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I guess you can say I'm really picky. "Swimbait reels" are either heavy or bulky or both. I can't fish those 10-12 oz round reels for 8 hours straight without developing some fatigue. And then regular sized reels just don't hold enough line when you're using 20lb fluoro. I'm wondering if there's anybody else out there like me who prefer those small 50/51 sized reels that can hold a lot of line and weigh really light for throwing swimbaits? Here's my criteria for the perfect swimbait reel for me after buying, trying, and re-selling many reels looking for "the one". -Must be low profile because I dislike round reels (I only like the 50/51 sized round reels). -Palms like a sized 50/51 Shimano scorpion/chronarch/core/curado. -Weighs 6.7 oz or less. -Holds at least 150 yards of 12lb mono. I get about 110 yards of 20lb FC Sniper flurocarbon. -Has 5.6:1 gear 23 Inches Per Turn. Gotta fish swimbaits slow! -Can throw up to 3 oz swimbaits and not break down. -Can pull double duty for deep cranking. -Made of aluminum frame. -Clicky star drag. -Clicky tension knob. -Internal pin brakes and external dial brakes for added refinement when it gets really windy. So what reel is it?? I'm surprised there's nothing else like it on the market right now that has all of those features. **Drums rolls** **************** **************** **************** TS1SMB Lew's Tournament MB Speed Spool. Why did it take me so long to find this perfect swimbait reel? Because I had to train myself to use right-handed reels, that's why lol. Man I am loving this thing! And it only cost me $112 new! It would be even more perfect as a lefty. So yeah if you're like me and don't like those big, bulky, heavy reels for swimbaiting, give that Tournament MB TS1SMB a look!

Yep I would! I throw that often on 12# FC Sniper!

Go with the 14# if you want to, you won't go wrong. I personally use 12# in heavily weeded grass and have never had a break off. It's pretty strong.

I have a Team Pro and Team Lite that I used all of last year. I couldn't put them down because of how versatile and great casting they are out of the box with no mods. I love how easy the brakes are to use on my Team Pro. I set my internal 4-pin brakes with 1 on and 3 off. For the external dial brakes, I set it between numbers 2 and 3. With that setting I can throw anything from weightless senkos, 1/4 - 1/2 oz chatterbaits and spinnerbaits, 1/4 - 1/2 texas rig plastics, and 1/4-1/2 oz crankbaits... maximum distance with no backlash. About 2 years ago I went on a fishing trip with a buddy that was using a Tournament Pro and I hadn't heard of Lew's at the time until that day. He was consistently getting 10-15 yards longer distance than me, and reaching that strike zone fish were holding in. We were on a boat so being the nice guy he is, he'd troll us closer so I could reach it too. I had Shimanos and Daiwas with me which was why I became so impressed with Lew's and went out to by my Team Pro and Team Lite. Well, I've been considering buying the new Tournament Pro G that Lew's just released but I don't really have a rod for it. If anything, I need a 5:1 gear round reel for my swimbait rod but I'll most likely get a calcutta or cardiff for it.

x2. I prefer a ML and M rod but sometimes I have no choice but to use MH to H when the weeds get too thick. Last year I was fortunate enough to catch my personal best on a ML rod 8 lbs mono, when the fish swam under 30 pounds of weeds and I had to go get him out by hand with a canoe. Was so fun though.

ML is my favorite power and I use it for drop shots, weightless senkos, light texas rigs, squarebills, and jerkbaits. Heck, I even used it for a Whopper Plopper 90 and while the rod loaded a little too much on the retrieve, I caught a 4.5 pound largemouth and 6 pound northern pike with no issues. I started having problems when another fish swam under 30 pounds of weedy grass and I had to paddle my canoe out to get him out- had it been a MH rod I couldve just horsed him out of the grass, but with the ML I have to be more careful. It depends on the cover I'm fishing. In the middle of summer I can't use my ML much because it's nearly impossible to rip lures out of weeds without breaking off, but it is by far my favorite power to fish. In order of most liked: ML, M, MH, UL, H.

Daiwa Tatula Medium Light, TAT701MLRB. Perfect full handle grip, perfect taper for squarebills and other shallow cranks, & perfect parabolic blank. I like it better than my XX Flat Side Special and it costs half the price. FSS looks prettier but the TAT feels crisper in hand and can cast with further distance using the same reel. It costs $150. With the remaining $200 you can get a pretty sweet reel of your choice! I personally prefer 7 gear ratio reels for squarebills though but it's personal preference so get what you want.

X2. My favorite is watermelon red flake. The best. I have n.u.-tech jigs and a few other more expensive jigs and honestly prefer the Skip N Jig over them.

