Best Baitcaster Under $100

[OzarkKid07]

I just started fishing baitcasters in 2009. I bought a pro-qualifier and loved it. I bought 5 more and love them. I bought a Citica and enjoy it, but I still think my PQ reels are significantly smoother and better overall. In my small collection of PQs, I have a 4.7:1 that I use for cranking and I have a 7.1:1 that I use for topwaters and occasionally for burning a spinnerbait. The others are 6.4:1. I love each one, probably a little more than I should love a piece of equipment. They are durable and strong, as well as nice looking. I do maintain them, usually more in the winter, and have never had a problem. The only backlash I have ever had was because SOMEONE in the back of the boat had their rod tip located conveniently behind me and up in the air and my wiggle wart caught their line. You know how that went. I now have a braid backing on all my reels in case I ever let that person fish with me again LOL. Just kidding dad. Speaking of dad, he has mostly the BPS Extreme reels and does like them, although he consistently casts shorter than my PQs (which may also be influenced by a 6-inch rod length difference- I use 7-ft rods and he uses 6.6) and he does have some gear issues and thumb-release issues on occasion. For the money, I would recommend the PQ to anyone who wants to fish a lot and not worry about equipment, but still has to answer to a spouse.

[abkeenan]

Citica, Pro Qualifier, Citica, Pro Qualifier, Citica, Pro Qualifier,....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, man I dont know if this helped or made a decision worse. Lol. Thanks for all your guys input and advice. This is why this is the best fishing related website on the net! You guys and gals are great.

Thanks again,

Brett

[steveearle]

Something to consider (and Im not knocking the PQ guys). Smoothness on the shelf and longevity and durability do not necessarily go hand in hand. The Shimano will hold up. Case in point. I saw this first hand a couple of year ago. My buddy saved a few bucks while looking for a spinning reel by buying the Plueger. They feel great on the shelf...Smooth as can be and a bunch of ball bearings. However, after about 4 hours of grub fishing with it on the Rock, it went from a 10 to a 5....Just saying....number of ball bearings is not always relavent. There are very different qualities of bearings, just like there are different qualities of reels....

[professioneat]

On 11/30/2010 at 10:23 AM, MstStudent10 said:

Pro Qualifier Reel... LOVE IT!!! I basically use them exclusively. My dad got me my first BPS Pro Qualifier Rod/Reel 7 years ago. I still use that reel today every trip that I go out. It is still my favorite reel and casts further than all my others. When I got it back as a young teenager, I didn't know or understand a lot about "reel care". I never once oiled it or did anything really to take care of it. I finally oiled it for the first time about a year and a half ago, which was over 5 yrs after I got it. I can't believe the wear and tear that I have put on it and how good it still is today.

2 years ago I bought a couple more pro qualifiers, the black version with sparkles, that has the ribbed thumbpieces on the handle. So far they have performed just as good. I use them as a crankbait reel, spinnerbait reel, and jig reel, and one other that's my all purpose reel depending on season and lake, so they get A LOT of use.

I don't have anything bad to say about them. Needless to say, I've advanced to actually oiling and taking care of my gear now, lol.

 

On another note, I know what you mean with your opinion on BPS products. I have a couple buddies that have the tourney special and bionic baitcasters from BPS, and they are horrible. The gears in them seize up, spool problems, order now etc...

 

But it really seems they get it right with the Pro Qualifiers. Thats where the extra money comes in I guess!

 

PS...I know a bunch of people really talk up the BPS Extreme Reels also. I don't have any experience with them so I can't say. I believe if you look back in the TRL forum back in Early Spring of this year sometime, maybe even back towards New Years, there was this exact topic, with people debating the best baitcasters for under $100. It was a good one for someone in your position, you may wanna go back and look it up.

I am looking for different opinions on what people view are the best baitcaster reels?

I would also like opionions on various baitcasters for different roles, ie, the best baitcaster for light fishing, such as bream fishing, and the best baitcaster for heavier action.

Many thanks, Colin Hay 

[Bassin4fun]

I use the Abu Garcia Black Max and Max Pro reels. I put them on mostly Duckett Silverado rods. I use these for literally everything bass related

 

[willyfish]

13 hours ago, professioneat said:

I am looking for different opinions on what people view are the best baitcaster reels?

I would also like opionions on various baitcasters for different roles, ie, the best baitcaster for light fishing, such as bream fishing, and the best baitcaster for heavier action.

Many thanks, Colin Hay 

If your talking about fishing Table Rock, skip the baitcaster and buy a spinning reel. 

[rps]

I have fished every reel named in this thread as well as others. For budget through mid level, find a Lews built for the type of fishing you intend to do. For mid level to modest top end, Lews, Shimano, and Abu Garcia would be my suggestions. At the very top end Daiwa and Shimano cannot be beat. My current baitcaster stock includes two Lews BB1 reels I use for trolling, one Lews Speed Spool I use to vertical jig, two Lews Custom Pros I use to crank, one Lews Tournament Pro set up to worm and jig, a Daiwa Zillion on my Ned rod, and an older (6 years) super tuned Abu Revo MGX I have on my topwater rod. The last two were the most expensive but they are wonderful reels. Maybe not as good as Babler's Steez reels, but impressive. My two cents.

[abkeenan]

This one is WAY back in the archives. Twelve years later what I've learned that $150-200 price range is significantly better than the $100 mark. Above the $200 mark there is marginal return benefit from spending up. I feel the same about rods as well. Sure there are nicer components and they shave weight down with higher grade materials but IMO I can't justify the 2 to 3x price for not 2 to 3x the performance.

So since the decade+ since I posted this I only own 3 brands of reels: Lews, Shimano and Daiwa. I haven't bought anything but Daiwa for probably at least the last 5+ years. I just think for the buck you can't beat the Daiwa Tatula and all their various models of them. They have a model for literally every type of fishing someone could ever want from tiny finesse stuff to the big 300 size for monster swimbaits and everywhere in between. They have a size 70 that just came out this year for smaller/lighter baits if that's your thing.

That said for panfish I use spinning gear. Just easier to use for that type of light fishing.

[Bill Babler]

In the return store there are hundreds of Pro-Qualifers, Signatures and every reel they make that has been returned or repaired and you can get one way under a hundred bucks. Next time you come down just swing in there. 

Why would you ever pay full price for a BP reel when they have hundreds of them for 1/2 price. 

Just Say in

[dblades]

All I'll say is I'm still fishing almost every Shimano reel I've ever bought, back to the original green 200s and the original Castaic  flipping reels.  I do have a couple that now donate parts to maintain others, since parts have become no longer available for the older models.