What combo has a more forgiving drag, smooth fight?

[Everydog]

For LMB fishing, I'm using straight braid a lot more and can't see my line choice evolution turning back.

For the concerns about riping hooks/ baits away from fish, which combo, spinning or baitcasting would be considered to compensate more for this worry?

I am more accurate with a bait caster, so sometimes that takes precedence, but it seems maybe spinning combos play "softer" with braid.
Baitcaster is always a thing for jigs, heavy single hooks Not throwing the rat on a spinning rod. So, stuff like that applies as does a leader around rocks or in super clear drop-shot fishing-type scenarios. But I am getting pretty comfortable with braid and even braid-to-braid leader setups.

[Tailingloop]

For LMB fishing, I'm using straight braid a lot more and can't see my line choice evolution turning back.

For the concerns about riping hooks/ baits away from fish, which combo, spinning or baitcasting would be considered to compensate more for this worry?

I am more accurate with a bait caster, so sometimes that takes precedence, but it seems maybe spinning combos play "softer" with braid.
Baitcaster is always a thing for jigs, heavy single hooks Not throwing the rat on a spinning rod. So, stuff like that applies as does a leader around rocks or in super clear drop-shot fishing-type scenarios. But I am getting pretty comfortable with braid and even braid-to-braid leader setups.

Rather than looking for different rod/reel combos consider experimenting with using different rod angles for different situations. This is something I learned from fly fishing where you use a different hook set for tiny dry flies and trout (just the rod tip) compared to something like striped bass, or tarpon, or tuna, etc. where you need to strike with the rod butt.

After setting the hook, the same goes for fighting the fish - applying tip, mid-section, or butt section during the fight or at different phases of the fight.

When I started using braid on my spinning and bait casting gear I changed the way I employed the rod to compensate for the lower stretch in the line compared to nylon copolymer or fluorocarbon monofilament lines.

It can be a real eye opener to see how much pressure you put on a fish by using different rod angles. A rod is a flexible form of a class 3 lever and the anglers is at the disadvantaged end. Anglers are generally putting less pressure on fish than they think. Also, if you are fishing for species where you need to be concerned with pulling hooks out with braid, changing how you set and fight the fish can make a difference. I find that with braid do better on hook sets and with soft mouthed fish if I use the tip section of the rod for the hook set to compensate for the lack of stretch. It is kind of different at first and took a bit of time to adjust, but I never needed to purchase new rods (doesn't mean I didn't buy new gear anyway )

Rod angle and how the rod is bent can change the pressure put on the fish which also affects how the reel drag comes into play. It doesn't change how much pressure at the reel cause the spool to start moving, just different rod angles and bends change the force being applied to the reel as well as the fish.

A good way to get a feel for this is to get (buy or borrow) a high quality spring scale and secure it to something solid. I use one of the safety chain holes on the trailer hitch system of my truck. Tied the line or line and leader to the scale. Stand back at different distances and pull at different angles and also change the way you are pulling so that you are changing how the rod bends (mostly tip, more mid section, mostly lower section with tip and mid flatter, etc). Have a friend read off what the scale is showing. Repeat at different distances away. You may learn quite a bit on how your rod, and how you manipulate it affects what is happening at the fish.

Regarding reel drags, with the best drag the spool will start moving as soon as the force on the line equals the resistance dialed by the drag setting. This is rarely the case though as the initial force required needs to overcome the resistance to moving, which is generally a bit higher than the force required once the spool gets moving. In the fly fishing world this startup resistance is usually referred to as "startup inertia". What its called doesn't really matter. What is important is that with a good drag the startup and transition to running will be smooth without jerkiness. Jerkiness or stuttering drag is the result of poor design, poor maintenance, or degradation of materials. Fortunately most drags from major manufacturers with a long history are pretty good these days.

After I started using braid on my spinning and baitcasting reels I found that most of the problems I had were due to an occasional poor knot rather than a rod and reel combination. Knots break when the slip. Braid doesn't stretch much where nylon and fluorocarbon provided more cushion for knots under pressure, and especially for the sudden jerk of a hook set or fish head shake. So a became a bit more attentive to my knots.

All this to suggest that maybe you can accomplish what you want buy adjusting how you use your current stuff.

