New Bantam baitcaster

[kschultz76]

37 minutes ago, Yumeya said:

Personally I think this would be good on longer rods 7+feet, it will balance them out a bit better with the 

added weight of the reel.

 

This reel will be my go to for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and small swimbaits...

 

Thinking GLX 893

The balancing is a good point. 

[Raul]

On 20/1/2018 at 10:18 AM, Jelvas said:

 

This pi###s me of! Why not make all versions available worldwide is something i´ll never understand...

Simple, you need to contribute to the economy of that primitive country called Japan.

 

[burrows]

7 hours ago, Big-Bass said:

It weighs 7.6oz.!

 

http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/products/fishing-reels/baitcast/bantam-mgl.html

Yeah I just seen that lol

I thought someone said 8 ounces.?

[kschultz76]

8 hours ago, Burro said:

Yeah I just seen that lol

I thought someone said 8 ounces.?

8.1 ratio pushes the weight to 7.9 oz. Not awful, still light by comparison to many older designs. The 7.1 option is lighter then I thought so weight might not as much of an issue as I first thought. 

[lmbfisherman]

All I know is, I'm in.  I was going to nab another Chronarch MGL but with Bantam MGL coming out...I'm in! 

[Maico1]

Starting to see pricing 305.99 shipped (all models) from across the pond.....

[burrows]

23 hours ago, kschultz76 said:

8.1 ratio pushes the weight to 7.9 oz. Not awful, still light by comparison to many older designs. The 7.1 option is lighter then I thought so weight might not as much of an issue as I first thought. 

So at 7.9 plus line your at 8.1 that's not heavy but most people are used to that 7.4 and under the curado I was a perfect weight for some ppl the difference between 7.4 and 7.8 is not a big deal but for me it's significant. I think there is no place for this reel in my arsenal to be honest it's more of a  nostalgic buy I think I rather buy another chronarch mgl than go back to an 8 ounce reel if I had money to burn I would buy the bantam mgl to quench my nostalgia but I'll stick to the chronarch mgl's for now.

[NHBull]

I will be holding off a season to see where the dust settles.

Just don't see the fit between the Met and cronarch, but may be wrong.

I would not be surprised to see the price of the cronarch drop on the secondary market.

 

 

[kschultz76]

3 hours ago, Burro said:

So at 7.9 plus line your at 8.1 that's not heavy but most people are used to that 7.4 and under the curado I was a perfect weight for some ppl the difference between 7.4 and 7.8 is not a big deal but for me it's significant. I think there is no place for this reel in my arsenal to be honest it's more of a  nostalgic buy I think I rather buy another chronarch mgl than go back to an 8 ounce reel if I had money to burn I would buy the bantam mgl to quench my nostalgia but I'll stick to the chronarch mgl's for now.

Burro I agree on the weight, by a lot of standards it’s not an awfully heavy reel by the specs. But compared to most any other bc reel in my rack it’s gonna be heavy enough that I’d notice the difference. That’s why I’d like to see the design concept for the frame make its way to other reels with other materials. 

 

But I’m also going to wait and see how it’s reviewed once it’s released and how it does in the field for anglers here before I pass judgement. 

 

With the 5.x:1 ratio available JDM in right and left retrieves it should be a killer option for a powerful cranking reel though. 

[burrows]

38 minutes ago, kschultz76 said:

 

 

With the 5.x:1 ratio available JDM in right and left retrieves it should be a killer option for a powerful cranking reel though. 

Probably the absolute best option in the 5. Ratio for deep cranking bass.

[dam0007]

On 1/19/2018 at 7:37 PM, Jelvas said:

No PG version....  in that case i´m gonna pass on this one.

 

 

 

These are the type of reels companies can capitalize on 5:1 cranking models and once again shimano drops the ball. And even if they did a PG I bet they wouldn’t do a lefty model. 

[Maico1]

9 minutes ago, dam0007 said:

These are the type of reels companies can capitalize on 5:1 cranking models and once again shimano drops the ball. And even if they did a PG I bet they wouldn’t do a lefty model. 

Sure is a PG model in both Right and Left Hand retrieve.......

[kschultz76]

14 minutes ago, dam0007 said:

These are the type of reels companies can capitalize on 5:1 cranking models and once again shimano drops the ball. And even if they did a PG I bet they wouldn’t do a lefty model. 

If you don’t mind ordering JDM from some place Japan Lure Shop or JapanTackle you can get the 5 ration in RH or LH retrieve. 

 

However it’s a 150size spool, so not sure it’s got the line capacity people want for the deepest plugs on the longest rods. I don’t deep crank enough to know or say for sure. 

[dam0007]

7 minutes ago, kschultz76 said:

If you don’t mind ordering JDM from some place Japan Lure Shop or JapanTackle you can get the 5 ration in RH or LH retrieve. 

 

However it’s a 150size spool, so not sure it’s got the line capacity people want for the deepest plugs on the longest rods. I don’t deep crank enough to know or say for sure. 

I saw that they did JDM after I posted... Stupid, they should just release them stateside. Daiwa does the same s***. 

[kschultz76]

8 minutes ago, dam0007 said:

I saw that they did JDM after I posted... Stupid, they should just release them stateside. Daiwa does the same s***. 

