Baitcaster

I’ve fished all my life using only spincasters, and I am thinking about picking up a baitcaster. Any advice on a decent reel (under $75) that would be good for a novice baitcaster to purchase? What should I look for? Any special things I should know?
Any help would be appreciated.
Steve

ABU GARCIA Has some good baitcasting reels on the market. The 5500 and 6500 series is what I would recommend. They are both in your price range.

I’ll second the recommendation for an Adu Garcia 5500 C3 as an all around great casting and trolling reel. I have 4 or 5 of these reels, one that is over 10 years old.

Jon J.

Another positive vote for the Abu’s mentioned above. There are others out there but none with the legendary dependability these reels have established. I’ve owned 3 of them and not one hiccup of difficulty has come from any of them. There’s been difficulty from me, but not the reels!!!

Showing my ignorance, what’s the main difference between the rounder looking baitcasters, and the lower profile ones? When I went to the AbuGarcia website, I saw both. Just curious.
Steve

In my opinion the lower profile reel is a better pitching and flipping reel for bass fishing. They fit in the hand better and are more comfortable to use. I have both and love them. Also the lower profile reel will not have the line capacity that the ‘round’ reels have. I’d try handling the reel @ your local sporting goods location and then make your decision based on what you are going to use the reel for. I would buy the ‘round’ reel for trolling or casting long distances where you tend to have lots of line out. Then again if I were flipping banks for Bass or casting short distances I would buy the lower profile reel. That’s just my opinion.

I like the Quantum Accurist 500 Performance Tuned baitcast reel. The Accurist 500 CX is a great reel, with the features you need at alow price.

I echo the Abu advise. I have a 4400 C3 and a 5500 C4. Both are excellent reels. My first baitcaster was a Daiwa, which was much more expensive. It broke after the 2nd season.

That’s a pretty good overall oh Great Caledonian (couldn’t resist!)! I’d like to add that when handling the reel, put it on a rod that is the closest representation of the rod you plan to put it on. Different rods have different fits depending on the construction of the rod.

Personally, and this is because everybody’s different, I like the fit of the smaller sized round casters than I do the low profile models. I have an Abu T3600C and we’re in entering it’s 3rd season problem free. Works wonderfully and fits my preferences better than any low profile has yet, so try them all out and see what you think.

Well, you asked so here is my opinion. I have the ABU 5500, 6500, 5600 and some additional Ambassadors….great reels but bulky in the hand. After fishing with James Holst I really got sold on a Quantum Accurist 401C (the bullet style reel)…$69 at Bass Pro mail order. The reel is dynamite…casts super smooth, and the thumb button can be set to be momentary or not, thus allowing extra line out with the touch of the bar with your thumb..VERY nice feature. I now own 4 of them because I like their performance, size and Quality.

For regular baitcasters I have 5 of the 5600 series C4 Abu Garcia reels among others but I like the Abu Garcias the best. They are great reels in my opinion and I have no problems with them. They are dark blue in color so easy to spot in a display shelf. For line counters I have Okumas and Marados and I am fairly new to using line counters as I like the regular 5600s so well. This year I plan to continue expermenting with different St. Croix rods and different reels. Thanks, Bill