Best baitcast reels? 2024
Celtic Raider reply :
Hi new member from Maryland. Recently moved from Upstate NY
now my sons and I are ready to go after some bigger bass on the Prettyboy Resevoir here. Just bought some GLoomis rods 6'9" and need advice on the best baitcast reels and line to go with them. I use the Celtic Raider as that is my fantasy football team name.
Appreciate insight you you may be able to provide.
Thanks,
Matt
Edited by Celtic RaiderWanted to add fishing line to question
bholtzinger14 reply :
Any budget in mind?
WRB reply :
Welcome to the BR site.
Both Shimano and Daiwa offer a wide range of bait casting reels depending on your budget
Do you have a preference which reel manufacturer you like?
Tom
Hulkster reply :
not sure your budget, but based on your rod choice, I assume its decent. I have a Loomis E6X MBR843 that I have paired with a Curado 200i and I really like the combo. just an idea. There are better baitcasters than the curado I, but I don't think any are better for the money spent. its a great reel.
hunterPRO1 reply :
either a shimano or an abu garcia, 7:1 gear ratio is a good alll around.
rippin-lips reply :
Figure out what you want to spend and then find a company that offers a reel with the features you're looking for. The top 2 are going to be Daiwa and Shimano. Both companies actually produce their reels and they aren't made by one of the main factories like Doyo that produce reels for Abu/lews/Bps/ect. Now that doesn't mean other companies don't make nice reels though. It's just personal preference in what you like.
new2BC4bass reply :
Welcome to the forum, Matt. 
Fishnkamp lives in Maryland so he probably can give you some good advice on what to use in that area. A budget always helps as does knowing what type of lures you plan on using. Also it wouldn't hurt to know the ratings for the rods you bought. I assume all-around rods, but as an example I wouldn't suggest a Zillion reel with 40# braid if the rods are all ML.
Our suggestions for reel and line wouldn't be the same for a rod to be used for deep diving crankbaits as it would be for shallow diving crankbaits. Most people like a fast retrieve reel for bottom contact lures and either braid or fluorocarbon line although some of us still use mono or co-polymer.
I can tell you that fishnkamp will suggest Daiwa Tatula reels. I enjoy mine as well. You can find new for around $95....Type Rs for around $130. Best baitcast reels are a matter of opinion. I've got more Daiwas than any other brand. Some only fish Shimano....or Abu....or Lew's.....so guess what they will suggest as the best reels. 
Love most of my Daiwas, but have other favorites as well. Two are reels that don't get mentioned much. An Okuma Helios Air and a Pinnacle Primmus. Can't speak for longevity, but they are great reels now.
Another underrated brand of casting reels is Pflueger. Their spinning reels get all the attention, but their baitcast reels are also good. The older blue Patriarch XT is on my "Favorites" list. A few others on here...including a moderator...like Pflueger baitcast reels as well.
EDIT: Used you should give a Daiwa TD-Z 105H a try.
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
If your budget is $125> you almost can't go wrong among any of the big name brands. It's just a matter of picking the features that most interest you.
Raul reply :
Steez, Metanium, you asked which were the best and those ones are the best.
Darren. reply :
Welcome aboard!
Daiwa, Shimano. Shimano, Daiwa. You may proceed... 
rippin-lips reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 6:59 AM, Raul said:Steez, Metanium, you asked which were the best and those ones are the best.
Come on Raul, you know it's Abu 4 lyfe!
RoLo reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 7:03 AM, Darren. said:Welcome aboard!
Daiwa, Shimano. Shimano, Daiwa. You may proceed...
To those '4' I would also add 'Shimano'
Roger
Caliyak reply :
Kastking reels, the hottest brand of reels out there. LOL
Jeff H reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 3:48 AM, rippin-lips said:The top 2 are going to be Daiwa and Shimano. Now that doesn't mean other companies don't make nice reels though. It's just personal preference in what you like.
And, common sense should factor in as well.
There is a common denominator here in this thread and it ain't Lew's!
