BPS Rods and reel quality question 2024

john 07 reply :

So are the BPS reels and rods any good?? I do own the Johnny Morris sig baitcaster but dont have much to compare it to becasue its my first high end reel. I got it recently as a gift. My previous gear were just 15 20 dollar combos from walmart. I guess im wondering how does it stack up to the other rods and reels.

HomersTomaco reply :

the rods are great. The reels are decent, baitcasters are better than the spinning reels.

dodgeguy reply :

bps rods are great.i have a rick clunn baitcaster but i haven't owned it long enough to give a review.i will tell you i did order another one.the johnny morris and rick clunn reels are both made by pflueger and i love pflueger.

Chris at Tech reply :

I have last year's BPS Extreme baitcaster. I don't exactly fish 3+ times a week, so I'm probably not the best person to ask about durability. So far so good for me, especially for the $50 I paid for it.

I have 3 Bionic Blades (6'6" ML, 6'6" M spinning rods and 6'6" MH baitcaster) and 1 Extreme (7' MH Spinning), and I like them just fine. I've never fished with a G Loomis or anything, but my rods do what I need them to do. Especially when the Blades are $50 and the Extreme are $70

bassclown reply :

i've had my Morris sig. series rod & reel for almost 3 years and have had 0 problems out of it. i also have a pro qualifier combo and an extreme rod. the only BPS product that i have and don't like is the pro qualifier reel.

beastieboy reply :

Hmmm I have a BPS pro qualifier and have no probs

Bionicman reply :

I have 6'6 Bionic combo, 6'6 Extreme combo, 6'6 rick clunn combo, and 7'o Crankin Stick combo and have had no problems with any of the rods or reels they are great for me i fish about 3-4 times a week.

Hillbilly_Hooker reply :

I have two BPS baitcasting rods and reels. The rods are great! I had to take one of the reels, a BPS Extreme baitcaster, to a local shop to have it cleaned and lubricated. Since doing that, I couldn't be happier. The other reel, a David Fritts Signature Series, backlashes about every 3rd or 4th cast and, thus far, I hate it! I'm hoping that another trip to a local shop to have it cleaned and lubricated will help it as much as the first one. Assuming that a cleaning and lube will help the 2nd reel, I'm satisfied overall, but I hate to think that if I buy any more BPS reels that my first stop is going to have to be at another shop to have it lubricated before I can start fishing it

In defense of BPS, however, I'd have to add that I contacted my local BPS store and they gladly agreed to exchange my reel for another of the same model or one of comparable or higher value, being that I have owned it for less than one year.

Hillbilly

ww2farmer reply :

I have BPS Extreme, Bionic Blades, Micro Light, and Cranking stick rods...........all bought on sale (which BPS has often.......don't ever buy a bps rod at full price) I love them all, and are great values for rods which can not be beat in there FULL price range, let alone when they are on sale. There reels are just OK IMHO, I have a couple Extreme BC'ers the older pre 2005 models with the internal 6pin brake are much better then the newer externaly adj mag. brake models. Both types have held up well with zero trouble, but the older ones are smoother and cast better, I would buy more of them if they still made them, but I won't buy any more of the newer ones. I have only had 1 BPS spinning reel, the Enticer, bought it in haste when my local BPS was out of Pfluger presidents (which I have a few and love) and was pleased with it at first, gave me 2 seasons of use, but it became very noisey and rough at the end of the 2nd year.........even after a good cleaning and lube, so I got rid of it. Won't buy any more BPS spinning reels.

edgusslesnapper reply :

I'm picking up an older model of a Johnny Morries BPS baitcast reel, but am having trouble ID'ing it.

Is there any way someone could get me a pic of their(not new model) reel....? Would be appreciated very much as the auction seller turned into a dick when I requested more info after the auction had ended.

Thanx ahead of time...........

Raul reply :

Rods are great, reels.........it 's like playing the lottery, you may get a reel that lasts forever or a reel that lasts a cast. A friend of mine purchased a JM reel, it has served him well for the past 4 years, he liked it very much after a couple of trips and purchased another one ( about 3 months later after purchasing the first one ) two trips....kaput !

