Reels

[trouthungry]

I am looking at getting a bait casting reel can anyine list some advantages and basic info on use any info is appreciated
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[fairwayphilly]

My first question is what are you fishing for and what lures do you fish with? The advantages of a bait caster is casting and flipping heavier baits 3/8 oz. and up and castability of heavier lines (15 lbs and up). Large, deep diving crank baits have a tendancy to wear on the ball bearings in spinning reels and most average sized spinning reels don't have nearly the line capacity of a bait caster which doesn't give you enough line when you use a heavy mono. Maybe the biggest advantage is the drag system. A baitcaster has a friction brake drag instead of a ratcheting gear style drag. The brake is a lot smoother and tougher when fighting big fish. The divantage of a baitcaster is there is a lot more skill involved in casting it accuratly and repeditavely especially with lures 1/4 oz and less. A bait caster requires adjustments in spool tension for every different lure you tie on and the first few months you have one you spend more time picking birds nests than you do fishing. When I walleye fish I only carry one baitcasting rod and two or three spinning rods. When I fish for smallies it's a 2-2 split and I carry three baitcasters and one spinner when fishing largemouth bass. They are a must have if you are going to flip heavy skirt jigs into cover or throw large spinner baits, but if all you do is pull grubs and flip 3" tubes then there is no need.
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[trouthungry]

I will be fishing for smallies largemouth stripers mainly and the possibility(but doubtful) of pike and tiger musky
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[Theekillerbee]

I would drop Tommegun, Predator, or Huntn4bass a PM, they are avid bass masters, and could probably point you in the right direction.
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[tomegun]

[green][size 2]Ah, a new Padawan learner. First, change your user name,HA!

I pretty much use spinning reels for ice fishing now. Baitcasters are very fun.

"Most baitcasters under $100.00 are crap". I didn't believe this until I got my first Shimano Curado. And, when I got my first Shimano Chronarch my life changed dramaticly.

Shimano and Quantum make the better baitcasters. If you use the reel for trolling, than any old baitcaster will do. The two best for the money(and these ain't cheap) are the Shimano Chronarch Superfree and the Quantum Energy PT(they both run around $200).

Your going to be casting and retrieving alot so save your pennies. Alternatives are Shimano Curados and Quantum Accurists-I have both and rarely use them anymore.

KEY POINT- go to the store and spend time playing with them. Right hand or left hand retrieve? How many ballbearings? Low profile or high profile(high profile are not all but mostly trolling equipment). Do they have demo reels?
Before I bought my first Chronarch, the guys at Sportsman's let me walk around the store for three hours playing with it(I spend a ton of plastic down there).

You'll be using 10# and higher line(8 if you are a silly Predator).
How often will you fish? I fish 70-100 days a year. Do your research first, you have until april or may to make a decision.
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[fuzzyfisher]

hey tommy i have to disagree with you on the high profile reel's..
obviously you have never taken a shimano calcuta for a spin.. 200 400 or 700.. the smothest reel you will ever see!!


dude on fish?
Ron
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[PREDATOR]

Ok, I will bite.

Tomegun gave you some really good advice. But be warned. The more advice you recieve from him, the more adictive and the larger a pain in the butt he becomes. []

Lets not play name games here.
Lets get down and dirty with the education.
The more info you have before you ever touch a reel, the better off you will be at decision making time.

In your casting reels, you are going to find a few things.
There are two styles of reels, the large diameter, round reels. And the low profile egg shaped reels.
Most bass fishermen these days are using the low profile reels. As a result, the low profile reels have been given the cutting edge technology, and research and development.
Large diameter, round reels are still very good, and they have a much larger line capacity than the low profile reels.

Basically there are a few features you will want to become accuainted with.

All your reels large diameter, low profile, this brand or that will have the same basic features like the friction control knob, the star drag, spool, and worm gear.

The differences come in from there.
The biggest issue you will be confronted with is going to be something that comes on all the low profile reels, and most of the large diameter reels.
That is the cast control system.
This is where you will really want to talk to someone who knows thier stuff. Do not just go into a store and grab the first sales guy there and ask him about the reels. Lots of guys who work in sporting good stores dont own a bait casting reel, have never fished with one, cant tell you the difference between one or the other.
Make sure you have a guy who is knows his stuff.
And keep in mind opinions are just that. Facts, about reels, and features that make sense will get you the best reel for your money.

Now, back to cast conrtol systems.
There are two types.
Friction, generally activated by centrifugal force.
Magnetic, activated by exposure to more or less of a magnet.

The most popular and the one used on most of the high dollar reels is friction.
But, not all systems are equal.

