Best Bait Caster for a Beginner?

[ReggieT]

Hey Studs,

 

Looking to add some baitcasting to my arsenal.

Always been successful with spinning reels, yet I would like to expand now.

 

My budget is about $120 and my focus is the fewer backlashes--the better!😬

Anything come to mind & what line do you recommend?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Reg

 

[GreenPig]

SLX is hard to beat. IMHO

[ReggieT]

Been hearing a lot about those!😁

[new2BC4bass]

Find a used Daiwa with Magforce 3D braking.  Either the T3 1016 or T3 MX 1016.  You can thank me later.

[casts_by_fly]

$120 for a reel or $120 for a rod and reel combo?

[FrnkNsteen]

I'm not overly brand loyal. I tend to like Daiwa and Shimano. But have a smatterings of other brands as well.

 

In my opinion,... It is hard to beat the casting control Daiwa offers to beginners. Their Magforce braking offers very good casting control without having to worry too much about spool tension or thumbing it too much.

 

Set it to max braking and start casting. With basic casting knowledge from watching a few youtube videos, you can be casting pretty quickly and then just loosen up the brake dial as you gain confidence to gain distance.

If $120 is your budget, I would start with the Fuego or watch for sales on Tatula CT or closeout Tatula 100s

[greentrout]

Academy Sports + Outdoors: H2OX Premier Baitcast Reel 49.99. 

 

Good Fishing

[GaryH]

Look for the best deal you can find on a Shimano or Diawa reel and do as stated above. Set brake at the max and as you practice slowly decrease the tension till you feel comfortable with the distance and absence of birds nest. Remember everyone will at sometime get a bird’s nest no matter how skilled. 

[FishTax]

Watch clearance at academy and bass pro. I've been happy with the h20 premier reel. I have most major name brands. I don't think one brand is going to be significantly easier then another to learn on. Just don't get anything that is cheap junk 😎

 

I recommend starting with at least a half oz lure and turning the brakes up pretty high to start with. Imo heavier lures are easy easier to learn on because they load up better and are easier to feel. Good luck!

[JediAmoeba]

Just my opinion:

 

Daiwa are better for beginners- a good choice to get your feet wet would be a Fuego. If you can find an gently used, older Tatula SV this would be the best choice.

 

Beginners often have trouble on the back end of the cast - Daiwa's braking system retards the spool a bit and helps not get overruns. 

[Eric 26]

I’m on the Daiwa bandwagon with a Fuego or above in the line up.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Daiwa with an SV spool.....look for a Tatula SV on sale.     

 

Shimanos are fantastic, but way less user friendly imho.  

[Peacedivision]

Lew's speed spool LFS + 600 yard spool of 12lb Yo Zuri hybrid should be right around $120 with tax.

[new2BC4bass]

You won't even need half the brakes with a T3 version.

[ReggieT]

8 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

$120 for a reel or $120 for a rod and reel combo?

Reel

[MickD]

7 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

Daiwa are better for beginners- a good choice to get your feet wet would be a Fuego.

My teen-aged granddaughter started on a Fuego and it went very well.  She picked up on it very quickly.  I use Tatulas, but I have to admit, the Fuego I gave her was a pretty darned good reel.

[FrnkNsteen]

17 minutes ago, MickD said:

My teen-aged granddaughter started on a Fuego and it went very well.  She picked up on it very quickly.  I use Tatulas, but I have to admit, the Fuego I gave her was a pretty darned good reel.

Really, the only difference between a Fuego and a Tatula CT is the line guide,... Round vs Twing

[FishTank]

Shimano SLX. Easy to use and probably the best bang for the buck.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I would suggest an slx xt.  It's 30 more than the slx a, but the advantage is you can access the brakes without removing the side plate.  That's a big advantage when you only have 1 BC reel.  

[padlin]

Picked up an slx and an slx xt last year when I wanted to get into baitcasters. Either one will do very well, it did take a day or 3 to stop getting backlashes.

[Lead Head]

If your focus is fewer backlashes, it's Daiwa all day. At least something with magforce, but preferably SV. This puts you in the Fuego or above bracket. My best advice is to look for something used that is SV. After you get the mechanics down you can decide where you want to go from there. 

 

It took my daughter about 30 minutes to be ready to hit the water learning on a Tatula SV.

[Catt]

 Lew's Speed Spool LFS

[JediAmoeba]

My 9 year old daughter was able to go out with a Coastal 200 throwing big top water wakes and has never really backlashed. 

 

Every kid I have taught with Magforce braking has gone well.

[Lasher]

On 3/6/2024 at 12:34 AM, ReggieT said:

Hey Studs,

 

Looking to add some baitcasting to my arsenal.

Always been successful with spinning reels, yet I would like to expand now.

 

My budget is about $120 and my focus is the fewer backlashes--the better!😬

Anything come to mind & what line do you recommend?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Reg

 

https://www.americanlegacyfishing.com/shimano-slx-mgl-70-6-3-1-casting-reel-slxmgl70.html?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=20999074712&cq_con=&cq_term=&cq_med=pla&cq_plac=&cq_net=x&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&gad_source=4&gclid=CjwKCAiAxaCvBhBaEiwAvsLmWNqfzykGXDekHTBXuv_WLSb5lQ8UX3kUvQ0n1S0KgFZq0hVLs9OllBoC_TEQAvD_BwE

 

Shimano SLX MGL 70 for $100  hard to beat that.  I just bought one.

[Functional]

Going to second the Lews Speed Spool LFS. $99 or less and has become my favorite general purpose reel. I have an SLX MGL and unless I'm throwing very very light baits I prefer the LFS over it easily. Brakes seem to control itself better where as the SLX for me has had more of a learning curve and is more sensitive to bait changes.