We took the kaput JM reel and shipped it back to BPS, he got a Curado instead.

john 07 reply :

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Rods are great, reels.........it 's like playing the lottery, you may get a reel that lasts forever or a reel that lasts a cast. A friend of mine purchased a JM reel, it has served him well for the past 4 years, he liked it very much after a couple of trips and purchased another one ( about 3 months later after purchasing the first one ) two trips....kaput !
We took the kaput JM reel and shipped it back to BPS, he got a Curado instead.

Wow its hard to beleive that JM reel went kaput...... For the few months that i had it, it has never casued any problems for me. Im also fishing about 2 times a week since i got the reel and its been holding well. Maybe your buddies reel was just messed up to begin with.

Raul reply :

That 's the point, one is fine the other one went kaput, one has lasted 4 years the other one lasted 2 trips. That 's a 50% fail ratio, no reel should be messed up if you are purchasing it brand new.

bassclown reply :

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Hmmm I have a BPS pro qualifier and have no probs

no problems i just don't like it

volpster31 reply :

i have 2 bionic blade rods & would recommend them to anyone

i bought a rick clunn baitcaster when they first came out & was dissapointed....(it felt cheap & broke in 3 months)

to honestly answer your question...

the rods are good but,

NO i dont think the reels stack up

bassclown reply :

i should have stated earlier that while i don't have any "problems" with my BPS equipment they are not on the same level as the other companies products that i use(shimano,quantum,kistler,st.croix,etc.).

guest reply :

can't comment about BPS rods, but have owned a few Cabela's over the years and was very satisfied. Very good rods at their price point.

I can't imagine that Cabela's and BPS don't use similar or perhaps even the same manufacturers, at least for certain models at one time or another.

ww2farmer reply :

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i should have stated earlier that while i don't have any "problems" with my BPS equipment they are not on the same level as the other companies products that i use(shimano,quantum,kistler,st.croix,etc.).

That is where I differ in opinion. The Extreme rod at $99 , Bionic Blade at $79. and Cranking stick at $49 are The best rods IMHO at there price point and better than the majority of higher end named rods at or around $100-$150. (especially when the are now on sale for $69,$49, and $39) I have had the lower end "entry level" GL3 G.Loomis, rods they just plain out stink. Higher priced, and they just don't stack up to any of these BPS rods. I am not saying the BPS rods are on par with or better than a GLX or anything.............but in no way are they inferior to other rods that just have a "name" printed on them.

dodgeguy reply :

i would put the johnny morris rod up there with any of them.

hipster_dufus reply :

i like their rods, u cant beat them when u get them on sale. the reels, thats another story. i own 2 pro qualifiers and one extreme.u cannot have them repaired anywhere but bass pro mail order. my extreme worked great for 3 yrs, one of my pro qualifiers broke something internal when my thumb slipped on a cast i have to send them to bps for service and repair.i dont feel 2 bad though because i bought the pq combo for 50 a piece the day after thanksgiving.i will stick to shimano or abu from now on as far as reels go

.ghoti. reply :

I have two JM rods, two JM reels and one Rick Clunn rod. All have been just fine. I put the JM rod, when it's on sale, which it is fairly often, at or near the top of my "best bang for the buck" list.

dodgeguy reply :

out of curiousity what is the big deal with sending them to bps for service.either guys do it themselves or send them somewhere so what difference does it make where you send them as long as they are done right?

edgusslesnapper reply :

anyone had any luck with Cabela's Prodigy reels?

ww2farmer reply :

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out of curiousity what is the big deal with sending them to bps for service.either guys do it themselves or send them somewhere so what difference does it make where you send them as long as they are done right?