Lets explore the magnetic systems first.
Basic magnetic systems have a slide bar. Slide the bar one way, the spool is exposed to more of a magnet. The more magnet that is exposed, the more grab, or resistence it applies to the rotating spool. Close the slide bar, and you close the ammount of magnet exposed.

Whats this all about?

As you cast, the spool starts rolling, well, if it rolls faster than the lure is pulling line off the reel, you get problems.The magnets provide resistance, or drag to the spool wich helps slow it down, and keep it from over running itself.

Some magnetic systems are quite complex like the one on the diawa reels.
These reels have a magnetic system, the magnetic exposure is controlled by a dial on the outside of the reel, but the spool is exposed to the magnet by centifugal force.
When the spool reaches max rpm, the centrifugal force pushes a ring on the spool into a slot that has the magnets in it.
The diawa only has cast control at the top end of its rpm.
The diawa also has many small pieces, and uses a heck of a lot more plastic than any other reel in its price class.
My recomendation is not to get the diawas.
Basically because they arent built as well as the other brands{in my opinion}, and they are quite complex.

But basically that is the types of magnetic systems, and how they work.

In your friction systems, you will find that just about all your big names, shimano, quantum, pflueger, and your catalog brands like bassmaster use this system.
But in the low end reels, some of the companies listed above use magnetc systems.

There are basically two types of friction system out there, one that is widely used. This type is the six pin system. This will be found on your shimano curados, chronarchs, pflueger trion, president, and just about all the other reels out there.
This system has six small pins the you pop outward on the spool. when the pins are out, and the spool starts rolling, centrifual force pulls the pins outward against a ring. This provides friction and slows the spool. Obviously, the faster the spool spins, the harder the pind get pulled against the ring, and the more friction is caused. This slows the spool, and helps keep everthing in check.
Also, the pins being pulled out can be selected all on one side, to off balance the spool, and create a less smooth rotation, or you can pull the pins opposite of each other and keep a perfect balance to your spool rotation. Bolth methods provide nice cast control on the six pin system.
That being said, Tomegun is a master caster. He can throw left handed, right handed, upside down or backwards with no brakes being applied at all. Just free spool. No cast control. But the down side to his ego is I have noticed he does fear to throw lighter baits liuke 3/16 or 1/8 oz lures with his casters because of this. if he would simply set a brake or three he would be fearless.

Now, lets get to the only other system out there. The quantum system.
Basically its the same as the six pin system in that it opperates on friction tabs being pulled against a ring by centrifugal force to slow the spool.
But thats where the similarities end.
The quantums low end stuff uses a six tab brake, and the PT stuff uses nine tabs for maximum cast control.

The tabs on the quantums are always out. Unlike the six pin system where you have to pull them out individually.
To activate the quantum system you simply turn a dial on the outside of the reel and the friction ring moves in or out and is exposed to more or less tabs.

So they work the same, the main differences are on the six pin system, you have to pull the side cover off, and then pop out each individual pin. The bad thing about this is sometimes the pins get popped to far and pop off. then you have to replace them. And its kind of inconvienient to have to pull the side plate to adjust your brake for different lures.
the downside to the quantum system is if the tabs ever wear completley out, you willl have to replace the entire spool rather than just the pins. I doubt this will ever happen, but I am just being honest about the ups and downs. its a possibility.

Now, the big one is done, but the most important one is still here.
Drag systems. Not all are equal. Not even close.
Take a good look through a bass pro shops or cabelas catalog.
Some drag systems have plasic in them.
Why?
because metal washers when spun agianst each other create heat. When metal gets hot, its expands. If you have metal on metal washers on your drag system, when a fish made a long run, the metal washers whould heat up, expand, and tighten themselves. This can cause your drag to be set to tight, and break off big powerful fish like the smallmouth bass.
So, they put a plastic washer in between the metal ones. Its ok, but plastic heats up, melts, and can get slick when it cools down. this can cause your drag to slip and become less effective over time. But at least it wont over tighten itself on you while you fight a fish.
Some companies use different types of metals on one washer so that the two rubbing surfaces have different heat properties.
Quantum uses ceramic washers that unlike metal will expand and dissapate heat much better than metal. But ceramics are more brittle and subject to cracking.

Next look at your worm gear and pawl.
You need to make sure your worm gear is metal. Dont get a plastic worm gear, or a crappy plastic pawl. You will be sorry if you do.

Look at the inside of the reel. Smooth long lasting products that are built with real quality wont be made of lots of plastic, wont be complicated and cluttered.
The spool on your shimanos, pfleugers, and others thave the bearing on the spool, and it is held there by a pin. Other than that, they are very simple, clean, and uncomplicated.
The difference in the quantum is the bearing is not on the spool, it is in its own polymer case inside the frame housing of the reel.
Bolth systems are fine.

