Best Baitcaster Under $100

[fishermedic]

Those Johnny Morris reels that were on sale at bass pro must have been only for one day-I looked on the site and they were $119.00. Still a good price, but darn! 40 bucks less would have been much better!

[Jbrant]

I've got a couple of Pro Qualifiers and really like them. Normally, I'm not big on Bass Pro branded merchandise but these have been very good for me. I like the smaller profile and you can usually get them significantly cheaper than $100. I try to buy a reel every year at Bass Pro's Spring Classic, if you take an old reel in they give you a coupon (I think $15 for a reel in that price range). They are usually on sale at this time too, so you can get one for less than $70 when using the coupon. Pretty hard to beat that price.

[Champ188]

The new Lew's Speed Spools are out and the SS1H model is commonly selling for $89.99. I looked at one yesterday at Hook Line & Sinker in Rogers, AR and they seem pretty smooth. Even though it's the budget model of this revamped and revived line of reels, it has 10 stainless steel ball bearings. HLS had both the 6:4:1 and 7:1 models and there's a 5:4:1 for cranking. There are also some new Lew's higher-end reels.

http://www.lews.com/reels.htm

[Gary Lange]

I would spend just a little more and get the BPS Carbonlite Reel. I have two and they are great light and smooth. If you look close and compare them with the Abu Garcia Revo's you will note that they look the same which leads me to believe that Abu Garcia makes the Carbonlite for BPS.

[mrgungho]

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, 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.

[mrgungho]

I concur on the Pro Qualifier reel for sure..I have two of them and have fished the crap out of them over the past year and they are awesome. Cast a mile, can't even backlash them if I try. All I have ever thrown are reels under $100 so I have owned many different makes and models and this is by far and away the best.

[techo]

I concur on the Pro Qualifier reel for sure..I have two of them and have fished the crap out of them over the past year and they are awesome. Cast a mile, can't even backlash them if I try. All I have ever thrown are reels under $100 so I have owned many different makes and models and this is by far and away the best.

Oh....I can backlash anything. Especially with some good wind.

[tapout]

Amen Techo..... Can, have, and will again.

[Jeremy Rasnick]

I concur on the Pro Qualifier reel for sure..I have two of them and have fished the crap out of them over the past year and they are awesome. Cast a mile, can't even backlash them if I try. All I have ever thrown are reels under $100 so I have owned many different makes and models and this is by far and away the best.

Every reel I replace, it is replaced with a Pro Qualifier. These are an awesome reel. I Like them better than my Curado's. Also, there are times when you can catch them online for $69.00----$89.00.

[stock jockey]

I have fished with many reels. I would only use a Johnny Morris from Bass Pro. I have bought one from Bass Pro and the rest off of ebay. I love the reels. I can fish for 4 days in a tournament and never backlash. My partner complains because he can not get to the shore. My Johnny's cast further than any other reel I have used. I can not tell the difference from the reels I bought on ebay. You can get them on ebay for about $40-$50.

Good luck....