Honest Opinions Please

[SlapShot268]

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[LgMouthGambler]

Its OK, but its a budget combo that wont last long.

[BobP]

Reels run from $40-400 and most experienced anglers looking for durability and performance look in the $100+ price range. The reel you cite has a graphite frame, which is more prone to torque distortion than an aluminum frame reel. They just aren't as durable and don't perform as well. My first baitcaster was similar. I wish I had just bitten the bullet and paid a few more bucks to get something better because it would have saved me a thousand backlashes.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

If you can swing a little bigger budget the investment will payoff. I recommend sticking with the PQ if you're going for a BPS reel. They go on sale regulary and matched with a decent rod you'll be set for a long time. Second hand quality tackle is a good way to go as well.

Cheaper graphite flexes under strain which can put gears out of alignment. The flex doesn't allow for as tight of tolerances resulting in an overall less refined feel.

[rockchalk06]

I have that combo in the 7' MH. I acutally love it honestly.

The drag is vey soild on the reel. The drag star clicks with each movement. Reel feels very soild and I havent noticed any of the flex people talk about when setting the hook. Retreival is very smooth too. I have the Pro Qualifier and its just as smooth. Its one of the easiest reels that I have ever set up honestly. I am running 15 pound fluoro with a mono backing and casting is no problem. I've had mine for about 6 months now. Biggest fish was a 3.5 pound hybrid bass that I had to crank out of the weeds.

I broke my T-rig set up last week so I have started using this for soft plastics. 4" tubes and 7.5" weightless worms I had to trouble throwing them either.

The rod is a good rod. Not a high dollar ro by any means, but stout. Mine has just enough bounce in the tip to thow 5" wacky rigged Senkos with ease. The rod does not have a hook keeper on it which kinda sucks. I like the split grip too. I dont care weather I have foam or cork so the foam grip is cool with me.

For 60 buck I'd grab ahold and not look back. This combo was originally 139 bucks from Bass Pro last year.

[MT2]

Do you have a BPS, Cabelas, Gander, or Dicks nearby? Id suggest if your just looking at a combo in that price range put it in your hands first. My local Wal Mart stepped up there combos this year, Black and Pro Max Abu's, Lew's which Ive been told is now headed up by the person that use to run the research and design for BPS, Pinnacle and others.

I dont see a thing wrong with buying a using a budget combo. And it sounds like you might not fish as much as some of the guys that use higher end stuff. Will these reels have issues if used day in day out.....most likely. But if you just fish here and there and keep it maintaced it should last a long time. My Dad still using a Zebco Bill Dance baitcast combo, a whooping 3 ball bearings. However, he only gets on the water a handfull of times a year and some years not even that. The amount you fish should play just as much as a factor as price or anything else.

[rockchalk06]

Hey MT2. I do have a shop about 10 minutes from me. However they are out of stock with this but the guy did show me a close clone of the reel. I fish 3 or 4 times a week in the evening with my daughter. She loves to go and she got me back into it bless her soul, I did miss it. We do not kill the fish but we do catch a few. Rockchalk06, I was hoping to hear someone with actual experience with it. I am going to order it. Compared to my old rig that I am using right now and the rig that I destroyed this year already, (Shakespear Alpha Combo baitcaster, ha ha) this is a step up for me. Thanks all.

No problem. My local Bass Pro has one left. They sold out pretty quick. They made a color change on the reels and discontinued the rods is what I was told. I wish they had it in 7' medium and I would have bought 3. I bought those black and gold reel grips to match and it looks sharp!

[rockchalk06]

Received and used it for first time. Not a bad setup. I give it a 4 out 5 Star.

Reel: Took me a while to figure out how to take the cover off but finally got to the brake system so I could set it. There are 2 types of centrifugal brakes along with the magnetic brakes. Make sure you check the white brakes. The red ones do not touch. There are 4 white brakes that are either off or on. I am glad I looked because it had 3 on and 1 off causing it to be off balanced. With a 4 brake either 2 on opposite sides or 4 should be on. I turned off the extra third and left the 2 on. I oiled the bearings with pure silicon oil and it is as smooth as butter. Took it out casting and performs perfect. Leaving the magnet brake on 0. Using Power Pro Braid 40#

Rod: The he rod is balanced and light with good action. However when I look straight down the rod I noticed that towards the tip the guides are missed aligned to one side.

If it were not for the miss aligned guides and the breaks not being correct from the factory, this would easily have been 5 out 5.

Don't feel bad, I had to google how to take the cover off. My brakes happened to be set correctly when I bought it so I lucked out.

I got to hand pick my rod from 20 plus on the rack. I just chalked the miss alligned guides to customers banging them around.

I like the reel so much I may end up getting another one

[SirSnookalot]

Budget outfits are not made to last, but some of the Pluegers seem to defy that notion. If one were to take a poll graphite reels would not fair well. Just to throw this out, one of the most workhorse reels made, that just seems to last forever is a Shimano tld, a budget graphite reel. True it's not the smoothest or the most refined, but that isn't the intention of it. In fairness it is not a cast and retrieve reel, but as far as strength and durability goes, it's a big winner. I'm not so sure I'd be afraid of a graphite reel.