bait caster reccomendation

[Gringo Pescador]

I see you are in Seattle, if you can wait a month, Outdoor Emporium usually has a 12 days of Christmas sale where each day they have some pretty decent discounts. Usually one of those days they discount all reels. That is when/where I picked up my last Curado..

[Weekend-warrior17]

Another vote for the Shimano Curado 200E7
Some guys will say there isn't any reason to pay big money for a reel for many reasons, but at least with me these reels have proven to be one of the smoothest and highest quality reels out there for the price and has an extremely sensitive drag. They can take a beating and last a good while. Especially when fishing for steelhead i find confidence is always a key factor in a successful fishing trip and a good quality reel such as this should defiantly do it for ya.

[goonatic]

i dont like the daiwa lexas, theyre decent but shimano are way smoother imo, i like centrifugal breaks because i whip my casts out there and i feel as if i ghet the best distance with cent. brakes, mags need to use a more smooth and gradual cast which i dont like, and quantum also makes a decent reel, not a fan of lews, had a tournament and it slipped all over, and so did the replacement, i just exchanged for a little more and got the chronarch, and i love it, plus i added boca orange seal bearings on it, oh my gosh, this reel is even more of a beast now

[kingroobes]

I see you are in Seattle, if you can wait a month, Outdoor Emporium usually has a 12 days of Christmas sale where each day they have some pretty decent discounts. Usually one of those days they discount all reels. That is when/where I picked up my last Curado..

I talked them into giving me an "early christmas" special and got a good deal on a Revo . Thanks all for the input

[FishBaitThe2nd]

Abu Garcia C4. This reel will last you a long time as long as you maintain it. (Gear lubing, oil, etc.) Worth every penny.

[natetreat]

s almost all plastice parts. no reason to pay more for the same low quality that you will have to pay to have serviced under the warranty.

Not true at all actually. Different reel manufacturers have different facilities in different locations, and the consistency in the quality can be apparent from facility to facility. For example, the old curado E and the new chronarch E were/are made in Japan, whereas production of the new curado g was moved to shimano's factory in malaysia where they build all of their cheap reels. This may actually sound worse than it is. Apparently shimano has a pretty badass/state of the art facility in malaysia that is actually newer and more up to date than the japanese facility, and so far as I can tell the malaysian facility seems to turn out a fairly consistent product. I have seen very few lemons out of the lower end shimanos. However, there is no disputing the difference in quality between, say, a curado g and a chronarch e. The chronarch is just a better reel in ever way possible.

The only other baitcasters I would recommend besides a shimano at this point would definitely be an abu garcia. Their new line that came out (last year?) put the old low profile abu's to shame (which wasn't difficult to do considering they were garbage). I definitely wouldn't go the black max route, the drag on those reels is pretty poor (you get what you pay for). If you were looking for a decent entry level baitcaster I think the one that I would be looking at is the orra sx. At 99 bucks its a steal of a deal. They are a fine reel for the money.

Speaking of shimano quality control, I just picked up a shimano canaen to replace my quantum smoke (the smoke is garbage). I've had it less than two weeks and this weekend it was fishing fine and dandy. We caught a chum, and now the gears crackle and grate. Can't really say I was impressed.

[dicinu]

I love the revo Line of reels I have a Premier and 2 winch's the blue and this years model I like the Winch for the line cap holds 185 of 12lb mono slow retrieve and handles kings like a champ.

I also have a shimano 210e7 I am not a fan I had 3 of them and also a 301e7 and sold all but one as that one is my son's reel he loves it but I cannot cast the same distance as the revo's I get reels based on weight mostly casting as much as we do it helps to have a lighter reel. Premier is my got too reel 5.8 ounces feel like a feather compaired to some others I picked up.

[Aintskunked]

I bought a diawa lexa 100hsl and freakin love this reel, I went from the round abu c4 to this and its just awesome, its cast further then I need, fits my hand great and holds a ton of line. Ive had this reel for about 3 months now and cast everything from a single split shot to a 1oz cannonball with ease and its still as smooth as the day I got it. Im more then happy with my choice hope you are aswell.

