Heavy duty bait caster

[Andy M]

Hi, I am considering buying a Svartzonker 8'6" 40-220g lure fishing rod for large lure pike fishing and am trying to decide which bait casting reel to match it with. My budget is around 150 pounds any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[mikench]

I write as an owner of 2 baitcasters, an Abu Silvermax and a Kastking Spartacus. I have never truly mastered the former and have yet to use the latter. They are infuriating to use consistently well.

If you are proficient and already use one then I suggest you keep doing so .A heavy lure constantly being cast and retrieved is going to put stress and strain on mechanicals so a robust reel is paramount. Weight is a factor and some Abus are over 13oz as opposed to 7oz. Gear ratios will be a compromise between speed of retrieval and cranking power.

I would suggest you buy an inexpensive one first to see if you get on with it. The Kastking sold by Amazon is a nice piece of kit, not expensive at around £75 ,well made and looks the part but it's not been used. The top end Shimanos are good at a price. It's swapping between weight of lures which often drives me mad as I forget to adjust the various drags. I like them though as a tangible piece of clever engineering even if I can't use them properly.

Ps. I bought the Spartacus from a seller in Hong Kong on eBay for half the price quoted above. Just remembered.

 

[steve2]

On line they sell this make of rod as a combo with a ABU Rev X reel so that might be a place to start.
A lot of my lure fishing is done using ABU reels which are now over 30 years old and still work well.
Adjusting drags I don't find a problem and you soon get use to doing it after a few birdsnests.
Just make sure you buy the the right reel they come in left and right hand versions and switching hand after cast is a pain.

 

[Andy M]

Thanks to both Mike and Steve for useful info. I have used a bait caster before and got on quite well with it but have not replaced since it was stolen some years ago.

 

[mikench]

Adjusting the brake isn't the problem , it's remembering to do so. I would buy the same again if it had the features I needed.

 

[Phil Heaton]

The first decision is whether you looking for a low profile or round reel.
Quality low profile reels are more expensive than round reels and with a £150 budget you are going to struggle to get one that will retrieve heavy high resistance lures without inducing high wear into the gears. As for round reels the Abu's aren't as good as they were I'm afraid unless you can get a genuine Swedish made one, which are more expensive that the far east versions.
Have you considered second hand, most reels can be serviced and the mechanicals brought back to as new far cheaper than buying a new one. Generally older reels are of better quality as most manufacturers now build to a price rather than to their reputation.
I know the rod is rated to 220g but what lures do you think you will be casting most of the time, I'm certain they are going to be much less than that.
Can you add a bit more information re lure sizes.
The rod will need a 300 / 400 size low profile reel or 6000 sized round reel, as you will probably be loading it with 65lb to 80lb braid and a smaller reel just wont have the line capacity you require.

 

[rubio]

Not wanting to appear pedantic but adjusting the drag is not the same as balancing the degree of free play on the spool spindle.
Could it be that is what's causing problems Mike?

 

[mikench]

What I meant was that a baitcaster has a number of brakes including a magnetic one as well as a star drag. The brakes are adjusted to match the weight of the lure so that when the spool is released the lure falls steadily but slowly to the ground. A light lure requires minimal brake applied. But if you then switch to a much heavier one and leave the brake settings the same the spool will overrun on the cast causing a birds nest . It’s the cast that causes the issues. I know only too well.

Once the reel is set, brake wise to suit the weight of lure and provided you feather the cast as the lure hits the water with your thumb on the spool, birds nest shouldn’t occur.

 

[rubio]

Indeed. I understand all of what you say. Just that it will only have one drag, as such.

 

[mikench]

On reflection you are right. I should have referred to changing the brake setting and not the drag. It's the brakes that need adjustment with every change of lure. Sorry for any confusion but these reels are confusing in comparison to fs reels.

I have amended my erroneous reference to drag to read brake in earlier posts. I'm a dimwit.

 

[steve2]

The first decision is whether you looking for a low profile or round reel.
Quality low profile reels are more expensive than round reels and with a £150 budget you are going to struggle to get one that will retrieve heavy high resistance lures without inducing high wear into the gears. As for round reels the Abu's aren't as good as they were I'm afraid unless you can get a genuine Swedish made one, which are more expensive that the far east versions.
Have you considered second hand, most reels can be serviced and the mechanicals brought back to as new far cheaper than buying a new one. Generally older reels are of better quality as most manufacturers now build to a price rather than to their reputation.
I know the rod is rated to 220g but what lures do you think you will be casting most of the time, I'm certain they are going to be much less than that.
Can you add a bit more information re lure sizes.
The rod will need a 300 / 400 size low profile reel or 6000 sized round reel, as you will probably be loading it with 65lb to 80lb braid and a smaller reel just wont have the line capacity you require.

What make and model would you recommend, must be left hand wind. Price range not an issue.

 

[Phil Heaton]

I prefer low profile reels.
I'm waiting for a Shimano Tranx 301 at the moment to put on a 100g rod and if I hadn't chosen that it would probably have been an Abu Revo Beast or Okuma Komodo.
I'm a fan of Abu, but they do not make their reels quite as good as they used to and the Revo range now has so many variations its very difficult to decipher the good from the not so good.
To me reels need to be a workhorse that will stand abuse, be easy to service and hold sufficient line for a particular application.

 

[steve2]

Thanks, I thinking about something in the ABU range my other reels be ABU and have stood the test of time. That Shimano looks like a very nice reel mind you all three look quality reels.

Unfortunately no one near me stocks any of these reels and I don't like buying with out seeing. May risk a second hand ABU 6501 of ebay.

Just read some reviews of the Shimano and that as gone back to the top of my list

 

[Phil Heaton]

Steve rod what are you casting and the type of lures you intend to mainly use,

 

[steve2]

My go to rods are a savage black 60-100gm or a unnamed heavier rod from years ago both with trigger handle. Lure wise I use 6-8" lure on these rods. Smaller lure I use other lure rods. Last time out I found my multipliers were finding the larger lures a bit too heavy too handle properly.

 

[mikench]

I spooled up the Spartacus Plus baitcaster this morning with 30lb braid and in anticipation of using a 30g lure, I set the brakes and drag. I put a simple lead on the end of the line and tried several casts in the garden. I’m all set for my first birds nest next time out.

 

[waldi]

There's a good German site called Barsch Junkie (Perch Addict in English) that has a table of baitcaster and multiplier reels including price and quality class, minimum,maximum plus recomended casting weights.

Baitcaster databank

Worth a look if you are considering a baitcaster. I have a couple or 3 and find it pretty spot on.

Waldi.

 

[Kevin Perkins]

I use an old school 70's ABU 5001c (lhw) for my 'heavy' lure fishing. I have found that once you have finished fiddling with the brake blocks in an effort to gain a few more yards distance, (which is directly proportionate to the amount of bird's nests you will suffer) then small tweaks of the brake will cover a wide range of lures.

Also, the quality of braid used is important as the cheaper brands tend to bed-in on the spool with the obvious result.

 

[mikench]

I used powerpro but dislike braid generally. I shall not be casting far. Daiwa produce a Tatula SV Tw model( a few variants in fact) which are supposed to minimise birds nests and require thumb pressure only as the lure hits the water. I think Shimano do something similar. Do these features work and are these models worth the extra cost?