Late 80's Shimano Bantam Magnumlite 1550 SG Speedmaster

[wareagle83]

Hey guys.  I found the above mentioned reel in one of my older tackle bags.  My father picked it up at a pawn shop some years ago.  I found a page on the internet and it looks to be from either 87 or 88. It is a high speed 6.2:1 ratio reel and still works great.  Anyone else have one of these lying around or even still fishing with one?  Anyone else have any favorite older reels that your still attached to or use?  

[Clark Stewart]

rig it up and enjoy! I've never fished on of those but i do have a shimano bantam mag 10x that's from the same era. Mine is a very small reel (thus the bantam name) but they never made a better reel for small worms or finesse fishing. I've even used my 6'6 with this reel for crappie fishing and it can cast a 1/16th crappie jig with few complaints. You can do an ebay search but they're getting harder to find. Look around on there and you can find one like mine or yours for around 25 - 40 bucks. One of the truly classic reels that never get old.

[bilgerat]

Is that similar to a Bantam Crestfire? I have a CR101 left hand Crestfire. Was my first baitcaster.

[wareagle83]

It's rigged.  Just waiting to spool it up!  It really is a nice reel.  When did they start using 6.2:1 highspeed ratios for bass fishing.  I would assume it was in the late 80's but am not sure.

[wareagle83]

Found an old post of mine, and thought I would bump it and see if anyone has anymore info on this reel that I happened upon.  Magnumlite 1550 SG Speedmaster.  Definitely looks as if it was top of it's class back in the day, but not entirely sure. 

[Dave P]

It was pretty much a top of the line reel. I had one and destroyed it this spring when it flew out of the boat going down the highway. Peeled the sideplate right off of it...

[TourPT]

I have two of these and a few other bantam models, including one of which was a two speed reel. Not sure if any of them work anymore, nor what box they may be buried in around here for I have not used them in many many years, but at the time they where great reels.

Used them on Shimano Speed Master rods of which I have two of those also and one Bullwhip rod around here somewhere. Was the setup to have back in the 80's early 90's, well until I started replacing them with Loomis rods and Quantum reels that is and that's only because Shimano stopped making those reels, the Loomis rod speaks for itself. HEHE.

[scrutch]

It's the reel that I learned to baitcast with at the age of 14.  Used to get in trouble from my mother for taking all her coffee cups into the backyard.  I would place them all around the yard and practice casting into them with a practice plug.

Can still remember the competition with a friend, who can hit the most consecutive cups.  The record, I believe, was 16 consecutive hits.

Lots of fun!

[Hocking83]

I just got a Magnumlite 1550SG and I was wondering if anyone would know what test line /yds. this reel takes. Thanks 

[mrpao]

Its a bass reel, so any line from 10 to 20 lbs test.

Whatever you want to put on it.