Small casting reel

[Chrisran99]

Looking to put together a small combo for fishing Creeks out of the kayak. I like to bring two setups with me and one is going to be a 6'6" avid MLF with a stradic, now I'm looking for a compact casting combo. I want a rod that is around 6'  with a slower taper maybe a mmf and a smaller reel to match. Never fished with anything but Abu and Shimano so I would love to know what else is out there in the smaller size.

 

 

[shovelmouth83]

i made a setup of a 5ft 6in med with a crappie reel. i can cast a 6/32 jig head with a twister. love it.

[crypt]

I use a pro max 1600 or a black max 1600 and can cast the lightest baits with no problem. try online auctions to find a decent model. they are older abu's but you can't beat em. I put ceramic bearings in one of my black max's to see if it would help. didn't really notice a difference. great little reels with a 6 foot rod med.light action would be great.

[FrankN209]

What's your budget?

[NHBull]

The shamano 70's are getting great reviews.

[Angry John]

Budget is everything and are you looking new or used.  For very light baits first choice would be a used pixzilla which can be found in great shape around 200.  For that price you can also pick up a alphas sv.  If you have big money then the z-pride would be one of the best but costs considerably more.

[Chrisran99]

I'm thinking 1.5 square bills and small spinner baits weightless finesse worms. Really looking for accuracy. Last time out I tried to use my 7' ghost cranking rod, I liked the action but i need something to hit those sweet spots under bushes and around cover. As for budget I subscribe to the "buy once, cry once. But i have made the conscience effort to not spend over $200 on a rod, I don't want to know how much better the top tier rods are. As for a reel, I would love to find a 50 Calcutta but I will be looking at the new 70 Curado.

[Angry John]

Why do people say they want something other than shimano and then say they want a shimano.  Just say thats what you want, and not go in circles.

[Chrisran99]

Easy there John, I'm looking at the 70 Curado just to see how it fits in the hand compared to the 200i. Again, I have no experience with other brands besides Abu. I'm coming from saltwater to the bass world the last few years and don't know if I've ever casted a diawa or quantum. The smallest reel I have ever fished with is a Cardiff 100 that I use for cranks and even it has 100 yards of line that would never see water for this application.

[kschultz76]

Based on personal experience I would recommend something from Kistler in the KLX or Helium 3 line. I think the Helium 3 Light-MedHeavy would be a good choice based on specs and reviews. In both lines they have rods under 7' that are MH or lighter. Also a St Croix Avid or Avid X in 6'8" M/XF should do well. 

 

No no experience with them yet but a ALX also has options lighter then MH in sub 7' in the Zolo line and get good reviews. 

 

For small reels i like the Shimano 50e series, and hear good things about the new 70 series. 

 

Good luck and let us know what you end up with. 

[Big Bait Fishing]

get a Revo ALX .....  

[ib_of_the_damned]

9 hours ago, Big Bait Fishing said:

get a Revo ALX .....  

How does the ALX compare to the Curado 70? I have the 71HG and I like the feel, fit and finish, but for really lightly weighted soft plastics or weightless I can't seem to get it dialed in. All 4 brakes on and correct spool tension, I backlash (not badly just some line fluff) probably 2 out of five casts. 1/4 oz RES' are no problem, I can launch those...

 

[fishnkamp]

When it comes to small or compact reels I consider Lews the king in that department.

As for a rod check out two rids made by Irod, They are both Genesis II series. One is the IRG693CC The Stone Cold Square Bill. It was designed by Marty Stone. It is a composite rod.

The other is an IRG693C it is called the Harold's Lone Star Special.  Take time to read about both.  I have become a fan of the Irods since I started fishing some of them.  I also fish a Powell Max 693CEF which I love. They now make that rod in both an Inferno and Max3D, series. It does not meet your M Mod idea but it is by far the most versatile rod I own.  Take a moment and read the tackletour review of it. After fishing it for over 3 years I agree with their report completely.

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewpowell683cxfast.html

 

[NHBull]

18 hours ago, ib_of_the_damned said:

How does the ALX compare to the Curado 70? I have the 71HG and I like the feel, fit and finish, but for really lightly weighted soft plastics or weightless I can't seem to get it dialed in. All 4 brakes on and correct spool tension, I backlash (not badly just some line fluff) probably 2 out of five casts. 1/4 oz RES' are no problem, I can launch those...

 

I demoed the 70 last Fall and experienced the same thing.  My buddy used it for an hr and never had a problem.  It was "user error "......I was using to much arm and shoulder.  The minute I lightened up to just wrist, it stopped.....the bait was 1/4 ounce crank on 10 lb PP.

[ib_of_the_damned]

5 hours ago, NHBull said:

I demoed the 70 last Fall and experienced the same thing.  My buddy used it for an hr and never had a problem.  It was "user error "......I was using to much arm and shoulder.  The minute I lightened up to just wrist, it stopped.....the bait was 1/4 ounce crank on 10 lb PP.

Good to know its not just me... I'll try to lighten up my casts a bit more. That being said, I do recall trying to lighten up the cast a little last weekend, but every time I did my casts were shorter than I would like. 

[Big Bait Fishing]

On ‎4‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 8:55 AM, ib_of_the_damned said:

How does the ALX compare to the Curado 70? I have the 71HG and I like the feel, fit and finish, but for really lightly weighted soft plastics or weightless I can't seem to get it dialed in. All 4 brakes on and correct spool tension, I backlash (not badly just some line fluff) probably 2 out of five casts. 1/4 oz RES' are no problem, I can launch those...

 

i don't know , i don't use shimano products