I actually find the 7 MH/F Avid to be more sensitive but the 704C Champion to have better balance. I wish I could marry the two and make it perfect. Anyways I agree with what was said, get the 703C for your application. 1/4 oz won't load well on the 704 to cast them far as I find it too stiff for that weight, despite what the factory specs say. For me, I like 3/8 - 1/2 oz on my 704.

I'll give a slight edge to the BB1L but honestly I like them both equally. I used mine for 2 to 3 oz swimbaits, spooled with 15-17 lbs Mccoy Mean Green because those reels can hold a lot of line. They are great alternatives from the round reels everyone else recommends for swimbaiting. I don't do a lot of deep cranks so I can't comment on that. Another reel is the Orra Winch, a step below the Revo Gen 3. Model name is ORRA2WINCH-L for lefties. Those are about the only 5 gear ratio lefties that I know of that are low-profile baitcasters. Every company seems to put out 6 gear or higher these days. Tough to find now.

Alot of good choices already named but also check out the Gander Mountain Vortex rod on sale now for $19.99. usually a $60 rod.

That's a nice sized budget... can't go wrong... I would probably get a NRX 852s for $350 new at the yearly sportsman show, they always have amazing deals like that in May. Don't ever pay retail! Just google around the dates in your state for "Fishing Sportsman Show/Convention (State)". Or I'd buy a used one from a 3rd party for a little less. Then with the remaining $150 I'd pick up any spinning reel since I'm not too picky. Anything from Pflueger or Shimano for me, might even look into the JDM market for one since they're a little bit nicer. I would also consider what the guys up there recommended- legend elites from the bargain bin. So many options at that price point it gets dizzy. Just a warning: once you start, it's very hard to stop.

Btw OP says be has chronarchs and metanium reels.

X2. Nobody talks about them but I love the GSX elite from Gander Mtn. 40 ton japanese graphite which will be a $250 rod in other brands.

My dedicated 1.5 squarebill rod is a Daiwa Tatula medium-light with the full handle grip. Tat701mlrb is the model. I throw mostly around docks and rocks. It's more of a medium, don't let the manufacturers rating fool you. I found this rod to be every bit as sensitive and the taper to be about the same as my orochi xx flatside special. And it's half the price. They also have a M and MH in the tatula rod series. All are Moderate action. I will be buying more of these and less of the Orochi xx. That is saying alot because I'm one picky mofo.

Didn't mean to turn this into a brand discussion but I did mention the Shimano Casitas which I think is a better reel than the Curado and Citica.

For me the deal-breaker is the handle length. I like my swimbait rod's handle to be no longer than 17". 16" is perfect for me. Some have 22" handles and I find them unwieldy and stupidly long. Other than handle length any swimbait rod within the rated lure weights will suffice. I throw baits like Gantarels, Chibitarels, 6"-8" line thrus, real trout.. 1.5oz to 3 oz.

I had a curado I 201 and hated it. Felt bulky and unrefined. I like the Casitas better. Smaller profile, palms better, and costs less. In any case I prefer Lews reels for anything sub $200. For $250 and up I prefer JDM Shimano and Daiwa.

For 1/4 crankbaits I'm using 6 lb on a light to medium-light spinning rod. 3/8 crankbaits I'm using 10 to 14 lb on medium to medium-heavy baitcast rod.

I tried 832 because everyone on bassresource raves about it. I hated it. Mad that I wasted $20. Prefer PP super slick- casts farther and makes less noise through the guides.

No matter how many lines I try, the latest and greatest $50 lines..braid and flouro... I keep coming back to Berkley XL and Mccoy Mean Green in the end. I feel kinda cheated that I blew all that cash on the marketing hype.

I use 15lb Mccoy Mean Green (.015 inches, .381 mm) for small swimbaits and have been very satisfied. Affordable, smooth, supple, abrasion resistant, and no memory. $8.99 for 250 yards now that's value! I have this spooled on my BB1 baitcast reel and Shimano.

Just my opinion, but I respectfully disagree with the posters above me. I have a 704c champion and it's more than capable of 1/2 oz to 3/4 oz range, in fact that's the sweet spot. Heck, Dobyns is being generous because I hated throwing 1/4 oz lures; the rod is too stiff and the distance isn't there for such a light weight. Lightest weight this rod is good for is 3/8. I think it's perfect for hollow body frogs fishing over lily pads and even ripping baits through weeds/grass. The backbone is pretty powerful. I fished a 705 and felt like it was overkill. Love my 704c for its versatility. I use it for everything from senkos, Texas rigs, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and even some moving baits like the whopper plopper Jr and pad crasher frog.

I personally prefer 7 gear ratios for my squarebills. (30 inches per turn). I caught my personal best on it this year with that setup. Squarebills are pretty shallow in the water column and I like to burn them as a search bait. For my crankbaits that dive 15' or more I prefer my 5 gear ratio bb1L.

Ugly stik.