new2BC4bass

I suggest giving an Okuma Helios Air a try. Last one cost me about $165 with shipping. My first one impressed me from the very first cast. Might be a bit fast at 7.3:1. Casts like a champ. Fairly light at 5.7 oz. Can't comment on the new Shimanos, but imagine quality is still there. I'm also a fan of the Tatula Type R. Many like Lews, but mine is an older TP so I can't comment on the new models. They get a lot of love here. Lots of excellent choices in your price range.

Yeah. Bought three. One for me, one for daughter, one for ??? Unfortunately I don't fish jigs that much. Another good sounding item sitting around unused. I do think it is great if you are a jig fisherman.

I would go with 10-15# braid for the 25 size. Wrap the arbor with electrician's tape to avoid line slipping. Line capacity isn't enough to warrant using mono for backing. Senkos aren't that light. A baitcast reel would handle them fine, and give you more line options. That could be a good thing, or a bad thing. I like 12# in my area. I use a lot of Siege, but two years ago I picked up a 3000 yd spool of 12# AN40 and have been spooling that on reels going on MH rods. Liking it so far. Handles pretty good on a b/c reel without needing a line conditioner. Fluorocarbon is often recommended for bottom contact. More sensitive. Also more costly and more prone to have memory. Braid will be sensitive as long as there is tension on the line. Picking a line gets tough. Quite a few good lines to chose from, I bought the AN40 based on a friend's recommendation. He has used it a lot and said it was very good. Last year he tried Spiderwire Ultracast Ultimate Mono and says it is the best mono he has ever used. McCoy is also highly recommended. If looking for ultimate abrasion resistance, Platinum and CXX are good choices, but more memory prone. Like I said, line choice is not easy because there are so many good choices and there are trade offs. Saying I get carried away is a bit of an understatement.

You are preaching to the choir. I grew up using spinning gear, but seldom ever leave home with one now. Most people here are baitcast fanatics. BUT not all. Some only like spinning, and that is okay. Spinning reels are used to catch bluegills to blue marlin and bigger. A couple of my brother-in-laws only use spinning. They think spending $70 on a rod or reel is ridiculous. They catch plenty of bass. (They do live in Florida...lucky devils!) My son-in-law and his father use spincast only. I've offered the use of spinning or baitcast gear to my son-in-law, but he likes his spincast reels and won't try any of my gear. On the other hand, once I bought a baitcast rod and reel for my daughter, her spinning rods never leave home....even tho they are her favorite color.....pink. She prefers to fish Senkos. My oldest grandson won't try a baitcast reel...spinning only, while the next grandson prefers baitcast although he will occasionally use spinning. To each his own. I always try to get people to try baitcast reels as I am so fond of them, but ultimately it is up to each individual to decide what they like or don't like. The important thing is to enjoy the sport. Nothing finer than spending the day on the water fishing with family or friends. Like you said, not everyone can afford to spend a lot on a hobby. Some that can won't. I try not to suggest a $200 rod or reel to someone only wanting to spend $100. I will suggest a $110 one, tho. I also strongly feel a person needs to buy what interests them rather than what someone else suggests that they need. Ultimately I think they will be happier with their purchase. I don't agree with your statement that a wider variety of baits can be thrown on a baitcast reel even tho that is my preferred reel. People catch way bigger fish, using way bigger baits, in saltwater fishing with a spinning reel. On the other hand, only a true baitcast fanatic fishes 1/8 oz. and less lures. I think most will agree a spinning reel is much more efficient and commonly used for those weights. I practice at a local boat ramp, and can guarantee that spinning gear outnumbers baitcast gear by a very, very wide margin in my area. Some days I never see anyone going out with a baitcast reel. I visit Florida every year and spend several days fishing, and see the same thing there. Average Joe prefers spinning gear.

OP didn't ask about baitcast rod and reel. He's a newbie with a Zebco. Give him time. It won't be long before he will be asking about baitcast gear if he sticks around here very long. Then we can give him our opinions on b/c combos. My suggestion for a low cost b/c combo is to pick up a used Black Max 1600C (or 1601 if left handed), spool 8# mono or co-polymer (or 15# braid), mount on 7' Medium Lightning and hit the shore swinging. Total should be less than $75 for rod and reel. Add cost of line to that. The 1600 is not the most refined reel (and shouldn't be at its price), but it handles light lures quit well and casts great into strong winds without backlashing if you do your part.

