Baitcasters for under $100

[gspman]

Hey folks,
Help!!! I have 2 casting rods that need reels. Curado's seem to be the standard by which all others are judged but I am unable to spend that much dough. Any opinion on what's the best baitcaster for under $100. Any opinion on the Shimano Calyx or the Catala. What about the Pflueger Trion or the Bass-pro or Cabela's reels? Any other brands that make good ones for under $100. Does anyone sell refurbished reels? If I could get refurbished Curados for less than $100 I'd do that in a minute. Any opinions would be very helpful. Thanks.

gspman

[Deitz Dittrich]

They often have a few Curado's on hsolist that you can get under $100 if that is what you want.. I myself have quite a few of them and really like them! Other than that I would just go to stores and pick them up and compare. In my opinion Shimano make a good quality product!

[Guest]

The Bass Pro Shops reels put the curado to shame in my opinion. I have 3 of the Johnny Morris reels and one Extreme reel.

The Extreme on sale for $50 is the best reel for the money I've ever seen. The Johnny Morris is better, but also more $. The Johnny Morris goes for 129.95 and compares to the $320 shimano. I returned my curado and sold my Shimano scorpion in favor of the BPS reels.

They also have a couple for $80 (Rick Clunn and Pro qualifier). These are 8 bearing reels with super free. The extreme is 5 bearing I believe and the Johnny Morris is a 10 bearing reel. Even the extreme in my opinion is a better reel than the curado (at least the 100B superfree curado).

[Guest]

I haven't owned the reels long enough to give you an idea of durability, but I've heard only good things on both durability of the reels and support from BPS. I think your chances of getting a replacement are actually better with a BassPro reel than another brand. Shimano is king for durability for baitcasters, but I think you'll be happy long term with a BPS reel.

I don't know what type of bearings are used. At least the Johnny Morris reels are advertised as having top quality bearings. I don't anticipate any problems with any of the BPS reels from everything I've heard. If I do have a problem, I'm pretty confident that they will resolve it as they seem to have very good customer support. I don't think you can go wrong with the extreme for $50.

[walleyewacker]

You could never go wrong with an Ambassadeaur C4 or something similar. Indestructable and can be used for anything you would want to do with it. These run about $80 too. No better reel for the buck.

[gspman]

fishnAddict,
Thanks for the reply. You sound like you know your way around BPS reels. Any idea on the durability of the BPS Extreme reel? Do you know what the gears and bearings made of? Thanks again for the info. You have me leaning hard towards the BPS Extreme.

gspman

[Chev_trucks501]

I would have to disagree with the BPS reels. I like BPS I just don't like their reels. I did just the opposite of addict. I had a couple and threw them in the garbage for the Shimano Curados and Chronarchs. However they are a little spendy. Well worth the money in my opinion as I have had my well over 10 years now. I just keep adding to the pile.

Good Luck
Chev

[Guest]

The upper end Shimanos are good reels, but in my opinion the curado isn't one of them. I'd definitely try out a curado before you buy - they are hyped to death. The 200 series may be better. The one I had was a Curado 100b and didn't care for it. I'm sure the durability is good, but they are nowhere near as good a real as the Johnny Morris. The Shimano Calais may compare better to the Johnny Morris, but it is $320.

[Guest]

I'm not big on Curado's either. I own two, but then again the only reel with a centrifical brake that I like is a Calcutta. For Baitcasters I prefer Team Daiwa, but for spinning it's Shimano all the way.

[gspman]

Thanks for the advice folks,
I think I'll give the Extreme a try. Hard to pass up at $50. I do have a Curado 200B and love it. To fill my other rod I'll do one of 2 things. Either scrape up enough dough for another Curado 200B or try a reel around $100 like the Pflueger Trion or a Quantum Accurist PT. If I get the Accurist I'll have 3 different reels to compare with at 3 different price points.
With any luck I'll have to get 3 more different reels to figure out which one I like the best. It could take years. 8^). Thanks again.

gspman

[gspman]

Hi folks,
Just received the BPS Extreme in the mail today. FYI, it's a 5+1 bearing reel but I could only find three in the parts explosion diagram so there must be 2 in the handle and 3 in the drive system, plus the one-way roller bearing. Made in Korea and I'm guessing it's made by Pflueger. It looks to similar to the other Pflueger reels (especially the Supreme) to be a coincidence. Feels smooth. Spool rotates a long time in free spool for whatever that's worth. Should be a good caster. The side plate has a push-in and turn release button which I don't care for. When palming the reel, the base knuckle on my index finger pushes in the release which feels a bit disconcerting. For the amount of fishing I'll do with it, it should give me 3-4 years of service before it gives up the ghost. I think I'll get another Curado for the other rod. They're just an excellent reel with little or no risk of getting a crappy one. Thanks for all your advice, it's been very helpful.
gspman

[bronzeback01]

I think you'd be very happy with the Quantum Accurist. I use all Quantum reels, for the most part, ant love them. The Accurist is a very good reel for the money, just make sure you get the 5 bearing model and not the 4.The 4 bearing is a good smooth reel, but you might have some casting problems with lighter baits unless you really know how to use the reel. Quantum has always made a good,smooth,strong reel, I don't think you'd be dissapointed.

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J.P.S.

[Flipnripem]

ABU Garcia- Eon is no doubt my first choice. Been through the years with Garcia and NEVER had one give me trouble. The new Eon`s are a step ahead the rest! Flip

[Guest]

I am in love with the BPS reels. For the money you cant beat them. I just got one of the pro qualifier reels and i can cast it about 40 yards. It has 8 bearings I think and you cant go wrong for the price. I land 4 northerns over 12 lbs. last fall and it worked just fine. I really like it for fishing worms and jigs. If that is to expensive though they do have some cheaper ones like the mega low tournament i think it is called. I have that one and i like it a lot, i just got another one cause they were on sale for $40. These are great reels especially for beginers or younger anglers who cant afford the shimanos.