Fun4Me reply :
I haven't read the responses in this thread, but I would like to throw Diawa and Shimano into the mix 
Angry John reply :
Megabass, deps, avail, ITO lots of cool reels around. Budget form and requirements would help a lot
fishnkamp reply :
Welcome to MD I used to fish that beautiful reservoir. If you do not mind driving over to Middle River I would be happy to put some reels on your rods and let you cast them. Nothing is better than that to see what you like. We can also discuss what to do on several lakes in this area. I love Pretty Boy as well as Piney Run over in Carroll County. We used to catch big smallies on PB, but also we rigged up some special rods with line counter reels and tiny diameter braid and trolled for fresh water white perch. Those fish would almost rip the rod out of your hand. If you bring home a couple of dozen of those, then your tongue will smack both your ears they are sooo delicious. Just let me know when you are available.
Raul reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 10:53 AM, Angry John said:Megabass, deps, avail, ITO lots of cool reels around. Budget form and requirements would help a lot
All those are Daiwa reels. 
jsh32 reply :
For $100 I would have to go with a Daiwa Tatula CT. TW has them for $129 but they can be found for $99.95 in so many trustworthy places. But like others have said a price range would help to know what types and brands to suggest.
Sam reply :
Celtic, you started a fire storm with your thread. And that's great!
Everyone has their favorite rods, reels, lines, tackle, etc. So to ask who has the best baitcasting reel will produce a lot of bias answers.
There is a wonderful guy in Powhatan County, Virginia, Wayne Knabe, who repairs rods and reels. He does outstanding work and you should see some of his refurbished rods results. They are so beautiful you would not want to use them.
I asked Wayne which reels he liked, from a repair standpoint, and he replied Shimano and Lew's. He said he liked the way they are constructed. The only drawback is that Shimano will discontinue parts for older reels which makes his job a little more difficult.
But that is Wayne's position, which could change depending on the number of reels he repairs or services each year.
I don't think you will have any problems with the top name reels. Get a BPS 2017 catalog and see what reels they have for sale and you can't go wrong.
There is no benefit for me to tell you what I like as you may hate them. So do some work in the Internet and then try to select trhe one you like best.
A Hint: When shopping for a rod or a reel, take your reel or rod to the store and set it up to find out how the new setup feels in your hands and when you practice casting it. You may be surprised at your findings.
Good luck.
Raul reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 3:40 PM, Sam said:Celtic, you started a fire storm with your thread. And that's great!
Everyone has their favorite rods, reels, lines, tackle, etc. So to ask who has the best baitcasting reel will produce a lot of bias answers.
There is a wonderful guy in Powhatan County, Virginia, Wayne Knabe, who repairs rods and reels. He does outstanding work and you should see some of his refurbished rods results. They are so beautiful you would not want to use them.
I asked Wayne which reels he liked, from a repair standpoint, and he replied Shimano and Lew's. He said he liked the way they are constructed. The only drawback is that Shimano will discontinue parts for older reels which makes his job a little more difficult.
But that is Wayne's position, which could change depending on the number of reels he repairs or services each year.
I don't think you will have any problems with the top name reels. Get a BPS 2017 catalog and see what reels they have for sale and you can't go wrong.
There is no benefit for me to tell you what I like as you may hate them. So do some work in the Internet and then try to select trhe one you like best.
A Hint: When shopping for a rod or a reel, take your reel or rod to the store and set it up to find out how the new setup feels in your hands and when you practice casting it. You may be surprised at your findings.
Good luck.
Yup, a real firestorm, so hard to choose between Daiwa and Shimano ....
Yudo1 reply :
If you want the best, go straight for daiwa or shimano 
bigfruits reply :
depending on budget
Shimano Curado or Metanium
Daiwa Zillion or Steez
Angry John reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 1:09 PM, Raul said:
All those are Daiwa reels.
He said good reels that only leaves one choice.
kickerfish1 reply :
If it is best with money being of absolutely no concern it is Daiwa and Shimano. I have since sold off or given away every BPS, Lews, Okuma, and Quantum casting reel that I had. They have so many upgrades, turning parts, plus the resell value is much, much better. Just my opinion and I know guys that like their BPS, Lews, and Abu's but for low profile casting I was never that impressed with these.
AO2point4 reply :
If you're a beginner, I'd recommend the BB1 Pro from Lew's. The external dial to adjust the braking system is super easy to get dialed in, which was one of my biggest concerns when I first started throwing a bait caster.
