anyone ever use this baitcaster?

[crankbait2009]

As a lot of you know, BPS is having there annual fishing show in FEB/MAR and i was in my planning stages of what to upgrade in my arsenal.

i came across this baitcasting reel. has anyone used this reel or does anyone have it that can lend some positive/negative information on it?

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_104089_100001001_100000000_100001000_100-1-1

as of right now, i am using the BPS Extreme Baitcaster (6:4:1). I have had no problems at all but considering a really nice upgrade

[dodgeguy]

tackle tour did a review on the signature series.they are nice reels.i do not own one but i have a pflueger patriarch with the same brake system.it is backlash free when set right.you will love that reel it has titanium depostion finish like the pflueger which makes it very hard to scratch.the reel will look nice for years to come.

[crankbait2009]

thanks for the feedback, i must say that is one flaw that i am noticing with this Extreme reel.  most of the time when im fishing and tying my lure to the line, the top of the reel will knock against the rocks and the top seriously looks like i drug it down the road going 50 miles an hour.  its an eye soar but it still works the way it should!!!

[Redlinerobert]

Nice to see johnny Morris do an original reel design. Oh wait... ;D

This is the limited edition Abu Revo Elite Akatsuki.

[NewAngler]

Yea, if you're going to spend $170 on a reel i suggest you go outside of the BPS brand.  A Revo STX is $199, and I'm sure the older ones are right around what you want to spend.  I haven't had a Revo (yet) but I had a round reel and loved it.

[Goose52]

First, as you've already seen, some of the experienced anglers on this site don't have much use for BPS reels (or rods for that matter). However, for a value-conscious angler, they are often good deals for the money - especially when you catch them on sale.

I was surprised when the Johnny Morris reel was reduced by $100 down to the $170 range. The specs are good on the reel, and you get a key feature, dual braking, that gives you the best of both braking types. I feel this is a major selling point of the higher-end BPS reels.

Anyway, the reel seems to be a good deal at the current price. In my case, I have standardized on the ProQualifier line and have 4 right now, with several more planned. It doesn't have the bearing count of the Johnny Morris reel, but it does have the dual braking feature and is quite a bit cheaper...

Good luck in your decision.

[Goose52]

Yea, if you're going to spend $170 on a reel i suggest you go outside of the BPS brand. A Revo STX is $199, and I'm sure the older ones are right around what you want to spend. I haven't had a Revo (yet) but I had a round reel and loved it.

I'm not sure I personally feel the need to go outside of the BPS brand BUT, the new STX does now have dual braking, finally catching up to BPS... :

[NJ Tom]

tackle tour did a review on the signature series.they are nice reels.i do not own one but i have a pflueger patriarch with the same brake system.it is backlash free when set right.you will love that reel it has titanium depostion finish like the pflueger which makes it very hard to scratch.the reel will look nice for years to come.

I just found out that some of the top end BPS reels (pro qualifier, Rick Clunn series) are made by Pflueger.

That would explain their similarities

[Goose52]

I just found out that some of the top end BPS reels (pro qualifier, Rick Clunn series) are made by Pflueger.   That would explain their similarities

Re the origin of BPS reels - interesting reading on this recent thread: http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1260738686

[Hammer 4]

My Son has a 2 yr old JM reel, while not as smooth as my Chronarch...it's still a nice reel...the downside is..alot of shops won't service BPS reels, or any house brands..I would still buy one, but it would have to be a good price.

[Stasher1]

If I were to buy a new BPS reel, it would be the Johnny Morris Signature Series baitcaster for $120, not the Gold Series.

First off, I find the gold finish to be pretty tacky. It's a little too pimp-tastic for me.

Second, you can pick up a Patriarch or Curado on Ebay for less than $170. Both are lighter and more compact than the JM reels.

JM Gold is probably a great reel, but there's just too much competition at that price.