Nope to both questions. However, I think Okuma makes some pretty decent gear for the price. Not being a top name brand (like Daiwa, Shimano, Dobyns, etc.) gets them overlooked quite often. TT did a review of the Helios 7' M casting rod. They gave it a "Great" rating. Been Jonesing for one every since, but want the best possible price. I'm a bit frugal. People that buy one must really like them because I haven't ever seen a used one for sale on the sites I check.

Braid and Fluoro are both too expensive for me to fill a reel with just them. Heck, if putting 8# mono or co-polymer on a reel holding 120 yds. or more of mono, I'll lay down backing with cheap 12# mono I have on hand. I can't see using 300 yds. of any line to fill a reel for bass fishing. Total waste of line. I'll split it among 3 reels. Just spooled 10# Excalibur on a new reel.....after laying down a decent foundation of 12# Cajun. Second reel I've topped off from the same 350 yd. spool of Excalibur. Will get at least one more reel with it. Highly doubt I will ever see the splice knot until ready to refill with new line.

No experience with the Max 3D. I agree. Fishing from shore with trees, bushes, weeds, etc. in the way raises Holy heck with a baitcast rod. I need more casting room than with a spinning rod. Sounds like the shorter rod is the way for you to go.

The Powell is a Heavy Extra-Fast, but its lure rating is the same as many MHF casting rods. Personally I like a bit longer rod as a general rule, but must admit I have a 6'8" I like. That extra 2" over a 6'6" rod is probably mostly in my head. Do I have a complex of some kind? I have the 723 Endurance and 3 Tatula rods although none are the 6'11" model. If you have no rod length preference, then either should work well for you. If you fish from shore a lot, a shorter rod can be a benefit in close quarters. The Tatula should yield longer casts if that is important to you. I like both models and don't ever plan on selling either. I do wish I could still pick up a couple more Endurance models. Personally I think you need both.

The best reel warranty is you taking proper care of them. Just busting your chops. Like Mike said, if there is a manufacturing defect, it should show up within a reasonable amount of time. Up to one day after the warranty runs out. My main concern is being able to get parts for the reel 10 years or so down the road. Personally speaking if a reel lasted me 10 years, then I'd feel I had gotten more than my money's worth and wouldn't mind paying for a repair if I still wanted to keep it. I definitely wouldn't feel it was a company's responsibility to replace a reel that I wore out through years of fishing it.

I don't know which of us you were talking about, but if me, I'd like you to talk to the company owner where I work. He has another name for me. One not quite so charitable.

This may sound like a foolish question, but it isn't. I had a new reel that put zero tension on the spool when I tightened the knob as tight as I could go hand tight. Well...I didn't reef on it, but you get the idea. Backlash every cast which is actually weird now that I think about it. Normally I only set enough tension to remove side-to-side play. You wouldn't think it would make that much difference casting, but it did.

Just don't get the Villain 7' 6" MH unless planning to use 5/8 oz. or above lures. Mine will barely cast a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait a decent fishing distance. Not knocking Villain rods as I really like my ML spinning rod. Both are original models.

If spool tension is too heavy, you have to cast harder. I learned that way. Casting hard while learning is not a good thing. The guy who cleaned and tuned my first few reels said he couldn't cast a 1/4 oz. lure with them the way I had the spool tension set. Backing off and filling the spool to the bevel (as he suggested for better distance) had me basically learning to cast all over again.....because I didn't learn the right way the first time. Normally my reels are now set with just enough tension to remove side-to-side play. I would not suggest learning this way. Takes a lot of thumb practice with most reels as the spool is pretty free spinning. Have enough spool tension to let the lure slowly drop. I'd start with 4 centrifugal brakes on. Use 8-10 on the magnetic dial to start although 5-7 may work fine. I wouldn't know without trying. This set up will cut distance some, but as long as there is nothing wrong with the reel it should allow for very few backlashes and still give decent fishing distance casts. As your thumb gets better, both brakes and spool tension can be backed off. I run my Shimanos with 3 brakes on. I can cast with 2 on, but 3 is pretty much hassle free so that is where they normally stay. My Patriarch XT has one centrifugal brake on and 3 on the magnetic dial. I have to admit that these are lower brake settings than on any of my other dual brake reels. Not all reels of the same model will react the same way. My Zillion 50th Anniversary is a set and forget reel. My Zillion 100SHLA is touchier. Well......not exactly the same model, but have the same braking system. EDIT: Also as Mike (DVT) said, a heavier spool will act different than a lighter spool. What weight lures are you casting? I tried to cast an unweighted 10" ribbontail worm with my Trion as the spool spun very freely when I disengaged the spool. It came spooled with light braid. Was a disaster. Backlash city. Sent it to Mike for cleaning. He suggested heavier line and to use heavier lures with it. I spooled on some 17# mono and mounted it on a 6' 10" HF Tour Edition. Hasn't backlashed once since. It is now a casting machine. Not every baitcast reel is a finesse reel.

