Spinning or casting?

Hey all,
I'm in the flour bluff area, planning to fish mostly oso bay, wading. I am determined to learn to use a bait caster, but I'm not sure if the wind and casting distance will be a problem. I like topwater spooks, spoons, spinnerbaits and the occasional soft plastic. What should I get?

I use spinning rods with braid for plastics.
Casting rod with mono for top water and spoons. Works for me and too set to change.

casting rod is beautiful, spinning rod is easy.

Pat, may i ask if you use the weedless or treble hook spoon and in gold or silver. Do you make sure it has the pink tab? Please and thanks.

I switched to BC reels after I left N.C. When I was there in the 70's and 80's I rarely saw anyone using BC reels of any size...Offshore was the exception!! I lived in Jacksonville fished only saltwater. I took a notion to try a few BC reels when I moved back here and got really attached to them.

I could never attain the accuracy for pinpoint casting with spinning gear that was attainable with baitcasting gear. But, tossing weighted popping corks with bait or jig heads or rigs with slip weights a mile in the wind is easier with spinning gear. I never liked the balance or feel of spinning tackle so I went with low profile baitcasting reels no matter what the situation. But I almost never liked fishing popping corks so I don't think I suffered from using baitcasters.

I've never seen anyone tossing spinning gear be as accurate as someone good with a baitcaster. I'm not saying it's impossible to be pinpoint accurate with a spinning set up, I just haven't seen it. If I'm sight casting or trying to hit a spot around structure like oyster reef, I'm choosing a bait caster or a fly rod for the potential for hitting the spot. A spinning reel set up would be a distant third. But really light weight stuff works better with spinning tackle or a fly rod than a bait caster. And stuff with a weight below and above, like a weighted cork, works better with a spinning set up.

You could actually carry both likes lots of folks. Get good with the baitcaster for the nail your spots work and then reserve the spinning gear for when it is at its potential best.

Let's dig out some secrets....
Mostly throw a 1/4 oz gold spoon, take the treble off, replace with a single and add a red bucktail. Sometimes two tails, which I'll use in ultra shallow water to keep the spoon above grass and gunk. Much better hookup ratio than the weedless.

I like karstopo's idea about carrying both; I can think of a few circumstances where one or the other is really required. But, for what is being described in the original question, this would seem more spinning gear oriented, certainly if any wind is expected.

Since most anglers here appreciate an "artist' at work, know one when they see one, here is a Daiwa clip (in Japanese) of a guy using spinning tackle and casting with great accuracy. There are some guys with casting gear who are equally impressive.

Brad

Pinpoint spinning reel accuracy

Either are as accurate as the other. It ain't the arrow it's the Indian.

I recently switched to baitcasting and won't go back.

I think those very light spinning set ups like in the video are the sweet spot for spinning gear, They are a lot of fun on small water and you just can't do that with any baitcasting set up using very light tackle. The bigger spinning reels sit so far off the rod they feel unbalanced to me. I feel much more in control working a topwater, suspending plug or jig head plastic using a low profile baitcasting reel.

When I want to go light tackle, finesse type offerings in the inshore salt water, I'm choosing a fly rod over spinning gear. A fly rod does better on accuracy and distance with unweighted or lightly weighted patterns than light spinning tackle and has the uumph to handle bigger reds and other fish that one might come across. For the last 2-3 years, I'm using the fly rod 95% of the time in inshore bay and marsh fishing.

It may be the Indian and not the arrow, but there has never been a uniform bow and arrow across cultures. Some bows like the Mongolian bows excelled in mounted work. The English had their powerful long bows for armor piercing work. I guess everyone has to work out what works best for them and the style of fishing they like. All we can do is offer up our experiences using various methods. Spinning tackle seems to rule in most of the country, but baitcasting set ups are making inroads in nearshore salt water outside of Texas. Fly rod tackle is on the rise in the salt as well. Spinning tackle is pretty beginner friendly. Baitcasting takes a little more work to get fairly proficient with it. Casting and line management with a fly rod requires even more time to get it down.

Some prefer one, some the other. Either one will get the job done. I have always felt that I have a lot more control of the presentation and of the fight with a revolving spool reel, and I much prefer to use it over a spinning reel. As David said, the spinning gear will excel in the lighter presentations. I fly fish 99.9% of the time, but I have been known to break out the old levelwind when faced with several days of high winds. I actually used levelwinds for years before I ever saw my first spinning reel.