Maico1 Posted March 9, 2019 Posted March 9, 2019 Took the 19 Antares out of the box and felt it lined up with a 18 Bantam MGL ....it is by far the smallest Antares ever. 4 Quote
Frog Turds Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 There's the pic ☺️ sexy s.o.b...handle length same as bantam? Quote
CrankFate Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 Wow, yeah. Unless you have giant hands, that is small! Quote
Maico1 Posted March 10, 2019 Author Posted March 10, 2019 10 minutes ago, CrankFate said: Wow, yeah. Unless you have giant hands, that is small! Not me ...small hands here 13 minutes ago, Frog Turds said: There's the pic ☺️ sexy s.o.b...handle length same as bantam? It's only an 84 , not happy about that. Mounted on a PG Cover Trap...... 1 Quote
CrankFate Posted March 10, 2019 Posted March 10, 2019 1 minute ago, Maico1 said: Not me ...small hands here Might be one of those on one of my rods soon if it’s really that little. Quote
Maico1 Posted March 10, 2019 Author Posted March 10, 2019 This reel will be getting a complete tear down and will be posting the internals for those interested.....certainly needs a little porting and polishing and of course all the special sauce's added once the factory lubes are dissolved ....... 1 Quote
Maico1 Posted March 10, 2019 Author Posted March 10, 2019 Just for the record the offset is on the handle not the drag star.....so for now plan on a spacer. Quote
Super User JustJames Posted March 10, 2019 Super User Posted March 10, 2019 Look sweet, and no can’t afford one myself. I’d say it is not smaller than bantam. your first pic angel kinda off so bantam look a lot bigger, third pic seems like bantam would sit lower on the rod. The 70 size mgl spool would definitely help casting light lure even better. Quote
Maico1 Posted March 10, 2019 Author Posted March 10, 2019 17 minutes ago, JustJames said: Look sweet, and no can’t afford one myself. I’d say it is not smaller than bantam. your first pic angel kinda off so bantam look a lot bigger, third pic seems like bantam would sit lower on the rod. The 70 size mgl spool would definitely help casting light lure even better. James not sure I would make that statement considering when you eyeball the reel feet the Bantam sticks up a little higher not by much but higher....with that said I will be glad to mount them on the same stick and go from there with pic's..... Quote
Maico1 Posted March 12, 2019 Author Posted March 12, 2019 11 hours ago, newyorktoiowa57 said: How does it cast? It will be a while before I can answer that , being up in the Adirondacks it is still full scale winter up here . Just ask these guys ....... 2 Quote
onenutinthewater Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 Any new feedback on the Antares? I am thinking about getting one myself....... Quote
gilkeybr Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 I got an Antares 70HG and Bantam XG this spring. I don't have a ton of time yet on the Bantam, but have been fishing the Antares quite a bit. I'm very happy with both reels. As the OP said, the Antares is very compact (much more so than my old DC7 Antares). To me the Bantam feels a bit larger in-hand, but still comfortable. Both have a very smooth retrieve, with a slight advantage going to the Antares if I had to pick right now. I think the Antares also manages casting a bit better, being a smaller spool and all. Not that the Bantam is any slouch in that department. One thing that has surprised me is my feelings about the Antares clicking drag. That was the feature that sold me on getting it. But in practice I find myself more indifferent or even a bit annoyed by the clicking drag. Thats mostly due to my expectations of how it would work, not really because it doesn't perform well. I think the drag is still plenty smooth and strong when need be. If I were in the market to buy another reel and it had to be one of them, considering the price difference, it would be the Bantam. I think its right up there enough in terms of performance and appearance at a much cheaper price. PS, I got my Antares from Digitaka. That would save you A LOT compared to the price at stateside sellers (TW, etc). But they are currently out of stock. Quote
onenutinthewater Posted May 20, 2019 Posted May 20, 2019 Hmmmm... Interesting. I have the bantam xg and think it is a great reel- super smooth and handles larger fish quite well after a full season. I installed the clicking drag kit into it and all of my reels as I love the sound of a hot steel head and salmon making a run. I really dont need or have use for any more reels its just the bait monkey whispering in my ear reminding me that I have not bought a new reel in several months................ Quote
Westcoast Posted May 22, 2019 Posted May 22, 2019 That bantam is the best low profile salmon steelhead reel I have found to date. With the one piece aluminum frame it just feels solid in the hand and proves it on the water. 2 Quote
Maico1 Posted May 23, 2019 Author Posted May 23, 2019 13 hours ago, Westcoast said: That bantam is the best low profile salmon steelhead reel I have found to date. With the one piece aluminum frame it just feels solid in the hand and proves it on the water. The Bantam is to low profile what the Conquest is to the round......very solid . 2 Quote
bunz559 Posted May 23, 2019 Posted May 23, 2019 Curious if anyone knows if the 2018 Antares DC MD the same frame and size as the stateside Antares? Quote
Maico1 Posted May 23, 2019 Author Posted May 23, 2019 8 minutes ago, bunz559 said: Curious if anyone knows if the 2018 Antares DC MD the same frame and size as the stateside Antares? No it is not....the 19 Antares is smaller. Quote
bunz559 Posted May 23, 2019 Posted May 23, 2019 27 minutes ago, Maico1 said: No it is not....the 19 Antares is smaller. Any word if a DC model will be coming out with the 19 Antares frame? Quote
Maico1 Posted May 23, 2019 Author Posted May 23, 2019 9 minutes ago, bunz559 said: Any word if a DC model will be coming out with the 19 Antares frame? That would be sweet but they just did the Antares DC upgrade in 16 and the Monster Drive version in 18.....haven't seen anything on the radar screen for what you are asking..... 1 Quote
gilkeybr Posted May 24, 2019 Posted May 24, 2019 I haven't held one in hand, but from pictures it looks like the Antares MD is a pretty large reel! Antares A: 12lb/85yd Antares MD DC: 14lb/130yd Bantam MGL: 14lb/90yd. The Bantam is a "150" spool while the Antares is a "70". Based on line capacity, I think the MD/DC would be more like a 200/250 reel (Tranx 200 is 14lb/110yd). Should be quite a bit larger in hand Quote
Maico1 Posted May 24, 2019 Author Posted May 24, 2019 19 Antares on the right 16 DC on the left Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.