Baitcaster Reel reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 276 Reddit reviews across 5 subreddits and 47 posts to rank the best Baitcaster Reel brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Fishing_Gear, r/bassfishing, r/Fishing, r/catfishing, r/FishingForBeginners. Top-rated brands include Daiwa (4.6/5), Shimano (4.6/5), Abu Garcia (4.5/5).
Stats
Reviews276
Subreddits5
Posts47
Brands37
Products70
276 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Daiwa
4.6
(86)
"I love my Daiwa Tatulas and I’m buying a 6th one today."
"Daiwa steez"
"Daiwa Tatula SV cannot be beat for a beginner."
"Daiwa tatula sv is currently $60 off and is a very quality reel."
"I would stick to Daiwa or Shimano brands. Best quality on the market in my opinion."
"Excellent combo."
"Daiwa Tatula FTW"
"Great reels."
"My first bait caster was a daiwa tatula ct. Was recommended to me a whole lot and i eventually pulled the trigger on it. Whole heartedly didnt regret that choice either."
"Tatula Elite is so nice."
#2
Shimano
4.6
(85)
"Shimano Slx XT DC is the answer."
"Tranx especially if you're doing salt and wanting to stay with shimano, that'd be my pick for those conditions."
"Buy antares or metanium"
"Just get a shimano slx xt and pair it with the same slx rod."
"The shimano slx is a good reel you can get from amazon"
"Shimano SLX XT or SLX 70 mgl. Those are both great reels for the money!"
"I'd go for the mgl unless you want more line capacity."
"Shimano SLX and ugly stick elite for $159 is more, but significantly better in performance and ease of learning."
"Shimano or Daiwa. The upper level Abu Garcia's are good reels as well."
"Shimano SLX reel is one of the best bangs for the buck."
#3
Abu Garcia
4.5
(38)
"My 9yo son uses an abu garcia black max on a 6' medium lews rod."
"Walmart has an Abu Garcia Veritas combo on sale right now."
"I upgraded to an abu pro max when I was 12, that was 32 years ago and I still have the reel."
"Cheap, reliable, great first reel for a beginner."
"$120 (on sale currently) Abu Garcia veritas combo 7'... that veritas combo is quite the steal"
"The abu garcia Blackmax is the baitcaster for people that stuggle with baitcasters imo."
"Abu Garcia Black max is probably the best reel."
"Abu Garcia and their Ambassadeur line is a great bunch of reels, with a good track record and good parts availability."
"As it stands the one that I can’t put down is my Abu Garcia Revo STX"
"Abu is a good reel for cats, definitely would recommend it."
#4
Lews
4.3
(9)
"Went with the Lews Speed Spool LFS. It is amazing and also $99 like the SLX."
"Lews. Best bang for buck. Little more than $50 thou."
"I have 2 Lews bb1 inshore reels. I liked it so much I bought another when it went on clearance. Been using for over 5 years and it is my go to reel."
"There are companies such as lews that sell decent bait caster combos in that 150 range"
"Lews has some tolerable combos at that price point."
"Based on your budget I’d go with a Lews combo, but if you can get a little more I’d go with a Shimano SLX or a Diawa Fuego and an SLX rod."
"Lews mach1 used to be 99"
"Lews has a lot of great options for cheaper reels that a lot of people recommend for budget reels."
"The Lews LFS > SLX."
#5
Lew's
4.5
(6)
"I liked the lews speed spool I borrowed."
"I'll get my vote in for Lew's as well, they just have the best feel for me."
"I picked up the green Lews combo for $100 and I love it."
"Best you’ll do around that price is lews speed spool."
"Lews lfs speed spool, shimano slx, bps tournament qualifier 2."
"Can't go wrong with a Lews."
#6
Bass Pro Shops
4.2
(6)
"Hard to beat the Pro Qualifier 2 Baitcast Rod and Reel Combo for $150. Nice metal framed reel."
"I think you’d be hard pressed to find better at $99 than the PQ."
"I have 2 pro qualifier baitcasters from like 12 years ago still going strong. They have dual brakes and work really well."
"The extreme and the pro qualifier are good reels at a low prices. The Pro Qualifier is $99 but often goes on sale for like half that, and it has a dual braking system that’s really awesome for learning on and will grow with you."
"I think the most expensive baitcaster combo i have is a pro qualifier 2 from bass pro, and that was with my employee discount so i only paid about $95."
"No one is going to mention the Bass Pro Shops - Pro Qualifier 2? You can pick them up for $59 on sale."
