Baitcasting Reels

[BadBassWV]

This may be the wrong place to post but.....What makes a reel Cost $300.00 VS. say $99.00 Bearings or what?? I am looking to pickup 2 new reels.  I'm just wondering.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

Same thing that makes a car cost $300000 or $30000. Better machining that equals tighter tolerances, innovation, better quality components and marketing will always equal a higher cost. But I do believe that you can still get some quality products for 1/3 the price of $300.

[dave]

Go to academy.com and pick up two Mettle H2O reels.  Best $100 for two reels you'll ever spend.

[BadBassWV]

I'll take a look thanks Dave.

[BadBassWV]

After reading the reviews and your recommendation I ordered one of these it was on clearance for 39.98. I'll let you know how it does after I get it. Thanks Dave. I figured for that price why not.

[bassamatuer76]

i will be purchasing my first baitcast,was thinking about a combo,something of quality but not to hard on the billfold...any suggestions

[Khong]

This may be the wrong place to post but.....What makes a reel Cost $300.00 VS. say $99.00 Bearings or what?? I am looking to pickup 2 new reels.  I'm just wondering.

 

Ever heard of the term,  you pay for what you get.  Don't get me wrong, both device will get the job done.  Just that the more expensive one will just out perform the in-expensive one.

[Khong]

i will be purchasing my first baitcast,was thinking about a combo,something of quality but not to hard on the billfold...any suggestions

I would go with a BPS Qualifier if you don't want to break the bank.  This will do the job well.  

[bassamatuer76]

ok thanks for the advice

[Flippin N Rippin]

I had a hard time justifying spending alot on a baitcasting reel. I started with an el cheepo and worked my way into the best of the best.I know have a Shimano Calais 200 DC and could not be happier with it. You can really tell the difference in a more expensive reel. Pick a brand that you like and read reviews and even go to the store and play around with the different reels. 

[TankBobcatWatts]

The BIG thing I noticed with the more expensive reel was how much smoother the drag is. You don't want a herky jerky drag system when you have a potential personal best on your line.

IMHO the absolute best reels/ drags I have personally dealt with for the $ are Shimano (chronarch, curado, core) and Abu Garcia (winch, STX, Premier). Value for my dollar I would buy Revo STX all day long

[new2BC4bass]

i will be purchasing my first baitcast,was thinking about a combo,something of quality but not to hard on the billfold...any suggestions

 

You really should have started your own thread to ask this question.  You would receive a lot more replies to your question.  We all like to spend someone else's money. 

 

Khong's reply was a good one for the reel.  It is the standard answer.  Do a search.  There are lots of threads for low cost rods and reels.

 

Closeout sales should be coming up pretty soon.  Research what you would like, and then see if it is being upgraded or phased out for the best possible deal.  Alternatively the For Sale forums are a great place to get deals.

 

A general rule for a first rod is to start with a 6'6" to 7' MHF.  A Medium power Fast action rod would also be a good first rod depending on how heavy the baits are you will be using, and what kind of cover you will be fishing.

 

I can give you the names of a couple low cost rods that always seem to get mentioned.  Berkley Lightning Shock, Powel Diesel,  Field & Stream Tec Spec from Dicks' Sporting Goods, Sellus, Abu Garcia Vengeance or Vendetta.  The Daiwa Ballistic is on sale for $64.88 at TW.  Unfortunately the only rods left ar cranking rods.  Great if that is what you are looking for. 

 

Another decent rod is the Daiwa Jupiter made specifically for Walmart.  Also house rods at Cabela's, Academy Sports and BPS can be had at a reasonable cost.  The Ethos rod from Academy gets good reviews.

 

Upping your price a bit?  Look at *** *** Black, Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth, Falcon Originals or Bucoo, Abu Garcia Veritas or Verdict, Denali Jadewood or their new Kovert and Lamiglas Excel to name a few.

[bigbill]

I had that reel that couldn't handle 3lb bass. It was a $5 spinning reel over a decade and a half ago and offered by a name brand company. It was junk to begin with but for trout fishing it was ok. The numbers of bass it caught finished it off. There is junk out there. This was before I got heavy into bass fishing. I went next to Wal-Mart and got the quantum spinning reels which I still have. They aren't bad for $25 to $35 each at the time. Live and learn.

