Hey all!

So I been thinking of adding a baitcaster to my aresenal lately.  I have grown up fishing with spinning reels and never really saw the neccessity to use a baitcaster until now.

I was wondering what would be a good baitcaster to start learning on? I searched through the forums and saw that some people recommend  starting with a  Daiwa MegaForce because of its price and quality.

Any suggestions, tips, or helpful hints would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

congrats on your decision. yep, ya gotta have both spinning and casting gear...there are situations where one will really excel over the other. i cut my teeth on spinning gear but, after i started using baitcasters, look out! it was a tad frustrating at first but the feel, control, and line handling offered by baitcasters totally won me over.

as for the megaforce, i have two of them. they actually cast extremely well and easily. i do find them a little on the heavy side and the ergonomics aren't that great because of the twitchin' bar (no easy place to rest your thumb when palming the reel). i also found that i rarely use the twitchin' bar even though that was my primary reason for buying them. if you don't need that feature, i'd recommend the shimano citica 100DSV or the abu garcia pro max or the cabela's prodigy (made for them by daiwa) or the bass pro shops prolite finesse (made for them by pflueger), all at about $100 to get you started. the abu garcia revo S is in that same price range too but i cannot recommend it for a newbie...mine is very difficult to get 'dialed in' just right.

The Shimano Citica is very popular, has a great reputation for both performance and durability, and if properly maintained, will last forever. Nearly everyone that owns this reel is glad it is the one they chose.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1210716543

8-)