Durable crankbait reel

[flat]

Looking for a reel for my crankbait rod. My previous rod had a Conquest 101 which served me well, used it for a dozen years without needing to swap gears. I use mainly 1/4-3/8 oz baits and some 1/8 oz stuff. I've used curados and scorpions prior to the conquest, but the gears needed "regular" replacing. I still do use the scorpions on my pitching rods where the gears dont see heavy loads. Any suggestions for a smallish sized reel with gears that hold up to extensive use? A new conquest is out of the budget unfortunately. 

[CrankFate]

1 hour ago, BaitFinesse said:

Good one. 

Good one because this sounds more like a joke than a question that needs to be answered?

[garroyo130]

Are you fishing Pike or setting the hook on stumps???

 

Maybe we fish differently but a pitching reels gears see way more wear than a crankbait reels

[FishTank]

I would buy a new set of gears and probably bearings and keep the reel you have.  I don't think a finer, more durable reel exists. 

[mrpao]

A new set of gears for the conquest is around $50 from shimano. That would be the best solution. 

The conquest is a superb cranking reel, especially with a longer handle.

Thats what i use myself.

[CrankFate]

5 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

Its a great question that is a head scratcher for me.  OP seems to want a reel that stays smooth after years of cranking use.  Best he had was a conquest which are legendary for their smoothness.  What's the modern equivalent that is small and retains smoothness over years of use cranking deep cranks.  I don't think it exists yet.  Maybe an Antares 70 bit its too new to know how it holds up.. 

 

We gave up lasting smoothness to have lightweight reels.  99% of what people here call smooth is not my idea smooth.  If OP has the Conquest as his standard then he has the same understanding of smooth as I do.  Slow ratio bass gears supported well while encased in as much metal as possible is about as smooth as you can get.  Basically a Conquest, Ryoga Hypermesh, TD Zillion or Antares.  

It just takes good bearings on the worm and under the main gear shaft and hopefully on both sides of the pinion. Instead of just on the spool. With oil instead of grease I think almost any good reel with upgradable bearings in those locations can be very smooth.

[flat]

9 hours ago, CrankFate said:

Good one because this sounds more like a joke than a question that needs to be answered?

No joke, I'm only asking for opinions on a smooth reel that is currently available.

7 hours ago, FishTank said:

I would buy a new set of gears and probably bearings and keep the reel you have.  I don't think a finer, more durable reel exists. 

Trust me, if I still had the reel I'd change the gears if necessary- she gone!

[flat]

9 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

Are you fishing Pike or setting the hook on stumps???

 

Maybe we fish differently but a pitching reels gears see way more wear than a crankbait reels

You have a good point with the more frequent gear engagement with pitching. I can handle a semi rough gear set while taking up slack on my pitching rod though.

 

7 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

Its a great question that is a head scratcher for me.  OP seems to want a reel that stays smooth after years of cranking use.  Best he had was a conquest which are legendary for their smoothness.  What's the modern equivalent that is small and retains smoothness over years of use cranking deep cranks.  I don't think it exists yet.  Maybe an Antares 70 bit its too new to know how it holds up.. 

 

We gave up lasting smoothness to have lightweight reels.  99% of what people here call smooth is not my idea smooth.  If OP has the Conquest as his standard then he has the same understanding of smooth as I do.  Slow ratio bass gears supported well while encased in as much metal as possible is about as smooth as you can get.  Basically a Conquest, Ryoga Hypermesh, TD Zillion or Antares.  

I dont deep crank, mainly 2 to 6 foot runners and occasionally occasionally an 8, and probably use top water 30-50% of the time with it.Thanks for the suggestions, same ball park price as a conquest from looking at them.

[flat]

1 minute ago, BaitFinesse said:

Maybe a Bantam MGL?  They are butter out of the box and develop a little gear buzz with cranking use but that aluminum body should help to make difficult to notice one mounted to a rod. 

Thanks for the suggestion,  I'll take a look at those. While online shopping I found ebay has piles of used conquests for sale, I'm not sure I'll go that route but am considering it.

[thunderblack]

Bantam MGL

[FishTank]

If you don't still have the reel, the Bantam would be a good choice.  

 

Also, I work on a few reels from time to time and have only seen maybe 6 or 7 reels that have had gear wear and only 4 of those actually needed replacing. These reels come from tournament fisherman so they have seen heavy use.  I am curious as to what caused such heavy wear, especially on a Calcutta Conquest?   I have a Calcutta 251 that is 15+ years old , has been abused and the gears are still smooth.   

[flat]

1 hour ago, FishTank said:

If you don't still have the reel, the Bantam would be a good choice.  

 

Also, I work on a few reels from time to time and have only seen maybe 6 or 7 reels that have had gear wear and only 4 of those actually needed replacing. These reels come from tournament fisherman so they have seen heavy use.  I am curious as to what caused such heavy wear, especially on a Calcutta Conquest?   I have a Calcutta 251 that is 15+ years old , has been abused and the gears are still smooth.   

Its still smooth on the original gears and thinking back it's probably closer to 16 years old- it rests somewhere in the Wisconsin river now. I guess gear wear is relative. I've never needed to replace gears but did, just prefer a smooth retrieve. It's been several years since I've replaced a set but it wasn't expensive, or at least it was worth it to me. 

[FishTank]

3 hours ago, flat said:

Its still smooth on the original gears and thinking back it's probably closer to 16 years old- it rests somewhere in the Wisconsin river now. I guess gear wear is relative. I've never needed to replace gears but did, just prefer a smooth retrieve. It's been several years since I've replaced a set but it wasn't expensive, or at least it was worth it to me. 

Bummer.  I lost a Core 101mg not to long ago.  I really liked this reel. 

 

I think again you would like the Bantam.  Think round reel in a low profile.   I have been using mine for cranking since I got it.  Great little powerhouse. 

[mrpao]

The bantams are awesome.

Especially if you get the PG version from Japan. I use mine for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.

I use my Conquest's for crankbaits.

[flat]

Looks like I'll try a bantam, the 5.5 gear ratio should be perfect for my needs. My old reel was 5.8-  a touch slower wont hurt. You guys suggested some items I wouldn't have looked into- thanks!