Pflueger Patriarch XT!!!!!!

[northern basser]

I just picked up this reel and have used it twice now.  This reel is awesome!

I've been using a core 50mg7,  supertuned chr. 50mg,  curado e7 and a citica 200e all season so far.  Recently,  I purchased a revo sx and returned it to get the patriarch xt.

The pflueger is easily as good as the core IMO and better than all the others.  I put 2 of the centrifugal brakes on and put the mag. braking to 0.  It casts a mile and is hard to backlash.  The retrieve is smooth and the carbon fiber handle makes the retrieve feel effortless.

I still love my shimano's but just wanted to give due credit to this reel.  The only other critique would be if it holds up over time like I know the shimano's will.

[dodgeguy]

i'd lube the spool bearings if i were you.the patriarch is a great reel.i can't wait to get the xt for xmas.good luck with yours and thanks for the review.

[northern basser]

I put a drop on each bearing and one on the spool shaft.  There hasn't been many views on this post or replies.  That's a shame but I understand.  In the past I might not have read the post.  If it wasn't for my friend at Cabela's(whose opinion on anything to do w/ fishing) I respect,  I wouldn't even have considered this reel.

Now,  I'm not afraid to say I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

[Stasher1]

I just sold my "standard" Patriarch and was ready to pull the trigger on a new XT, but it's not available in 7.1  >  It looks like the Curado e7 will stick around a little longer.

[philsoreel]

Thanks for risking your money so we don't have to! Keep us updated

[northern basser]

That's why I got it from Cabela's and not Ebay.  I knew I could get it online cheaper,  but Cabela's is less than 2 miles from my house.  They are pretty good on returning things also.  The next one I get will be online.

It's going to be windy today around here and I plan on going fishing later.  I'm going to try and use just that reel so I can put it to the test w/ wind and some lighter lures.

[Dockhead]

Surprised they didn't go with a swept handle for this reel.

[fishfordollars]

I own two 7.1.1 ratios and just purchased a 6.4.1 ratio off this site this week. Great reels and i am very happy with them. You should have no problems with them as long as you lube occasionally.

[Dockhead]

The xt comes in a 7.1.1 ratio??

[northern basser]

no,  i think he is referring to the reg. patriarch.   

[bilgerat]

Pflueger is right up there in quality with all of the rest. Yeah, they have duds in their lineup and so does everyone else. They really seem to be coming on strong, especially the last few years.

My only knock is limited selection in left handed baitcasters.

[northern basser]

Well,  I fished the xt almost exclusively yesterday in the wind.  Because of the amount of wind and current lack of trolling motor power we didn't spend much time casting.  Before long we ended up going to the calmer portion of the lake where we were flipping and short casting at docks and in & around pads.

The xt definitely excells at all casting situations.  Light and heavy lures.  It will distance cast with a core easily.  As far as flipping goes,  it did OK to good I would say.  My chronarch 50mg is still my go to reel for flipping.  I turn the cast controll way down it flip baits w/ the greatest of ease.

The casting ability and the retrieve are excellent w/ the xt.  Also,  I adjusted the drag around after a couple fish and it has a vast amount of adjustment(20# max),  which is more than enough.

Although I've read others posts saying the dual drag isn't needed,  I found it to be helpfull.  Like my shimano's I put 2 of the centrifugal brakes on.  The magnetic on 0.  In the wind w/ a light tube jig I noticed it was beneficial to move the mag. br. up to 2 and sometimes 4.

The mag. br.,  drag,  and cast controll are all click adjustments,  which I thought was nice.

So far,  still very pleased.  I like to compare it to the core 50mg7 because they are of similar size.  After fishing w/ the xt more,  I'd probably give the edge to the core,  but the xt is still VERY close and $130 less retail!

[tracker01]

Let us know when you put a full day on the water with the XT. Usually $200.00 is my max for a reel, but I may have to make an exception on this one. I have been fishing cent. brake reels and this would be my first dual brake reel.

Thanks for the update and keep the info coming.

[Jrob78]

Tracker01,  I got my XT on Ebay, NIB for $172.  Keep your eye out, good deals are there.  That being said, the XT is worth the retail price, IMO.  Great reel, couldn't be more pleased with mine.

[cooneyes]

Same reel and maker so it's interesting that you liked one more than the other....does the xt have more than 11 bearings?

