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Old 02-11-12, 11:10 PM   #1
blackstang93
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Default baitcaster for longtime spinning guy

Hello. Im looking for a baitcaster reel. Ive been fishing with higher end spinning rod and reels my whole life. This would be totally new to me. I fish weightless texas rigged senko's almost all the time. From the research ive done, it is possible to fish senko's with baitcasters. Im looking to expand my arsenal. could you guys/gals recomend a good starter baitcaster reel (and even rod if you want) for a longtime fisherman that has only threw a baitcaster a handful of times. budget for the reel would be no more than $200. THANKS

I fish for large mouth bass, mostly fish with plastics.
would like to have a baitcaster that can throw senkos but also be rigged up to throw top water baits,spinnerbaits. It sounds like I want "the perfect reel" lol
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Old 02-11-12, 11:46 PM   #2
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I was looking at that quantum Smoke+ BPS carbonlite combo... any opinions?
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Old 02-12-12, 12:46 AM   #3
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You came to right place. These folks know thier baitcasters.
I don't. Well I do but others around here know alot more. So I'll let them send you in the right direction.
I just wanted to WELCOME you to the site.
So welcome to the site!
I fish both casting and spinning. High end spinning and mid range baitcasters.
I look forward to learning alot from you and look forward to reading your posts on your new adventure.
Again welcome to the site!
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Old 02-12-12, 01:25 AM   #4
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Well, your going to get a lot of opinions on this. I havn't used but one Quantum reel and it's an old one. So I won't comment on the Smoke reel. There are two reels that I am thinking about for you. The Garcia SX is a great reel for $169.99. You can't go wrong with that reel. Smooth and strong! The SX I have casts a country mile. But since your starting out, you may want to look into the Bass Pro Shops Reels. Namely the Pro Qualifier. It sells for around 100.00 and is a great little baitcaster. You'll find many here who will say the same thing. I have 3 PQ's and use them all the time without any trouble. Very dependable reels and very nice casting reels. My brother started out with a PQ and to this day hasn't had a backlash with it! You'll find several here who like Shimano reels, but I don't have any experience with those so I'll let them tell you about those. I hear a lot of good things about the Lews baitcasters now days. I just might look into one of those myself. Whatever you get, a 6.4:1 ratio is a good all around gear ratio to start with and will handle about any situation you run into.
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Old 02-12-12, 02:17 AM   #5
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I'm with Keith on the Pro Qualifier. Great reel. A close second-and one that is less expensive-is the BPS Extreme reel. I have a bunch of them, and I do mean a bunch. Great reel for the $. As far as the Smoke reel-haven't used one but I would have no problem with any Quantum reel. The advice I give to anyone asking this question is this: Go someplace that sells them and handle a few. See which one feels right to YOU, not somebody else. I have ordered reels online many times in the past but have always had one in my hands before I ordered so I knew it felt right. I give the same advice for rods.
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Old 02-12-12, 04:27 AM   #6
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thanks for the nice welcome. I usually fish with pfluegers or shimano. I have had a few quantum and BPS reels and a few BPS extreme rod. That "smoke" reel just caught my eye! especiallly the spinning reel. I think that would look nice on a garcia veritas rod! But back to the baitcaster. what kind of line do you guys use? Im used to fireline on my spinning reels. Im not a huge fan of braided line (i haven't used it in years though). It sounds like that's what most of you guys use though. I would love some more opinions on some of the options I got with this new journey.lol One more question. I am used to fishing 7 ft. MH fast action rods. what would you recommend for me?

