Cheap reel for a cheap mag heavy rod

[Tatulatard]

So got this 7'4" "heavy" lews laser stargate sg1 rod that seems more like a mag heavy or a heavy plus than your regular heavy powered rod.  The action is a mod fast and at a short 7'4" this reminds me of some of the shorter jdm big bait rods so I had to get this rod to see it for myself.  Guys even claim they throw 4 oz baits on the rod but I'm going to stick to 2.5 to 3 oz maximum.  For true big baits I like a longer rod with longer handle. 

 

I'll be throwing plopper 130s, savage gear line throughs, 2 to 3 oz swimbaits/glides, beast hook paddle tails, 1.5 oz punching and maybe some big frogs.  Its a $50 rod and I want to see what cheap reel under $100 that can be used with the rod.  I want to test out the cheapest possible all things mag heavy bass setup. 

 

Any suggestions on reels?

 

What I am eyeing right now:

 

Johncoo titan:

this looks like an attempt at a chinease okuma komodo or citrix 364.  A popular reel that has lots of verified use as a cheap stripe, big catfish and bass swimbait reel. Teardowns of the reel show that it is well built inside with lots of metal components.  I don't like the centrifugal only brake.  The komodo is centrifugal but has a synchronized level wind that acts as an additional brake.  It is large and heavy at 10 ounces with a 300 size capacity.  Plastic side plate is a negative too.  Too much reel but tempting.

 

Johncoo ares: 

 

Aluminum frame and bizarrely, dual aluminum side plates.  I doubt the non handle side even has an aluminum set plate that locks into the frame.  It's just metal to be metal.  Cool though.  It also looks lower profile but is pretty wide still.  I would consider it more of a 200 sized reel but bigger than a curado 200k.  Big and wide like the tatula HD reels.  It also gets two spools which allow me to use a 20 lbs mono or flouro for big baits and then a sperate shallower braid spool for punching and frogs.  Still heavy at 9.5 ounces.  No long term reviews like the titan.  This one is new to the market.  Pictures of the insides look like it makes use of lots of metal components.  This is my #1 candidate. 

 

Haibo overlord:

I was all for this reel because haibo actually makes their own stuff and it's a lighter reel with a 7:1 option.  Pictures of it next to a tatula 200 show its a bit smaller.  Seemed like the perfect reel but this same reel is used in the ardent magnum and there a large percentage of the few reviews saying the same thing.  That its basically garbage and something mechanically let's go inside when used as a heavy duty reel.  The same reel was also used for a piscifun thunder but its off market.  Makes me wonder why they dropped it.  

 

Piscifun alijoz:

Pretty popular reel.  300 size that tries to be compact.  Powerful magnets and a known quality but its pricey for what it is.  $90 reel. These used to be $60 or $70.  I don't like the price increases on piscifun reels since they gained popularity on amazon.  They were cheap when they were only on the forbidden chinease site.

 

 

There any other sub $100 reels I am missing?

 

[redmeansdistortion]

A used Ambassadeur 5500C or C3 will be way better than any of that stuff.  I see them on marketplace for less than $50 on a regular basis.  A good cleaning, lube, and carbon drag washers will have you off and running.

[Tatulatard]

30 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

A used Ambassadeur 5500C or C3 will be way better than any of that stuff.  I see them on marketplace for less than $50 on a regular basis.  A good cleaning, lube, and carbon drag washers will have you off and running.

I thought about that but punching with a 5500C?  

[WRB]

Shimano Cardiff 300/301A is ideal for your application, 5.8:1, 8 oz, holds 165 yards of Sunline Defier Armillo 25# line.

Tom

 

[T-Billy]

Lew's LFS. The stuff you're looking to throw is right in it's wheelhouse and it's a durable well built reel with a solid reputation.

[dodgeguy]

4 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

Lew's LFS. The stuff you're looking to throw is right in it's wheelhouse and it's a durable well built reel with a solid reputation.

