your first baitcasting reel

[The Bassman]

Bought an Ambassadeur 2500C back in the mid 70's. Really didn't appreciate how fine a reel it was at the time and never mastered it. Think I sold it at a pawn shop.

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, onenutinthewater said:

Revo STX maybe 7 years ago- Never could cast it worth a d**n.

It is long gone but have about a dozen quality casters now ......

How does it cast now?  I also have a Gen I STX.  Been an excellent reel for me.  BTW, that 5001C casts like a champ now. 

[Beeno]

4 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

2005 - Pinnacle inertia finesse. I was about 19.

 

 

This was a cool little reel I had one as well.

[NathanDLTH]

Abu Garcia Pro Max 7:1:1 RH

[Big Hands]

4 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

1992 Shimano castiac. Nice reel at the time.

It's really strange that they named a reel "Castaic" that is primarily designed for flipping. There is very little timber, the water is usually pretty clear, and the shoreline is mostly pretty steep compared to lakes in other parts of the country. I think Castaic Lake was really kicking out some huge fish around 1992 and they just wanted to cash in on the name recognition.

 

On the other hand, the Casitas (named after another lake here in SoCal), is much more suited to fishing Castaic, and the Castaic would have better suited as the Casitas. Lake Casitas is no Louisiana bayou, but there is much more of that type of fishing than in Castaic. The lake record for Casitas is over 21 lbs, and a team caught a six fish 63.26 lb bag in a tournament back in the mid-90's.

[Hook2Jaw]

Abu Garcia Black Max Combo in 2016.

[The Maestro]

1 hour ago, BassSteve said:

Wow very interesting 2 speed adjuster lever there for gear ratios. 

It also had a flipping switch (next to the cast control knob) so you could release and engage the spool with just your thumb. It was a nightmare to put back together properly with all of these added features/gimmicks.

[onenutinthewater]

1 hour ago, new2BC4bass said:

How does it cast now?  I also have a Gen I STX.  Been an excellent reel for me.  BTW, that 5001C casts like a champ now. 

Never could get it dialed in and ended up purchasing a tatula next- still love those reels even over those costing 4x, bantam mgl right there also.......

[kayaking_kev]

2018 Abu Garcia Black Max - I put it through the ringer for the past 2 seasons by taking it kayaking on the river with no reel cover. At the end of last season, one side of the thumb bar came loose and I had to super glue it, and it has became a little geary, but still works. It's also scuffed up pretty bad, I've been thinking of using it to test out hydro dipping a reel. I have since bought 14 more baitcasters though. ?

[Log Catcher]

My first reel was an Ambassadeur 5000. Got it mid to late 60s. I still have it, one that my dad got for a retirement gift, and a couple more I got from my BIL. My first low profile reel was a Shimano bantam black magnum. Junked it after I couldn't get parts for it.

[schplurg]

My first and so far only BC reel is an old Shimano Caenan. My friend bought it for $2 at a garage sale and gave it to me. It came on an Abu Garcia Vengeance which snapped on my first 1.5# bass. Was an exciting topwater strike so was worth it (for a one dollar rod haha).

 

The reel seems fine. Just learned to skip with it, a little. So far it's the only BC I've ever used and I haven't used it a ton, but I'm a newb so that will change very soon. Works fine for me.

[Bluebasser86]

I learned how to cast a baitcaster with my dad's 200B Curado while he was at work when I was 10 or 11. He didn't think I was old enough to use it but I had read enough I was convinced I could. Tightened the breaks up and figured it out in back yard and never blew it up bad enough I couldn't get it out. First one of my own I can remember having was a silverish Shimano, maybe a Calyx? It was 70-80 dollar range and a pretty decent reel for a first one. I was 12 or 13 when I bought that.

[BassSteve]

11 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I learned how to cast a baitcaster with my dad's 200B Curado while he was at work when I was 10 or 11. He didn't think I was old enough to use it but I had read enough I was convinced I could. Tightened the breaks up and figured it out in back yard and never blew it up bad enough I couldn't get it out. First one of my own I can remember having was a silverish Shimano, maybe a Calyx? It was 70-80 dollar range and a pretty decent reel for a first one. I was 12 or 13 when I bought that.

