I shoot spinners because that is what I am comfortable with.
I also tie to the back so I cant forget to push the button.
Only ever broke one spinner and it was a ti20. The foot broke off of it when a big buffalo pulled on it sideways.

 

i shoot a retreiving spinner.

 

We shoot retrievers with 400ff entirely on the river. Now if i was shooting a numbers tourney, a spinner might be the way to go. Retrievers arent perfect but they dang sure are the best we have for gator gar. In the last FOUR years i have only lost ONE stuck gator gar in my guide service!!! I had a guy tell me a few days ago,"You know you are gonna pull 50% of the big fish off!". We DONT! Let em take the float and go with them. If they go under something, let em pull the float out the other side. 90% of the time a fish wont wrap up in a log jam if ypou let him go througn insteasd of trying to pull him back like you have to do with a spinner.

I am thankful for AMS and the slotted retriever!

 

Retrieve is the way to go. Spinners are nice too just more can break on them

 

Spinner...

 

Retriever, can't ever ge a spinner to work correctly.