Help Me Pick A Baitcaster Under $150

[The Guy]

Bearing count is overrated. Bearing quality is what matters. You cant go wrong with a Citica E or a Curado 50E, but TW has the Pflueger Patriarch on sale for $110 and its a heck of a reel.

I got the patriarch a couple of weeks ago and I am extremely impressed with it especially for $109. It is the wide spool version though so it is slightly wider than normal. It is very smooth and casts a mile. I can't comment on durability though.

[NBR]

Bearing will make the reel seem a bit more solid since they eliminate a slight amount of play experienced with bushings. In regards to casting only 2 maybe 3 have any significant advantage. Every thing I have read, and that is considerable, all reel manufacturers use the same quality bearings. My memory says AFBMA class 2 but the number could be wrong. As the number gets higher the quality goes up. I think the reason for this is that the manufactuers use select fit for the higher quality bearings.

[piscicidal]

I have read this before about the Smoke. Post #19

John's #19 post was in response was to my #17 post. At the time I thought the Smoke was a better reel than my Curado. Since then I've bought two more Smokes (and one more Curado 200E7) and I still feel that way. Nothing I've fished with outcasts this reel. I have not experienced any of the quality issues John was talking about. Again, maybe I got lucky with my three reels and his friend had really bad luck with his two (no doubt, if a reel cannot free spool more than one turn then something is drastically wrong). If there is a chronic issue with the Smoke design, in general, I have not heard about it or experienced it.

Tackle Tour (held in high regard on this forum) rates the Smoke a 8.80 out of 10. Of the dozens of baitcast reels I researched, it was the second highest rated. The Revo STX was rated slightly higher (9.00) but being 2.5oz heavier than the Smoke was kind of a deal breaker for me on the moving bait setups. I say continue to do your homework....you could choose from any of Smoke/Curado/Revo STX/Lews Tournament reels and be happy with the purchase, IMO.

[John G]

Post #19 was J Francho's....not mine. I have never fished with a Smoke but I have handled one at my local Dick's. My first impressions was that it was a sweet reel. Great looking and smooth.

[piscicidal]

Sorry....when I said "John" I was referring to John Francho. I should have been more clear.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You're at possibly the most stacked price point for baitcast reels. It's almost hard to go wrong. The current Shimano closeouts are almost too good to pass up. Revos are smooth and manageable if you read and follow the setup instructions (set spool tesion with mag brake off, then set mag for conditions). Quantum seems to have some QC issues but if you get a good one it will be real good.