s some quirks to work out with the drag system.
for a few years i used nothing but inlines. i started with okuma fly reels (thanks to James, who it appears does not use inlines any longer), went to eagle claws and 6061’s, blackbetty’s, the Clam and frabil ones. all of them. I also fished the last half of the 16-17 season with a freefall because it was supposed to solve my inline woes. It did but at that price tag it wasn’t worth it.
The problem i have is their drags are not good. they aren’t terrible (well some were or nonexistant) but most are not anywhere near as good as a spinning reel. The other is that even with the freefall i felt i was peeling line off way more manually when fishing 2-4mm jigs (what i fish 95% of the time) than i do spinning reels.
regarding the idea that it results in more fish due to reducing line spin….my fishing partner never bit on the fad and we never saw a time where there was a finicky enough bite that the inline made the difference.
I keep 1 inline on a noodle rod that i’ll use for the fun of it in shallow (<10′) situations. Otherwise, i’m 100% spinning rods now.
My experience mirrors this gentleman’s. Inline reels are a fun toy and a slowly dying fad. I still use my 6061 Black Betty on occasion. Inlines don’t put more fish on the ice as compared to a spinning reel. The benefits of spinning outweighs the benefits of inlines.
On a positive note, in this digital age due to sites like these with vibrant ‘flea markets’, we can always sell the goods that don’t suit us. Keep you stuff clean and in good shape, and you should be able to get 60-80% of what you paid for it. Even more potentially if you buy things on sale. This frees up the opportunity to experiment with new products and gear.
I use both as well. But I prefer my sienna in basically any situation over the inline. Unless I’m fishing 8ft of water or less.
I use both and agree with all the statements. I do enjoy by in-line but they are a pain in deeper water. Just like I back reel in summer and winter on my spinning reels, I don’t tend to rely much on the drag systems on my reels. IF I get into a large fish with my in-line (it would be a LMBass for me) I just use my hands as the drag and that works for me. I do like them for small pan fish and will keep one with me when I go.
Operationally a cheap spinning reel will always be better.
When the fish are biting, no tricks or gimmicks needed.
Even 20# mono will work.
When the fish are selectively targeting certain forage or being tight lipped, getting technique specific details for your tools makes the difference. 1# line, dropped fly on a spoon, 1/64 oz or lighter lure, etc.
My bad. Eagle Claws.
Glad to hear it wasn’t just me having issues with them. I’ll stick with my Siennas and give the barrel swivel a try.
I use both iNlINE and spinning. Found inline to make a huge difference with small light lures, in high fishing pressure areas, and with light lines–the big panfish ignore the spinning lures…And the swivels on spinning reels do not compensate. Example: Same lure and line, same hole…big bluegill on inline attacking a small ratfink on the way down…spinning reel with swivel…nothing. I treat the inline reel like a baitcaster and keep my finger on the reel to adjust the speed of the descent and keep the line from getting off the reel. I use my spinning reels for a little heavier lures that I will jig more aggressively or drop immediately to the bottom to sit for a while before slowly finessing them up. Qhestion: I am told that you can compensate for the spinning lure going down by shaking the lure back and forth as it goes down? Anyone have a technique to lessen the spin?
I have two inlines. One is Clam and the other is a Beam Outdoors that I bought at the Expo in St. Paul about 4 years ago. I get along with the Clam much better and used them both quite a bit. Have them both on ul St. Croix’s.
I view them both as panfish set ups and they don’t usually make it out of the rod bag until walleye season is over or if I’m on a lake that I’m only targeting panfish. The drags as someone mentioned basically on or off. Not much adjustment between free fall and just 100% drag on.
Still like my spinning reels and have been known to use them for pann fish as well. I agree the inlines were a fad that is running it’s course.
I have both and like everyone says, shallow water is best for in-line. I fish in many places that are maxed out at 10′ so the in line works good. I have found it does make a difference in the shallow water bite. I too use a swivel on my spinning reels, but still have better luck with the in line. I have my in line on my lightest action rod and I don’t rely on the drag, but then, I have not caught anything yet on it that I needed the drag. Like others have said, works great with very light jigs. When fishing my shallow spots I can do the two are length pull off as the jig is falling and be in the HOT zone pretty fast that way. I adjust my depth depending what I see on the finder, but have the arm length pull down pretty good.
You can get a really nice spinning reel that is far more useful and practical for the price of a marginally functional inline.
I have a couple of freefalls on sub 20″ panfish setups; I prefer the inline for super short rods where the stripper guide is too close to accommodate the arbor rotation well.
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