In my opinion Shimano makes some really nice reels but they cost too much for what you get compared to my BPS Extreme (made by Pflueger).

So which Shimano are you comparing it to? Surely not the Symetre or Stradic.

No, those are spinning reels.  I meant the Extreme baitcasting reel and I was comparing it to the Citica, and actually even the Curado too.  Number of bearings wise, the Extreme beats the Citica and ties the Curado.  I think the Extreme for $80 regular price, or $60 on sale is a much better buy and performs at the same level.  Of course I can only compare it directly to the Curado D's the my brother in law has.  We fished a lot together and side by side they were as near equal in ability as they could have been this year.  

I edited my post while you were typing yours.

I'm glad you like your Extreme and hope it

serves you well.

-Kent

I edited my post while you were typing yours.

I'm glad you like your Extreme and hope it

serves you well.

-Kent

Thank you.  And I'm glad you like your Shimano reels.  They seem to be excellent reels and I have nothing against them at all.  If the Curado was more of the Citica's price then I probably would have had those instead.  That's one sharp reel!!!  

Back on topic...The Ugly Stick will be fine for treble hook lures.

I don't even like them for that.  You can't feel what the lure is doing.  The BPS Crankin Stick is a much better rod for treble hook lures (that rod replaced my Ugly Stick) and for $40 you get it REALLY cheap.

Number of bearings wise, the Extreme beats the Citica and ties the Curado.

The actual number of bearing in a reel are pretty much meaningless.

I think the Extreme for $80 regular price, or $60 on sale is a much better buy and performs at the same level. Of course I can only compare it directly to the Curado D's the my brother in law has. We fished a lot together and side by side they were as near equal in ability as they could have been this year.

There isn't a whole lot of performance increases as you go up the reel lineups. As long as the handle turns the spool, the line will be retrieved.

Durability, weight, finish, construction material, etc are other things that differentiate reels.

edited to add:

                 Extreme     Citica

weight           8.6 oz        7.8

drag               10 lbs        11

line capacity  12/120      14/110

bearings            7             4

There are others, but these are just a few items that show other differences.  I believe the Citica is a smaller profile too.

all ive owned , as far as rods go , are ugly sticks. bought them all as combos for less than $35 and they have cought many fish and last as long as i want them to. even my latest rod purchase was a ugly stick LITE. much lighter than the 'classic' , tiger , and thier other offerings.

and if something in the truck decides to slide over on to it and it breaks , i wont feel like im at a loss (at all) becuase it was cheap and does its job. also , a year ago , i didnt get to fish as much as i do now , so i couldnt justify spending more than the $35 on both rod and reel that will get used less than twice a month.

however , i will get something like a triumph as my next rod purchase just to see what the hype is about and im certain it will be worlds better. but that doesnt make me regret ever owning one.

my $0.02.

edit - also , i just got the gear bag in today (from their free offer) and it seems to be made very well. for the budget fisherman , i wouldnt knock ugly sticks.

If I were a high school teacher I might use an ugly stick as pointer on a blackboard, other than that I'd toss in the garbage.

I've got one here you can have for free, used once.

So many good choices out there for the same kind of money.

Ugly Sticks....great for kids and catfish.

Welcome to the forum.

Keep reading the posts and articles.