Theres a tonof other crap out there. seriously. Theres so much, like the type of materials used, magnesium, or titanium, aluminium, ect. anti rust or chromium plted bearings, ect. ect. ect.

But in my opinion, you have the info you need to make a good decision, the rest is filler, and just a little icing on the cake.

If you live in the ogden area, send me a pm.
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[PREDATOR]

Now that that is out of the way, let me give you my advice.

Listen to Tomegun's advice about the price of reels.
Reels under $100.00 just dont have the same performance as the others.
You may be saying I dont need "pro level" performance. But the performance I am talking about is not in the quality, not in the fish catching ability, its in the ease of use.
Especially where you will be learining to use one. You will have a much easier time learning with a reel over $100.00

Having said that, let me assure you that if you choose a shimano or a quantum, you will not regret the price paid. The reel will give you years of perfromance and life that far exceeds any spinning reel you can buy.

But, be aware that you will have to learn to cast again. Releasing the line with your thumb rather than your index finger takes practice to place the lure where you want it. Also, you will have to time your release at a different height than with spinning gear.
I recomend buying a reel now, taking it outside with a 1/4 ounce sinker on the end of the line. Throw it across the snow or grass and reel it back.
Just practice casting it. You will be focused on the timing of the release with the position of the rod. also learning to lift your thumb to release the line.
Try to think back to when you were a kid and your dad tried to teach you to cast a spinning outfit. Wasnt easy. Your bait likley ended up on the bank, or in a tree. You had to learn that, you will have to learn this. But its not that hard if you stick with it for a couple weeks. In no time at all you will be casting accuratley.
Make sure to read the set up instructions.
tie on a lure, hold the rod at a 45 degree angle, and adjust the friction knob as explained in your set up instructions, then turn on your cast control, heavy friction for learning.
Then stick with it.
Most guys get a caster, then try to take it out and fish with it. Well, thier desire to cast accuratley and catch fish overrides thier desire to learn, and they revert back to thier spinning gear beacuse its easier than learning. This is why its great to learn now while theres no soft water to fish. its cold on the hands, but its well worth the effort. i would bet you will be backlash free and a decent caster in less than two weeks if you give it an honest try.


Now, let me address the issues many people have. There are many misconceptions about what can and cant be done with bait casters.

The idea that you cant throw light weight lures on them is garbage. Todays cast control features work wonders, but the old timers who didnt have them have engrained us with the idea that it just cant be done.
It can be done. Not only that, it is no problem at all. You dont believe it. Step into my boat. 99% of the time I am throwing 3/16 ounce leadheads on my tubes, grubs, senkos, maniacs, everything.
Yes, even in the wind! Even in the rain.
Sometimes I go lighter, sometimes I go heavier. But that has nothing to do with castability, it has to do with sink rates and the type of structure or cover i am fishing.

the whole bait casters are for heavy line and big ugly lures can go to H%#*. I use only 6 and 8 lb test line on my reels. I seriously doubt anyone is going to question my results with light line on bait casting reels, unless they havent seen the pictures that is.

Get a Quantum E600PT or a Shimano curadoSF in the $150.00 range.
Or a Quantum E860PTXM or a Shiamano chronarch in the $200.00 range.
At least thats my opinion based on what you said you wanted to do with it. I will bet that you will be very pleased, and you might even get rid of all your spinning gear and use your baitcasters for all your fishing.
Oh but wait, you cant throw trout lures on baitcasters right? []

Oh and Tomegun, whatever dude.
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[tomegun]

[green][size 2]Sounds like you are a machinist or sportings goods store employee or that you are the founder of the Utah board, what a big stinkin' ego! HA!

This guys actually spends some afternoons reading tech manuals on fishing reels. I'm not a feared of small lures. I just don't want to catch "fry". Next time, wipe the milk off the lips of fish you catch. I'm going to call Child Services to get you off the water,creep!


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[ebass]

Hey, check ebay. Look for the daiwa procaster x- I think thats what its called,I can check for you. I got mine for 40 bucks new and have had it for 2 years now. It has all the same features as my 200 dollar daiwa millionaire, but is a little smoother. I wouldn't spend anymore money then that. I got the rod for 20 bucks, then the real for 40. So look to spend around 60-70 dollars. I have caught lots of large bass on it, and fished tons of hours, still works fine. You dont need some space aged ceramic drag or anything fancy like that, unless your trying to catch a tarpon or something..
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