Preliminary Research Data For <$130 Baitcasters!!!

[J Francho]

No, I think it was an inexpensive spinning reel, though.

For the OP, if you are going strictly by MSRP, then a Citica G fits the bill. Otherwise, you can get a host of even better reels either on sale or used.

[endless]

I'm a BPS fan that's true but I don't understand how the Citica isn't at least highlighted?

[J Francho]

Shimano buyers aren't usually the type of kook that makes reviews on the BPS site, LOL.

[Pharticus]

Check ebay...

That's precisely what I plan to do once I whittle it down. There's no store that's gonna offer me service that justifies paying extra (or even sales tax for that matter), so lowest price wins.

[Diggy]

I'm a BPS fan that's true but I don't understand how the Citica isn't at least highlighted?

the older E model had tons of reviews, but since the newer model came out,,,they are gone

[l3rd]

Perhaps some will laugh, but in my efforts to sort through all the $130 or less baitcasters for that perfect first purchase, I began gathering data.

This list is based on the offerings from Cabela's and Bass Pro Shop. I have eliminated all reels that had ZERO reviews, and all reels that failed to achieve a 4.0 out of 5 (or higher).

I think you missed one of the best ones out there. You have to get it from the store as they no longer have right handed mdls on line, but the BPS Carbonlite smokes most of those you cite. 4.8 out of 5, after YEARS of use and several Curado E owners saying they prefer it to their E searies Curado. In the new Shimano line-up you'd have to buy the Cronarch to equal the old Curado by most accounts. They have been out for years and they are just flat out great performers at an insanely low price for what you get. I bet once this sale is over they'll be back down to $89 again too. Last I knew they had over 1,100 left in the system, so you ought to be able to get one before they sell them off completely. The new Johnny Morris Carbonlites, their replacements, seem pretty good as well, but only time will tell if they'll hold up as well as.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-reg-CarbonLite-trade-Baitcast-Reel/product/10204721/105225

[flippin and pitchin]

Would you consider taking the research one step further? Take a look at Tackle Warehouse as a retailer. You will have to read each comment because they don't apply a 1 to 5 rating scale. Look for rater who have commneted they are repeat buyers. I have to agree with megastrike about the LEWS MG at an MSRP of 129.99.

[The Rooster]

What about physically handling some of these reels hands on before making a purchase based on pricing and reviews?? You might hate the way it feels in hand after you see it up close if you just order one without ever seeing it first. Not to mention you might end up with one that has a roughness to it in the gears that could be avoided if you sampled several of the same model at a tackle shop first. If you only get one shot to get it right, basing the purchase mostly on reviews is the completely wrong approach to it then. Reading reviews is a decent way to avoid a common problem that a lot of people seem to have with the same reel or rod over and over but that's about it. A lot of people who give bad ratings to reels sometimes do so because they can't cast it so therefore it's junk, but baitcasters take practice so a review like that is a joke to me. When I read reviews I only take them seriously if they seem seriously written so if there's a reel with 500 reviews out there, you'd have to read all 500 to take the final score given by all the reviews even 1/2 seriously.

Otherwise I like the chart for showing you what features one reel has over another. But one thing I'd do on there is eliminate any reel that doesn't have an aluminum frame completely off the list. You've got a big mix going based on price, but that allows good reels like the Lew's Speed Spool or Shimano Citica to be compared along side of stinkers like the Pflueger Echelon and BPS Bionic. On that Shimano Caenan, go to tackletour's website and read that review. That's more than a paragraph or two, it's several pages based on real world testing, and I'm sure what you read will be enough to get that one off the list totally. That's one that has a graphite frame. Once you've read that you'll know why I said aluminum frames only. Any baitcaster with a graphite frame is a paperweight.