I’ve been using the KastKing Assassin baitcasting reel for several months now, so I thought I’d share my experience with it. It weighs in at only 5.7-ounces, the reel balances perfectly with any rod, not only in weight, but it looks too. The midnight black finish on the reel looks sleek and classy on any rod. The carbon fiber side plates, handle, and frame keeps the reel’s weight down without sacrificing strength. The weight places this reel in the featherweight category.
The 6-pin centrifugal cast control paired with dual magnetic brakes provides a level of fine-tuning not often found in reels in this price range. The system is superior when using lighter baits. You don’t adjust the pins like you usually would on other reels. Instead, you see a dial when you remove the side plate and turn the dial (1-6) to set the pins. I recommend starting at number 4 (4 pins) and adjusting. I found setting it at two pins was ideal for me.
I first used this reel on a frog rod (7’ 2” heavy power). I spooled on 50-pound Seaguar Kanzen braid and tied on a Booyah Pad Crasher frog. My first several casts were WAY off target! I over-shot my casts by 15 to 20 feet every time. This reel provided NO resistance to the casts, making me bomb my lure way out there. Best of all, no backlashes!
I wasn’t expecting this. It took some adjusting in my cast to hit the targets – and that’s a good thing. It took less effort to cast. That can add up to over a day of fishing.
I then spooled the reel with Seaguar 8.4lb Fluorocarbon Finesse line and attached it to a medium-power rod to pitch 3” tubes and grubs on 1/8th-ounce jigheads. If you know me, I usually don’t spool any line on a baitcaster that’s less than 12 pounds. But I wanted to push this reel to see how it would perform.
I did a lot of pitching and casting with lightweight lures – something that has always been difficult for me on bait casters, but not with the Assassin. I could pitch with these lures quickly as I could with heavier baits on stout rods. It’s a vast improvement. The braking system made it easy to dial in the precision settings necessary for this fishing.
I also found the carbon fiber handle on the reel to be quite comfortable. The grips aren’t huge like those typically found on competitive reels, so they’re a perfect fit for my hands.
The Assassin reel touts an astonishing 11 + one shielded bearings, four disk carbon fiber drag washers, an average 6.3:1 gear ratio, and an impressive 16.5 pounds of pressure on the drag. This reel stacks up very well against the more expensive competition.
And that’s the kicker – had you handed me the reel and asked me to fish with it without telling me the retail price, I would have easily placed this in the $160-$200 range. But it retails for less than $60! That’s not a typo. It is that affordable.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have given this reel another look due to its price had I been shopping for reels. You wouldn’t have convinced me a reel would be that good for that price. I’m now a believer.
Had I not experienced it, my skepticism may have won out. I understand if you think I’m over-hyping this reel. In addition, the jury is still out on its durability. However, I’ve been fishing it hard for several months. So far, no issues have occurred. KastKing has a 1-year warranty on the Assassin Carbon should anything go wrong.
The KastKing Assassin Carbon baitcasting reel is for anyone looking to add a super lightweight baitcaster to their arsenal at an affordable price in a sea of choices. The $58.98 price tag is hard to ignore! The reel is available in both right-hand and left-hand models.