Brackish Angler 228

So yesterday I went to the lake for further testing with the 50e. WOW! I was casting a weightless Zoom Trickworm on a 3/0 hook into the wind just as far as I could cast my 3/8oz Booyah A-Jig with a NetBait Paca craw!!! That's still with only 2 red brakes on and so little spool tension that I could drop the weightless worm from the rod tip! This reel is a finesse beast. I haven't done anything to it either; not even oiled or greased. I'm insanely curious what this reel would do supertuned with Bocas...

If you want a versatile combo, I suggest prioritizing the rod over the reel. The reason for this is you wont be using the reel for much action (unless you crank a lot) so a more sensitive rod is more important. I suggest a 7' MH fast action. Kind of a do-it-all road in my opinion (Top water, bottom, spinners, and traps). Look for sale or closeout rods that were around $100. Most of the time the reduce down to $60-$70. Then try and find a sale reel in the same $60-$70 range. A good versatile gear ratio is 6.x:1 (x varies per model/mfg) for a not-too-fast, not-too-slow retrieve. For learning how to cast a bait caster stick to a centrifugal braking system. This is a very simple system to adjust and does very well at controlling the beginning of the cast. STAY AWAY FROM MAGNETIC BRAKING SYSTEMS FOR YOUR FIRST REEL. I know that could be a tad bit over budget, but you say you don't want to spend much on something you'll never use. No one wants to use a $100 baitcaster combo. Tackle warehouse has a Quantum Accurist for $80 and a Daiwa Ballistic 6'9" MH for $65. I'm not saying that's what you should get, just showing how easy it is to make a BETTER combo for $45 more. Sam, I'm not seeing that combo. That's just for the reel I believe.

Stay away from the SX. I have one and the mag brakes are terrible on it. I've heard they're personal preference, I just can't believe it. Nothing wrong with Abu, they just dont have good enough mag brakes to stand-alone. If you don't have the money for a new STX right now but you don't want an S, here's a few killer deals: http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119559-5-generation-3-revos-for-sale/ http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/119600-fs-revo-premier-gen-3-right-handed-711-and-a-black-pixy-spool/ Some Premiers there if you DO have some bread to shed.

I don't crank enough to need a cranking rod as a kayak/bank fisherman but the Wright & McGill Rick Clunn Reaction rods are on sale for $68. Seems like an awesome deal from the comments.

Just an FYI if you plan on getting a milk crate. The sides of a milk crate are 13" in width. Meaning most 3-rod holders (12" to 12.5") easily zip tie to the side. A good idea if you want to save some money by not buying an "Angler" kayak. Also, a crate will fit 6 3600 (clips up) and 3700 (vertical) series Plano boxes perfectly. Another good mod is some sort of multi tool on a zip lanyard or coiled lanyard attached to the crate. There are too many more crate mods for me to get into, though. Also take a look at the Tarpon 120. I love mine. (You can get away with a 100 imo if you kayak mostly moving water but you sacrifice storage and tracking) One last thing. If you refuse to sit and fish, be prepared to spend a lot of money or give up. Most of your average SOT kayaks are pretty difficult or impossible to stand on.

Another happy Chronarch 50e owner here. I just bought one on sale here on BR and man is it amazing. I have a Calcutta 200GTB (that I love) and thought I needed magnetic brakes so I bought a R3vo SX last fall. Boy, was I wrong. I've only had the Chronarch for 1 day and I'm already thinking about selling my SX to buy another Chronarch. Darren, I would recommend practicing casting your new Chronarch from the bank or in a standing position. I also kayak fish and the angle you have to cast from while sitting down can really wreak havoc on your elbow if you have to fight your equipment. You really just need a good feel for the centrifugal brakes that make Shimanos so simple. (You probably know, but, you should always set your brake pins symmetrically.) In my experience, the best way to adjust a Shimano is turning on 3 brakes and adjusting the spool tension until its perfect. Once you get it perfect, try again with 2. If you cant get it, stick with 3 and adjust the spool tension according to bait. Right now my Calcutta has 3 brakes on with moderate spool tension while my Chronarch has 2 (red) brakes on with literally no spool tension and I CANNOT get the Chronarch to backlash with any baits from a 3/8 oz jig and trailer down to a weightless 5" senko on a 3/0 (and that was in light wind yesterday). Glad you guys are enjoying your new Chronarchs as much as I am! -Warren

I don't use many cranks because I kayak fish in small water, but the gear monkey is stabbing me right now. And I don't even have a cranking rod or reel!

For a beginner at baitcasting, I would definitely suggest a centrifugal braking system like the one on the R3vo S. Coming from a saltwater fishing background, all the baitcasters I had ever used before starting to bass fish have had centrifugal brakes (Abu round reels, Calcuttas, Penn internationals, etc.). With the centrifugal brakes you have more physical control over your casts; the reel is much more forgiving. When I first got my R3vo SX with a magnetic brake, I could only get maybe 1 out of 15 good casts. I was so discouraged and thought it had to be the braid I had on the reel and changed to fluorocarbon -- I was wrong. Same problem. It took me a lot of reading about mag brakes and constant toying with the brake and cast control settings along with about a month of practice to get good casts. I still can't get good casts with weightless baits or large profile, wind-resistant baits (like large skirted jigs and buzz-baits). I find the problem I have with mag brakes is I tend to cast with a lot of power and you simply can't do that with mag brakes (or at least I can't). You have to make very fluid, smooth casts with medium power to get the reel to cooperate. You can't make rushed casts when you're startled by a bass breaking the surface or you'll probably backlash. I find that with my centrifugal reels I set the brakes at about half power, then I just use the cast control knob to adjust for different weight baits. On the other hand, on my magnetic reels, I tend to set my cast control heavy and adjust the brake for each bait. I'm sure someone will chime in and say they cast just fine with mag brakes, but I prefer centrifugal brakes.