Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Need good fishing reel for the money?

I need a baitcasting reel for bass fishing give me some ideas?!

Abu Garcia from Ebay

Hard to beat a Curado. I think my 2 300E's would bring more on eBay than I paid new.

I have a current ad for the Abu Garcia Pro Max for $55 (usually $80). I have two of them and they are just fine, if nothing special. A bit better is a Lew's. You might also look at one of the in-house brands from Scheel's or Cabela's. Any in the $90 to $100 range will be fine. One with a "pitching" option would be an asset.

I have a couple of the LEWS Speed Spools and like them a lot. About $80.

I use them for everything from pulling plugs or throwing spoons or spinners for steelhead, to trolling for
trout or landlocked Chinook.

I had a chat with a Shimanno reel tech and he said that they too have a lot of respect for the LEWS product.

For throwing plastic baits & jigs it's hard to beat the old Ambassador 5000C's. I have many & purchased a like new red reel for $20 at a pawn shop. Lots of new freshwater casting reels up to $600 that will do everything, but have sex with you. I have a Johnny Morris Carbonlight 2.0 at BassPro for $100. Excellent reel for the money. Any Curados are good value as posted.

Unfortunately, many of the "American" branded reels are now made in China. The land of "ZERO QUALITY CONTROL"
Personally, I'd hit the pawn shops and resale shops and look for a good American made reel.
You can't go wrong though, with an Abu Garcia even if it isn't made here. They are tried and true.
If you're going to use it for trolling or bottom fishing for big cats and such, any good reel will work. For tossing around a lot of lures, I'd always use a spinning reel as just one good backlash with a caster can ruin a trip.
Don't be misled by the claims of "Zero Backlash" devices, they don't work as good as an educated thumb.

Curado is the best I have owned.

I own at least a dozen Abu Gercia 5500, 6500 etc..... and while they are great reels I find they are best for trolling, jigging etc.... casting is not their strong suite.
I would recommend a new low profile, magnetic cast control reel for a day of casting for bass.

The lightweight and low profile reduce fatigue in a long day of casting. The cast control and narrow spool also help avoid backlashes.


Shimano's are always good, but any of the top reel makers make a quality reel. Don't fall for the nostalgia lovers argument. They have made great improvements in reels,take advantage of that.

Fwiw, I'm older than most here but in my experience it's hard to beat a LANGLEY LURECAST. - You can likely find one on ebay.com.

yours, tex

This.

+1

I've used every brand over the years but Shimano has consistently been the best. After 40 years of experimenting,I just buy the Shimano now. I do however always go with the top of the line,or right at it. If you are at the budget level,there's not much difference in brands.

Shimano Curado for a low profile reel should treat you well.