How is everyone that has a Bantam MGL liking it so far?

 

I will most likely be ordering one this week, just trying to decide what gear ratio I want...

I like mine a lot. I have an XG which I use on my senko setup. I plan on buying 2 HG's for my best jig rods during the off season. They're just great reels that feel like refined quality through and through.

I have the HG and love it so far.  It's built like a tank and you get the sense that it will last forever.  Just a solid reel.

Had one and loved it, phenomenal reel for what you’re paying. So smooth. Sold it simply because I prefer Daiwa over Shimano, but I’d pick that reel for everything. Love it. 

I purchased my one early this year and throw it on my frog rod! I love this reel! Will be purchasing another this off season for sure! One of my favourite reels. Super smooth, solid, refined reel!!

 

I have 1 curado k, 1 bantam, 3 chronarch mgl’s and others from different company’s for some odd reason it took the longest to fine tune out of my shimano’s. No backlash issues or anything, just didn’t feel like I was getting the distance I should be. Boy can’t it horse them out but coming up a little short was getting to me. I got it figured out and it casts like a dream but I can cast on the same rod, same lure the further on the chronarch mgl! I can’t wait to get another to see if it’s the same thing or not. 

The reel is going on a NRX 843, I use the rod for a bit of everything, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, dragging tube 

jigs, normal jigs and trailor, senkos...

 

I'm thinking I will probably choose the 6.2 or 7.1

 

I've noticed that my lower geared shimano's stay smoother longer....d**n maybe I will get the PG LOL

I have the HG paired up with an 894 for my jig rod and absolutely love it. Super smooth and as others have said it just feels solid. If I didn't already have more reels than I know what to do with I'd definitely pick up another for the 893. 

5 hours ago, Yumeya said:

The reel is going on a NRX 843, I use the rod for a bit of everything, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, dragging tube 

jigs, normal jigs and trailor, senkos...

 

I'm thinking I will probably choose the 6.2 or 7.1

 

I've noticed that my lower geared shimano's stay smoother longer....d**n maybe I will get the PG LOL

Being a 7’ nrx like that i recommend maybe putting one on at a store before purchasing. I have the 853nrx and I put the bantam on it and it threw off the balance a bit with it being such a light rod, it felt great on my 894c, 884c imx pro but almost too heavy on my 853 and 852. The met or chronarch are super nice on them. I love the chronarchs cause of the brass gears. For being a small light reel, it is a work horse. On the 852 it works awesome throwing light tubes a mile, shakey heads, weightless Texas rigs, but also had one on a frogging rod for a year to test it out and it never skipped a beat! Horsed out plenty of 4-5 lbs bass in some super thick mats! I don’t own a met yet, want one to see the difference but have a hard time getting past the no brass gears

I have one on a frog rod and like it a lot, but go to MET MGL'S for everything else mostly because of weight

Very smooth and solid reel , you might want to order a worm shaft bearing along with 2 knob bearings though. Have a XG and HG  the XG is on a CNQ 843 throwing 3/8 jigs while the HG is still in the box.....

if you're willing to spend the money, get a Met and put in the brass micro gear set from The Tackle Trap which also comes with carbontex drag washers = $48 bucks...does makes the Met a different animal...the one Met that i put that brass set in is one of my dedicated frog reels...i do a ton of froggin in the backwaters and its not easy on gear by any means...i just cleaned that particular reel again a week ago and the gears are perfect still...

 

my other mets i havent upgraded yet but those arent used in heavy cover and the gears are fine still...but i do maintenance more often to make sure those micro duralumin gears stay properly greased...but regardless with the brass set, the Mets feel so much better...

I sold all my mets to buy bantams. I have two pg's for cranking & slow reeling applications, two xg's & two hg's. They are the smoothest best built quality casting reel I have ever handled in a low profile reel matching the quality of the conquest round reels. 

7 hours ago, Matt_3479 said:

Being a 7’ nrx like that i recommend maybe putting one on at a store before purchasing. I have the 853nrx and I put the bantam on it and it threw off the balance a bit with it being such a light rod.

Right now my NRX 843 has a Curado K on it and I think the balance is about perfect...

 

4 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

if you're willing to spend the money, get a Met and put in the brass micro gear set from The Tackle Trap which also comes with carbontex drag washers = $48 bucks...does makes the Met a different animal...the one Met that i put that brass set in is one of my dedicated frog reels...i do a ton of froggin in the backwaters and its not easy on gear by any means...i just cleaned that particular reel again a week ago and the gears are perfect still...

 

my other mets i havent upgraded yet but those arent used in heavy cover and the gears are fine still...but i do maintenance more often to make sure those micro duralumin gears stay properly greased...but regardless with the brass set, the Mets feel so much better...