[rcthepirate]

s almost all plastice parts. no reason to pay more for the same low quality that you will have to pay to have serviced under the warranty.

Not true at all actually. Different reel manufacturers have different facilities in different locations, and the consistency in the quality can be apparent from facility to facility. For example, the old curado E and the new chronarch E were/are made in Japan, whereas production of the new curado g was moved to shimano's factory in malaysia where they build all of their cheap reels. This may actually sound worse than it is. Apparently shimano has a pretty badass/state of the art facility in malaysia that is actually newer and more up to date than the japanese facility, and so far as I can tell the malaysian facility seems to turn out a fairly consistent product. I have seen very few lemons out of the lower end shimanos. However, there is no disputing the difference in quality between, say, a curado g and a chronarch e. The chronarch is just a better reel in ever way possible.

The only other baitcasters I would recommend besides a shimano at this point would definitely be an abu garcia. Their new line that came out (last year?) put the old low profile abu's to shame (which wasn't difficult to do considering they were garbage). I definitely wouldn't go the black max route, the drag on those reels is pretty poor (you get what you pay for). If you were looking for a decent entry level baitcaster I think the one that I would be looking at is the orra sx. At 99 bucks its a steal of a deal. They are a fine reel for the money.

Speaking of shimano quality control, I just picked up a shimano canaen to replace my quantum smoke (the smoke is garbage). I've had it less than two weeks and this weekend it was fishing fine and dandy. We caught a chum, and now the gears crackle and grate. Can't really say I was impressed.

Ya you get what you pay for with the canaen though. I'm pretty skeptical of anything in that price range, but especially that reel. I'm sure it fishes fine, but just holding it in my hand it feels like it is made almost entirely out of plastic and could fall apart at any moment. I would take it the hell back to wherever you got it and exchange it. Shimano has an over the counter warranty exchange with most retailers. Like I said before, check out the orra sx. Just pick it up and play around with it for a few minutes. Pretty quality reel for the money.

[sealegs]

I have a shimano citica bait caster for sale. three months old and selling to buy a spinning reel

[gonnahookit]

I see you are in Seattle, if you can wait a month, Outdoor Emporium usually has a 12 days of Christmas sale where each day they have some pretty decent discounts. Usually one of those days they discount all reels. That is when/where I picked up my last Curado..

Yep, good deals to be had. Last year I outfitted myself pretty well. New waders, wading boots, a Diawa Lexa 2500 spinning reel, some smartwool socks and thermals (love those things when it's chilly out!).
'
Each day is a discount on a different type of item. (varies, but most were 20%).

Even pricing those items online, searching as best I coud, I still came out ahead. Usually it's cheaper to buy stuff online, but if you need something and it's on discount during one of those days, it's a good deal. I saved over $200 buying when I did.

[angry john]

You did not specify if you wanted a round reel or a LP. Handle the daiwa Luna for a few seconds and you will feel quality. I have the 300l and the 253l for swim baits and there great. I found the 203 on sale at sportsman's warehouse for less than a hundred dollars. Come with solid bearings and good for salt or fresh. The one in Silverdale had them on sale.

[chongo469]

Hey Nate.... If we ever fish together, I will let you fish with my Okuma citrix... I have had 2 as my last one lasted 6 hard years and all I ever did was clean it.... I have had 3 shimanos ( 2 curados and 1 citica ) and I would tak my Citrix over all 3 of them any day.... It handles Kings,Silvers, and steelhead just fine... I use my Abus for Lings and plugging on the rivers..

[gfakkema]

...

[angry john]

The luna 253 and below are mag brakes and they cast very well. i dont palm very much so i cant really say. The smaller 103 size should be good for that. The luna's i have cast very well, and the millionaire platform has some good reels in it and is the basis for the ito monoblock. You might also like the 100 bay casting special. The luna is the only round reel i use, but i have a ton of different daiwa reels. i love my steez 100hl but that cost a pile of coin. A jdm zillion might be a good choice or the tatula that is just coming out. I have not tried one yet. I still rock two of the daiwa advantage htsl reels for jigs and frogs, there very solid and for the coin hard to beat.