What Ya'lls Opinion What Kind Of Low Profile Reel To Get

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

I am about to start fishing tournament and I need help ASAP on what ya'lls opinion on reels to get

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

It depends on your budget. Plan on $100 & up for quality baitcasters and $50 & up for spinning reels. For budget reels Bass Pro Shop Pro Qualifiers and for spinning Pflueger Presidents are great bang for the buck reels. Once you get into the $150 price point for baitcasters and $75 for spinning reels you almost have to try to wrong with lots of quality choices. If you have technique specific questions post them.

[new2BC4bass]

Wow.  Talk about an open ended question.  Seriously doubt you can afford to spend a ton of money at your age if you come from an average family.  Mike gave you good advice.  You need not spend $500 per reel to get a quality reel.  Also keep a constant eye on the classifieds on this and other fishing forums.  Some pretty good deals come up.

 

You specified low profile reels, but if you have a chance to get an Ambassedeur 1600 Black Max round reel (used naturally), grab it and use it on your crankbait rod.  Reel is small enough to palm, capable of throwing light baits, and does every well in windy conditions.

[tomustang]

I think you should first cover what you're going to do with baitcasting reels

[roadwarrior]

Pinnacle Optimus XLT  http://www.pinnaclefishing.com/shop/p-78-optimus-xlt.aspx#page=page-1

 

Curado 50E7

[new2BC4bass]

Plain Jane Zillion for 3/8 oz. up.  Older Gold Carbonlite for 3/8 oz. down to 1/8 oz.  Fit a used Curado 50 somewhere in there.  I like my Lews Tournament Pro, but would rather use one of my Fuegos.  A Daiwa Alphas is another great reel.  If you don't have a lot of money, a used Pflueger Trion can be gotten in the $45-$50 area.  This is a surprising good reel for 3/8 oz. up.  Has a heavier spool that allows heavier weights to be cast the proverbial mile.  Not the prettiest of lightest, but still a good performing reel.

 

I've read good things about the H2O Mettle, but have no experience with it.  The older gray Cabela's Prodigy is another very good reel that can be purchased used occasionally....normally at a very good price.  Really like mine.  It is another reel where I try to keep lure weight 3/8 oz. or heavier.  Mine has had minor upgrades and will do pretty good with slightly lighter weights although I haven't tried to see just how low it will go and still perform well.

 

Lately I have seen Chronarch 100A/101A reels going for $100.  This is another excellent reel even if it is an older model.

 

There are plenty of good reels out there...not only new, but used.  A little effort on your part will result in some good deals on some very nice reels.

[Arv]

Definitely need more info. Whats your price range. What type of fishing will you be doing. What rods do you have already. What rods are you looking at getting. There are tons of great options out there at almost every price point. Just depends on you as to what youll get

[MediumHeavy]

Pretty vague, indeed. I would think someone who was about to start tournament fishing would already have an idea of what a decent reel might be. Especially if they know enough to come to the forums to ask. Not trying to be rude, just an observation given what little info has been stated. All of that aside, lots of good info thus far, particularly from DVT. Also, re: the Mettle... I wish I had known about those when I started to get back into bass fishing.

[JeziHogg]

If u got $200 to spend, get yourself a Chronarch 50/51E

[iceintheveins]

The chronarch is the best reel for $200 or under, the pro qualifier the best for $100. 

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

I know Abu Garcia makes the revo series there are good reels and Shimano makes some good reels. I have 3 loomis poles right now Im starting all over on my set up. That's why I wanted info on what you guys are using. I willing to spend up to $300. And I will be bass fishing.

[Nibbles]

Would not discount a Daiwa Sol/Fuego for lighter applications.

 

They are solid reels capable of handling anything from 1/4 oz. to 3/4 oz lures like a champ.

 

The Sol performs somewhat better toward the lighter end of that range, whereas the Fuego performs somewhat better toward the heavier end.

 

The Sol is more or less a slightly heavier US market version of the Alphas (it is still a very light Magnesium body reel).

 

They can usually be found for under $200.

