hey everyone, ive been running on intermediate level fishing gear for a while now, and i think its time i go for an upgrade of all my tackle...

for lures, ive began making my own crankbaits from balsa wood, additional body templates would be cool if anyone had any..

im looking for a quality, general purpose setup.. not specifically going for any one species, but something well suited for fish a tad on the larger size... large bass, walleye, pike, even pull out rather large carb and suckers too... so i was thinking basing this around 15lb test line

for the rod, im going to make it myself from a blank.. i was thinking 6'6-7' length, medium-heavy (for the 15lb line) and fast action since its better my rod bends closer to the tip since i end up having to bring fish in from around trees and other obstacles

for line i intend to use a bright, high visibility braided line, with a fluorocarbon end spliced into it.. giving me the greater line capacity, strength for snags, and still have the last foot or two invisible to the fish

and this brings me to the meat of this post... the reel.. ive thought about going back with spinning reels, but some careful consideration points me towards using a baitcast reel which i do not have much experience with, but the benefits are there for longer, smoother casts, capacity, and they seem to be a generally more durable reel

i notice a lot of people cast with one hand, then switch the rod to the opposite hand to reel, a practice i also do now, but i was wondering, why is it i rarely see people just cast with their right hand and reel with the left?... is there some purpose to holding the reel in the palm of your hand or is it just something a lot of people seem to instinctively do?... i was thinking of getting a left handed reel and learning to real it in that way

that being said.. im looking for a good reel recommendation, somewhere in the $100-$150 range... i really like the styling of the abu garcia ambassadeur series, with the classic look, but modern features... or are the low profiles like the pflueger patriarch or quantum smoke a much better choice?...

i should mention i mostly lure fish.. but sometimes im just in the mood to spend a day with home-made baits... so i was thinking maybe the ambassadeur C3 6500 size with the line-out alarm...

what do you guys think?

Many manufacturers make a left handed reel nowadays, I use nothing but left handed B.C.s. I am partial to Daiwa reels, but some of them get quite expensive. Instead of saying buy reel 'X', I recommend going to BPS, Gander or Cabellas and see what feels comfortable in your hand. Some reels won't contour to your hand the way you want and you end up wasting time trying to use a reel that is too big or too little for your grip.

im not sure how well contouring to my hand would be.. never actually held the reel in my hand, but held the grip itself... i really do like the features and the style of the abu ambassadeur C3 6500 size... but it doesnt look well contoured for fitting in the palm of the hand...

how does this reel perform vs a good low profile?...either way, im looking for a reel i can keep for a long time, that is well suited to taking apart and rebuilding from time to time when parts or bearings go bad

unfortunately, no bass pro, no cabelas, nothing here but a walmart and off-brand products, for this i have to use facts and reasoning to select a reel and order it online since i dont have the luxury of handling them first

Abus are supposed to be very easy to break down, clean and reassemble. Very reliable. I don't have one myself, just going on what I've heard. Check out the Rod/Reel/Line forum and you will find a ton of reviews on reels that you might want to think about.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/forum/12-fishing-rods-reels-line-and-knots/

Shimano Curado 200E or 50E. The reels are everything

you want and can be bought within your pricing range

with a little shopping.

Jason, welcome to the forum. From all I have gathered over the past 3 years, you have definitely picked a reel that should last, is easily worked on, and should even have some parts available for upgrading it. However, you aren't going to find many on this site using that reel as most people here target bass. Even those of us who love fishing for anythig that will hit talk bass almost exclusively. After all this IS bassresource.com.

I have a 5001C somewhere. Not going to palm it. The 6500 should be bigger yet. Aren't line out alarms for live bait or those walleye rigs? Again....not likely to find many people here using that feature when fishing for bass.

I think it is great you like making your own lures, and plan on making the rod. I have no patience for either. Or skill.

The reason you see so many people switching hands after the cast to reel right handed is because that is how they learned. Not many left hand models were made when they started. Left hand reels are still in the minority. Nothing wrong with casting with the right hand and reeling with the left. No reason not to either except for the fact that you may not be able to get the model reel you want in left hand.

