Best Baitcaster under $100

[DLD24]

I'm thinking of trying out baitcaster reels this summer...I'll be using it primarily for throwing frogs and other top water...What reels would you guys recommend for $100 and under... Also what ratio,etc do you guys prefer for topwater?? Baitcasters are foreign to me haha...Thanks for any help

[RumRiverRat]

7.1 for topwater and any technique where the reel is only used to pickup slack line.

I use 7.1 for Frogs, topwater, jerkbaits, flippin, pitchin.

[bucketmouth64]

I'm thinking of trying out baitcaster reels this summer...I'll be using it primarily for throwing frogs and other top water...What reels would you guys recommend for $100 and under... Also what ratio,etc do you guys prefer for topwater?? Baitcasters are foreign to me haha...Thanks for any help

Look at bass pro shop Pro Qualifier if you're interested in store brand reel.

[bonebaby0]

Another vote for the BPS Pro Qualifier. It's a great reel for what you spend - currently it is on sale for $79 with $5 shipping. Hard to beat at that price!

6:4:1 is a good all around gear ratio .... probably the most versatile.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'm going to sound like a complete jerk here.. But if I am being honest, there is no such thing as a decent baitcaster for under $100.. Spinning, yes, NO PROBLEM! Baitcaster, nope. If you buy one for under $100 there is a good chance you will end up hating it and not use it much. If you bump your budget to around $150 you can then in my opinion find a few reels that will work for you.

Sorry, thats just my opinion.

[Musky hunter 82]

I asked this same question a couple of months back and a lot of guys talked about the LEW's speed spool ($99.00). I ended up getting one and love it, way better reel than a lot of others for under $100.

[Juan Grande]

I have two Lew's Speed Spools on order. They have a $20 rebate and you can get them for $80 on the Tackle Trap right now. So basically I got two reels shipped for $120. I hope I like them.

[Juan Grande]

All depends on what you're used to using Deitz. If you've been using $200-300 baitcasters and then downgrade, you'll notice the difference.

I've never had a $500 combo so I guess I don't know what I'm missing.

[RuddyDuck]

Whatever you get make sure it has an Aluminum frame and not graphite. Graphite can flex a bit and mess with gear alignment. Though some aren't as bad as others.

I have a Quantum Kinetic and a Daiwa Exceler which I think are decent reels in that price range. Others in that range are the Quantum Accurist, Abu Orra, Shimano Citica and the Lew's. Check eeebaaayyy, you usually can find some good deals on there for new reels.

I think if your a weekend guy who gets out 1-2 times a week, the $100 reels will suit you well. If you do alot of tournaments and leaques and get out 4+ times a week, then the more spendy reels probably are better. Good luck and have fun with the new reel.

[Todd S.]

The Lews speed spools are great for $100 bucks and with tackle traps pricing right now and Lews $20 rebate it's a steal. Like Deitz said if you spend a little more you get way more in a bait casting reel. Lews has a tourney mg model that retails for 129 that is much better for only $30 more for example

[RK]

I don't disagree with DD too often, but have to here... You can get some decent reels for $100 right now. I wouldn't have said that three or four years ago, but the $100 to $130 price range has become pretty competitive for reel companies in the last couple years.

I will say though that unless it's a deal where something is on sale, once you drop below the $100 price point you're going to see a pretty significant drop off in quality pretty quickly. $100 seems to be the magic number...

As someone else said an aluminum frame is a must. You'll definitely notice a short lifespan without it. You'll also likely give up on some features like dual cast control (magnetic and centrifugal - most mid-range reels have one or the other. Lews has magnetic and an Abu Orra has centrifugal, as an example) and the drag will probably not be carbon fiber. You might notice these things or might not. I sling spinnerbaits on an Abu Revo S and don't miss a magnetic cast control at all, but I might on my jig pitching rod, as an example.

As to options, the Lews Speed Spool SuperDuty mentioned is an awfully good option, especially with the 20% rebate going on. I honestly don't need any more reels, and I'm trying to talk myself OUT of ordering one or two just because it's such a good deal (The "It was such a good deal" logic works for my wife with shoes all the time...) I have several different flavors of Lews from the Tournament MG up to the Tournament Pro, and they're all solid. Love 'em. Plus Lew's customer service is out of this world if you ever do have an issue.