I fish mostly weed beds and strong lily pads. with my senko's

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Old 02-12-12, 08:13 AM   #7
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Hey stang...all good advice so far. I throw weightless senkos with either a Curado 200e or a stradic 2500, both work well. There are too many 7' mhf rods in the $150 range to name. Where do you fish? n-s-e-w?
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Old 02-12-12, 11:29 AM   #8
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I fish in central Illinois. usually strip mines.I got a couple decent lakes around me. Nothing like them lucky guys down in texas and florida. I guess it depends on how the bass are feeding but what brings me luck is going out before sunrise and sight fish. I throw right on top of them bass, at that time of day they dont care what is in front of them. I also throw on top of the weed beds (kind of like fishing a frog) drag it to the edge and let er drop nice and slow. If they dont hit the senko on the way down,retrieve slowly.I always fish cover like weeds or lily pads. One of my rules is "FISH AS SLOW AS YOU CAN STAND IT" (unless the bass are feeding like crazy). I never have been the type to burn spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Thats what I want the baitcaster for. I need to get good at that also.
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Old 02-12-12, 12:09 PM   #9
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I agree that the Pro Qualifier is a great reel for the money. I also agree that the Abu-Garcia Revo SX is a great reel, in fact they are just about all I use other than a few Winchs and a few Prolites.

As for line, I would use a good mono when learning to use a baitcaster. Sufix is about as limp as it gets and it's my favorite mono by far.
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Old 02-12-12, 12:21 PM   #10
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Welcome to the forums, if you are going to make your purchase from Bass Pro, wait until the 16th, they will start their Spring Classic sale then, and if you have an old rod and reel that is in usable shape to trade in, you will save yourself some nice money.

Everyone has their opinion on what makes for a good rod and reel, and I will share mine with you, but make sure you put your hands on some of these ideas and see what feels good to you.

I like the Falcon Bucoo Micro Guide rod series, they are well priced, have a great build quality, light, and are made in the USA, they also have good customer service. I would look at rods around the 7ft length in either a Med. or Med. Hvy Power and a Fast action, this will be a rod that will give you the most technique coverage.

Reels with dual braking will help level out the learning curve of a baitcaster. Dual brake reels have both magnetic and centrifugal brakes. The cent. brakes help during the beginning of the cast and and the mag. help during the end of the cast as the spool starts to slow.

A couple of reels that I would suggest would be the Lews, and the BPS. The BPS reels will be the lower priced and offer good quality, take a look at the Carbonlite and the Pro Qualifier. The Carbonlite will be on sale starting the 16th for $89 dollars if you have a reel to trade in and you should be able to pick up a PQ for a little less. Another very good reel is the Lews tournament speed spool, and at the upper end of your reel budget is the Abu garcia revo STX. All of these reels have dual brakes and good to great build quality. I would look for reels around the 6.3:1 gear ratio, again they will provide you with the most technique coverage.

Welcome again and make sure to let us know what you decide. Oh, and make sure you take pictures.
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Old 02-12-12, 12:41 PM   #11
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unfortunately they recently opened a BASS PRO 20 minutes away. darn it.LOL but it looks like that carbonlite is $89 right now on their website. Is this the one your talking about?

carbonlite
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Old 02-12-12, 12:44 PM   #12
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That reel was last years model, and in some ways I like it better than this years model.

This is the model I was in reference to. http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shop...SELL_THUMBNAIL

Notice the weight of this years model.
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Old 02-12-12, 12:49 PM   #13
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thanks for quick response! boy that sure does look like it would catch fish.lol Its hard for me to wait for stuff. Me and my boys are headed their today. that garcia looks pretty nice too.
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Old 02-12-12, 01:15 PM   #14
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Most of the reels I own are made by Abu Garcia, and I can tell you from experience that they are made to last a life time. If they are in your budget, they are well worth the extra expense in my mind. I also own several of the Lews reels, but as they are a fairly new reel, only time will tell how durable they are.

All the reels mentioned in this thread will serve you well, so long as you take care of them and service them at least once a year.
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Old 02-12-12, 01:18 PM   #15
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I really like Shimanos. I use the Citica and Curado most of the time. If you're looking for a cheaper reel the Caenan is also very nice and under $100.
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Old 02-12-12, 01:26 PM   #16
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Stang, forgot to say welcome. Just getting back myself.