My Abu experience is severely limited, but it is about to expand as I just bought 3 of the Black Max 1600 reels. For bass fishing, naturaly.

i get the impression low profiles are used to hold in the palms for better control over the rod?.. i could be wrong...

anyway, let me know what you think of the black max.. i may buy one to go with the ambassadeur since the two combined still wont equal most the daiwas or the patriarch pflueger makes...

one idea i had was to make the final line guide on the tip large enough to allow a barrel swivel to pass through, so i could unhook my line, real it all the way in and swap reels quickly... i could use a black max for lures, the other for bait if thats what theyre much better suited for

as for making the rods... theres really just a process to follow, other than that theres not too much to it... im going to use a hole-saw to cut out rings from balsa to glue together, mount on a long bolt and put it in my drill press chuck... then while thats spinning freely i can use a wood file to give it the shape i want... and probably use clear heat shrink tubing over it the grip to protect it, and give it more texture

after doing some thinking.. i think i will go low profile... so $150 limit, preferable under $100, since baitcasters are fairly new to me i dont want to spend too much on one just yet, something easily torn down and maintained.. quality, and a decent enough amount of line (i have large hands so just about any low profile will be comfortable)

For mutli species fishing that you are talking about a Abu round reel would be fine, but the 6500 is way overkill. You'd be holding enough yards of 15# braid you plan on using, to fish for Marlin or Tuna. No low profile is going to have a bait clicker alarm. For pike and bass a 4600 C3 or C4 would be fine but for any baitcaster you might want to rethink the line you plan on using, 15# braid is a bit thin for a baitcasters best performance.

BPS Pro Qualifier, best bang for the buck, especially for a first reel. You will be able to abuse and use that reel for many years to come.

my plan for line is to use 20# high visibility braided line tied to a swivel, and order 25-30 yards of 15# fluorocarbon to make into leaders... i see this setup more and more when people want something durable, and visible without sacraficing the invisibility of fluorocarbon..... and though the C3 ambassadeur is still an option i will most likely end up going low-profile...

im kind of liking the abu revo SX, but i may try that black max first just to give the low profiles a try before going for something more expensive... the closest bass pro shops according to their website is more than a 2 hour drive one-way... and thats a lot closer than the nearest cabelas, so ill definitely be ordering online

other reels im looking into besides those three i mentioned from abu (ambassadeur, black max, revo SX), i also like the quantum KVD reels, pflueger president, daiwa megaforce, and a couple from quantum

another option im weighing is getting an abu BCX round baitcast, and the black max.. put one of them on the rod i have now, one on the new rod and see what i like more, then put the other one on my old rod and have it as a backup in case something happens to the one i like, or someone else decides to join me

also, ive decided im only going to purchase a reel i can get in a left hand model... because i want to train myself to reel with the left hand so i wont need to switch hands anymore

just out of curiosity, i found a calculator online that i punch in the diameter of the lb test line listed in the real specs, and the length of line it says it holds... then i type in the diameter of the new line and it will tell me how many yards this holds...

for .014 @ 100 yards (100 yards of 12lb line) which is a fairly small capacity, i would be able to hold close to 250 yards of 20lb braided... so... at this point line capacity means nothing, as even the smallest reels hold plenty when i use braded for the bulk of the spool

umm.. also, i would like to find something that actually says "made in USA" on it if possible

just out of curiosity, i found a calculator online that i punch in the diameter of the lb test line listed in the real specs, and the length of line it says it holds... then i type in the diameter of the new line and it will tell me how many yards this holds...

for .014 @ 100 yards (100 yards of 12lb line) which is a fairly small capacity, i would be able to hold close to 250 yards of 20lb braided... so... at this point line capacity means nothing, as even the smallest reels hold plenty when i use braded for the bulk of the spool

umm.. also, i would like to find something that actually says "made in USA" on it if possible

The only reel company you're gonna find that on is Ardent.