And they get great reviews.

[ska4fun]

I used haibo reels on the past and never had any problem with them, but cheap painting on some of them.

[redmeansdistortion]

1 hour ago, Tatulatard said:

I thought about that but punching with a 5500C?  

It'll work just fine.  Millions of them were made over the years.  You'll always be able to get parts for them and parts from other Ambassadeurs work across many models both new and old.  These are workhorses that respond great to mods and upgrades and can be dragged through the mud and back and still work just fine.

[waymont]

Spend a little more and get a Tatula 150.

[12poundbass]

If you’re looking cheap and good, get the Abu Garcia black max or the Pro Max. Trust me, you will not be disappointed! I’ve had plenty over the years and they’re still holding up! 

[newapti5]

I got this Tica BC reel for only ~$50 on Amazon. It's made with sturdy metal frame, dual supported pinion gear, quality opponents like NMB bearings, as well as many metal parts inside. And the craftsmanship, as you can see, is pretty good for a sub $100 reel.  In real use, it's also quite smooth. Not Bantam/Zillion smooth, but Curado/Tatula smooth for sure. The brake is an imitation of Shimano‘s VBS brake, not the best but sufficient,

 

Tica has made some good quality reels like this. It's shame they are not that popular; Tica is more famous for salt water reels. 

 

 

[Catt]

11 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Lew's LFS. The stuff you're looking to throw is right in it's wheelhouse and it's a durable well built reel with a solid reputation.

 

Ya can't touch that ?

[webertime]

Daiwa Fuegos are $78 on Amazon. No brainer.

 

 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

15 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

A used Ambassadeur 5500C or C3 will be way better than any of that stuff.  I see them on marketplace for less than $50 on a regular basis.  A good cleaning, lube, and carbon drag washers will have you off and running.

^man after my own heart 

[FishTank]

I have two suggestions....

 

First, Abu Garcia Kurofune LT. A buddy of mine has one of these he ordered from Japan and it's not bad. He uses it for crankbaits. It reminds me of a bigger Revo SX with a big handle. 

 

Second. Daiwa Dynastar from Digitaka. I was eyeing this reel a few years back for swimbaits but found a used/new Calcutta for the same price.  It runs around $120 at this time. 

 

Too bad, the OP didn't ask two weeks ago. That would have been a good time to get in on the discount code barrage at Pure Fishing. 

[Tatulatard]

16 hours ago, T-Billy said:

Lew's LFS. The stuff you're looking to throw is right in it's wheelhouse and it's a durable well built reel with a solid reputation.

That's another one I have considered.  I think I could make the capacity issue work with 65 lbs braid.  I wish lews sold a wide spool version of the lfs like bps did with some of their doyo reels. 

1 hour ago, webertime said:

Daiwa Fuegos are $78 on Amazon. No brainer.

 

 

 

 

Another option.  Same capacity issue as the lews lfs.  I wish daiwa would sell the fuego HD in the states or china so I could buy a high capacity fuego.

[ska4fun]

On 12/23/2022 at 11:31 PM, newapti5 said:

I got this Tica BC reel for only ~$50 on Amazon. It's made with sturdy metal frame, dual supported pinion gear, quality opponents like NMB bearings, as well as many metal parts inside. And the craftsmanship, as you can see, is pretty good for a sub $100 reel.  In real use, it's also quite smooth. Not Bantam/Zillion smooth, but Curado/Tatula smooth for sure. The brake is an imitation of Shimano‘s VBS brake, not the best but sufficient,

 

Tica has made some good quality reels like this. It's shame they are not that popular; Tica is more famous for salt water reels. 

 

 

Wow! I'm really surprised! Tica Surfcasting Spinning reels were one of my favorites, the acclaimed Dolphin series! Never expected to see a low-profile baitcaster from them.

[Bassaholik]

I use this rod for punching and have it paired with a 151 mgl. For about a year now.