The spincasting reel (closed-face spinning) was invented in an attempt to combine the best features of spinning and baitcasting reels in a single reel, hence the name "spin-casting." What they wound up with is a reel that combines the *worst* performance features of both types.

       The spincaster casts easily and can cast very light lures. But, because of the nose-cover, it has more line friction and this makes the casting distance less than that of spinning reels. Also, you can use the button to control the length of your cast, but it is much less sensitive than actually touching the line with your thumb/finger like you can with the other types of reels.

       The spincaster sits on top of the rod and can be cranked like a baitcaster, but it can't handle heavy line any better than a spinning reel, so you don't have the advantage of hauling fish out of cover like you do with a baitcaster.

       But, the spincasting reel is *still* the most popular reel type among fishing "duffers" because it has one really great feature. It is by far the *easiest* type of reel to learn to use. They are also the cheapest type of reel, which is good for the angler who only uses a reel once or twice a year and *never* keeps a reel long enough to re-spool the line.