My thoughts exactly.........I service mine myself,but if I didn't I would have no problem taking them to BPS to sevice them, and if they fail within the warrantee period BPS takes them back no ?'s asked. And if they ever do need to be repaired I will have no problem sending them to them to fix either. I am with you dodgeguy, I just can't seem to see the sense behind that line of thought. On a side note I am glad some people here actually ask opionions on decent affordable gear, I too wish I could afford $400 reels and rods, but I get a little sick of the opinion prevealant here that if it don't cost as much as a house payment it's garbage.

guest reply :

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anyone had any luck with Cabela's Prodigy reels?

I got one last monthy and it looks like the best 69 bucks I ever spent on a reel!!!!!!!!!

guest reply :

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out of curiousity what is the big deal with sending them to bps for service.either guys do it themselves or send them somewhere so what difference does it make where you send them as long as they are done right?

Just got the Ricky Clunn b/c it was on a big sale and Dodgeguy said it was made by Pflueger so thats good enough for me to take to the Fork. Someday I hope to own a Trion or President but now this is what I can afford and Im gratreful for that and Dodgeguy has always led me right Thanks DG 8-)

edgusslesnapper reply :

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anyone had any luck with Cabela's Prodigy reels?

I got one last monthy and it looks like the best 69 bucks I ever spent on a reel!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the heads-up, I got one on it's way to me from eBay........

Bankbeater reply :

For the money you can't beat the BPS rods. As for the reels, I use Abu-Garcia now.

hipster_dufus reply :

here is my problem with sending my reels out, i work right down the street from a bps.u would think with all the reels they sell in that store they would have someone local to repair them. they gave me the name of a local guy and he wont repair their reels either. i have many local guys who will repair my shimano, abu or quantums. but that huge store wont even send them out for u.like i said, with them being so close i can always catch a sale, but is my money better spent on gear that will last or gear that i can throw away?

dodgeguy reply :

that would depend on how you look at it.let's say you spend $300 on a reel it lasts 10 years = $30 a year cost.let's say you spend $99 on a reel and it lasts 5 years = $20 a year.lets say you buy a rick clunn on sale for $69 and it last 5 years = $13.8 a year.i have 3 trion round reels that are 5 years old and have only had normal lube jobs.they cost $89 each and are as good as new.

dink reply :

BPS reels are indeed an enigma to me. I own three RCs (two greys about 3 y/o each and a blue about 2 y/o). The only problems encountered with the grey ones were pawls in the worm gear assembly wearing out. Yet, this was after three seasons with an average of five trips per week. They have been worth the money and I was able to cannibalize some pawls from other "dead reels" I still have in my graveyard. I still use all of them. As for the Bassmaster series.... junk. It lasted six or seven months and started to fall apart in numerous places. I attempted to return it and only got pennies on the dollar for what it originally cost me due to clearance.

I have personally witnessed three Bionic Blades snap on a hookset, yet were replaced with no problems. I have also heard generally good reviews on the JMs and Extremes from buddies of mine. If this reply didn't confuse you, I don't know what will. ;D

Bean Counter reply :

I have had several BPS rods and they are pretty good. However, I have just replaced my last two (a crankin stick and a tourney special) with St Croix because of the weight. When you cast all day long a few ounces makes a difference.

I have also had several BPS reels and all I can say is I will never buy another one. The low end reels will not last a season and with the better ones it is a crapshoot whether you will get a good one or not. A Quantum Acurist is a much better reel than an Extreme for just a few dollars more.

HomersTomaco reply :

just so you know, they arent made by pflueger.

guest reply :

Ok mr MK Troput I have known Dodgeguy for a while he has never NEVER steered me wrong or given wrong information Where are you getting your information from, I kinda kknow whrere he gets his Just wana make sure people can back there claims up, not being combative i just want to know where you are getttin your info from

Muddy

bassclown reply :

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i should have stated earlier that while i don't have any "problems" with my BPS equipment they are not on the same level as the other companies products that i use(shimano,quantum,kistler,st.croix,etc.).

