baitcaster questions ????

[luigi1031]

hey guys im going to buy a low profile baitcaster this weekend. is there any benefit in the spool being v grooved vs straight? magnetic or centrifugal which braking system is better? also whats a good bearing count?
i will be using this reel with crankbait, the occasional soft plastic, some bait-fish when i want to catfish.
what would be a good rod to pair it with?
i have budget of about $250 and i will be going to bass pro. thanks in advance guys

 

[scooter123]

I used to work with a serious Bass fisherman and one time he had me try casting with one of his bait casting reels. Probably did it for the laugh, because just one attempt and that real exploded into a birds nest the size of a softball. You'all can keep your bait casters thank you, I'll keep plugging along with my rather ancient spinning reel. Naturally I can't provide you with any answers to your question, just with a warning that if you don't know what you are doing one toss will result in KABLOOEY with the biggest tangle of line I've ever seen.

 

[Salty RI]

I have been using baitcasters all my life, in both salt and fresh water, when these new fresh water reel's came out I bought one, didn't like it, buy an Abu the 6000 is a good reel, I have four of them and I use them in both salt and fresh and they cost about 60 bucks and they will last forever, the older they get the better they get. For a rod buy something about 7ft that is good to about an ounce.

 

[klausinak]

OP-
Let me try to answer your ?'s:

1- grooved vs smooth spools. I think it's a marketing gimmick, there may be some advantage to grooved w/superbraids but I just put a layer of electrical tape on my spool on the rare occasion I use those.

2. Magnetic vs centrifugal brakes. I don't have much mileage in mag brakes; I think the only one I own is on an ice-fishing rig, (I don't do much casting with that one ). Look at it this way, a top of the line Shimano, (Calcutta) doesn't use a mag brake.

I'm not a big fan of low profile reels, I think that's mostly aesthetics though. What you really want is something with a very good, very smooth drag, no "grabbiness" (I think I may have just invented a new word).

-Klaus

 

[luigi1031]

thanks so far guys, i have used both round and low profile and the low profile just feels better in my hand. will a medium/fast rod in a 6'6" or 7' be good or do i need to go heavier?

 

[Big Stick]

I will say it again. You really can't go wrong with an ABU Garcia 6000 series. Spend your extra budget on a decent rod, or, buy 2 rigs.... Ugly Sticks are still around $40-60, and are a decent rod for the price....

 

[pawngal]

I don't fish myself but my husband did. Another vote for Abu Garcia 6000 series, best all-around baitcaster on the market and has been for years. And yes, the older ones are better.
If you are dead set on a low profile, spent the big bucks on a Shimano.

 

[ancient-one]

I still have two of the red Garcia 5000 that have been used a lot and they work good. All bait casting reels work better with a thumb that has the touch.

 

[Salty RI]

I still have two of the red Garcia 5000 that have been used a lot and they work good. All bait casting reels work better with a thumb that has the touch.

I Still have two 5000's one wide and one narrow spool, they must be 40 years old maybe more, good bass reel with that slow retrieve, it's time to get new drag washers for them, we have a guy here who makes the ceramic washes.

 

[Drm50]

Bait Casters
In the world of Bait Casting reels the Ambassadors are like S&W revolvers.
You can't buy better. I use to repair reels,they were the most trouble free and
smooth running reels made. As for rod a 6-6 MH is more universal than 7'
In same model 7' usually have softer tip.

 

[luigi1031]

thanks everyone i will definitely look into the 6000's. thanks again for your advice

 

[walnutred]

When I was stationed at Ft Lee Va I was bored and broke and one of my barracks mates suggested I go fishing with him one weekend. So I went to the PX and bought a cheap rod and reel combo. When I got back to the barracks he asked what I bought and I replied "Some cheap Spanish rod and reel" and showed him the Abu Garcia reel and Ugly Stick combo that I'd bought on sale. After he got done laughing he said I'd done OK. This was in 1988, the rod has long been replaced but the reel is still going strong.

