I just realized I don’t have a reel dedicated for frogging, so I’m trying to find a budget-friendly option. Been browsing eBay to see what’s out there. Any suggestions for a solid reel that won’t break the bank?

 

Right now I’m looking at either a used Bass Pro Pro Qualifier (7.5:1) or an Abu Garcia Revo STX (7.1:1). One of the Revos I found is pretty beat up, but the gears still seem to be working, lol and Daiwa CR80HS 7.5:1 Gear Ratio. 

 

What are your thoughts? I’m trying to keep it under $50—though I might be able to stretch a bit if I sell another reel I’ve been thinking about moving.

A revo gen 4 STX wouldn’t be a bad shout.  I have 2 downstairs and would sell one.  Maybe not for $50, but if you found a good one for $50 then that would be a good choice.  I wouldn’t do a gen 3 (I have 2 of those as well).  The Revo SX gen 4 would also be a good choice.  I have a pair of them and you should be able to find one for $50 in good shape.  

I've been really happy with my Pro Qualifier 2 casting reels.

6 minutes ago, Bazoo said:

I've been really happy with my Pro Qualifier 2 casting reels.

 

Yeah, I’ve owned several pairs of those reels over the years, including the STX Gen 2 models. I ended up selling them to pick up a few Daiwa SV Series baitcasters—both the SV103H and XS models—back in the day.

 

That's why I'm looking again at the Pro Qualifer 2 but I just realized that I might have swapped the gear on it to higher one, I will need to do a spool test this week to determine the gear ratio. 

For $50 you might get a better reel at auction off ebay. There are tons of new and used reels to be found. Many starting a one cent.

 

I'm buying $200 reels there for less than $50. Way less. More like $15 to $20 sometimes. So you make your $50 go further than a $50 reel with some searching.

 

Your local pawn shops quite often have good quality reels cheap and you might get a decent rod in the deal as well. Always ask the people at the pawn shop if they have any reels in a display case somewhere you may miss, or if they have any new tackle coming out of the back onto sales floor.

 

No telling what you can find if you look.

 

This Bass Pro Rick Clunn signature series reel is a workhorse reel. Very reliable. Solid metal frame. Usually has both centrifugal brakes and magnetic. Sometimes various models have triple drag washers too.

 

Rebuild one of these reels and they will last for years and years reliably. This one is only $24 dollars. One of my fishing buddies uses one of these for frogging. And I just purchased one myself-again- for my 12 year old son because of how reliable these are.

 

These Doyo made reels are now 20+ years old and some today would complain they are too heavy because of the quality of metal in them, but for heavy duty workhorse reels for $25 and if a little bit of scuffs and scratches aren't an issue, maybe older quality reels are a better bet for workhorse reliability and durability rather than the brand new $50 plastic junk reels we see today for that price point.

 

You won't get much for $50 today if you seek a new reel. But you can stretch that $50 back in time to when they did make decent quality reels in the used markets.

 

My first rule of baitcast reels is it must have a solid metal frame. NO plastic reels! Or carbon/epoxy plastic frames!

 

A lot of people don't realize these Rick Clun signature reels are almost identical to the top of the line Johnny Morris signature line. When working on these reels if parts were laid out side by side, both share many of the same parts and are basically the same reels. Johnny just likes to put all the bells and whistles into his line and not Rick's. For example, if both lines have triple drag washers, Johnny Morris would put carbon fiber in his line and give Rick's line something cheaper. But the Johnny Morris drag washers will fit right into the Rick Clunn reel. Gears and other parts like pinion yokes, etc. are all the same.

 

Price a Johnny Morris reel of this same vintage and you can expect to pay $100 to $200 with some over $400, while these Rick Clunn reels are often overlooked and are virtually the same reel inside just different color is all. Top of the line Bass Pro quality back in the day.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/197697988447

 

Here's another one. Bidding is at $8.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/127371855160

 

 

I found a Johnny Morris with box, one of his gold plated reels for $50.

 

Both the Rick Clunn above and this Johnny Morris reel are made by Doyo in South Korea.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/357600502261

 

 

Here is a newer super high speed Johnny Morris Carbonlite reel. Beat up as heck, but rebuild this reel and its another workhorse reel that lasts for years. This one is an 8.3:1 speed.

 

I love rebuilding reels like this to back to like new working condition, and with the scars of life as a badge of honor. I don't mind beat up looking reels. But they have to be rebuilt to like new and work perfect for me. Looks don't matter to me on an old reel. Some want display quality, but not me. This is how you can stretch that $50 into reels that retail closer to $200 when new.

 

A little paint would help this one, but I'd leave it and just rebuild it as is and use the heck out of it. Reels you don't have to worry about.

