When do you use a round reel instead of low profile?

Personally, I use a round reel for large baits and also for spinnerbaits, not sure why, but it seems to work for me.

 

For live golden shiner fishing, and sometimes the smaller round reels for rat'l traps and spinners.

 

More or less a novelty item more so than any type of necessity. Some just like the nostalgic effect of them. I guess I am one of them.

I only have two round reels still in use. I picked a couple very clean Shimano Calcutta 101's a couple years ago and liked them enough in their smoothness that I put them on a pair of Dobyns 736cb glass rods throwing larger bladed jigs.

 

I honestly haven't used them a lot because I really don't find them as comfortable as a nice low profile reel. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate them though. They are very smooth and rigid in your hands!

 

Everything else I have is a low profile of various brands and types.

Round bait casting reels came before low profile casting reels. There a limitation to reel size with low profile reels, 100 to 300. The size range suits bass anglers. I used both, choose round reels for strength and low profile for lighter weight in 100-150 size.

Tom

I like my medium-frame round reels best with offset rod grips and generally shorter rods - all of these are set up for close kayak fishing, salt marsh

river kayak

Small-frame round reels work well enough with straight reel seats and, again, this is for close fishing limestone creeks - water you otherwise might wade with a short glass fly rod.  

I always hated them even when they were the only choice.  As soon as the low profiles came out I sold the round ones and never looked back.

4 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I like my medium-frame round reels best with offset rod grips and generally shorter rods - all of these are set up for close kayak fishing, salt marsh

river kayak

Small-frame round reels work well enough with straight reel seats and, again, this is for close fishing limestone creeks.  

Bulldog those reels are beautiful and you can see they are well cared for. I believe the gold one is a millionair. That is the one I use for spinnerbaits.

blank-through-handle killed round reels.  

Offset grips go back to Fenwick Champion and all the separate grips and rod blades made in the 50s/60s, and Fuji offset grips made in the 70s/80s.  

The Japanese keep this going in their home market, Bright River and Smith Super Strike - what I call the Japan Underground.  

 

@rboat - they're more than cared for, they're bench-custom.  All my surf and shore reels are NLW (non-level-wind) CT round reels 

ok, one surf-lure LW, still bench custom.  

 

The round surf reels have barstock frame that brings the spool 8-mm closer to the rod.  

@rboat- "When do I use a round reel?" - Never.  I really dislike the profile in my hand.  A low profile reel is so much more comfortable and I don't have a scenario in bass fishing where I need anything more than that.  

 

I have a pair of older shimanos downstairs that I've had for a long time.  One was on my 9' steelhead float rod for a long time and wasn't a bad choice for that.  But that's because I was casting 1/4 of the number of casts as when I bass fish as the float was just covering 50 yards of water in a pool while I freespooled from the top.  For cast and crank I have no desire for a round reel.

No round reels for freshwater. Got rid of them long ago. I do use them in the salt, 1 old Penn, 2 Akios.

Lew’s patent for his BB1 reel wasn’t to make a lower reel it was to move the level wind further forward away from the spool to improve casting distance.  The fact the BB1 set lower on the reel seat wasn’t a patent claim. Palming the reels also started with the BB1 design.

Tom

Love round reels. As of late, the Shimano Calcutta Conquest 100 size body has become my favorite. It might be the perfect reel. Its a lot of bullet proof power in a small package. Its easy to palm, they cast well, and are so smooth, you can't even feel the handle turn. 

 

I have one more of the BFS version not pictured below. So top to bottom.... BFS, 100, and the Shallow Spool Edition.

 

 

I also have a Daiwa Millionaire CT, Shimano Calcutta TE GT 101, and two Calcutta 251s.  The 251s don't see a lot of action anymore but they still work fine. 

The modern round reels palm pretty good.  Even this 1st gen Ryoga palms great for me with three fingers in front of the trigger.  Its taller than the 36mm wide spool Zillion HD next to it but i dont really notice that when palming.  I think it is because the recessed portion of the frame your thumb rests on drops down lower than the peak of the round side plate.  The 2nd gen is even smaller for the same spool size.  Modern Conquests are also tiny.  The Millionaire/Monoblock are also pretty small, especially given how old they are.  The Monoblocks are 6oz reels that take OG Alphas gears and 34mm Daiwa spools.  I had one for a while.  Neat reels.

I'm just going to dump some round reel pics from members on another forum.  Too much round hate going on from people with PTSD from Abu 4600 and 5600s.  Round reels made from machined bar stock and anodized are peak fishing reel.  Truly a flagship means of constructing a fishing reel.

I once had a LIN 10 Mars but could never bring myself to fish it and sold it off to a collector.  It was a gorgeous thing.

I have 3 Shimano Calcutta 200D's that I use locally and one 300D that makes the trip to Mexico.

Both are mostly bulletproof. 

These Round Reels are what I reach for when I need true power and less inches per turn.

So spinnerbaits, and big swimbaits.

A-Jay

@redmeansdistortion 's Black Max is my current favorite round reel build.  I can't get over how traditional Abu handle looks with the reel.  How the textured black finish on the hande and gloss knobs match the finishes on the reel frame.  The stock handle and knobs make the reel look off but this one looks super sharp.

round for crankbaits and spinnerbaits..........and saltwater.........

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I have 3 Shimano Calcutta 200D's that I use locally and one 300D that makes the trip to Mexico.

Both are mostly bulletproof. 

These Round Reels are what I reach for when I need true power and less inches per turn.

So spinnerbaits, and big swimbaits.

A-Jay

 

I have the JDM 100D.  A tad slower retrieve so, small crankbaits and maybe small spinnerbaits.  I have it on a Castaway Invicta II ML.  It feels small in my hand... Until I pick up the Stile or Scorpion 70XG, and then go back to it.  It then, doesn't seem so small...

I tried them, and I pretty much have moved away from round reels. They don't fit my current style.

 

If I was in a boat, casting a spinnerbait all day, I could see it.

17 hours ago, Bigbox99 said:

@redmeansdistortion 's Black Max is my current favorite round reel build.  I can't get over how traditional Abu handle looks with the reel.  How the textured black finish on the hande and gloss knobs match the finishes on the reel frame.  The stock handle and knobs make the reel look off but this one looks super sharp.

Thanks!  When I do a reel build, I like to make it look like it could've come that way from the factory.  I was the same way when I used to turn a wrench and play with cars.  I don't do disco with flashy colors, I like subtle distinction.  

hmm

 

these two get names - Candy Apple and Black Cherry.  

It's winter time again I guess. This is like asking if you want steak or chicken, and my answer is: Yes.

 

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

hmm

 

Is that an Amo spool on the 4600?

This was one of my favorite builds for a customer of mine, dude is a king salmon diehard.  All new or new old stock parts, only aftermarket parts are the Rocket Reel Co. 5.3:1 gear set with the stainless drive gear and hardened bronze pinion.  Brake plate is from a Royal 4500 so it has both an AR dog and roller bearing, chromed brass frame, 5500 C3 spool and line guide, 5600C4 level wind, 2bb idler gear, etc.  I did this build 5 years ago and receive it every spring for a freshening.  He actually got his personal best on this one in 2022, 41" and 39lb on a Thunderstick.

 

@redmeansdistortion probably knew this - for C3 Ambassadeur, RocketReelCo also makes ball-bearing main shaft.  (also Mikes's in BC)

For all my surf reels, I found buying RRC loaded brake plate is cheaper than buying the stainless gears and mainshaft parts separately.  

Though to get centrifugal, you have to move the new parts over to the old brake plate - their brake plate doesn't have a centrifugal race.