Baitrunner reels ?

[Down-the-drain]

Hi , I'm in the market for a couple of new reels and have noticed alot of them have the label "baitrunner" what exactly does this mean ? I've been out of the sport for about 3 years so please forgive my ignorance !

I assume its something to do with letting a fish take the bait a bit before striking ?

Would a baitrunner reel be suited to big barbel and chub fishing , are they difficult to use and can I not use that feature if I decide I dont like it ?

Cheers in advance.

[blackwater]

The baitrunner is a function which enables line to freely spool of the reel when a fish decides to run with your bait.

The reel isnt as suited to chub and barbel fishing but is more suited to pike or carp fishing where the rods will be placed on to a rod pod.

It is usually applied with a switch at the rear of the reel and how freely the line is released is adjustable but a nob like the clutch of the reel. Once you turn your reel handle the switch flicks back and normal reel functions are available.

They are very easy to use and when not in use they dont play apart in the functions of the reel.

Hope this helps but i'm sure someone else will have more info,

BW

[Tim180]

They are excellent reels and I wouldnt use any other for catching bigger fish.If you are contemplating these then I would suggest you look at Shimanos range.They are excellent.As well as using them for carp,I also use them on the river for chub and Barbel.

[craigy boy]

the good thing about a baitrunner type reel is you have that function available if you decide to use it or not i use them for all my fishing, you

[fullcreel]

When the technology came out, they were very expensive, but as always you pay for what you get. I have some 20quid makes from Okuma, and they work fine, but don't have the amount of bearings that other more expensive mdels.
I do like to use them in every possible situation. Basicaly, you might be fishing for small fish and a big old beastie take and charges off, sods law dictates that you back is turned or your are pouring a cuppa, with the baitrunner function in use, its less likely that your rod will get pulled in.

[carp-catcha]

Shimano reels are some of the best baitrunners around, but they can be on the expensive side along with Daiwa. However there are some good reels from Okuma, and TFG which are much cheaper and great value, you can even get baitrunner reels for under a tenner nowadays, but always do a bit of research and check reviews because there are many rubbish ones!

[NICK R]

Originally Posted by fullcreel

When the technology came out, they were very expensive, but as always you pay for what you get. I have some 20quid makes from Okuma, and they work fine, but don't have the amount of bearings that other more expensive mdels.
I do like to use them in every possible situation. Basicaly, you might be fishing for small fish and a big old beastie take and charges off, sods law dictates that you back is turned or your are pouring a cuppa, with the baitrunner function in use, its less likely that your rod will get pulled in.

Not really that exspensive mate

i have a set of 3 of the first baitrunners wich were £49.00 each
hated them . crap line lay



tackle on a whole has not increased that much
eg my first fox bed chair was £100 (kevin maddocks /fox ) now you can get them for 45£


Bait runners are for people who can not back wind lol

i prefer to play off the clutch /backwind



The "Baitrunner" is a shimano reel. However, there are MANY companies that produce baitrunner-type reels....Daiwa, Tica, Okuma, etc.)

Baitrunner reels feature a secondary drag function. This is to have a have a controlled "free-spool" so that when fishing you can allow a fish to take the bait, travel with it to allow it to be hooked then get a good hook set. The reason they are desirable/useful is because they offer the ability of little or no tension without opening the bail arm or changing your main drag setting.

The lever near the rear of your reel is what controls the baitrunner feature. If you leave it off, then the drag on the front of the spool is what is engaged. When you flip the lever, the spool disengages from the front drag, releasing tension, and the drag function switches to the drag controlled by the knob at the rear of the reel. The rear drag will only be able to put a small amount of pressure on the spool, about 1-2.5lbs of drag.

The idea is that once a fish has taken the bait and run with it, you can either make a turn of the handle or flip the switch and engage the main drag allowing you to fight the fish normally.

I hope this explains it for you.