 

And BTW, these Rick Clunn reels and Johnny Morris reels are at the top of the line in Bass Pro. The Qualifier and others are midline reels and don't have the extras these reels do. Some of the lesser Bass Pro reels have plastic frames, only magnetic braking, plastic drag star, single drag washer and fewer bearings. But they work too.

 

My 12 year old son now has 2 Rick Clunn reels, and one of my fishing Buddies uses 5 Rick Clunn reels and one Johnny Morris. I rebuilt all of them, and all of them are solid workhorses. The Rick Clunn is his favorite frogging reel too.

 

This next one is $55 buy now and you might haggle and get it cheaper. No doubt it needs to be rebuilt, but if you bought one like this one looking like new this same reel is $150 plus with some going to over $400. I can't imagine why.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/388844478613

 

I would get a used OG zillion for that price. A much better deal for around $50 than those cheapo reels.

@FloridaFishinFool Hey man, don’t let him punk you out like that! 😁😉

I didn't think he was talkin' about the top of the line JM or RC reels. I thought he was talking about brand new $50 price point reels would put the OP into some really cheap junk plastic reels if he went that route. So I figured he was directly addressing the OP on that count.

 

Those Bass Pro reels I don't consider as "cheap" reels so I figure that one was aimed past my comment.

 

I was just trying to keep the OP in decent reels for under $50. Be interesting to see what he gets. Hope it does not have plastic frame. Everything else might be plastic though.

 

Kind of ironic I was working on a Daiwa 300 "millionaire classic" yesterday. Mostly metal and its a cheap reel! Pure junk to me. One of the spool bearings is supported on non-handle side in a flimsy cheap plastic piece, and this is a saltwater reel. One would think a spool should be supported by the metal frame in a reel like that one, but Daiwa took an easy way out to cheapo.

 

Gonna give it to my kid to beat up in saltwater. Sucks its a right hander. He may not want it. Daiwa makes cheap reels too- like everyone else.

A used alloy frame centrifugal brake reel from Doyo or a Fuego CT would be nice.  If you want to go new then I would look a Aliexpress reels.  Anything on Amazon or Walmart is going to be plastic garbage.  Aliexpress also has plastic garbage reels but they also have alloy frame reels for $50 or under too.  I've bought a few such as the $48 Johncoo Ares, $40 Seasir Megacuda and $50 Histar Black Mamba.  The Piscifun Alloy M also used to run in the $50 range. 

 

Based on what is available now I'd say take a look at the alloy frame Seasir products.  I have the Megacuda and while it is a 6.5:1 ratio is does has a 36mm spool which bumps up the IPT vs a 34 or 32 mm spool reel.  

 

 

For a frog reel you need something that can handle heavy line and be able to pull a fish from heavy cover and vegetation.  At $50 that's a tall order.  

 

You might look at the Abu Garcia Black Max. I can tell you first hand, it can handle heavy frog fishing and cast a long ways. I have posted this a few times but I rescued this one from the bottom of a local lake. It was a mess but after a lot of TLC, it works great. No complaints or issues with it.

 

 

@FishTank what about that rod? Rods don’t seem to fair so well being submerged do they? Although I’ve heard of a few guys that cleaned them up and used them.

@F14A-B The rod was toast.  I had to pry the reel off it with a screwdriver and pliers. I tossed it near the bank. The stuff  on it was as hard as saltwater coral. I think its called brozoan. It was on the reel as well. The pics above are after I sprayed and cleaned the reel off in the kitchen sink.

It been down there for awhile huh

5 minutes ago, F14A-B said:

It been down there for awhile huh

 

I would say maybe a year or less. Enough time for the stuff growing on it to develop. 

@Bigbox99 with a double spool and a mental frame it’s gotta be good. Right? 

23 minutes ago, FishTank said:

 

I would say maybe a year or less. Enough time for the stuff growing on it to develop. 

I hooked  a can of SPAM once. In the middle of a deep hole in Blue River. About 1977, that Mepps grabbed that pull tab perfectly and I reeled it in. After laughing with my buddy’s we opened it up. It was green and horrible but there was no water leakage. 
 

No kidding 😂

I wish I could pull a GLoomis from bottom of a lake! How come its always the cheap stuff?

8 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I wish I could pull a GLoomis from bottom of a lake! How come its always the cheap stuff?

 

Somewhere on the bottom of Lake Maxinkuckee in Union Township, IN is a G.Loomis 844C GLX with a Shimano Core. It fell off the back of the boat. 

 

Good luck. I trolled for it for hours and lost two lures in the process.

Hard to beat a Curado 200 for a frog reel.

 

Look for a used one.

The Abu STX is a great frog reel for the money. It has great ergonomics, holds plenty of line, great drag, and is rigid. 
 

Ergonomics are super important to me when choosing a frog reel. I need something I can keep control of through a hook set in the muck. Larger reels such as a Tatula CT, Curado K, BB1, etc tend to fumble around in my hands. 