[John G]

You get what you pay for! Fondle a Shimano Calais CL-100A and then a Shimano Curado, pick any model that you like, and you will feel the difference immediately.

 

That's not to say that you have to spend $500.00 to get a top quality reel cause you don't. You can buy a Shimano Calcutta CT100B for less than $200.00 and you will have a reel that is a better built reel than any Curado that has ever been made.

[gramps50]

When I decided to get into baicasting I went to Walmart and bought a cheap bc reel, it was a name brand like Abu Garcia or such don't remember what I bought for sure. Took it home and put it on a bc rod that I already had. Spooled it up with 17# mono and a practice plug. Set the reel up as described using Google as a source. The 1 cast, bird's nest, cleaned that up and cast again, same result. One more time, this time it cacklashed so bad I had to cut it off. Packaged it up and took it back to Walmart.

 

Later I see a combo by Lews on sale at the local bait shop so I decided to give it another try. This time it was much better, I did get some bird's nest but nothing like the ones on the cheap real. After using the Lews Tournament MG for a while I went and bought a Lews Tournament Pro, very nice reel. Still in the learning process but I can now through it without creating a bird's nest, at least most of the time anyway.

 

The moral of the story is buy a good reel, and you will be much happier.

[DogBone_384]

i will be purchasing my first baitcast,was thinking about a combo,something of quality but not to hard on the billfold...any suggestions

From my experience entering the baitcasting pond the BPS Pro Qualifier reel is a great starter. I have three of them in different ratios sitting on different action rods and can say they all cast great without breaking the bank.

I've not been able to rationalize/talk myself into diving into the big dollar end of the pool yet because the Pro Qualifiers' performance.

Best of luck getting into baitcasting. I'm glad I did.

[DelcoSol]

When I decided to get into baicasting I went to Walmart and bought a cheap bc reel, it was a name brand like Abu Garcia or such don't remember what I bought for sure. Took it home and put it on a bc rod that I already had. Spooled it up with 17# mono and a practice plug. Set the reel up as described using Google as a source. The 1 cast, bird's nest, cleaned that up and cast again, same result. One more time, this time it cacklashed so bad I had to cut it off. Packaged it up and took it back to Walmart.

 

Later I see a combo by Lews on sale at the local bait shop so I decided to give it another try. This time it was much better, I did get some bird's nest but nothing like the ones on the cheap real. After using the Lews Tournament MG for a while I went and bought a Lews Tournament Pro, very nice reel. Still in the learning process but I can now through it without creating a bird's nest, at least most of the time anyway.

 

The moral of the story is buy a good reel, and you will be much happier.

This is the same thing that happend to me. Bought a silvermax and HATED it. So much so that I almost didn't want to use a baitcast reel. I thought I was doing something wrong. Then I read the reviews on the Lews and got one for Christmas and am so glad I did. I was casting like a pro right out of the box. The reel is silky smooth and super light. After many mistakes buying rods and reels and boats I am a firm believer in just buying as high quality as you can afford the first time so you're not stuck with stuff you don't like or use. 

[BadBassWV]

Got my Mettle H20's in the mail the other day, Nice reels for the price. These things will cast a mile with just a flip of the wrist.  I just can't make myself spend the money for a more expensive reel. I guess you do get what you pay for but dang these reels are nice and inexpensive.  

[BobP]

Like cars, appliances, TV sets, etc, as you move up in price in a product line, there is usually a "sweet spot" of price versus performance - after which the marginal performance differences get smaller as the price differences gets larger and larger.  For instance, does a St Croix SCV Legend Elite perform three times better than a SC2 St Croix?  No.  But they cost 3X as much.  Is a Shimano Core three times as good as a Citica in any measure of performance or quality?  No.  You have to decide for yourself what features are essential, nice to have, or don't matter to you - then base a buying decision on that compared to the $$ you have available to spend.  Pride of ownership and bragging rights are critical to some guys; others think buying anything more than adequate is sheer foolishness.

 

For me, the sweet spot in casting reels is the $125-160 range.  I'll often buy more expensive reels but won't go cheaper because you begin to see things like graphite frames, minimal bearing counts or excessive bearing counts with low grade bearings, older and less effective gear train and drag designs, etc.  You do get what you pay for - but it becomes more and more expensive as you get less and less for your money.