Most people use 20# braid on spinning reels because of its diameter. Too thin and the braid digs in on baitcasting reels. When this happens the lure can snap off on a cast. Here is a thread where a Capt.Ryan posted the braid/mono equivalents. I had 30 lb. braid snap when the line wrapped around the end of my rod without yours truly noticing. Goodbye brand new 1/2 oz. jig. Lightest I'm using on a baitcaster (at the moment) is 40 lb. which is equivalent to 10 lb. mono..

http://www.thehulltr...vs-lb-test.html

The Black Max 1600 is a round reel. I believe you are referring to the Black Max low profile reel. I assume most people do palm a low profile reel although that is not necessary if you would rather not. Sometimes I don't palm mine.

All the reels mentioned so far in this thread have good reputations. I have an older Cabela's Prodigy that would also fit the bill. It is normally $100, but I got mine for $60 when they came out with the new model. It does go on sale occasionally for around $60-$70. It is made by Daiwa.

I have a Revo STX that I like, but no experience with the SX. From what I've read the SX can be a bit picky on getting set up right. Set right they cast a mile. The centrifugal brakes on Shimano reels make them a good bet for beginners to learn on. Stay around this forum very long and you will find that many long time users are Shimano lovers. Meaning they aren't just for beginners. I must say my Curado 51E casts light lures very well, but a lot also depends on the rod used.

Reviews all suggest that the Lew's Speed Spool is an excellent reel at its price point.

I originally was planning on the 201E7 being my first reel, but it didn't work out that way. The majority of my reels are Daiwa models. The Pflueger President is another baitcasting reel I'd like to have. It gets good reviews. Another reel to look at is the Trion. I bought a used right hand and left hand reel based on reviews I read. Haven't had a chance to use them yet. It is another $100 reel (new). Don't think you will find many here using one, but I was impressed with the reviews. Hopefully I will be as impressed with the reel.

No doubt you are finding out that getting your list down to 2 or 3 reels is an exercise in frustration. There are too many good options. We fisherman never had it so good. Usually asking on a forum doesn't help get your choice down to one. Most times you will wind up with more choices than you started with.

well i tried narrowing it down to left handed reels only.. though now everything is available in a left handed reel, so didnt do much narrowing there.. tried narrowing down to US made only... that eliminated everything, unfortunately.. i guess my next step would be to find something that atleast isnt made in china... pflueger is made in korea i think, daiwa and shimano are japanese, and abu garcia is made in sweden... the rest can be assumed carry the infamous "made in china" stamp

what about those cabelas and bass pro shops brand reels? they both make some nice models i think i like

The only house brand reel I have used is the previously mentioned Prodigy. Had it cleaned and bearings upgraded. The guy who did it said if you handed the reel to him while blindfolded and asked him its price range, he would guess in the $180-$200 range. He was impressed enough by the reel's performance (free spool, casting distance, solid engagement, smoothness, etc.) after he finished with it that he purchased a few for himself to try different upgrades on. Not for himself because all his gear is high end, but to keep a couple on his boat for visitors, and to give to relatives.

The only other comment I can make on house brands is to see if parts are available for repair should you need them.

that would be nice to find a real i could get fairly cheap.. and then tweak the performance afterwards.. something i can fine tune myself into a top notch reel...

hmm... checked out the revo S from abu garcia.. a lot of mixed reviews.. too many, these reels seem to have a lot of problems.. so back to square 1... hmm

i can seem to find the pflueger president at a fair price, quantums seem to have a very nice following.. havent found a bad review on those yet... so the accurist PT by them is in the mix..

and well.. i guess im starting to narrow it down now... the C3 ambassadeur, this quantum, possibly a pflueger president... or the cabela prodigy or BPS extreme store brand models

well.. im pressure sure ive decided on the abu garcia C3 5500 left handed model...since ill be going for some really large fish this summer (musky).. it seems having a stronger, more durable, more reliable reel would be better... and with my mix of bait and lure fishing, palming wont be as important to me as someone who strictly lure fishes

I think thats a smart pick. Proven. Very little plastic parts. Capable of handling many different species. I palm one often and catch tarpon and cobia without any trouble.