When it comes to fishing in North Carolina, an angler has a wide range of choices. Take your pick of mountain streams, lakes, rivers, inshore coastal waters, and the deep sea. The same type of fishing is also an option in Georgia and South Carolina. Depending on the type of fish you are chasing or the body of water, the kind of reel can vary greatly. In North Carolina, what are the five most frequently used types of fishing reels. 

Why do you need different types of fishing reels

The type of reel varies based on how a bait or lure is presented to a fish, the size of the fish, and the fishing style you are engaging in. North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina have a significant amount of species to target. Whether you are fishing for catfish in North Carolina or trout, the equipment may vary. Hence, you may need to utilize more than one type of reel, depending on what you are chasing. 

Fly reel

The fly reel dates back to one of the original reels used by fishermen. This type of reel can be used for both freshwater or saltwater fishing. 

Whether you’re in search of mountain stream trout or well offshore of the coast casting for sailfish, the fly reel comes in many sizes to suit your needs. A fly fishing rod and reel combination is so versatile it can be used in nearly any body of water. 

Spinning reel

Crafted from the fly reel is a spinner. The spinning reel is equally functional, but the method of casting is different. 

A spinner is ideal for casting topwater lures, dropping bait to the bottom, or casting precisely when sight fishing. 

The spinning reel comes in all sizes, from ultralights to heavy with large spools to hold more line. Bring along a lightweight spin fishing reel to catch bait or panfish or head out onto the ocean with a bigger version to target snapper or dolphin fish.  

Deep drop reel

The deep drop reel is unique. Deep dropping is fishing the seafloor in extremely deep waters. A reel designed for deep dropping is electric and plugs into the onboard battery system. Because of the depths, hand cranking is often not an option.

Many delicious tasting fish come from the depths. These include tilefish, snowy grouper, wreckfish, and more. Beyond the reel, a multi-hook rig is connected to a heavyweight with a flashing light and sent to the bottom. Bites are pretty quickly seen despite the depths. 

Baitcasting reel

A baitcasting reel is a favorite of bass fishermen on lakes. It is precisely the opposite of a spinning reel.  Baitcasters have the spool enclosed in a housing rather than beneath the handle. 

To cast a baitcasting fishing reel, press the trigger to release the line, whereas the bale must be flipped on a spinner. When the reel is attached to the rod, the guides are on the top rather than the bottom.

Using a baitcasting setup requires practice, but then it is mastered allows for better accuracy. The thumb must be placed on the spool as its being deployed to avoid backlash. 

Trolling reel

The trolling reel is similar to a baitcaster with the exception that you don’t cast it. Trolling reels have the spools opened to deploy the line behind the boat when dragging baits in the ocean. 

Depending on the fish species, the trolling reel can vary in size to battle and land both small fish like schooling-sized mahi-mahi or scaling up to land a trophy blue marlin. Sometimes you can’t always plan to have the proper sized gear, and the unexpected monster takes the bait. 

Some of the fish species caught trolling are tuna, wahoo, sailfish, dolphin fish, and more. 

It is time to decide what reel you need to go fishing 

The decision on which reel to bring when you’re fishing is pretty straightforward. Lake fishing most often utilizes spinners and baitcasting reels. Offshore trolling requires trolling reels. The fly reel is versatile enough for a stream, saltwater, and lake fishing. Inshore or offshore fishing is also well suited for spinning reels. Lastly, if you’re going deep offshore, the deep drop reel will do the trick. You may want to narrow it down to a few types of fishing to limit cost. Fishing equipment is costly.Â