Matthew2000 Posted July 9, 2015 Posted July 9, 2015 I am stuck on which round reel to get! I have zero experience with them. I will be using the reel to throw swim baits. The largest I will be throwing is a 8 inch Huddelston Trout, and the smallest being a Mattlures U2 Bluegill. So my range would be from about 1-5 ounces. My max budget on this is 150$. I have fairly large hands (I can palm a NBA size basketball) so the size is no issue. So here are my questions. Will all round reels handle these baits well? What is the best reel for the money? Will one reel cover all of those weights? What will have the least amount of mantinence? What size should I get? I'm pretty sure I will be using braid as my main line with a Mono or Flourocarbon leader. So will I need a lot of line capacity? Thank you in advance for you're help. Quote
John G Posted July 9, 2015 Posted July 9, 2015 I don't throw any swimbaits but I have read some swimbait Threads and my guess is a lot of guys will reccommend the Shimano Cardiff 300. 3 Quote
Tim Kelly Posted July 9, 2015 Posted July 9, 2015 For your budget I would be looking for a secondhand curado 300, lexa 300/400 or Revo toro 50/60. Non of them are round, but there's nothing inherently stronger that's relevent to bass fishing. An older Abu 6500 would be a less refined choice, the newer round Abus seem to be less well built. I'm gun shy of cheaper round Shimanos after buying one of their corsair reels a few years ago. The Calcutta and conquest reels though are excellent. Quote
Big C Posted July 9, 2015 Posted July 9, 2015 Don't buy an Abu Garcia Ambassador SX 5600 (the cheap one) it's what I have for that, and it's pretty bad. If I could do it over again I would go with one of two things. 1.Lews BB-1 or BB2z 2.Abu Garcia Orra Inshore I would lean more towards the Lew's, but it seems the Inshore reel would be tough as nails. Quote
Super User FishTank Posted July 9, 2015 Super User Posted July 9, 2015 Shimano Cardiff 300 would be my pick or a save a few bucks and get a Shimano Calcutta. Both are no brainer reels that will through those weights fine. They are built like a tank and will last you a lifetime. Quote
Josh Smith Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5500c3 or 5600c4. These are not the cheap S or SX models referenced above. They last forever. My baitcasters are exclusively modified 5000, 5500, and 5500c3 models. Large hands here, too! Josh 1 Quote
Super User Catt Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Shimano Cardiff CDF300A $109.99 Quote
John G Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 American Legacy Fishing has the Cardiff at the price that Catt posted plus they offer a $25 gift card if you sign up for their newsletter. 1 Quote
Drew03cmc Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 I had a Calcutta 100 that I strongly regret selling. It was fantastic! Quote
John G Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 I had a Calcutta 100 that I strongly regret selling. It was fantastic! Buy another one. Quote
*Hank Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 I don't throw any swimbaits but I have read some swimbait Threads and my guess is a lot of guys will reccommend the Shimano Cardiff 300. Ya the Cardiff is great for swimbaits! 1 Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Grab a 5500c3 Abu Garcia.i recommend this reel over a cardiff anyday.not because im a abu guy but because i used a cardiff before and the abu blows it away in all comparisons. 1 Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Grab a 5500c3 Abu Garcia.i recommend this reel over a cardiff anyday.not because im a abu guy but because i used a cardiff before and the abu blows it away in all comparisons. I'd go with a 5600C10 Maxximus Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 How long will a c10 spin i gotta try this stuff ..i just change out gears handles and sideplates now.im a greenhorn with plenty of patients though.can i drill out my cog wheel myself?? I know where to add bearings and such just aint done that yet Quote
BASSPATROL247 Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Don't buy an Abu Garcia Ambassador SX 5600 (the cheap one) it's what I have for that, and it's pretty bad. If I could do it over again I would go with one of two things. 1.Lews BB-1 or BB2z 2.Abu Garcia Orra Inshore I would lean more towards the Lew's, but it seems the Inshore reel would be tough as nails. X2 those new s,sx and stx i dont even consider abu's.theyre just like the bcx's wich l,think they replaced they are not made in sweden and they have cheap junk parts and are all around garbage!!! I was sick to my stomach when they came out..(HUGE ABU FAN!!). But if your gonna get a round reel imo it has to be an abu, they will work until yoh die if you take care of it.. the 5000 and 6000 dont use a thumb bar and for casting alot it can get old using two hands to disengage the spool. Same with the C3's but the C4's have thumbars and are right at what you want to spend. I have several round abu's but for any kind of bass fishing i would use my 5600 or 6600 CL rocket as it has a thumbar and the ones i have cast a lil better than my C4's but any of them will work. Not sure what you mean by drilling out the cog wheel but when i added cog wheel bearings i used a box cutter to cut the little nippleon the cog that holds it on the shaft..think catfish connection has a video.. Quote
oldschoolbasser Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 How long will a c10 spin i gotta try this stuff ..i just change out gears handles and sideplates now.im a greenhorn with plenty of patients though.can i drill out my cog wheel myself?? I know where to add bearings and such just aint done that yet. I wouldn't drill out the cog wheel myself as there are plenty of them available on the market. I can get my 4500C's to make over 50-60 line guide passes, but for practical purposes it's not what you really need, but the added smoothness, and castability make it worthwhile. The most bearings I have on a reel is 12. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 I use a Calcutta 200b. Yes, I come close to spooling it, but it's rarely an issue. The biggest I'll throw is an 8" Hudd, but I generally stick to hard gills, 68s, slammers, and HPH. Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Francho did u see my mess to ya a few weeks ago Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 No, I asked you to resend it. It was lost with the rest of my fan mail. Quote
Super User WRB Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Cardiff 300 series is good reel for swimbaits and reasonable priced. I also suggest using Sunline Armilo Nylon 25 lb test line, a standard 160 yd spool fills this reel. Tom Quote
Super User Maxximus Redneckus Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 Sent Francho Quote
Dan_the_fisher Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 I use a lews bb2 for 6" Huds and 6" triple trouts, and I feel as if the power is not there in the reel. I would lean more towards a used Calcutta b, you can find them all day on eBay. Quote
Super User Big Bait Fishing Posted July 10, 2015 Super User Posted July 10, 2015 I use a lews bb2 for 6" Huds and 6" triple trouts, and I feel as if the power is not there in the reel. I would lean more towards a used Calcutta b, you can find them all day on eBay. What gear ratio are you using ?? 1 Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted July 11, 2015 Super User Posted July 11, 2015 I'd go with a cardiff 300 or 400 for a budget reel, or the bigger Curado E if you don't mind spending more money. Quote
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