Help Me Pick A New Reel.

[Pa_Photo]

I was all set on a spinning real, and still will pick one up for trout but the more I read the more I hear that baitcasters are the way to go. I am just now getting back into fishing after a 12 year break. (work work work, no time for play) I used to love my baitcasters but was in fear of being too out of practice to use them.

I love to fish plastic worms texas rigged, and spinner baits but plan on learning it all now that I have promised myself to start working less and living more.

I want to get a good quality reel, then pick the rod and line to match. I also know one set up will not do it all, and will end up being one of many.

I hope to stay under $200.00 and can use L or R retrieve, used to have LH but do not want to limit myself to that and sacrifice better reel choices.

I figure this will be a good time to decide which retrieve I want L or R because its been so long, I know I like to cast using my R hand and thumb, so maybe LH retrieve is the better choice.

The only place with in a couple hours of me to look at reels is a Walmart, so have no choice but to order online.

You guys helped me before, hoping to get some more ideas on this thought.

[Bluebasser86]

There's lots of good options in the price range you listed. I'm sure there will be lots of votes for the Shimano Curado or a Revo SX. Both are great options and there are plenty more good ones out there. I would personally go with the Curado E7 but like I said there are tons of good options for under $200.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

My pick under $200 would be either a Curado 200 or 50. Both come in LH and can be found for $150 on eBay.

[Sam]

Shimano!

[Pa_Photo]

Thanks guys, and I believe I will stick with LH retrieve since they are available in that reel.

Been a long time since I shopped for rods, is St Croix still a good choice, and is the mojo bass casting a decent rod ?

[Bluebasser86]

St. Croix is still a very good rod. I would suggest holding a Mojo before you buy one if you can. There are some people that don't like them because they are tip heavy or have a short handle and some people, like me, that love them. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to the rod being tip heavy but I don't notice it and I catch plenty of fish with mine and they don't break the bank like some rods do. If I was going to look at another rod in a similar price range it would be an Abu Garcia Veritas. They are nice feeling rods but I've heard of some people having breakage issues with them but that may have just been when they first came out. That's another thing about the mojo's, they may not be the lightest rod around but they are durable! I fish a ton and I'm not the most gentle person with my gear and they have held up great! If you can spend a little more I would definitly step up to a St.Croix Avid if you can. Avids are very nice and light rods but I wish they came with a split grip handle like the Mojo and LTB rods have.

[Pa_Photo]

St. Croix is still a very good rod. I would suggest holding a Mojo before you buy one if you can. There are some people that don't like them because they are tip heavy or have a short handle and some people, like me, that love them. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to the rod being tip heavy but I don't notice it and I catch plenty of fish with mine and they don't break the bank like some rods do. If I was going to look at another rod in a similar price range it would be an Abu Garcia Veritas. They are nice feeling rods but I've heard of some people having breakage issues with them but that may have just been when they first came out. That's another thing about the mojo's, they may not be the lightest rod around but they are durable! I fish a ton and I'm not the most gentle person with my gear and they have held up great! If you can spend a little more I would definitly step up to a St.Croix Avid if you can. Avids are very nice and light rods but I wish they came with a split grip handle like the Mojo and LTB rods have.

Thanks, I am considering the Avid, or even the Legend. if I go Legend, would the LTBC70MF be a good choice for worms and spinnerbaits. I lean towards the lighter lines is why I am thinking that model Legend.

Can I ask what the advantage is to the split grip handles are.

[new2BC4bass]

I got back into fishing last year after a 23 year hiatus. Went from spinning to baitcasting. Many are going to suggest the Shimano reels. Picked up a Chronarch 101A a few weeks ago and sent it on to DVT for cleaning. Will be picking it up next weekend. It was for my daughter, but maybe she will let me cast it a few times! Haven't tried a Shimano yet. A Shimano E7 was my first choice, but it didn't work out that way.

I really like my Daiwa Fuegos. Also my Zillion 50th Anniversary. Was a bit more than your $200 price, but you can often pick up the regular Zillion for less than $200. Some claim it is too heavy. It's all relative. Coming from spinning reels, I don't think of it as heavy. Great reel.

If you don't mind used you can find Shimano Chronarchs well within your price range. New is nice, but I've been lucky to pick up several like new reels at a considerable savings over new. I picked up a Daiwa Procaster from TW when they were being closed out ($30). Sent it to an Internet friend who cleaned, lubed and installed ABEC5 bearings. It's for my grandson. Mounted it on a 6'6" Berkley Lightning rod and have been using it the past week practicing for my fishing outing today. Am amazed at how smooth the retrieve is. Casts great as well. Who wooda thought!

