New Basser needs suggestions on bait casting set ups

[BassDood]

I've read that the Abu Orra is a great reel for the price. Might be my next reel purchase.

[basser90]

Tom, You've got to much time on your hands. Now get out there and get some fish. I plan on whooping on you during the FnF fishing contest. Nice picture by the way [love]

[Amx]

I'da left by now, but I had to check here 1 more time, then I had to respond.

Good luck, YOU'LL NEED IT.

[islandbass]

Anyone have any thoughts on a Shimano Citica or Abu Garcia Revo S? The Citica looks like the little brother to the Curado with less ball berings and 60 bucks difference in price. The Revo S has 24 pounds of drag which might come in handy for Kings as well as getting bass out of dense cover.

Reels at this price point are going to serve you well if there are no manufacturer defects (however unlikely) out of the box.

Given the choice of the two you mentioned, I would lean toward the Citica based solely on my experience with Shimano reels. My only abu casters are round so I can't comment with weight on the Revo S.

I got a chuckle about spinning reels not being able to handle certain baits like buzzbaits.... I suppose that I am like Amx and will use a spinning reel for buzzbaits or many other baits. Contrary to popular perception, and barring the heaviest of cover, they are many bass techniques that can be fished well with either reel type.

I actually prefer slightly the feel and use of a spinning reels for jerkbaits although I use both reel types. I can't explain why, other than to say that having the weight of the reel under the rod seems to make it feel more comfortable to me.

There just seems to be an inherent snobbery that stems from "real" bassers that insist and would pass a law if they could that bass fishing be done exclusively with casting reels. I say, "Whatever," to that. This is just MHO, but a true bass angler would be wise to master the use of both reels to be the best he or she can be, and use the appropriate reel for the task and cover at hand.


Lastly, many spinning reels can retrieve a buzzbait without breaking a sweat. Many times, even with a lower gear ratio, a (bass-sized) spinning reel can actually recover more line than a typical "burner" reel. For example:

Shimano Curado E7 has a gear ratio 7:1 and a line recovery rate of 30"

while a

Shimano 2500 Symetre FJ pulls in 35" of line per revolution with a gear ratio of 6.2:1. So which is the real "burner"?

These two reels are optimim sized for bass fishing.

So if one really wanted to burn a buzzbait, shouldn't they use a spinning reel? Ha! Just ribbin' as it's really an apples to oranges comparisons and to each his own.

[Amx]

I've discribed before the difference/comparason in line pickup, gear ratio, dia of spools, and 'size of circle/sweep/dia' of the bail on spinning reels, all comparing between spinning and casting reels and how it all effects everything in their use and on lures. I'm not going to again - too much typing.

[returnofthefish]

Sorry Amx,this thread wasnt suppose to be spinning vs baitcasting. I just wanted peoples thoughts on which baitcaster to purchase. I just wanted to start fishing for bass and learn new things. The thought of something on the other end of my line besides a trout is exciting. All of the bass caught the past few years have been on my spinning reels. As far as baitcasting goes,I just want to learn a new skill.

[duffy]

Another vote for the Quantum PT's here and I use mine for pretty much everything. On any reel dont be mislead with the max bearing claims. I checked the exploded views of many that claimed to have 8-10 bearing and couldnt find all of them. Kinda makes you wonder what they call a bearing. Biggest thing with using a baitcaster is practice, practice, practice. As a beginner I found Fireline to be easier to work with as it seemed to not wad up as bad as regular mono and was easier to un-nest when it did but it doesnt seem to cast as far as slick mono. One thing I did when a backlash did occure was to be carefull NOT to tug on the line but simply pick through it and gently pull the lure end out but stop when it became tight. My buddy would get frustrated and start yanking on the the end of the line and would simply make a mess that he had to cut out. He also had a cheaper reel ($50) and was amazed how much difference there was in my $100 PT. With it he hardly had any problems once it was set to his style of casting. I do allot of practice before I go out just to sharpen back up and that seems to help. You WILL get backlashes no matter what but just get over it and have fun.
So yes you do get what you pay for, to an extent.

[returnofthefish]

Thanks for everyones input. I picked up a Curado after having it down to three choices. Thanks Fish N Fool for telling me abot the left hand retrive. I probably would of bought the right hand like you said. The reel in currently in the shop for warranty service. It was in my possession for less than 24 hours. Lets hope that this was a fluke reel and not a reflection of the Shimano quality reputation.

[rjn cajun]

I think you will be happy. I don`t know from experience but I have yet to hear anything negative about them. I just wasn`t sure myself because of the maintenance. I maintenance my own reels and with the curado I don`t think it comes apart to do maintenance if I`m correct. Still thinking on buying one. Let us know what you think.

[Gringo Pescador]

I just wasn`t sure myself because of the maintenance. I maintenance my own reels and with the curado I don`t think it comes apart to do maintenance if I`m correct. Still thinking on buying one. Let us know what you think.

You can go to the Shimano website and they have good how to's for maintaining reels:
http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content ... tions.html

[kzoo]

Thanks for everyones input. I picked up a Curado after having it down to three choices. Thanks Fish N Fool for telling me abot the left hand retrive. I probably would of bought the right hand like you said. The reel in currently in the shop for warranty service. It was in my possession for less than 24 hours. Lets hope that this was a fluke reel and not a reflection of the Shimano quality reputation.

Wow, warranty work? What happened?

[returnofthefish]

The reel's spool was stuck in disengage, the thumb bar didnt work and the drag wasnt working. Next time, I am testing all new reels before I leave the store. Lessoned learned.

[kzoo]

The reel's spool was stuck in disengage, the thumb bar didnt work and the drag wasnt working. Next time, I am testing all new reels before I leave the store. Lessoned learned.

Wow, they should just give you a new reel instead of warranty work. Where'd you buy it from?