 

[doublesharp]

Ambassador 6500c has a bait click that is good for live bait/catfishing. As an all round reel I like Quantum 381 Crankin reels from the 1980s. Slow 3.8:1 retrieve and big brass gears. I used them for years mated with 7 1/2' flipping sticks to shiner fish while guiding on Lake Okeechobee. Braided line and a 5/0 Kahle hook would pull the biggest hogs out of thick hydrilla or peppergrass beds. Slow retrieve is good for artificial worm fishing, too.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

a 6000 is a big reel for the use you describe.I would go with a 5000 or if you can find one, my perennial favorite the 4500. I've got a 4500 that has got to be 25 years old and it works like the day I bought it. Love those round red reels. Course the Calcutta ain't no slouch either

 

[msinc]

I use a Shimano Curado and I like it. Here is what I have to say about baitcasters; I have found that they have, for me at least, a kind of narrow niche. I use it for heavy lures and I use it with fairly heavy line...like 12 pound test and up. Maybe it's my skill level but I cannot cast light lures with it and if I try to use light line I get way more tangles. I cannot seem to get the overhead cast down and the only way I can get any distance at all out of it is to side cast. I know they can be cast over head but I cant do it, now I admit I haven't spent a whole lot of time trying.
Unless something has changed with the Ugly Stick rods, last time I messed with them they were very extremely heavy. Indestructible, but heavy. I use a 7 ft. carrot stick. Bottom line, for me, I use the baitcaster for heavy crankbaits and buzz baits and I use it with like 15 pound test mono. It works and I can sometimes get an entire fishing excursion on the pond with out a single tangle. If I try to use it any other way I need about 6 rods rigged to get 15 minutes of fishing in. Baitcasters must be about like a tube call for turkeys {I can actually use one of them!!!} they are fantastic in the right hands, but a lot of guys just cant seem to get it to do everything.

 

[Stevens]

Another vote for Abu Garcia, Ambassadeur I've been using them for many years. I am right handed, most righies will cast revolving spool with their right hand then switch the rod to the left to reel with the right. I buy "left handed" revolving spool reels, casting and reeling in with the rod in my right hand all the time. I like that much better than the "conventional" style.
Good luck!

 

[Salty RI]

a 6000 is a big reel for the use you describe.I would go with a 5000 or if you can find one, my perennial favorite the 4500. I've got a 4500 that has got to be 25 years old and it works like the day I bought it. Love those round red reels. Course the Calcutta ain't no slouch either

The 6000 and the 5000 with the wide spool are the same size, it's when you go up to the 7000 you have a bigger reel and it is a salt water reel only too big and heavy for fresh water use.

 

[FishingPilot]

I prefer Quantum reels for all of my bass fishing rigs. I fish ~25 tournaments a year and these have lasted a few years. A nice reel for general purpose fresh water fishing is the Quantum Accurist. You can get them from between $100-120 on sale usually. Tackle Warehouse has them for $99. The Quantum site has some good info (take a look at the Smoke series - nice but pricey). If you are serious about using a crank bait and some soft plastics and live bait for catfish, then you really need 3 separate rigs. A fast tip rod with medium back bone for crankbaits (so you can really whip it out there) and a slow tip for the plastics so you don't rip the bait out of their mouth before they can 'eat' it. For catfish, heavy rods and bigger reels that can spool up at least a hundred yards of braid, unless you are talking about pond size catfish (then your crankbait rig should suffice).

 

[reddogge]

The two best reels I use are Shimano Curados and a Quantum Accurist. For most fishing with plugs I like 6.3:1 and for top water I like 5.2:1. My spinnerbait reel is that Accurist and it has been working great for many years. I've learned to have at least 6 rod/reel combos with different types of rods on them and keep one type of bait tied to each rod that is set up for it. That way it is always set and you will rarely get a backlash unless you like to cast into the wind.

 

[kalei]

I've used the Ambassaduer reel since 1969, currently have the 5000A, 5000C, 5000D and a 2500. all are on custom rods I had built to mach each reel. annually strip, clean and lube them. After using in salt water I hose them off. Have not had any problems with any of them.