Pro Qualifier V Revo Winch

[Bluebasser86]

I know there is a big difference in price here but let me set up my situation here. Trying to learn deep diving crankbaits more than I already know currently. Finally got a dedicated deep cranking rod "7' 8" St. Croix Mojo Big Crankster" and now I need a reel. I was originally thinking the PQ on a BPS cranking stick but the Mojo was literally given to me so I have a little extra money to play with. If I got the Revo it would be the older model, not this years. But, to throw another twist into this my wife works at BPS so I can get the PQ for 40% off and spend the extra on some deep cranks to fish on my new combo. Everything I hear about the Revo has been good and almost the same for the PQ. I'm not fishing lakes that have a great deep cranking bite so this isn't going to be something I'm using constantly but I'm thinking maybe if I had something that fished them better I'd be willing to give them more of a try and learn them better.

So what would everyone do in my situation?

[LgMouthGambler]

I would go for the PQ with that amazing deal. The Winch is more of a fast retrieve for maybe pitching or flipping to tear fish out of heavy cover to me anyway. PQ is a good real, I used to own one. Take the extra $ for some baits and stuff.

[Diggy]

PQ because its new, discounted and you can choose either 4 or 5 ratio for cranking. The winch comes in a 5 ratio also, has more drag power, stronger internals and a bigger handle, but its going to cost you way more and its not a primary use reel for you that justifies the difference IMO.

2 PQ in your situation = 1 winch if not discounted 40%.

You still can get 2PQ for 1 winch if at the clearance of 159.99 price

No brainer to me, lots of money left over to spend if you choose on cranks, line, etc if you choose after buying 1PQ.

I have one PQ that I bought a few months back and I love it, I got it on sale but not 40%. Id probably have bought 4 if so when I had the cash. I wanted a cranking one also but they had none in stock when I bought the 7 ratio. Ill end up buying the 5.2:1 when on sale again and I have the money to spend. I have a gen 2 revo sx and I prefer the PQ more honestly.

[clayton86]

I'm a Revo guy so id go with the Winch but if you don't crank a lot id go with the PQ its a killer deal and if you end up cranking more and the PQ takes a dump your not out a ton of money and you know what your looking for in a cranking reel by then so you can upgrade reels at a later date if need be.

[K_Mac]

At 40% off the PQ is a great deal. I don't currently have a low speed one in my line-up. If you don't like it let me know, and I will give you what you paid for it. That would give me an excuse to work more on deep cranking!

[iabass8]

The Winch is more of a fast retrieve for maybe pitching or flipping to tear fish out of heavy cover

The revo is actually a very slow retrieve reel at around 20-21 IPT. It is very powerful though.

I borrowed a revo winch from a tournament partner for a trip to northern WI. The reel does perform flawlessly and makes deep cranking very effortless. If i had the need to deep crank as one of my primary techniques (it is fun) i would get one (being mostly a shimano guy). However on the miss in pools 9-13 theres very little need for it so its something i do only a few times a year.

if deep cranking is something you will probably due for extended periods of time over the years, the revo would be a superior choice. If its something you don't do often though, theres no need to stretch the budget when a PQ will serve you fine. You canalways invest in one later and sell the PQ.

[zell_pop1]

I have the PQ in a 5.2 to 1, bought it for $80, good reel for the money but the way people on this board were talking I expected better, and I wish I had just spent the extra money and bought an E5 Curado.

[jj'sbassinforfun]

Dedicated deep crank would steer me toward the Winch. Don't get me wrong, I love my PQ's. But chucking DT 20, DD22's or 6XD's all day long? Much less stress on me with the winch IMHO.

[Bluebasser86]

Dedicated deep crank would steer me toward the Winch. Don't get me wrong, I love my PQ's. But chucking DT 20, DD22's or 6XD's all day long? Much less stress on me with the winch IMHO.

