Budget frog reel

[Jake51823]

Hey all. So I’m setting up a budget combo for my buddy for frog fishing. He wants to get more into frogging. He wanted to keep his rod under $50 so I suggested a Shimano Sellus H-F which now he has. 
 

He would like to keep the reel under $70. I’m trying to find him a reel in the 7 speed range with at least 13-15lbs of drag because I feel that’s important for frogging. Also trying to find a aluminum body but not sure of anything that fit these requirements in the price range. 
 

Any suggestions? 

Also do you even need an aluminum frame for frogging? Am I thinking too far into it? 

[MN Fisher]

Rod - add $5 to that (MSRP - low as $45 some places) - Aird-X H/F. That's what I'm using for frogs/flipping/pitching/etc.

 

Reel - Check sales - go a little more and get a Diawa Fuego CT-XS 8.1:1 - that's my frogging reel. Occasionally you can find them for around $80.

[ErieCan]

12 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Reel - Check sales - go a little more and get a Diawa Fuego CT-XS 8.1:1 - that's my frogging reel. Occasionally you can find them for around $80

 

I'll vouche for the Fuego. I have two of them. Solid reels for the money. 

[Jake51823]

19 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Rod - add $5 to that (MSRP - low as $45 some places) - Aird-X H/F. That's what I'm using for frogs/flipping/pitching/etc.

 

Reel - Check sales - go a little more and get a Diawa Fuego CT-XS 8.1:1 - that's my frogging reel. Occasionally you can find them for around $80.

I’ll see if I can find any around for $80. Maybe in the flea market. Is an aluminum frame necessary for frogging? 

 

19 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Rod - add $5 to that (MSRP - low as $45 some places) - Aird-X H/F. That's what I'm using for frogs/flipping/pitching/etc.

 

Reel - Check sales - go a little more and get a Diawa Fuego CT-XS 8.1:1 - that's my frogging reel. Occasionally you can find them for around $80.

 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Jake51823 said:

I’ll see if I can find any around for $80. Maybe in the flea market. Is an aluminum frame necessary for frogging? 

 

 

It's not required - but it is a good idea. I'm slowly moving all my BCs to metal frame...I've got two Fuegos, a Supreme and a Patriarch - all Aluminum. My President and President XT are the ones on the 'chopping block'.

[Jake51823]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

It's not required - but it is a good idea. I'm slowly moving all my BCs to metal frame...I've got two Fuegos, a Supreme and a Patriarch - all Aluminum. My President and President XT are the ones on the 'chopping block'.

So is the h2o Xpress m3 mettle good enough for the job? 13lbs of drag, aluminum and 7 speed. 

[drew4779]

Feugo is a great choice.  If you go with something else, my emphasis would be on the aluminum frame over the drag.  But with budget setups you often have to make sacrifices.  Good luck. 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, Jake51823 said:

So is the h2o Xpress m3 mettle good enough for the job? 13lbs of drag, aluminum and 7 speed. 

Only stat on that which gives me pause is the speed - and they don't even tell you what the IPT is.

 

I prefer an 8-speed (33+IPT) for frogging cause when that bass hits the frog in the middle of a lily-pad patch and dives, you want the speed to get him/her out of there as fast as possible before they wrap your line around the stems.

[Bluebasser86]

The Mettle isn't bad, but each one I've owned died on me in less than 5 years of moderate use and there is nowhere to get parts for them, so once they die, they're dead. 

[Bankc]

I wouldn't worry too much about speed.  You control the fish more with the rod than the reel anyway.  Usually when you're pulling a big bass out of the salad, a lower gear ratio is more helpful because it has more torque, so you can spin it faster.  Higher speed reels are better for fishing fast than pulling bass in fast, in my opinion.

 

Same with plastic reel frames and low drag settings.  The forces places on reel come from the front, and plastic reels typically flex when pushed from the side more than the front.  And low drag can be overcome with some thumb and rod control.  

 

So basically, I'd just look for a well built reel with strong gears.  The Fuego would be a great choice.  A lot of plastic framed reels get a bad rap because they're cheap reels to begin with.  It's not the plastic that dooms them, but the cost cutting everywhere else.  My frogging and punching reel is an Abu Zata and it has a plastic frame.  But it's well built and handles the slop better than my aluminum framed BPS Pro Qualifier II.  

 

 

[jtharris3]

I throw a frog a lot! My go to rig for the past several years is a Bass Pro Pro Qualifier 2 reel in a 7.2:1 ratio and a 7’ MH Berkley Lightning Rod Shock rod. I use 50 pound braid on it.
I keep threatening to upgrade this rig but it’s been bullet proof for the past several years, that I don’t see the need to!

The rod can be bought for approx. $40. The reel is $99 but is often on sale for $79 or less.

[Spankey]

Don’t know about under $50.00 but sure you could find a real decent rod in the Abu Garcia Veritas line or the St. Croix Bass X line. Not bank breakers. But I don’t feel comfortable spending your money. They are good rods for the money though. 

[Dan N]

I agree with the bass pro shop pro qualifer 2. I have several, work great, usually on sale at least once a year for about 80$