Help with fishing reel

[Roger]

My oldest son is 13 and really getting into bass fishing. I fish a lot but not specifically for bass. He wants to learn to use a bait caster. I mostly fish with spinning reels and have no experience using one. What is a good reel to get him started with? I'm sure it's the same as most reels and you get what you pay for. I just don't wanna break the bank.

 

[rolltide22]

The Bass pro shop "Pro Qualifier 2" is a great baitcast reel. $99 bucks. I use them and i'm very pleased with the performance. You can usually catch them on sale in early spring for $49.

 

[pressfit]

Everyone likes the latest and greatest.. I do too.. but you can't beat a ambassador 5000 c .. it will last for years and years

 

[MickThompson]

I'm a fan of magnetic braking over centrifugal systems. There are lots of good starter reels. Store brands are usually a safe bet.


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[Spurhunter]

I have some expensive reels in my arsenal but for the price you can't beat these:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Skeet-Reese- ... 3=&veh=sem

Anything Quantum with the "PT" is going to be good quality. I love the newer Lew's stuff but it might be more than you want to spend. Ebay is your friend when buying fishing reels. Do NOT follow the suggestion above and buy him an Ambassador 5000. They are not user friendly and not easy to learn on. Take advantage of modern technology. It is MUCH MUCH harder to backlash a modern reel that's adjusted correctly with decent line.

 

[RUGER]

Just a note. The 30 to 40 dollar ones will be the best way to make him give up.
They suck and are very hard to learn on.


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[jard]

go to academy sports and get a h20 "mettle" reel. $59. I own 3 of them and they are great. bulletproof and at that price, cant beat it.

I've owned many over the years. MY favorites are Shimano Curado/Citica, BPS reels (extreme, pro qualifier, or johnny morris), and These mettle reels.

 

[Roger]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll do a little shopping around and a little more research. I had planned on spending at least a hundred bucks to get something decent. I tried to learn on a cheap one a long time ago and I'm sure that's what ruined me and made me never wanna try again. All I did was fight backlash. I don't wanna get him too frustrated while he's learning.

 

[TNReb]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll do a little shopping around and a little more research. I had planned on spending at least a hundred bucks to get something decent.

You might check out Gander Mountain if you ever get over to Mt Juliet. They had their reels 25% off, but I didn't pay any attention to what was left in stock. Feel free to PM me if you want me to check there for you. I'm in the general area every day.

 

[Roger]

I do some dent work at a few body shops over there. I'll swing by and take a look. Thanks for the offer and the heads up though. I appreciate it.

 

[nitro_z17]

My oldest son is 13 and really getting into bass fishing. I fish a lot but not specifically for bass. He wants to learn to use a bait caster. I mostly fish with spinning reels and have no experience using one. What is a good reel to get him started with? I'm sure it's the same as most reels and you get what you pay for. I just don't wanna break the bank.

make sure he starts with braid. he needs to learn how to tune it in. try youtube.

 

[nitro_z17]

Everyone likes the latest and greatest.. I do too.. but you can't beat a ambassador 5000 c .. it will last for years and years

i have 2, not a good starter reel.

 

[Simpleman.2]

The Bass pro shop "Pro Qualifier 2" is a great baitcast reel. $99 bucks. I use them and i'm very pleased with the performance. You can usually catch them on sale in early spring for $49.

This


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[JimFromTN]

I like the lews line of reels but you have to stay away from the cheap ones like any other reel. I like tournament MG's. You can tune them so you can practically cast without having to thumb it to prevent backlash. Ebay is probably the best place to get them.

 

[ZachMarkus]

The Bass pro shop "Pro Qualifier 2" is a great baitcast reel. $99 bucks. I use them and i'm very pleased with the performance. You can usually catch them on sale in early spring for $49.

This. They are great reels


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[diamond hunter]

Why the suggestion to start with braid?Ive found that the overruns with braid are much more difficult to get out that with mono.

 

[nitro_z17]

Ive noticed braid to be more manageable and less likely to backlash. When brakes are set properly. People give up on baitcasters because of backlashes, they simply don't understand the brakes. That's why anyone new to BC needs to YouTube it.

 

[Spurhunter]

Why the suggestion to start with braid?Ive found that the overruns with braid are much more difficult to get out that with mono.

I was curious about that too. I agree braid is almost impossible to backlash when the reel is set correctly. However, braid has its own problems like digging into the spool when you catch a fish. Also I only use braid for frogging and sometimes topwater.

 

[nitro_z17]

braid is almost impossible to backlash when the reel is set correctly.

thats why i mentioned it for someone new to BC.

 

[nitro_z17]

My oldest son is 13 and really getting into bass fishing. I fish a lot but not specifically for bass. He wants to learn to use a bait caster. I mostly fish with spinning reels and have no experience using one. What is a good reel to get him started with? I'm sure it's the same as most reels and you get what you pay for. I just don't wanna break the bank.

hey roger, this guy has really good videos. I've been following him for years.

[youtube]1QqY5QI6C2A[/youtube]

[youtube]QnIxm9ujVXI[/youtube]

 

[nitro_z17]

and the walmart $40-70 reels would be fine. black max, pro max, silver max, Lews. but for $99 you can't beat the Lews LFS speed spool.

 

[diamond hunter]

I disagree about the braid,mono IMHO is a much better line for a beginner on a baitcaster.Mono doesn't dig in,the overruns are easier to remove and if you have to cut it all off,its much more affordable.Ive used both lines extensively for over 25 years.

 

[Spurhunter]

I disagree about the braid,mono IMHO is a much better line for a beginner on a baitcaster.Mono doesn't dig in,the overruns are easier to remove and if you have to cut it all off,its much more affordable.Ive used both lines extensively for over 25 years.

I agree. Braid might not backlash as easily but when it does it can be trouble.

 

[Spurhunter]

and the walmart $40-70 reels would be fine. black max, pro max, silver max, Lews. but for $99 you can't beat the Lews LFS speed spool.

I have a pretty nice arsenal of rods and reels. I have a couple Silver Max I picked up dirt cheap and my son loves them. He's as likely to pick up a Silver Max as any of my expensive reels. Maybe I got lucky and got two gems but he raves about the Silver Max. I'm just scared to recommend a reel at that price for fear the majority of them aren't as good as mine.

 

[nitro_z17]

I have a silver max on the boat and a black max I use in local ponds.

 

[SilverFox]

Everything I have but one reel is Abu Garcia. Most are Revo but I have a few Orra models too. I also have 3 Silver Max reels that have braid on them for throwing a frog and flipping log jams. One is the original model and the other 2 are the updated models. All have worked flawlessly. They are a little less refined than the Orra or Revo but they are a lot better than some reels I've picked up. I've fished with a buddies Black Max and it also was a pretty good reel. It's all he uses and he has a boat load of them. I actually thought it was a little better feel than the Silver Max... and something like $40.