Need a new Reel

I'm in the market for an affordable baitcaster reel as well. Dick's has a nice one half off for $69.00. Not sure they have it "left-handed" though. I'm a righty, but also a spinner-reel fisherman my whole life and I ain't about to switch how I reel.

I'll let you know if I find any good ones.

Hey Jason, about a month ago my gf got me a $60 combo at Dicks, it was on a Quantum Classic MG1420 reel on a 7' Quest rod... the Reel itself retails at about $75 bucks if you buy it separately online (I think ppl realized this and I saw them seeling the reel separately for cheap on e-bay, lol) but yeah.. I'm going to check out Dick's tomorrow but keep me posted if you see anything good. I've been on e-bay all freaking night lookin' for the right one, nothin yet though.

I like the abu garcia ambassadeurs

Hey MrB the one I'm "Retiring" is the Ambassadeur 5600AB -- I actually pretty much broke it somehow... But yeah I'm lookin at a whole bunch of Garcia's on ebay, you can get em probably under 45-50 bucks if the bid goes well.....

Hey Jason were you talking about the Daiwa Capricorn orig. 140 going for $69? I got to play around w/ it today the guy at Dick's took it out of the case for me and it's sweet! I'm pretty sure I saw them have a left-hand version as well

I'm going to have to go check that out this weekend as well.... Tim has convinced me to adventure into the baitcasting world.

Hey eric I think the sale ends friday or saturday so check it out. I really want to buy it, but I'm actually looking for a bigger reel with a larger spool (~20lb line) You should check out e-bay as well, there are some really sweet deals I'm watching like 8-9 of em right now gotta wait for the best one though.

krnfishboy7786 said:

Hey Jason were you talking about the Daiwa Capricorn orig. 140 going for $69? I got to play around w/ it today the guy at Dick's took it out of the case for me and it's sweet! I'm pretty sure I saw them have a left-hand version as well

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this is the reel i'm using. and yes, it is a sweet rig. and yes they have lefty. match that sucker up with a daiwa medium heavy rod like i did and you got yourself a very versitale and reliable rig. rod was on sale for $20 at the time. i don't even touch my other stuff anymore. but spinning gear has it's place.

also, cabela's has a combo baitcaster for around $50. worth checking out.

Thanks, Tim & Augy. I will definitely have to check it out at Dick's on Friday or Saturday. I've got a coupon from the White Sox game last month when they won ($10 off $50) that hopefully can be applied to the reel. Now to shop for a matching daiwa bc rod. Woo-hoo, spending more ching on fishing stuff. Wife is going to love it.

edai2000 said:

Woo-hoo, spending more ching on fishing stuff. Wife is going to love it.

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wife found the stash of dick's receipts i keep in the car and she flipped out! and i quote..."WHAT!!! You spent $30 on some stupid plastic worms!!!!!" and my response..."i would of spent $60 but i thought you'd get mad."

i would of spent $60 but i thought you'd get mad.

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augy thats the same thing i woulda said to my mom lol[/list]

Hey, my wife said the same thing until she caught a bass on a senko! I just don't get the baitcast craze...I tried one a few weeks ago, not a super nice one but about a 40 buck job and couldn't stand it! No matter how I set the magnetic backlash and 'rode the spool' with my thumb i got backlash. When I didn't get backlash I could cast only about twenty feet and my accuracy waas way way poorer than spinning reels. The only reasons i tried it were 1) thats what the 'pros' use and 2) I like the setup of having the rod in the left hand and grasping it at the butt end. So, I just cut down one spinning rod so that where i grab the rod at the reel is the end, if that makes sense. Now I have much better wrist control of retrieves. I think its all what you are used to and get used to working with cause I have pretty good control/accuracy of casts with my spinning reels/rods. But maybe I'm missing something????

it took me like a year or so messing around withmy baitcasting reel to finally get it, i dont use the brake anymore i actually lost the screw that makes the brake tighter and looser so its not activated anymore but in my opinion they work plastics alot better and i feel like i have more feeling of stuff in the water

roleplayaj1324 said:

it took me like a year or so messing around withmy baitcasting reel to finally get it, i dont use the brake anymore i actually lost the screw that makes the brake tighter and looser so its not activated anymore but in my opinion they work plastics alot better and i feel like i have more feeling of stuff in the water

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Your able to throw plastics with the caster? I havent been brave enuff yet to try it.

yea i only really use dingers, senkos tho but i havent really tried anything else the only thing i cant throw is frogs, and orignial floating rapalathey go like 5 feet

Hey Topwater, I'm not sure about ALL the reasons why pros mostly use baitcasters, but one big reason why I need my baitcasters is for when I throw heavier lures. Most spinning rods aren't nearly as stiff and tough as the majority of casting rods get -- so the stiffer rod is necessary especially when you use a full size spinnerbait, crankbait, and heavy jigs. Spinning rods will bend while you fish these lures, when you need the stiffness to control them and set the hook heavily. Also, once you get good at em' you can control your casting much better b/c with your thumb you can slow down the lure and position exactly where you want it + without a giant splash.

Oh yeah, and about the $40 buck baitcaster you were using -- I made that mistake in 7th grade when I got my first baitcaster. I bought a dirt-cheap one from Sportsmart for probably 20-30 bucks (a combo!) and I had the hardest time. It wasn't until I invested in a decent reel where I got the hang of it. Hope this helped.

you can't beat the casting accuracy of spinning gear that's for sure. that's why i'm learning pitching and flipping techniques. like anything else, it takes some practice and getting used to.

I also like the fact that I can apply drag with my thumb instantly when needed. plus, it just look cool! 8)

See, there ya go! I was trying to throw plastics when I tried it! Maybe that was why, the lure wasn't heavy enough? With braided line I feel every bump and bottom contour very clearly. I can understand the more direct 'feel' of a baitcasting setup, but I'm not sure I don't already get that in spinning. I guess I'm trying convince myself to spend money on a baitcast setup, but I really can't justify it if I'm satisfied with spinning setup.....

Augy, did you mean baitcasting accuracy or spinning accuracy? My spinning rod is very stiff, almost too stiff even for the bigger spinning lures I throw. As for stopping the line I have gotten good at manually stopping the spinning reel by hand.