I have two Metaniums with brass, I've just been wanting to try a Bantam for a while now.

 

5 hours ago, Maico1 said:

Very smooth and solid reel , you might want to order a worm shaft bearing along with 2 knob bearings though. Have a XG and HG  the XG is on a CNQ 843 throwing 3/8 jigs while the HG is still in the box.....

Yup, I already have the bearings ready to go

 

 

 

 

 

Bantam HG has been ordered.

6 hours ago, Frog Turds said:

if you're willing to spend the money, get a Met and put in the brass micro gear set from The Tackle Trap which also comes with carbontex drag washers = $48 bucks...does makes the Met a different animal...the one Met that i put that brass set in is one of my dedicated frog reels...i do a ton of froggin in the backwaters and its not easy on gear by any means...i just cleaned that particular reel again a week ago and the gears are perfect still...

 

my other mets i havent upgraded yet but those arent used in heavy cover and the gears are fine still...but i do maintenance more often to make sure those micro duralumin gears stay properly greased...but regardless with the brass set, the Mets feel so much better...

Oh I totally agree with doing that, my problem isn’t the money being spent on the reel itself. It’s the fact for that money it doesn’t come with brass gears when the K, chronarch mgl, and Bantam do. Just seems so weird to me. I’d rather pay the extra 50+ dollars from factory if they had brass gears in them. 

 

Im going to be changing a few reels around this off season and kicking off a couple so one will be a met, most likely going on my nrx 853 to try, shifting the chronarch mgl too an expride, dropping a 13 fishing and replacing with a daiwa from a different rod, and last but not least another bantam for a deep water cranking set up. 

2 hours ago, Yumeya said:

Right now my NRX 843 has a Curado K on it and I think the balance is about perfect...

 

Perfect then go for it! I just know i had thrown my chronarch and bantam on the nrx and the chronarch felt a bit better on it to me and the bantam got moved over to an imx pro

The wait begins .... I'm so impatient 

On 9/26/2019 at 10:14 PM, The Maestro said:

I like mine a lot. I have an XG which I use on my senko setup. I plan on buying 2 HG's for my best jig rods during the off season. They're just great reels that feel like refined quality through and through.

Just bought my first Bantam XG..

Amazing reel. I have 2 fairly new Ks I’m going to sell and a few Lews. 

Definitely moving over to MiJ Shimano reels.  

Great reel, I use it on my frog setup and it hasn’t skipped a beat. Also in the winter it goes on a steelhead outfit and is one of the best steelhead reels going. 

Got it

 

Added two bearings to the knobs, one bearing to the worm shaft and a Curado K 90mm handle with some technical knobs 

 

Nice, everyone is getting such nice stuff I’m jealous. 

most of us didnt start with nicer gear, its a progressive deal...like most mountain bikers didnt start with carbon fiber, golfers didnt go out and buy top of the line clubs when they started etc...

 

ive been bassin a long time, im almost 50 now and hell, i didnt start collecting higher end gear till this last decade...its not necessary but just like a walmart mountain bike vs a higher end bike, no question one is more pleasurable to ride and performs better...higher/high end bassin gear is no different...

 

usually most that are deep in the bassin addiction and stick with it, over time take the same progressive road...its an expensive road but one i dont have any regrets taking...atleast i have something to show for it vs wasting it in bars or dope...

I have the Japanese version( Bantam MGL-18). It's the XG model, Shimano has hit a home run with this reel, it is a tank. I  100% agree with Dwight Hottle had to say about this reel, it's just a superior reel. I have mine mounted on a Dobyns Champion XP DC 735C FH for bottom fishing. I think this reel will also make a excellent reel for frog fishing as it has a 1 piece frame. This reel really shines & I can see another one in my future.

On 10/5/2019 at 11:43 AM, Frog Turds said:

most of us didnt start with nicer gear, its a progressive deal...like most mountain bikers didnt start with carbon fiber, golfers didnt go out and buy top of the line clubs when they started etc...

 

ive been bassin a long time, im almost 50 now and hell, i didnt start collecting higher end gear till this last decade...its not necessary but just like a walmart mountain bike vs a higher end bike, no question one is more pleasurable to ride and performs better...higher/high end bassin gear is no different...

 

usually most that are deep in the bassin addiction and stick with it, over time take the same progressive road...its an expensive road but one i dont have any regrets taking...atleast i have something to show for it vs wasting it in bars or dope...

I get it. I like to jump in a little further up the line. As for mountain bikes my first one was a cannondale f500 back in 99. Sweet bike. It’s still sweet. Still a little jealous off all the nice stuff people get.