This guy is having a problem with his PQ. However, I have to think there is a problem with his particular reel...if it is set up correctly....since the PQ is a top rated reel at the $100 and under price point in every such thread. Whoa! Down boy. Why not? Trying to start a brand war? About half my reels are Daiwas. I have those other brands you mentioned plus a few others. I am happy with all but two of them...of which one happens to be a Daiwa. I'm hoping a thorough cleaning will solve my displeasure with it and the other reel. The occasional bad reel will slip through QC. That is what a warranty is for.

Was this a new model? Both the casting and spinning rods in that length and power in the new Argon line have an Extra Fast tip....far as I could find. Not exactly my first choice for a crankbait rod. Can you give a link to that rod? Thanks buddy.

Hasn't anyone ever told you guys that Daiwa doesn't make a good reel under $250? Few years ago I picked up a Daiwa Procaster 100HN for $30 on closeout from TW. Keep it on a dedicated short range spinnerbait rod. Has been a good reel for me....even if it did only cost $69.95 new. Guess you can't believe everything you read.

Double "Oops". I now see 11 posts under the "1" Blame it on my poor old eyes.

Check out the best baitcast reel for $100 or less threads. The PQ gets mentioned in every thread. Some people that can afford more expensive reels choose to stick with the PQs. I've never used one, but have to assume there is a problem with that particular reel. Consider sending it to Mike at DVT. The dual braking system reels I have can all be set up to where it is almost virtually impossible to backlash them.

Try not to let one bad experience turn you off. Baitcast reels are a blast to use. I know zilch about your reel. My only Okumas are Helios Air reels, and I think they are fantastic. Keep in mind that shipping and repair cost might not be feasible with a reel that costs about $75 new. Depends on how attached you are to it. I'm guessing shipping both ways and labor would be $30 or a bit more plus any necessary parts. You do get a 10% discount for labor from Mike if you mention you are a member of bassresource. If you decide on getting another reel and want to keep price at the $75 mark, I'd first look for used. I've gotten some good deals from the Flea Market. I'm like smaljaw67...I'd rather add another $25 to my budget and get a reel that cost $150 or more new. My last used reel was a Revo Premier. Don't recall offhand, but it was in the $100-$130 neighborhood for a reel in excellent condition. It was a $250 reel new. Can't beat that with a 10 foot stick.

Whoa! Maybe I need another cranking rod.

Thanks. Kind of like I like a MH rod for 1/2 oz. even tho that weight is in the range for some of my Medium rods.

smalljaw67 has an Argon cranking rod. Couldn't tell you which model. He suggested an Argon when I asked him about a reasonably priced cranking rod to leave in Florida for visits. Dan has always steered me straight. Very knowledgeable guy. Imagine he will be along sometime today to give you some feedback. EDIT: Oops. Just noticed it is your first post. Welcome to the forum.

The Diablo Spec-R is 3/8 - 1 oz. Are you saying it won't handle that rating? Like to know as I just got one myself...as a gift from a fantastic fellow member.

Spinning or baitcast reel? Actually I use the same pound test line on both for that technique....8# mono or co-polymer. I tend to use a softer line on spinning reels to keep memory down. If using a baitcast reel, and you want maximum abrasion resistance, then a couple more lines to look at are Izorline Platinum and P-Line CXX. I've never used Iron Silk, but I will take Fishes in trees word. Also have to agree that any non-braid line cast better after making a few casts to get it good and wet. I often hold the rod tip in the water for the first few retrieves.