As to line-I use 3. For heavy cover and baits like jigs, most worms and applications like a Carolina rig I use braid-50 lb Powerpro.

For every other application except one I use 8(spinning) or 12(baitcaster) P-Line Floroclear. Mono with a fluorocarbon coating. Tough, strong, and handles like a dream. The other application is topwater. For that I use 12 lb Trilene XL. I use mono because it floats. Fluorocarbon sinks. I have tried MANY different lines and these are the ones I settled on.
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Old 02-12-12, 01:46 PM   #17
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I think Ill try that 12 pound P-line floroclear . hopefully it fishes well with senkos
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Old 02-12-12, 01:49 PM   #18
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It does. Very well.
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Old 02-12-12, 02:51 PM   #19
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where at in cental illinois? im east central. im the opposite of u bc i cant seem to fish with spinning tackle. all i use is my baitcaster, they'll throw weightless senkos just fine. i used to use the senko a lot then i switched to using a weight and a baby brush hog, i tried the senko again and couldnt cast it for anything after being used to the weight. good luck
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Old 02-12-12, 03:04 PM   #20
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Welcome. I'm on my 2nd season using a baitcaster and also got started from advice I got from this forum. Haven't looked at a spinning reel ever since. I also started on a cheap quantum baitcaster and it served its purpose. One advice I can give is that a lot of BC's have a difficult time casting lighter lures like weightless senkos so that is something to keep in mind when buying one. Personally I use a daiwa pixy that's been converted into what is known as a pixzilla but I'm sure others can recommend some reels that can cast the light lures.
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Old 02-12-12, 04:58 PM   #21
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well, just got back from BP. I picked up a shimano chronarch 201E6. I didnt do any research on it yet. I forgot everything you guys recomended.lol. The guy behind the counter recomended this one. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I paired it with a 7 ft. MH micro guide garcia veritas rod. I wanted the Duckett rod but the wife had that crazy look in her eye.

here's the reel
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Old 02-12-12, 04:59 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oglejust View Post
where at in cental illinois? im east central. im the opposite of u bc i cant seem to fish with spinning tackle. all i use is my baitcaster, they'll throw weightless senkos just fine. i used to use the senko a lot then i switched to using a weight and a baby brush hog, i tried the senko again and couldnt cast it for anything after being used to the weight. good luck

peoria area
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Old 02-12-12, 05:04 PM   #23
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I know nothing about setting the brakes, casting or anything about a baitcaster. YOu guys point me in the right direction?
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Old 02-12-12, 05:04 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackstang93 View Post
well, just got back from BP. I picked up a shimano chronarch 201E6. I didnt do any research on it yet. I forgot everything you guys recomended.lol. The guy behind the counter recomended this one. He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. I paired it with a 7 ft. MH micro guide garcia veritas rod. I wanted the Duckett rod but the wife had that crazy look in her eye.

here's the reel
You did well. The Chronarch is a good reel and the Veritas is a good rod. That should be a very good, versatile combo. Set all the brakes on the reel to start and gradually take them down as you get more comfortable with it. I bet that combo looks great together too. Welcome to the forum btw.
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Old 02-12-12, 05:12 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blackstang93 View Post
I was looking at that quantum Smoke+ BPS carbonlite combo... any opinions?
Sounds like a good combo! Smokes are great reels. Never used one, but if I was in the market for $200 reel, the smoke would be HIGH on the list for me along with the REVO STX, and Lews Tourney Pro Speed Spool.

Carbon lite is also a good rod from what I hear. I'd also look at the Cabelas XML, it's a real nice rod for the price (140)... very crisp feeling rod, and light and balanced, I think it would pair up with the smoke nicely. Falcon Bucoo, Abu Garcia verdict and veritas are other rods I'd look at.

As far as line goes, I'd recommend a good copolymer line, something that's gonna give you good toughness and sensitivity but good handling as well. P-line CX, voltage, and floroclear are one's I'd take a look at.

Good luck with search, hope you find a combo that's right for you!

Welcome to the site btw!
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