[crankbait2009]

thanks for the feedback thus far.  although i am still new to fishing (first year), i am still learning what the good brands are within a decent amount of cash.

i noticed that you mentioned Revo reels.  i can only read about the reels in the catalog and compare functions.  without actually having th money to buy a few reels to seew hich one i like better, i usually have to settle for one and hope for the best.

in the 100-200 price range, would anyone disagree about the Revo reel being the best bet?

i know this is directing this thread in another dorection but i am always open to shifting towards another brand other than BPS.

thanks again for everyones help.  it is greatly appreciated.  I hope to have my choice finalized come BPS fiahing show.  right now i am looking at purchasing the Shimano Crucial rod.  now i need to find a reel

[tnbassfisher]

I've heard good things about this reel. But I personally don't like that gold finish. Just looks like it should be sitting on a shelf as a collectors item, imo.

[Boogey Man]

Nice to see johnny Morris do an original reel design. Oh wait... ;D

This is the limited edition Abu Revo Elite Akatsuki.

Abu and BPS roll off the same production lines anyway, so why not?  OK, picture this: the guy who normally paints the Revos called in sick, and the guy who paints the Johnny Morris Gold was filling in for him and thought "Hmmmm, I wonder what a gold Revo would look like". ;D

[Goose52]

......While the Revo line has many times been criticized by some anglers for it's casting. Especially by new anglers. They still cast a mile but some complain they bird nest fairly easy.

As a fan of the technology, regardless of the brand of reel that uses it, I'll point out that the new Revo STX that was recommended earlier now has dual braking, which should greatly enhance the "castability" of the reel. If the STX dual braking works as well as the BPS and Pflueger systems, it can literally be a thumbs-free cast - except for stopping the spool at the end of the cast.

[ksbasser]

There is almost no good reason not to buy that reel if you like it. It's made by Abu for BPS. It has many identical parts to the new Revo STX. It just might be one of the very best reels on the market in that price range or way above. The titanium finish makes it better than most reels in even higher price ranges. Store brands often get bashed for being store brands. Bps is the best of the store brands because they have a parts and service dept. The reason I say there is almost no reason not to get is that even though they have a parts dept, BPS does not keep a stock of parts for discontinued reels. Very similar to Shimano in that fact. They do keep a large stock of used parts that they take off of returned reels and that helps to have parts available for many years. IMO, abu does the best job of having parts for older reels, that would be the only reason I would say get an abu over a bps, but there is a good chance abu will have the parts from a revo that will fix this reel for many years after bps no longer does.

[crankbait2009]

good point ksbasser. as i mentioned before i am still a newbie to fishing and the extreme reel that i currently have has never had any issues so i never had to have it serviced. i didnt realize that some places quit carrying parts for the older reels. that would be a huge problem!!

so, with that, are all manufacturers that way or is abu one of the selected few on carrying parts?

[bilgerat]

......While the Revo line has many times been criticized by some anglers for it's casting. Especially by new anglers. They still cast a mile but some complain they bird nest fairly easy.

As a fan of the technology, regardless of the brand of reel that uses it, I'll point out that the new Revo STX that was recommended earlier now has dual braking, which should greatly enhance the "castability" of the reel. If the STX dual braking works as well as the BPS and Pflueger systems, it can literally be a thumbs-free cast - except for stopping the spool at the end of the cast.

I am a baitcast noob and I had no trouble with my pre - dual brake system STX. Follow the instructions to the letter, especially paying attention to the part about adjusting the cast control cap so that you have to shake the rod tip to get the lure to fall, as opposed to allowing it to fall under it's own weight as is the way with other brands. If a stubborn 45 year old like me can pick it up in a few hours tossing baits onto the ice, it's a no brainer for most.

[RussBert]

thanks for the feedback thus far. although i am still new to fishing (first year), i am still learning what the good brands are within a decent amount of cash...

...right now i am looking at purchasing the Shimano Crucial rod. now i need to find a reel

I'm a newb too, and after reading numerous posts here I decided upon the Shimano CuradoE7. You can get them from ebay for around $150 delivered (Great Bay Tackle)

I also went with the Crucial 6'6" MH/F rod, which I scored from *** when they had their 20% off sale going.

All-in-all a pretty sweet set-up for $270 bucks

(I spooled up with 12# Yo-Zuri hybrid line   :

I went with the Curado due to great customer serivce and the fact that Shimano will be around a long time, and have parts to care of this reel. Also there are many places to have it serviced if need be. You'll be hard pressed to find any negative reviews of this reel.