That is where I differ in opinion. The Extreme rod at $99 , Bionic Blade at $79. and Cranking stick at $49 are The best rods IMHO at there price point and better than the majority of higher end named rods at or around $100-$150. (especially when the are now on sale for $69,$49, and $39) I have had the lower end "entry level" GL3 G.Loomis, rods they just plain out stink. Higher priced, and they just don't stack up to any of these BPS rods. I am not saying the BPS rods are on par with or better than a GLX or anything.............but in no way are they inferior to other rods that just have a "name" printed on them.

feel free to have a difference of opinion but my j. morris, pro qualifier, and extreme do not equal the st. croix(legend tourny and elite) and kistler(helium lta) rods that i use. nor do the reels match up to the quantums(tour) and shimanos(curado) that i use. yeah there is a price difference but that is why i stated that they don't stack up to the other products that "I USE". once you start using a quality higher end rod many of the lesser expensive rods feel like you are fishing with a baseball bat.

dodgeguy reply :

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just so you know, they arent made by pflueger.

per tackle tour they are.

john 07 reply :

This is off topic but does anyone know if BPS does a Black Friday kinda thing after thanks giving????! Any extreme sales ??

dodgeguy reply :

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out of curiousity what is the big deal with sending them to bps for service.either guys do it themselves or send them somewhere so what difference does it make where you send them as long as they are done right?

Just got the Ricky Clunn b/c it was on a big sale and Dodgeguy said it was made by Pflueger so thats good enough for me to take to the Fork. Someday I hope to own a Trion or President but now this is what I can afford and Im gratreful for that and Dodgeguy has always led me right Thanks DG 8-)

you are welcome.i just give my honest opinions.btw,just got my 2nd rc reel today.make sure you oil it.i oil all new reels before i use them.

hipster_dufus reply :

yes they have a black friday sale. u better be there at 6 am. i picked up my 2 pq combos 2 yr ago for 50.00 a piece. some people walked out with 8 of the combos. i also picked up some abu eons a few yrs back, but that was a fiasco. i work right down the street from them, they will have some great deals ,but watch out for them trying to unload crap. u wont see a curado or citica on sale

jb_adams reply :

I tried a Quantum Accurist for about $120 at the local Sportsmans Warehouse. I wanted a Quantum and that model was highly recommended. After one day of use, I still backlashed. Not the fault of the reel, just the user. It was smooth and high quality. I just didn't feel like swallowing that large of a chunk on my first baitcaster considering I never liked them.

I just got my new BPS Extreme baitcaster in the mail and took it out on it's first trip this last weekend. I was really impressed with the performance, quality, and smooth operation of it. I would easily compare it to the Quatum Accurist for half the price. We're talking a comparison of $50 vs. $100 so there really isn't a big loss or gain. But when your wife beats your head worse than the baitmonkey, $50 is a gold mine!! ;D

I got it, love it, & can't wait to use it again! For $50, who cares if it last more than 4 years after 5 times a week. That's a heck of a reel for that kind of usage. If I get 4 years with once a week usage out of mine, I'll be more than happy. If I even get 3 years with I'll STILL be happy. If I spent $250 and got 4 years of usage with 1 trip a week, not so happy then. It had better last a lifetime for $250......get the point?

Value is in the eye of the beholder. It's all your opinion and what you use it for and how often. For the low budget weekend angler like myself, it's the best $50 I've spent in a while. The reviews on the BPS Extreme are VERY high ratings. Like a 4.8 or 4.9 out of 5 from what I've read.

FishTank reply :

I purchased a Johnny Morris 7' M last week and so far I like it. It is no G.Loomis GLX but for 1/2 the price, what is?

I like the reel seat. The guiedes allow for a pretty smooth cast. Quality seems to be top notch. For the $119 sale price, I would highly recommend it.

justfishin reply :

Although I am a All Star or Gator Rod guy, I have used the BPS Extreme and really liked them.

Pa Angler reply :

I have and use the Johnny Morris series, BPS Extreme and the Bionic Blade all are great rods in their price range. I only have the spinning rods though.

Chow

New 2 Bass reply :

I just came back w/ an Extreme 6.6 MH for my chronarch. Not a bad rod for $70 on sale. Lets see how long it lasts.

Monkey has been bad the last few days. :

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