Also bought a like new '09 STX-L. Only used it a few times, but it seems to be a sweet reel as well. Haven't used it that much because I haven't fished the techniques it is set up for very much here in PA.

I've got Falcon Experts, Airrus Ultra XL, Fenwick Techna AV, Zillion Flip and Pitch and one of Dick's Tec Spec rods. Tec Spec isn't a bad rod for its price, but I would spring for better if I were you. No experience with the Savvy line, but hope to in the near future. Everyone says it is a great rod series for the money. Better than others of the same price range. Would also like to pick up a used Champion. Can't afford new.

Got to use the Zillion once last season before I had to quit for the year. Really liked it. Want to pick up a Zillion 6'6" Medium Extra Fast as my next rod. Used of course! Actually I like all my rods. Would hate to get rid of any of them. (Well, maybe the Tec Spec, but I can give that to my grandson. )

Best of luck choosing. It can be rather daunting given all the excellent gear available today. Kind of hard to go wrong no matter what you choose.

[00 mod]

I have both avids and a legend elite. LOVE em....my worm rod is an AVC70mhf. My jig rod is a avc70hf. My elite is a les68mxf, for wieghtless, shakey heads, and trout!

Jeff

[Pa_Photo]

I got back into fishing last year after a 23 year hiatus. Went from spinning to baitcasting. Many are going to suggest the Shimano reels. Picked up a Chronarch 101A a few weeks ago and sent it on to DVT for cleaning. Will be picking it up next weekend. It was for my daughter, but maybe she will let me cast it a few times! Haven't tried a Shimano yet. A Shimano E7 was my first choice, but it didn't work out that way.

I really like my Daiwa Fuegos. Also my Zillion 50th Anniversary. Was a bit more than your $200 price, but you can often pick up the regular Zillion for less than $200. Some claim it is too heavy. It's all relative. Coming from spinning reels, I don't think of it as heavy. Great reel.

If you don't mind used you can find Shimano Chronarchs well within your price range. New is nice, but I've been lucky to pick up several like new reels at a considerable savings over new. I picked up a Daiwa Procaster from TW when they were being closed out ($30). Sent it to an Internet friend who cleaned, lubed and installed ABEC5 bearings. It's for my grandson. Mounted it on a 6'6" Berkley Lightning rod and have been using it the past week practicing for my fishing outing today. Am amazed at how smooth the retrieve is. Casts great as well. Who wooda thought!

Also bought a like new '09 STX-L. Only used it a few times, but it seems to be a sweet reel as well. Haven't used it that much because I haven't fished the techniques it is set up for very much here in PA.

I've got Falcon Experts, Airrus Ultra XL, Fenwick Techna AV, Zillion Flip and Pitch and one of Dick's Tec Spec rods. Tec Spec isn't a bad rod for its price, but I would spring for better if I were you. No experience with the Savvy line, but hope to in the near future. Everyone says it is a great rod series for the money. Better than others of the same price range. Would also like to pick up a used Champion. Can't afford new.

Got to use the Zillion once last season before I had to quit for the year. Really liked it. Want to pick up a Zillion 6'6" Medium Extra Fast as my next rod. Used of course! Actually I like all my rods. Would hate to get rid of any of them. (Well, maybe the Tec Spec, but I can give that to my grandson. )

Best of luck choosing. It can be rather daunting given all the excellent gear available today. Kind of hard to go wrong no matter what you choose.

Great to see someone else who got back into the sport, and even a bass lover from Pa. I grew up fishing and hunting in western NY and moved to Georgia where I got hooked on bass fishing.

I then decided I wanted to make all the money that was printed and gave up everything to work Work WORK. Now I realize I am getting older fatter and things get harder to do and want to enjoy life a little. Heck, I am having fun just shopping online for gear, it sure has changed over the years.

Thanks to everyone on this forum, I know I will ask a zillion questions but will gladly help anyone with photography questions since that is what I do for a living.

[new2BC4bass]

Before quitting 24 years ago I would fish for anything that swam. Been visiting (and fishing with) a brother-in-law in Florida the past 3 years. He only fishes for bass. Last year I got the urge to start fishing locally again. Didn't care for the size of the spinning reels we were using for bass so I decided to go with baitcasting gear. Glad I did. I am really enjoying it!!! Good thing I like the act of casting cuz the fishing in this area still sux!