[crankbait2009]

please correct me if im wrong BUT.........................

i noticed that the Curado E7 has 7 bearings. 

the higher the bearing count the better, right?  I noticed that some reels have 7-11 bearings. shouldnt someone go for the most bearings?  would it make that much of a difference?

[SWMIBASSER]

please correct me if im wrong BUT.........................

i noticed that the Curado E7 has 7 bearings.

the higher the bearing count the better, right? I noticed that some reels have 7-11 bearings. shouldnt someone go for the most bearings? would it make that much of a difference?

This is all IMO. A reel only 'needs' 5 bearings

One under the driveshaft, one in the palm plate (spool bearing) on on the spool, one in the cast control knob (also a spool bearing on many reels) and an instant reverse roller bearing.

The bearings above are the most critical to holding things in the right places for the best performance. And the instant anti-reverse bearing is just a required convenience everyone is now used to, and expects.

After that the next place for bearings are the levelwind system. With a possible two more there-one on each side of the worm gear.

Then it's a matter of preference for a bearing supported handle. Which IMO is nice, but I've used handles with no bearings, and handle with two bearings (one bearing and one bushing per shaft) that were nice as well.

That's a total of 10 bearings plus one roller bearing.

But I still feel you 'need' at least 5. Or 4+1 roller

[.RM.]

please correct me if im wrong BUT.........................

i noticed that the Curado E7 has 7 bearings. 

the higher the bearing count the better, right?  I noticed that some reels have 7-11 bearings. shouldnt someone go for the most bearings?  would it make that much of a difference?

No not at all.

There are only 3 bearings in any reel that affect a reels casting qualities, all of which are spool support.

The rest are in places in the reel that clean up the feel of the reel when in retrieving mode.

Also it isn't the number of bearing packs in a reel but the actual quality of those bearing packs..

Good Luck & Tight Lines!!!

[ksbasser]

  ("so, with that, are all manufacturers that way or is abu one of the selected few on carrying parts?  " )    I have not been working on reels nearly as long as many others, but I have worked on hundreds of reels from most manufacturers. In that time, I have found that Abu Garcia consistently has parts available for most of their reels, even some that were built in the 60s. Shimano will tell you, and it's on their website, that they don't carry parts for reels that have been discontinued with the exception of a few of the most popular reels and even then only for a few extra years. They have a list of reels on the site that they will not even let you send in for service because they don't have parts for them anymore. Many of these reels are less than 10 years old. That's not old enough, IMO, to not have parts. They will tell you that you might be able to find the parts for these reels at some satellite service centers, before they run out. BPS has a parts dept that carries parts for almost every brand of reel, and they often have older Shimano parts left. BPS does a good job of having parts for the house brand reels and will be able to get a lot of perfectly good used parts from returned reels for older reels, as they keep them instead of selling them to a reseller. Gander MT. and Cabellas reels are made by Pflueger or Pinacle. The few that Pfluger makes are mostly spinning reels, They have parts for them but it's a difficult process to get them, as the customer service person has to cross reference the parts from the the Pfueger reel that was copied to make the cabels reel. It's even harder with the baitcasting reels made by pinacle as the guy has to ask you to describe the reel so that he can remember which Pinicle reel the parts come from to fit the Gander copy. Daiwa is similar to Shimano in not having parts for recently discontinued reels, again, you have to search lots of service center parts dealers to find them. It has just been my experience that it is easiest to get parts for an Abu reel after they have been discontinued.

[The Rooster]

Some of the repair issues are why I shop in the $100 range and don't really get into Curado prices with reels.  Small parts break sometimes.  Not every single part on a costly reel is made from higher grade materials.  Sure some things like the bearings are, even gearing too, but some other parts inside are going to be the same grade as the cheaper reels and if they fail and aren't available to replace then it becomes a costly paperweight at that point. 

For my uses, $100 BPS reel serves me the same as a $180 Curado would.  Would last no longer cause I take care of my stuff as if it were new years after I bought it anyway. 

[RussBert]

ksbasser,

Thanks for that insight into parts availability