I know where there's about 5 or so combos in a lake. Not that deep either, I'd guess 6 foot.

 

Not high end stuff but it would have to be over $1k of gear.

Yes, I was mainly trying to get a feel for used reel prices since I’ve never paid full retail—everything I’ve picked up has been either 50% off or from eBay.

 

Now, @FloridaFishinFool, have you been spying on my Chrome history? 😆 I was literally just browsing some Rick Clunn and Carbonlite reels before posting this, so it feels like you read my mind. I saw a few in the 6.4:1 range, except that Carbonlite which comes in 8.5:1.

 

I wouldn’t mind grabbing either the Johnny Morris Gold Series or the Carbonlite. If I ever need replacement parts, I know I can call the online store, but is there a way to check and order those parts directly online myself to change out the gears to higher ratio as you have experience? what is your recommendation on how I approach this, Its been age since i last ordered gear parts from them. 

 

Keep this going, I'm actually enjoying getting some perspective from others on this "Frog reel".

 

Would 6.4.1 be slow or should I still have the high ratio 7 and above ? 

Glad to hear it. Its a good way to get decent durable reels.

 

To get parts you gotta call them. I am not sure if they do it online, but if you call them you can buy your parts directly from Bass Pro repair shop.

 

https://www.basspro.com/b/rod-and-reel-repair

 

 (417) 873-5274 Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

But if you need someone to fix your reels this forum has the benefit of Delaware Valley Tackle.

 

https://www.delawarevalleytackle.com/

 

Let us know which way you go.

 

 

Dobyns Mavericks can be had on Amazon for under twenty bucks depending on the day. Ten plus bearings with supported pinion gear.  100 mm handle, braid friendly, good drag and cast well once cast controls are adjusted.  

My experience with used eBay reels is no good. I've bought two. Both had something wrong with them. I had one refurbished and it ended up costing me nearly as much as a decent new reel. My belief is these are usually trade-ins and the seller is just trying to recoup what the gave off the new reel they sold. That said, if you can find a screaming deal, you might get lucky or you can have it refurbished. That may well cost you more than the $50 you set for a limit. I draw the line at only solid metal frame reels, especially for a workhorse like a frog reel. Others will disagree, but I have my own experiences. If you have a good reel you could switch to the frog combo, I'd do that and then buy a cheap one for techniques that require less abuse. I've been using a Lew's Tournament MB reel for more than 12 years. It's a $130 reel they stopped making about 4 or 5 years ago. I'm sure they just renamed it or replaced it with a very similar reel. The gears are starting to make a little noise, but it's still ripping them out of the weeds. When you consider how long it's lasted, it's a deal. I sent a Lew's reel to be repaired by PBS a while back and they emailed me they didn't have Lew's parts, which I kinda doubt. Then they told me they had a fully refurbished Johnny Morris Carbonlite reel that was very similar they would send me for exactly $50. I took it and it's like new. In fact, it appears to be identical to the Lew's reel I sent them.

 

JMO, I'd bite the bullet and spend a little to get a better reel you can use for years to come. And beware the very cheap Lew's reel that they're selling for the ridiculously low price of about $30. My buddy bought one and there's something wrong with the spool release. He has to hold it down when he casts or it pops back up. Someone who works on reels may be able to fix it.

23 hours ago, F14A-B said:

@Bigbox99 with a double spool and a mental frame it’s gotta be good. Right? 

I hooked  a can of SPAM once. In the middle of a deep hole in Blue River. About 1977, that Mepps grabbed that pull tab perfectly and I reeled it in. After laughing with my buddy’s we opened it up. It was green and horrible but there was no water leakage. 
 

No kidding 😂

Yeah, if you view the reel as disposable.  I don't know how you would ever get parts for it.  It's got an aluminum frame, 8:1 ratio and a fast braking profile with good casting behavior.  The two spools feature is nice too if you want to have braid and non braid line options for different uses.  Maybe it's fishing a frog then working a plopper or something with big mono on another day.

 

I have two of the deep spool 6.5:1 reels and they get after it with distance and 15 pound Big Game flows out of the cone level wind nicely with zero spool tension but I do run the mag brakes at near max.   I prefer them over my Piscifun Alloy M. They are more free casting than the Alloy M because they have a cone level wind placed far from the spool instead of a tiny level wind in front of the spool like the Alloy M.  

 

That Seasir platform is my current favorite $50 or under reel and something I would recommend over a plastic horror that normally occupy this price point.  They are very solid reels that can bomb baits but you will feel every tooth mesh between the pinion and main gear.  For $57 it's worth a shot.  I would like to see them under $50 since I only paid $31 for Megacuda but the tariff is probably baked into the price seeing that Megacudas as $46 now.