High End BPS Baitcasters

[KGBass]

what do you think of the higher end BPS baitcasting reels? Thinking of purchasing one but would like everyone's input/advise.

[adclem]

If by high end you mean the Johnny Morris Gold, Elite and Signature series reels, they are all 3 very good reels.  A little on the heavy side but very very good reels.  They are also offered in a variety of gear ratios.

But for the price of any one of the 3, you would probably be better off looking at reels from Shimano, Daiwa, Abu Garcia and Pflueger.  Unless the Johnny Morris reels are on sale.

Later,

[BlakeMolone]

the old extrmes are 40$ right now!

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_90338____SearchResults

[MarauderYak]

I don't think I'd consider the Extreme reels to be "high end", but I have a couple, and I do like them.  I picked up on of the new Pro Qualifier reels about a month ago, and I like it a lot.  I need to use it a few more times before I can say where I'd rate it versus some other reels.

[Tuckman]

I started out with almost all BPS equipment years ago because the price was right, but now the only BPS stuff I still use are a few bionic blades rods that have served me well.

I have used the extreme casting reels with good success, they wear out pretty fast but I'd say you get ur money out of them. My little brothers both got the BPS J Morris reels for christmas last year and while they are not terrible, they already are having little problems like not casting well when they get wet.

I myself now much prefere the mid range shimano and abu reels to any BPS reel. IMO BPS products are hit or miss, some of the stuff they make works great and some not so well.

[smallie.huntin]

I bought a BPS Rick Clunn Sig. Series combo last year for my first baitcaster setup.  I just bought another 2 weeks ago and really like them both.  I have had no problems with either.  They are $90 at BPS which I think is a pretty good deal.

Here is a link,

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_104020?hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat=10007596

[U.W BronzeBack Hunter]

dude, don't waste your money on a "high end" BPS reel.  for the money, you can get a really nice Daiwa or Shimano.  

[Stasher1]

dude, don't waste your money on a "high end" BPS reel. for the money, you can get a really nice Daiwa or Shimano.

The Johnny Morris Signature Series and Elite are essentially the same reel as the Pflueger Patriarch, which is lighter and can be found on Ebay for $140-$165. I have one and it's much smoother than my Curado E7 and casts just as well.

[SDoolittle]

I myself now much prefer the mid range shimano and abu reels to any BPS reel. IMO BPS products are hit or miss, some of the stuff they make works great and some not so well.

My thoughts exactly!

[rayrock99]

dude, don't waste your money on a "high end" BPS reel. for the money, you can get a really nice Daiwa or Shimano.

I have to agree with u!

[dodgeguy]

dude, don't waste your money on a "high end" BPS reel. for the money, you can get a really nice Daiwa or Shimano.

The Johnny Morris Signature Series and Elite are essentially the same reel as the Pflueger Patriarch, which is lighter and can be found on Ebay for $140-$165. I have one and it's much smoother than my Curado E7 and casts just as well.

not true.the patriarch is built on a revo frame.the only feature the patriarch has the same is the dual braking system.

[Stasher1]

not true.the patriarch is built on a revo frame.the only feature the patriarch has the same is the dual braking system.

No, it's built on a Revo-like frame. Quite possibly from the same assembly line, but not a "Revo" frame.  :  

[cart7t]

The crankside guts of a Revo S, SX or STX will interchange with a Patriarch perfectly.  The only difference there is in the main drive shaft,  The Revo using a nut handle attachment and the Pflueger with their old spin on handle attachment method.

The frame differs in the spool area.  The spool opening diameter is slightly different between the Revo and Pflueger as well as frame width.  The palm plates are obviously different.  

BTW, the JM reel has some similarities to the Pflueger in crankside parts but they're not interchangeable.  Most notably,  the main crank gear on the Morris reels is HUGE.  Made of brass it is very heavy.  Note that the Elite and Gold reels have a duraluminum main drive gear.  That reduces the reels weight significantly.  

[Stasher1]

I'm not disputing the similarites between the Patriarch and the Revos. They're obviously very, very similar internally. The Patriarch, however, is still not built on the same frame as any Revo model.

[Hammer 4]

My son has the elite, I have the extrem bps...no comparison..Although the morris is nice, I would also opt for a shimano, or other reel.

[MarauderYak]

The problem with most of these "comparison" posts is that many of the people who give advice haven't really fished with a lot of the items they give advice about.  Maybe they had a bad experience with a poorly maintained Quantum reel 10 years ago, so now all Quantum reels suck.  Maybe they don't sell BPS reels, so they suck compared to Garcia, even though many actually come out of the same factory & the components come from the same line.

I have several BPS reels that I have fished with quite a bit.  I can tell you that my absolute favorite reel to fish with (both bc & spinning) is not a BPS.  However, I do like most of my BPS reels quite a bit, and consider most of them to be among my best dollars spent on fishing gear.  But that's just my opinion.