The other option you have is getting a used reel. You can find some very current model reels pretty cheap if you look around on the Bay of E, or some other bass sites with message boards. Shimano Curado Es, which are a great reel, are going for about $75. You can also find other brands like Lews in the same range for reels that are $150-ish new. It's not a bad route. I have bought quite a few over the years that way where I was looking for a specific out of production reel (Daiwa Fuegos, for example).

As to gear ratio, I do like 7.1:1 for a lot of techniques as RRR said. But overall a 6.3:1 is maybe more versatile.

[bustumup]

Here's a deal for ya. Lew's tournament 7:1 magical $100

Whitehorse sports

[Juan Grande]

I was looking for deals on used Shimanos on BBC when I came across that Lew's deal. The used Curados go like hot cakes if they're priced right.

[DLD24]

Thanks guys for the input I was looking at the BPS pro qualifier and the lews before I posted that...Thanks Juan for the heads up on the deal on the lews, I ended up buying one of them... Can't wait to try it out, now I just gotta pick up a rod...

[KickNBass]

I'm a Curado guy and I really like my $99 Lews. It may not be a Curado and I've only had it a couple years but I don't think I would have a problem running all my reels in that model.

Another good $99 baitcaster is a Pflueger Trion.

[tolle141]

Best $100 is a lightly-used $200 reel on hsolist

[Juan Grande]

I got my Lews reel and tried casting it this weekend. Had to adjust it a bit, but it's very smooth and casts a good distance. Definitely has a smaller profile than Shimano reels.

[DLD24]

I just got my speed spool, first off man that shipping was fast, I ordered it Thursday, shipped Friday at my door Monday... I just spooled it up with 14lb vanish I had laying around with just a cheap gander vortex rod... I don't have any other baitcaster reels to compare it to, but its real smooth and casts great (I gotta practice on that) especially for $60...I might order another one...Thanks again Juan for the heads up...

[Basschaser]

It will cast even better if you put on some higher quality line like Seagar Invizx.

[CigarGuy]

I have two Lew's Speed Spools on order. They have a $20 rebate and you can get them for $80 on the Tackle Trap right now. So basically I got two reels shipped for $120. I hope I like them.

I am looking at buying one of these, but the price I see is 89.00. Was 80.00 as sale price last week?

[Juan Grande]

CigarGuy,

I got another 10% off by putting in the promo code BBC10. Plus, Lew's has a $20 mail in rebate per reel. You can get the form on Lew's HSOforum.

[CigarGuy]

great, thanks.........just ordered one, thanks again.

[lawnbuilder]

Bought a LEWS last year and love it. My brother had picked one up prior and sold me on it.

[DLD24]

It will cast even better if you put on some higher quality line like Seagar Invizx.

I put cheap line on to learn the ropes, then once I get the hang of it I'm going to put 832 or power pro on it...

[Mike_Bennewitz]

For a nice lower priced reel I would aim you at 3 or 4 different options. Abu Garcia make the Black Max for $50 and Silver Max for $75, these are the two low-profile reels I ALWAYS point people towards as a good first baitcaster. You get the Abu Garcia quality without the price of a Revo Toro Winch (an oversized reel thats overpriced due to the technology bling). The Silver Max has the Flippin'/Twitchin' button to use and I love that because I can text my girlfriend about how the fish are biting since she isn't there, and still work a tube jig across rocks.

For the round reel style, again, Abu Garcia. There are two models I will point you at. The Ambassadeur 5500 C3 for about $85, and the Ambassadeur S 6500 for $60 or so. The S 6500 is almost identical to the 6500 C3, but it has a slightly different location for the bait clicker and it has a lower gear ratio, perfect for winching in those big bucketmouths and all the slop they tangle in after taking a frog! The only difference between the two is the 5500 is narrower and a slightly higher gear ratio, and it lacks the bite clicker alarm of the 6500 size reels which are more for trolling or Muskie purposes, but work awesome for those waters where a Muskie might inhale a Zara Spook.