Buying new gear helps the fishing economy though.

[Everydog]

Good thoughts, thank you!

"All this to suggest that maybe you can accomplish what you want by adjusting how you use your current stuff"
Yeah, not into buying new gear too often anymore. I pretty much have enough conventional, spinning, and baitcasting, For Largemouth, I generally don't mind not getting them to hand...but don't like to play the worst odds either.

Good food for thought on playing fish.

[Gotfish?]

When I have had a jerky drag on saltwater reels, it is generally fixed by removing the drag washers, cleaning them, lubricating with drag grease and reassembling. Replacing the washers doesn't seem necessary. And the drag will be better behaved if you store the reel with the drag tension backed off.

While the drag can be set higher than usual without breakoff on tests at home, on the water the line will get abraded and the knot can fatigue so you don't want to set the drag anywhere close to breakoff.

Make sure the rod tip has a ceramic ring insert, seems to be less friction than stainless steel. Ceramic on the other guides will help too.

I like to set the drag a bit on the light side and use thumb pressure or pressure on the line when lifting the rod to prevent the drag from slipping if the fish is not running.

[camobass]

Thumb “technique” at your own risk. I’ve witnessed many many MANY fish lost with people thumbing the spool when a fish is trying to run.

[OOlicon]

Thumb “technique” at your own risk. I’ve witnessed many many MANY fish lost with people thumbing the spool when a fish is trying to run.

But the OP is aiming for LMB, no need to be gentle, just grind them in.

With braid, use a thicker hook and break their necks with fast reeling.

They are a hard mouthed species, so no need to play them.

Conventional wisdom does not apply, as spinning reels are fine for frogs/rats, as you're not getting hit on the drop.

Usually a caster is better for lower startup inertia, so casters are probably what you want for your finesse, but if you're trying to play a fish on ultralight braided setups, you should consider using your arms to absorb the hard impacts of a fighting fish (instead of the drag), but LMB don't really do that now.

[camobass]

There are some drag peeling LMB out there that will smoke you on a 300/400. Some are straight agro

I’ve witnessed thumbed LMB break off including my own in my adolescent days…

Back to straight braid, you’re right but there is still risk in straightening hooks. Definitely gotta use superline hooks.

Back in the day, I was on a straight braid kick but most of the time with a tony peña to a fluoro short leader. If I was frogging or flipping deep tulles, I’d go straight. Now days, I fish mostly mono. Heart breaks do happen with braid. And if you fish in the night, ninja etc, if you swing on a tip wrap, your night can be over

[Gotfish?]

Of course you are going to break off fish if you panic and thumb the reel when the fish is trying to run, especially if very close to the boat. Funny how some people will panic when a fish takes a few yards of line out when their reel holds over 100 yards of line, with saltwater, often over 300 yards.

[OOlicon]

Once I learned not to cheap out on line, and how to tie good knots, the thought of a LMB breakoff disappeared.

[Everydog]

Thanks. Actually, my original post was a bit low on details. Good variety of comments.

As someone pointed out it was for LMB fishing.
Not worrying about braid on single hooks like jig heads and stuff.
Fishing jerk baits and topwater with braid. Just the lighter versions on spinning and the choice is actually made for the distance I can get when that's important.

I throw weightless senkos and Ikas/ grubs/ creatures on braid if the fish are taking the bait in the fall I am nearly 100% sure they are never line shy when they grab a bait that is moving and the line doesn't physically strike them first. Pretty sure they don't care about braided lines most of the time they are chasing at all. I have been using it a lot including braid-to-braid. It's so thin it's nothing to fish say 10- 20 pounds on top of any partially full small reel, or 30 to 40 on top of a larger reel that maybe has 65 underneath for a different purpose.
I feel like I am ready to fish more water with fewer rods and not use leaders except for abrasion. Suits my laziness. Plus I am sort of where I don't care if I land a bass. Nice to know I made it bite. Some people fish like that I guess. Lures with no real hooking mechanism.

In the end, the combo thing spinning or baitcasting probably is less significant in the fighting/losing fish equation than I was wondering it might be.
My terror with spinning gear for large fish is that the line will get tangled in the bail somehow. Lots of people fish them all the time for ferocious fish so that may be like childhood trauma reflex or something! In California, we just pretty much didn't use spinning gear for saltwater gamefish like they do in Florida or other places.