Originally from Bradford County. Hunted PA and mostly fished the small lakes in southern NY. Gave up both after moving to this area.

I know all about working long hours, except I was salaried and wasn't making an extra dime for all my overtime. Don't you hate having a good work ethic!

Sounds like you wised up at an earlier age than I did. One day you look around and wonder where the he$$ did all those years go. Your children are gone. For the most part you've done nothing but work and sleep with the occasional weekend with the family.

I can tell you that researching for new gear is nearly as much fun as having it. There is all this anticipation. Yup, take some time now to enjoy your life. Doubtful you will get a second chance. :lol:

[ChiCityBasser]

Great to see you guys coming back to the sport after the long vacation times. My choice for the reel would be the Quantum Smoke which is right at your $200 price point. It's super light at 6.2 oz and a very solid performer from the all the reviews and post I have read about it. It comes in both LH and RH retrieve as well.

[Bluebasser86]

Thanks, I am considering the Avid, or even the Legend. if I go Legend, would the LTBC70MF be a good choice for worms and spinnerbaits. I lean towards the lighter lines is why I am thinking that model Legend.

Can I ask what the advantage is to the split grip handles are.

That model LTB rod would be a good choice for worms and spinnerbaits and just a good all around rod in general. I don't know if there is a real advantage to split grips other than it might reduce a slight amount of weight on the rod. Other than that I like the look of it better and it reduces fatigue on my hands from palming the reel and holding the bigger cork handle. Basically, for me at least my grip is tighter towards my little finger and looser towards my thumb and index. So I end up squeezing the rod harder with my little finger and ring finger with a full cork rod and it wears me out a little faster. That's just my opinion though and I'm sure others have theirs about why they like/dislike split grips.

[WdyCrankbait]

I suggest reading the reviews on ***.com and bassproshops.com as well. Maybe check out www.tackletour.com they are the Consumer reports for fishing equipment.

I have 2 Curados and one premier. For $200 you have a lot of options, my Curados are great reels period! I have been thinking about getting a Diawa recently, but the major thing that holds me back is the numbers. Say, a Zillion which I am sure is a great reel has lackluster numbers against cheaper reels. The weight of the Zillion is 8.8oz. ok, while the Curado 200E7 is 7.6 oz. The Diawa has 8.8# of drag while the 200E7 has 11#. The differences are small, but a $100 worth of difference.

[new2BC4bass]

I love the light weight of my Alphas ito/Falcon Expert Medium combination, but I fail to see why so many people are fixated so much on light weight to the point that they think that a 9 oz. reel can't be fished all day because of fatigue. Two years ago my brother-in-law had zilch for work. We spent 5 days almost exclusively fishing. I'm 63 now and haven't exercised in almost 10 years. The spinning reel/rod combinations we were using weighed more than any of my current baitcasting rod/reel combinations. We were casting 10" worms or #11 Rapalas all day. I think the sun had a greater affect on me than the rod/reels being used since I don't spend that much time out in in anymore.

Weight and drag aren't the only differences between reels separated by a $100 price tag. I purchased an STX just for the 20 plus drag for fishing in the slop in Florida. I don't feel at a disadvantage fishing my less than 7# drag Fuego here in Pennsy. Two of my Fuegos have been upgraded including the drags to Carbontex. I've been told that increased drag strength, but have never felt the need to actually measure any benefits that may have occurred from the upgrade.

I'm sure Shimanos are great reels. I really hope to have one in the near future. I mounted my grandson's Daiwa Procaster ($30 on closeout) on a Cheap Berkley Lightning MH rod ($17 on closeout-not the Lightning Shock), and practiced a bit last week in preparation for actually getting on the water yesterday. The reel has been cleaned, lubed and had ABEC5 bearings installed. It casts great and I am amazed at the smoothness of its retrieve. Am I going to replace my other reels with Procasters? Not hardly. It is a bigger reel (physically, not sure of the weight & don't care) for one thing. For another, I like my more expensive reels. I know the quality has to be better in the other reels.

I always had cheap gear before. Now I'm trying to buy middle-of-the-road gear (can't afford the really good stuff). Doubt it catches more fish than my old gear, but I enjoy using it more. Actually because of where I fished years ago, my old gear caught tons more fish than my new gear is catching. :(