I currently have a bg 3000 size and very impressed with it so far. I'm looking for something a little smaller and lighter to pair with my 7'6" medium light for ned/wacky/shaky heads. I was originally looking at the 2000 size but the drag is such a substantial drop from the 2500 and 3000 so wondering if that will still suit or if I should go with the 2500. Any advice/recommendations?

   I have the Fuego 2000SH and 2500SH, immediate precursors to the BG series. Spool sizes and drag specs are the same.

   On the 2000 size, I use no greater than ,009" mono or 10 lb. test braid. I have put a carbontex drag washer in it.

   On the 2500 size, I used 15 and 20 lb. test braid; that's why I originally got it. Drag washer is original.

   If I horse the fish around, the 2000 size with braid may slip ..... a little. With mono, I DEFINITELY tire the fish out and don't horse it.

   With the 2500 size, I can do just about anything I want to. It takes it, and it dishes it out.

   For your ML rod, I would suspect that the 2000 size is all you will ever need. I say "suspect" because different people fish different ways and expect different results. YMMV.

 

   Good luck!    jj

  

1 hour ago, jimmyjoe said:

   I have the Fuego 2000SH and 2500SH, immediate precursors to the BG series. Spool sizes and drag specs are the same.

   On the 2000 size, I use no greater than ,009" mono or 10 lb. test braid. I have put a carbontex drag washer in it.

   On the 2500 size, I used 15 and 20 lb. test braid; that's why I originally got it. Drag washer is original.

   If I horse the fish around, the 2000 size with braid may slip ..... a little. With mono, I DEFINITELY tire the fish out and don't horse it.

   With the 2500 size, I can do just about anything I want to. It takes it, and it dishes it out.

   For your ML rod, I would suspect that the 2000 size is all you will ever need. I say "suspect" because different people fish different ways and expect different results. YMMV.

 

   Good luck!    jj

  

Thanks for the reply. Are you saying the bg at 2000 size likely doesn't come stock with carbon drag washers or was that the case with your fuego?

52 minutes ago, Conclusion said:

Are you saying the bg at 2000 size likely doesn't come stock with carbon drag washers or was that the case with your fuego?

 

   That was the case with my Fuego.       jj

I think from a weight and capacity standpoint, the 2000 feels a lot nicer for bass applications. The 2500 felt a little unwieldy on most rods for me. The 2000 drag is plenty if you're using 6lb-8lb diameter line, or less. I imagine you could pretty easily find carbon washers that fit for about $10, if you want to beef it up a little, but it hasn't been necessary in my experience. 

3 hours ago, Tywithay said:

I think from a weight and capacity standpoint, the 2000 feels a lot nicer for bass applications. The 2500 felt a little unwieldy on most rods for me. The 2000 drag is plenty if you're using 6lb-8lb diameter line, or less. I imagine you could pretty easily find carbon washers that fit for about $10, if you want to beef it up a little, but it hasn't been necessary in my experience. 

Are you talking the bg or fuego? If bg can you confirm is the 2000 actually has carbon or felt drag by chance? You make a really good point, as I remember reading you really shouldn't set your drag at more than 30% of your line #. 

 

I seriously considered the fuego lt and the exceler but the fuego I'm worried about the very well known line lay issues and the exceler

is only slightly cheaper than the bg so I figure it makes more sense to just get that. 

1 hour ago, Conclusion said:

Are you talking the bg or fuego? If bg can you confirm is the 2000 actually has carbon or felt drag by chance? You make a really good point, as I remember reading you really shouldn't set your drag at more than 30% of your line #. 

 

I seriously considered the fuego lt and the exceler but the fuego I'm worried about the very well known line lay issues and the exceler

is only slightly cheaper than the bg so I figure it makes more sense to just get that. 

The BG and the 2000 is felt drag to cater more to lighter lines. Fuego line lay is a non-issue. It's designed to taper a certain way and some people can't wrap their heads around that. I personally prefer the BG, but they're both excellent reels for the price. Unless you need to save a little weight, the BG feels superior, in my opinion. 

11 hours ago, Tywithay said:

The BG and the 2000 is felt drag to cater more to lighter lines. Fuego line lay is a non-issue. It's designed to taper a certain way and some people can't wrap their heads around that. I personally prefer the BG, but they're both excellent reels for the price. Unless you need to save a little weight, the BG feels superior, in my opinion. 

Great information, thank you! 

I have the BG 2500 and I just love it. The build on it is incredible and it's so smooth. Best in it's class but don't take my word for it read the reviews. It's the perfect size but that's just me.

Get the BG if there is even a remote chance you will use it in saltwater.  Otherwise you may prefer a lighter reel.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not going to be using it for saltwater at all, I'm in Ontario so perhaps the great lakes but that would be the largest. I'm still leaning towards the bg 2500 at this point. Unfortunately trying to find stock that isn't over priced is proving difficult in Canada.

 

The BG is a good reel and should last a life time or twos, no doubt about it. But for your application, Ned and Shakey Head, I’m not sure using such heavy setup would benefit any good. You pick 7’6 rod, that thing is long and heavy, pair with a tank reel (which I don’t see the need for bass) how do you fish it comfortably and apply shaking motion for hour? If it is cast and reel like swimbait I don’t care much about weight but for finesse presentation, the light and well balance setup would help by a long shot.

Last time I used my 7’6 shimano Compre 1/16-5/8oz (lighter than a lot of comparable rod) jigging for crappie then switched to bass setup, d**n they felt like feather.

I say 2500 also. I have an Eliminator, built on same platform as BG. It is only heavy by current standards, but should be expected as it is still aluminum which to me is preferable.

Thanks for all the replies. I found a bg 2500 and ended up grabbing it. Really happy with the size, surprisingly smaller than expected compared to my 3000. Should get out to test it next week.

I use a BG 2000 for my finesse fishing. It has a slightly wider spool than the 1500 and isn't too much heavier and can also run straight 6/8/10 mono line if I choose not to use a leader, so this was a win win for me. I would think a 2500 would be a little overkill for your needs.

 

EDIT: I see I'm late here. The 2500 shouldn't be a game breaker either. Enjoy

10 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I use a BG 2000 for my finesse fishing. It has a slightly wider spool than the 1500 and isn't too much heavier and can also run straight 6/8/10 mono line if I choose not to use a leader, so this was a win win for me. I would think a 2500 would be a little overkill for your needs.

 

EDIT: I see I'm late here. The 2500 shouldn't be a game breaker either. Enjoy

Lol thanks. I should have mentioned in my original post that where I am fishing there are usually also pike and sometimes musky so I figured better safe to go up a little in case. 

On 9/8/2020 at 7:33 AM, Conclusion said:

Lol thanks. I should have mentioned in my original post that where I am fishing there are usually also pike and sometimes musky so I figured better safe to go up a little in case. 

You could put braid on that and pair it with a MH rod too if you ever had to.

1 hour ago, Boomstick said:

You could put braid on that and pair it with a MH rod too if you ever had to.

I've got 20# pp on my bg 3000 right now and was going to throw 10# pp on the 2500.