Thanks for the responses.

[camobass]

Bill Murphy only fished spinning rods

[camobass]

Once I learned not to cheap out on line, and how to tie good knots, the thought of a LMB breakoff disappeared.

You must be fishing mud bottom lakes with zero structure. (Joking of course)
Some lakes around here don’t care how expensive your line is or how well you tie knots.
RIP Loveland

[Everydog]

Once I learned not to cheap out on line, and how to tie good knots, the thought of a LMB breakoff disappeared.

You must be fishing mud bottom lakes with zero structure. (Joking of course)
Some lakes around here don’t care how expensive your line is or how well you tie knots.
RIP Loveland

Bass up to a pound at Loveland now, which is almost as big as everywhere else. Today the NEW Descanso Ranger said he's willing to write a letter of support for fish restocking to DFW and that he has ideas to present for increasing access and getting the lake open later. He's avoiding me so that's secondhand. Let's see how far this guy can get because his boss is still claiming there is no expectation of water in the fishing program.

[Gotfish?]

Thanks. Actually, my original post was a bit low on details. Good variety of comments.

As someone pointed out it was for LMB fishing.
Not worrying about braid on single hooks like jig heads and stuff.
Fishing jerk baits and topwater with braid. Just the lighter versions on spinning and the choice is actually made for the distance I can get when that's important.

I throw weightless senkos and Ikas/ grubs/ creatures on braid if the fish are taking the bait in the fall I am nearly 100% sure they are never line shy when they grab a bait that is moving and the line doesn't physically strike them first. Pretty sure they don't care about braided lines most of the time they are chasing at all. I have been using it a lot including braid-to-braid. It's so thin it's nothing to fish say 10- 20 pounds on top of any partially full small reel, or 30 to 40 on top of a larger reel that maybe has 65 underneath for a different purpose.
I feel like I am ready to fish more water with fewer rods and not use leaders except for abrasion. Suits my laziness. Plus I am sort of where I don't care if I land a bass. Nice to know I made it bite. Some people fish like that I guess. Lures with no real hooking mechanism.

In the end, the combo thing spinning or baitcasting probably is less significant in the fighting/losing fish equation than I was wondering it might be.
My terror with spinning gear for large fish is that the line will get tangled in the bail somehow. Lots of people fish them all the time for ferocious fish so that may be like childhood trauma reflex or something! In California, we just pretty much didn't use spinning gear for saltwater gamefish like they do in Florida or other places.

Thanks for the responses.

You should not have problems with the line getting messed up in the bail if you close the bail manually instead of by turning the reel handle. Trying to close the bail by cranking the reel handle when a fish is taking line out doesn't work very well, at least on the spinning reels I have used. Plus, it puts more wear and tear on the bail spring. You have to hold the bail down long enough for the line to get in the reel line roller otherwise the bail will pop back open.

Spinning has not been preferred for saltwater historically due to line twist when the drag is being pulled out and the drags are usually not as smooth although that has improved. With braided lines line twist is more forgiving. Other places in the country are less opposed to spinning for saltwater than San Diego.

I tend to agree that bass are not very line shy with moving baits. A good example of this is the Tokyo and Alabama rigs where the lures are attached to solid thick wire. Maybe with a drop shot line visibility is important.

[OOlicon]

Once I learned not to cheap out on line, and how to tie good knots, the thought of a LMB breakoff disappeared.

You must be fishing mud bottom lakes with zero structure. (Joking of course)
Some lakes around here don’t care how expensive your line is or how well you tie knots.
RIP Loveland

That's all there is in Alabama, which is why the bass usually jump, there's no way for them to get loose otherwise.

A 7 plus pounder pulls a tiny bit of drag when I have it at a very loose setting, but if I button it down, they don't stand a chance. Even in the mud puddle that once was Loveland.

For the OP, I hope you give spinning a try, even a mid level reel is quality nowadays and can handle the braid. I have a friend who fishes spinning for most everything, and he could outfish me on everything but vertical fishing where they hit on the drop.