Otherwise, just pick one you like. All reels above the $100 price range, generally, will be of good quality. Lew's guys will recommend Lew's, Shimano guys will recommend Shimano, and so on. So just pick one you like and you'll start to form your own preferences on what you like in a reel.
The Next KVD reply :
THE BEST reel that I use in my opinion is the Shimano Metanium 13 XG. Can find the MGL version for $280 plus shipping. That's my money is no option high end reel choice. Going lower I 'd get a Shimano Curado 70XG $150-180 online, anything under that the Daiwa Tatula CT series dominates and can be had for $90-100.
drew4779 reply :
It's been said over and over...but why not say it again?...shimano or daiwa.
frosty reply :
Like others have said it's going to come down to what you like best. I like my lews, but other than a quantum casting reel that was my dad's from the mid-90's I have no experience with casting reels. Any decent casting reel will probably serve you well.
lonnie g reply :
look at the revo stx they are out there for 125$ free shipping. great reel!
blades reply :
older green curado cu200b5 and cu200b, a little polishing here and there,and upgrade drag, hard to beat
iabass8 reply :
Fishdrop Shisamo.
18bb reel
Greased from the spit of Zeus and lubed with the tears of a unicorn.
DogBone_384 reply :
On 1/8/2017 at 5:07 AM, Delaware Valley Tackle said:If your budget is $125> you almost can't go wrong among any of the big name brands. It's just a matter of picking the features that most interest you.
What Mike said, and welcome to the forum!
MDbassin reply :
I've used lots of reels my top 3 would be Shimano, Daiwa, and Lews. Have used or owned everything from there budget reels up to around the $300 mark for lews this is there high end flagship for shimano that would be a mid range price point. (I'm not spending no 500 bucks on a reel).
For a angler on a budget I would actually say look at the BPS pro qualifier great cheap reel. My favorite reel tho when I consider all factors: price, castability, smoothness, line cap, comfort, etc.
My go to would be the Shimano Curado for the price it is my favorite.... My actual favorite is the Shimano Chronarch but to be honest i dont feel the difference between the curado and chronarch when comparing the price.
The chronarch may last longer as it is made in Japan and the curado is made in Malaysia but I've never had a problem
new2BC4bass reply :
This was the OP's only post and he never visited the thread after the day he posted it. So suggesting any reel is a waste of time if you think you are going to help him. However, there will be others reading the thread now that it has recently brought to the top again. Personally I prefer to suggest gear to someone that might actually read my reply.
MDbassin reply :
Wow I didn't even realize how old the thread was... who's the knucklehead that resurrected this
Further North reply :
There is no "best".
What there is...is an intersection of your willingness to spend money and the performance of the reels...heavily impacted by what features/style you you like.
- Determine your budget...
- Figure out what you like...
- ...and just as important, what you don't like...
- That'll knock it down to two, maybe three reels.
- All will be excellent, given your budget and the feature set you like...
- ...at that point, buy the one like best/has the best price, depending on what your individual driving motivators are...
Can't go wrong...Don't let other people's opinions sway you.
Then...set up right, go fishing....
On 1/9/2017 at 9:12 AM, drew4779 said:It's been said over and over...but why not say it again?...shimano or daiwa.
...or Abu Garcia, or Quantum...depends on preference...
BassWhole! reply :
State specific reels? Really? I'm pretty sure your NY (Let's go Rangers! Olvi sucks!) will work, mine did.
DaveT63 reply :
Two of the best deals out there right now are the Daiwa SV103 and SV105 at TW. They are on sale at $169 and $149 respectively, and even cheaper if you but the gift cards at 10 percent off first and use them to pay for it. Of course, they only have the 103 in Left Hand, 6.3:1, and the 105 in Right Hand, 5.8:1. But still, that is a steal for either one of those fantastic reels.
Zibass reply :
Shimano metanium mgl and daiwa steez sv tws, which one better for squarebill? It will pair with 13 7'2 mh angel. Thanks for advices.
BigAngus752 reply :
On 12/26/2017 at 10:04 AM, MDbassin said:Wow I didn't even realize how old the thread was... who's the knucklehead that resurrected this
LOL! I hate it when I get suckered into one of these! I'm gonna go back and try to find a thread about VCR repair...
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