I guess I should have mentioned that about the deepest bait I fish regularly is 5XD or the second biggest Fat Free Shad. I'll probably try to fish the DD22's and 6XD's I have a little more now that I'll have a setup just for it. I've heard the Revo has so much power that cranking a big bait isn't much harder than fishing a mid depth bait on normal gear. I already have a St.Croix Pro Glass cranking rod with a Curado E5 for my shallower stuff but it's a workout fishing deeper baits with it. I've been using a 7' M/F Premier with a Curado 200 BSF. It works alright but I just can't feel my bait as well as I'd like to and it's really not much less work fishing them on that.

[shootermcbob]

Have had both. I don't do any really deep cranking, my home lake is maybe 15 feet deep...at least where I can reach.

I have owned both reels. While the PQ is a nice reel, and a great value....The Winch is two steps above in my opinion. With the same rod, I was able to cast the Winch probably 8-10 yards farther than the PQ.

This is both reels out of the box...no cleaning, no tuning.

The Winch is MUCH smoother on the retrieve. Retrieves strike king series 5 crankbaits and rapala DT 14-16 effortlessly. The Winch also has a longer "power" handle to help with this.

I like my pro qualifiers, and still use a few of them, but, IMO, they are not in the same class as the Winch.

The question of value and how much deep cranking is one you have to answer for yourself. The PQ will certainly get the job done, but the Winch is a better tool...at least in my opinion.

Also, if you do decide to go with the PQ, you could send the reel to Mike at DVT and have it serviced. That alone will gain you back most of the differential on the casting distance.

[iceintheveins]

The Revo is a little bit better, but the PQ is really about the best baitcaster out there for the money. I would go with it and use the extra mula for some lures.

[Bluebasser86]

Well I had made up my mind to get the Revo but when I got to BPS they were all sold out and didn't know if they were going to get any of the older models back in or not so I ended up getting a 5.2 Pro Qualifier. That along with a spool of 12lb C-21 and a pop put me at $74 out the door so hopefully it will work out for me. Thanks fellas!

[shootermcbob]

Well I had made up my mind to get the Revo but when I got to BPS they were all sold out and didn't know if they were going to get any of the older models back in or not so I ended up getting a 5.2 Pro Qualifier. That along with a spool of 12lb C-21 and a pop put me at $74 out the door so hopefully it will work out for me. Thanks fellas!

I have that same PQ in same gear ratio...very good deal on that reel. May I suggest again sending to Mike at DVT and having him clean it...it will improve your casting distance 8-10 yards. Great choice and for that price, you can buy three PQ's for the price of one Winch.

How bout posting a report for us after you have had a chance to use it for awhile???

[Capt.Bob]

Hope it does, as I also think the Revo would have been the better reel for deep crankin only. But you got a stellar deal, and if you want to get your money back that will be no problem, you can probably get enough to pay for the line and another pop, can't beat it at that price! HAPPY CRANKIN!

[Bluebasser86]

Well I stopped by a local lake on my way to work today around 3, had about 20 minutes to make a couple casts to see how I liked the combo. I was on the bank so instead of a deep diver I fished a big squarebill along the dam riprap, a SK 4S in rootbeer color to be exact. The long handle threw me off on my first couple casts, kept hitting myself in the stomach when I switched hands after the casts. Once I remembered to pass the rod out further it casts very well and handled what I consider to be a big bodied crankbait with ease. Rod was very sensitive, could really feel my bait hitting rocks and climbing over logs. Wasn't hoping for much because of the extreme heat and drought we've been having on top of this lake always being tough but as my bait popped off of a big rock it got crushed by a 16 incher. Rod handled it easily and I really liked how solid the hookup felt. Dang thing was pretty skinny and had more holes in it's face than a goth highschooler but I was happy to catch it

[shootermcbob]

That's great! Congratulations. Always fun catching one on your new setup.

[ChiCityBasser]

I just purchased a PQ 5.2:1 off ebay for $50 and got to use it this weekend for a tourney and fishing deep cranks 5xd and other 14'-18' cranks and the reel worked very well.

[rockchalk06]

I have the Pro Qualifer in 4.7 and love it. I'm wishing I would have got it in 7.1:1 though. I love crank baits but around here the water is so shallow throwing them sucks. I love this reel. Its my favorite of the family but I never get to use it enough. I'm watching the classifieds though. The next PQ in 7.1:1 comes to me!