[tracker01]

Well, I fished the xt almost exclusively yesterday in the wind. Because of the amount of wind and current lack of trolling motor power we didn't spend much time casting. Before long we ended up going to the calmer portion of the lake where we were flipping and short casting at docks and in & around pads.

The xt definitely excells at all casting situations. Light and heavy lures. It will distance cast with a core easily. As far as flipping goes, it did OK to good I would say. My chronarch 50mg is still my go to reel for flipping. I turn the cast controll way down it flip baits w/ the greatest of ease.

The casting ability and the retrieve are excellent w/ the xt. Also, I adjusted the drag around after a couple fish and it has a vast amount of adjustment(20# max), which is more than enough.

Although I've read others posts saying the dual drag isn't needed, I found it to be helpfull. Like my shimano's I put 2 of the centrifugal brakes on. The magnetic on 0. In the wind w/ a light tube jig I noticed it was beneficial to move the mag. br. up to 2 and sometimes 4.

The mag. br., drag, and cast controll are all click adjustments, which I thought was nice.

So far, still very pleased. I like to compare it to the core 50mg7 because they are of similar size. After fishing w/ the xt more, I'd probably give the edge to the core, but the xt is still VERY close and $130 less retail!

I'm close to pulling the trigger on the Patriarch XT. Have you had more time on the water with it? Do you still give the edge to the Core? Would you say the XT is a more versatile reel than the Core?

Thanks for the input.

[northern basser]

Been off line for a few days. As far as my comparison with the core 50mg7, if someone was giving 1 of the 2 to me for free, I'd prob. take the core. The 50mg7 is a really nice reel! The XT is also a really nice reel and VERY close to the core.

The XT is prob. more versatile because of its 20lbs of drag.

The thing is price and for the price difference the XT wins. It's very tough to find a deal on the core. You certainly can find them for less than $369, but your still going to pay $329 at the cheapest. If my memory is correct, the XT can be found on ebay for less than 200 bones.

The difference in price is WAY more than the difference in quality!

I'm definitely a shimano man. However, I think that there are a lot of nice reels of all makes and models out there these days. I wish I could try them all.

For some reason I couldn't stand to have all of the same reels. I like to have variety. Expensive reels are nice to fish w/, but are certainly not needed. I really like my citica 200e and would give it the award for best "bang for buck" easily. Especially since I got mine for less than $100.

[dodgeguy]

it's nice to see an open minded review of a pflueger product by a shimano guy.thank you.

[skno]

what is the difference in the original and the XT other than color

[BrASSmonkey]

Their is a weight difference, carbon fiber handle, foam knobs.

Not sure of what else.

[21farms]

what is the difference in the original and the XT other than color

aluminum gears instead of brass, one less bearing, and of course the carbon fiber handle with foam knobs instead of the forged handle.

[The Bassinator]

Every since I got my President I have trusted pflueger reels.  My only problem is that they do not offer the option of left hand retrieve in a bunch of their baitcasters.  I would get the standard Patriarch but I dont have the funds right now so Im settling on the Shimano Citica.  Ive sent the folks at Pflueger some emails about why they dont have left hand retrieves and they just say they arent making them right now >

[bilgerat]

Every since I got my President I have trusted pflueger reels. My only problem is that they do not offer the option of left hand retrieve in a bunch of their baitcasters. I would get the standard Patriarch but I dont have the funds right now so Im settling on the Shimano Citica. Ive sent the folks at Pflueger some emails about why they dont have left hand retrieves and they just say they arent making them right now >

That's my biggest beef with Flooger. They are WAY behind the rest of the pack when it comes to left hand. It's a shame, they make nice reels.

[Long Mike]

I have two Patriarchs and a President.  I love them.  I also have two BPS Extremes and love them almost as much.  The one thing they all have in common is the dual breaking system.  When doing an annual break-down and lube of each of the reels I found that the Pfluegers and the Extremes were almost identical in internal layout.  Mayhaps the Extremes are made by Pflueger?

[northern basser]

I've never used a revo premier or even handled one,  but someone tried pointing out to me that it is almost the exact same thing as the xt.  I know that they are made by the same company.

The amount of drag is the same.  Same dual braking set up.  Weight is similar.  Handle is different.  I think the prem. has a larger cap. spool.

Anyone else notice this?