Great story ?

[walleyecrazy]

I don't remember the model, but mine was a Quantum sometime around 93'-94'. All I remember about that thing was that it was next to impossible to get dialed in, and almost turned me off to baitcasters all together. I hated that stupid thing. I swapped it out for a round Abu(C3?), and never looked back. I fished that Abu for quite a while and then upgraded to one of the Abu D series reels when they came out in 2003. Now that reel I really enjoyed. I ended up selling it for what reason I can't remember, but I wish I still had it. I have gone through so man reels since that time, and now have way too many, but I still want another one of those, even if it is just to sit on my shelf.

 

http://www.fishingworld.com/fishing-and-boating-news/i/10559/t/abu-garcia®-ambassadeur®-d-series-baitcaster

[BassSteve]

1 hour ago, walleyecrazy said:

I don't remember the model, but mine was a Quantum sometime around 93'-94'. All I remember about that thing was that it was next to impossible to get dialed in, and almost turned me off to baitcasters all together. I hated that stupid thing. I swapped it out for a round Abu(C3?), and never looked back. I fished that Abu for quite a while and then upgraded to one of the Abu D series reels when they came out in 2003. Now that reel I really enjoyed. I ended up selling it for what reason I can't remember, but I wish I still had it. I have gone through so man reels since that time, and now have way too many, but I still want another one of those, even if it is just to sit on my shelf.

 

http://www.fishingworld.com/fishing-and-boating-news/i/10559/t/abu-garcia®-ambassadeur®-d-series-baitcaster

There is a good chance you can find it online still

[swhit140]

Daiwa Procaster 100H, still can get the job done. I still have it, just in case if you need a backup or pond fishing reel. It has caught a lot of fish in 15 years of work.

[BassSteve]

1 minute ago, swhit140 said:

Daiwa Procaster 100H, still can get the job done. It has caught a lot of fish in 15 years of work.

sharp looking baitcaster ?

[Hulkster]

for me it was a chronarch 100A, started learning in 1998. It was a Christmas and birthday present from Mom and Dad. i was hooked ever since. i was 20. 

[BassSteve]

59 minutes ago, Hulkster said:

for me it was a chronarch 100A, started learning in 1998. It was a Christmas and birthday present from Mom and Dad. i was hooked ever since. i was 20. 

nice, sounds like good memories to have been 20 in 1998. I was merely an 8 yr old kid lol, but still have a lot of memories. I'm sure you didn't get addicted to the computer at that time like I did, as that was a time when technology was really taking off for computers ?

[OnthePotomac]

When I retired from my second career in 2000 I bought a KVD Quantum ($80) and a Quantum 600Ti ($80)  and learned how to use a bait caster on them.  They were OK, but not great.

[Hulkster]

45 minutes ago, BassSteve said:

nice, sounds like good memories to have been 20 in 1998. I was merely an 8 yr old kid lol, but still have a lot of memories. I'm sure you didn't get addicted to the computer at that time like I did, as that was a time when technology was really taking off for computers ?

not addicted but i soon discovered certain after hours websites that were gaining popularity at the time..lmao

[BassSteve]

17 minutes ago, Hulkster said:

not addicted but i soon discovered certain after hours websites that were gaining popularity at the time..lmao

lol yeah, I can remember a couple encounters back then. basically a lot of parents were having trouble with their kids because we were all getting addicted to the computer. I had one in my room already at that time, having fun waiting for the dial up to complete. You were old enough not to get sucked in I guess

[Mobasser]

Red, ABU5000. Mine was a hand me down from my older brother. It took me a while to.lesrn to cast it. I still have it. It's retired now

[Finessegenics]

First generation (if Im not mistaken) Shimano Caenan. The silver and burgundy one. It was basically brand new and I was buying it off craigslist. The guy was selling it with a clarus rod and it was a pretty good price, 80$ Canadian for the combo. 

 

I get to his place, and what do you know the rod is really a shimano sojourn and the cork looked like crap. Looking back on it, I'm not sure how I kept my cool. Still ended up buying the combo though. 

[Teal]

A 90s model quantum that sounded like one of those tunes up civics with bad exhaust