#7
Piscifun
4.3
(4)
"Piscifun hands down from that list."
"I’ve had good experiences with them."
"I have a little low profile Piscifun that casts brilliantly and has held up quite well."
"Give piscafun a try. Surprisingly decent quality and performance for good prices."
#8
KastKing
3.4
(5)
"All my rigs have one. I love them."
"I have a Kastking, and I really like it…"
"I own 3 kastking, a promax and a lews custom. I use the kastkings everyday."
"I was really unimpressed it feels and works like a Childs toy compared to the daiwi material and contruction."
"I've tried kastking before and they just do not stand up to the durability with frequent use."
#9
Shimano SLX
4.3
(3)
"Shimano SLX or Daiwa Fuego at that price point."
"I would recommend the SLX for freshwater at that price point"
"For your budget I would get a shimano slx, tune it and clean it religiously after each use"
#10
Okuma
4.0
(3)
"I think the Okuma Stratus 7 is a very good reel to learn on."
"Okuma Ceymar is really solid at around $45-50"
"Okuma Komodo SS 364 is a great reel."
#11
Pflueger
5.0
(2)
"As others have said pflueger president and slx are great options."
"Pflueger President is great. I was amazed how big an improvement it is over the Trion for only like $20 more"
#12
Daiwa Steez
5.0
(2)
"Daiwa Steez."
"Under $300 I would get something from Japan like a steez or a Bantam."
#13
13 Fishing
5.0
(2)
"I've moved over to 13 fishing for the beefy drag systems and pricing."
"Is the best light weight baitcaster I've used."
#14
American Hero
3.5
(2)
"I got the american hero reel on sale for 45$. I hear very high things about this reel and lews."
"The 60 $ American hero reel was on sale for 45$ so I'd figure I'd go with that."
#15
Shimano Curado BFS
5.0
(1)
"Https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Shimano_Curado_BFS_Casting_Reel/descpage-CRBF.html"
#16
KastKing Legend 3
5.0
(1)
"Kastking legend 3"
#17
Dobyns Maverick
5.0
(1)
"Dobyns Maverick for $99 is a perfect match for the Fury"
#18
Ark
5.0
(1)
"The Ark Gravity BFS is a recent purchase of mine, and I absolutely love it."
#19
Bass Pro
5.0
(1)
"If the Bass Pro Qualifier drops down to $79.99 for Black Friday that is a smoking deal on a quality reel."
#20
Daiwa Lexas
5.0
(1)
"Lexas, komodos, tranx, abu beast, few others that I can't think of at the moment."
#21
Daiwa Tatula 200
5.0
(1)
"I use the Daiwa Tatula 200 for 4oz and below."
#22
Shimano Tranx
5.0
(1)
"Get a tranx or lexa."
#23
Abu Garcia Revo Toro
5.0
(1)
"Revo toro series."
#24
Daiwa Zillion SV TW
5.0
(1)
"Can get a zillion sv tw from Japan for around 250 usd."
#25
Shimano Curado 70
5.0
(1)
"Curado 70, it’s the same weight as a vanford and is an amazing jerk bait reel."
#26
Daiwa Tatula SV
5.0
(1)
"Save up and pay a little more for a Diawa tatula sv. It’s like cheating with the extra mag brake."
#27
Shimano Antares A
5.0
(1)
"Best reel: Shimano Antares A Casting Reel"
#28
Daiwa Lexa 300 HD
5.0
(1)
"Diawa Lexa 300 HD or shimano tranx 300 save your money and buy something nice in 200 to 300 price range."
#29
Johnny Morris Platinum Signature
5.0
(1)
"Call me crazy but I think the Johnny Morris Platinum signature is the best bang for your buck in that price range."
#30
Shimano Calcutta B
5.0
(1)
"Shimano Calcutta B."
#31
Carbon Fire
4.0
(1)
"Less Carbon Fire Speed Spool"
#32
Japanese
4.0
(1)
"I would spend a bit more on a Japanese reel that lasts 10+ years"
#33
Zillion
4.0
(1)
"Zillion hd for up to 3ish oz (I think within your budget from Japan) tatula 300 for bigger."
#34
Akios
4.0
(1)
"I like Akios reels personally."
#35
Penn
4.0
(1)
"Any of Penn's levelwind reels would work."
#36
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500
4.0
(1)
"Abu ambassadeur 6500 is good. Cheap, can cast, and durable."
#37
King Kaster
1.0
(1)
"I recently made my son return a baitcaster. It was some cheap shit on Amazon."
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