 

I honestly use my Fuegos more often than my Zillions. They have that sweet spot for lure weights I like to use - 1/4 oz to 3/4 oz, whereas my Zillions tend to perform better in the 3/8 oz to 1 oz range.

 

Please note, however, that "performance" is subjective and is based on my personal fishing habits and biomechanical quirks. Your mileage may vary.

 

I've fished with everything from Sols, and Fuegos, to Alphas, Zillions, Curados, Chronarchs, and Cores.

 

Currently fishing with a few JDM Daiwas, my Fuegos, an old Ryobi Varius F200, and a Conquest 50S for very light (1/8 oz) applications.

[Arv]

What techniques are you going to use? What cover are you going to be fishing?

I have used most of the major brands out there, and you really cant go wrong with a budget of 300/reel. I mostly go with Lews because I can find the Tournament Pro for around 150 and, IMO, that's the best bang for the buck that I'm aware of. I do like Shimano and Abu Garcia, as well as the BPS proqualifier.

[skeletor6]

I know Abu Garcia makes the revo series there are good reels and Shimano makes some good reels. I have 3 loomis poles right now Im starting all over on my set up. That's why I wanted info on what you guys are using. I willing to spend up to $300. And I will be bass fishing.

 

So $100 per reel? What model loomis rods? Still need a little more information from you if you expect accurate advice. 

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

Yup I will do 100 per reel to 300...I have the NGX series rods one jig, crank, spinner and Im going to get the rest of them in couple more weeks

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

My jig pole is medium heavy, my crank and spinner bait are both medium.

[Arv]

At 100 the bps pro qualifier is a great reel. Although, if you can up the price a bit more you can probably find the lews tournament speed spool for around 110 new.

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

So you like the lews reels there pretty decent. I know they are the one that came out with the low profile from the start just haven't seen or heard much about them.

[Arv]

There's a good deal out about them now. They aren't the be all end all, but they are definitely quality, especially for the price they can be had for.

[WRB]

Erwin, you are new to tournaments in a state and lakes that have some of the best bass anglers in the country. Are you talking about weekend club events or cash prize events? If you are putting $$ on the line, you want reliability, trouble free casting performance. 3 outfits is the minimum, you may need back ups for each rod/reel combo you use all the time.

My advice is avoid discount house (BPS) brand names and put your money into reels with good service reputation like; Ardent, Daiwa, Lew's and Shimano. Rods; Dobyn's, Lamiglas, Loomis and St Croix. Models depending on your budget. The line, hooks and lures should also be premium quality, losing keeper bass and equipment failure is costly during a tournament.

Tom

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

WRB im talking about cash prize events big stuff.. Which of the names brands you listed u prefer or which ones do you use. I had a chance to talk to Cody Meyer at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic recently and he used shimano and he really likes them and he gave me some good advice.

[WRB]

WRB im talking about cash prize events big stuff.. Which of the names brands you listed u prefer or which ones do you use. I had a chance to talk to Cody Meyer at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic recently and he used shimano and he really likes them and he gave me some good advice.

Cody is a good young bass pro and doing well out west. Very hard to get a Shimano sponsorship until you get some recognition. Shimano had a few issues with 2013 Curado reel, believe the E series is good. Daiwa's Tatula looks impressive, should be a good strong tournament reel. Who's rods are you looking? I recently bought ALX rods, used Lamiglas and Loomis for 30 years and like ALX jig rods. Give Alex at ALX a call he may be interested in helping you.

Tom

[Bass Assassin Erwin]

I have a couple of loomis rods now but I am willing to try something new like the ALX

[Capt.Bob]

Because I can now afford to fish with whatever I like today, I would recommend what I use, the models of each get better the more you can afford, I can now afford to spend what I want without limit, but buy what I consider the best bang for the buck!

 

SPINNING REEL'S - Shimano

 

BAITCASTING REEL'S - Lew's

 

BAITCASTING AND SPINNING RODS - St. Croix

 

After over 50 years fishing this is what has worked best for me today! But in fishing, it seems one is never satisfied when the new models come out??????