That I can’t explain, but at least we have the option of easily and cheaply sourcing it from Japan.  Not too many years ago that was a lot harder to impossible. But you’d think if they’re already building them and shipping them stateside from Japan it shouldn’t be a problem to ship em in all ratios. 

[dam0007]

12 minutes ago, kschultz76 said:

That I can’t explain, but at least we have the option of easily and cheaply sourcing it from Japan.  Not too many years ago that was a lot harder to impossible. But you’d think if they’re already building them and shipping them stateside from Japan it shouldn’t be a problem to ship em in all ratios. 

Exactly. 

[Hulkster]

back when I got into baitcasting, I bought a Chronarch 101A which was the top of the line reel at the time for shimano (late 90s -98 if I recall). it weighed 7.9 oz and it was considered super light. I believe it had an aluminum frame and graphite side plates.

 

my how times change.

[Fried Lemons]

I understand the concept behind the new frame and how it would make the reel more rigid. That being said, does anyone ever notice their other baitcasters flexing under load? I never have personally.

[NHBull]

Presently I do not have a 5/1 cranking reel and this may be the solution!  I am sure I could find another use for my 6/1

[Mark Griffith]

If you do some searching on JDM websites these can be had for $284 on pre-order. You can also find metaniums for under $300. In stock reels are usually received faster then domestic sites. As much as I like to support shops here in the USA most high end reels from Japanese tackle sites can be had for over $100 off. 

[The Maestro]

On 1/28/2018 at 10:51 AM, Fried Lemons said:

I understand the concept behind the new frame and how it would make the reel more rigid. That being said, does anyone ever notice their other baitcasters flexing under load? I never have personally.

I've got an order in for an 8:1 Bantam.  The weight isn't an issue for me.  Tbh I'm not really a huge fan of the whole light weight craze.  I like the feel of solid reel, at least on my jig rods and this will be going on my punching rod.  Something like a jerkbait that involves a lot of aggressive rod action I definitely prefer a lighter reel though.

 

It's funny you mentioned reels flexing.  I haven't noticed that myself.  I actually took apart my Curado E to check the strength of the frame and I seriously think you would need to put it in a vice to bend it.  It's that strong, so I don't know if the whole solid core thing is really just a marketing gimmick.  But then these things are built to pretty tight tolerances so it could be that even the smallest, imperceptible amount of flex could cause the gears to misalign which could translate into excessive wear and a lack of smoothness.  Either way I'm looking forward to getting it and finally fishing with it this summer.

[The Bassman]

5 minutes ago, The Maestro said:

I've got an order in for an 8:1 Bantam.  The weight isn't an issue for me.  Tbh I'm not really a huge fan of the whole light weight craze.  I like the feel of solid reel, at least on my jig rods and this will be going on my punching rod.  Something like a jerkbait that involves a lot of aggressive rod action I definitely prefer a lighter reel though.

 

It's funny you mentioned reels flexing.  I haven't noticed that myself.  I actually took apart my Curado E to check the strength of the frame and I seriously think you would need to put it in a vice to bend it.  It's that strong, so I don't know if the whole solid core thing is really just a marketing gimmick.  But then these things are built to pretty tight tolerances so it could be that even the smallest, imperceptible amount of flex could cause the gears to misalign which could translate into excessive wear and a lack of smoothness.  Either way I'm looking forward to getting it and finally fishing with it this summer.

Just wait until you feel how solid it is. I have an HG and it's so smooth I almost feel disconnected from the internals of the reel when I'm retrieving.

[JustJames]

1 hour ago, The Bassman said:

Just wait until you feel how solid it is. I have an HG and it's so smooth I almost feel disconnected from the internals of the reel when I'm retrieving.

And how beauty of this thing. Every time I fish with it I admire it so much that I’m afraid of using it. 

[jbsoonerfan]

I simply cannot fathom arguing over 1-2oz. I have fished Chronarch 50mgs, Core 50mgs, Every Curado, Tatulas, Fuegos, Revo SX, and I have never really been able to tell much of a difference over an ounce or so. Some of you need to put your big boy pants on and quit whining over an ounce. Geez, it's like you never fished for 6 hours a day when you were 12 years old with a Zebco 33 walking 4-5 miles pond hopping. Well, most of you probably didn't.

[The Maestro]

8 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

People sleep on the Bantams, it is an amazing reel...I may prefer Mets for certain things, but hands down for any heavy load workhorse stuff, the Bantam rocks!! Those that may have possibly made the decision not to get one due to the weight of it are truly missing out and selling themselves short on a special reel imo...

You also have to consider the fact that the additional weight could  (and often does) improve the balance of a rod which will actually make the whole setup feel lighter.

8 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I simply cannot fathom arguing over 1-2oz. I have fished Chronarch 50mgs, Core 50mgs, Every Curado, Tatulas, Fuegos, Revo SX, and I have never really been able to tell much of a difference over an ounce or so. Some of you need to put your big boy pants on and quit whining over an ounce. Geez, it's like you never fished for 6 hours a day when you were 12 years old with a Zebco 33 walking 4-5 miles pond hopping. Well, most of you probably didn't.

My thoughts exactly.  Not to mention the outrageous price increases for these super light reels.  Don't get me wrong I'm sure they have their applications where they really shine but I really like the solid strong feel and sound that comes from using denser materials vs. the "hollow" "airy" feel of the super light reels.  I also have to wonder if the aluminum gears in those reels will last as long as brass gears.