decent baitcasters for under $50

[Brian B]

i'm not the type of person who can spend hundreds of dollars on gear.  so i have poles and reels for multiple tasks.  i have a 6'6" medium heavy pole i usefor mainly worm/lizzard/jig/creature fishing.  anyone know a good reel for this for under $50?  

[Use ONLY Stren]

Pflueger Echelon is 59.99, you can find it on sale at BPS or look on ebay. I own one that I used to use and its a great reel for the money. If you can get the settings dialed in you can cast the thing a country mile.

[skunked_again]

i would get on ebay, search for Daiwa, Abu, Shimano, Plueger and break your searches down to baitcaster and look for reels with 5 bearings. when you find something interesting post the model here and see what some of the ppl here think about the unit. its not uncommon to find a great piece at a good price if you dont mind a little boat rash.

[BlakeMolone]

I would  get an abu 4500 on ebay or on the bst forums.

[bigtimfish]

ABU GARCIA blackmax or silvermax

[BMoore]

I would check craigslist or ebay for a citica 200d or like above the abu silvermax or blackmax.

[dmac14]

The citca 200d was on sale at gander mountain last week for $50

[Travis O]

I have a daiwa exceler and like it alot.  You can find them for about $50.  They have a solid aluminum frame, which beats the graphite you find on most other reels in your price range.

[DINK WHISPERER]

ABU GARCIA blackmax or silvermax

X2

[retiredbosn]

I am a big Abu fan have four reels, but I wouldn't bother with a black or silvermax due to the graphite frames.  I would find a good used BC here off of the fleamarket, just bought a 4600C3 for 30 bucks! Great deal.  What to look for is an aluminum frame, sideplates, brass gears, quality bearings and not quantity.  A good quality reel with three bearings will perform much better than a cheap reel with 11.  You can also find Quantum Accurists for about 50, BPS has last years Extreme models on sale for 39 bucks a good deal, if you can find a lightly used and cared for Abu Garcia jump on it.  Good luck.

[Steven Ladner]

I have a daiwa exceler and like it alot. You can find them for about $50. They have a solid aluminum frame, which beats the graphite you find on most other reels in your price range.

x2, pretty good reel for the price

[c17Lat]

quantum accurist has been good for me. i got some for $30 at bass tackle depot. according to bass pro shops customer reviews, their lower priced reels seem good. check them out

[burleytog]

There is no such animal.

[Aaron]

I would get a 4600 series Ambassadeur.  These are solid reels that can be found for very good prices.  I don't think I paid over $50 for either of mine, a C3 and a C4.

Also keep your eyes open for some of the old Curado B's.  I found a Curado 201BSF for around $50 last year.  THese are great reels.

[Jeff H]

Maybe check out the Cabela's Fish Eagle Tournament II for $50.  I don't own one but I've heard as a "cheaper" reel it's not bad (appears to be a Daiwa Strikeforce, which is a composite framed Exceler).  

Cabela's also has their Tournament ZX baitcaster on sale for $49.99.  

Otherwise, I agree with Burley.  A decent BC'er for under $50 is a huge gamble and a tough hunt.  

[bassprofishguy]

id wait a week/month whatever till you save and  have atleast 100-150 bucks then you can get something you dont have to worry about falling apart in your hands.i know sometimes its hard to wait but in the long run trust me youll be happy you did and itll be worth it.

[Muddy]

I fish nothing but Pfluegers, The Eschelon; in the long run, is a bad choice ,truth is the truth.Frame cracked on one and well the reel in general doesn't hold up well

Right Now

ffo.com has ABU's : reconditioned/warranted, my friend Dan has bought a few over the last 2 years ,for customers to use without any issues, all around 40 to 50 bucks

BPS: Has the older EXTREME Models ( RH going back up during the week) in LH for 40bucks

both of these choices are excellent deals with reels that will give you good service.

[Cavfirst]

x2 blackmax and silvermax but the diawa strikeforce and exceller are also good reels imo.