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Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object #12539059 12/15/17 11:15 AM
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Patrnflyr Offline OP
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Title says it all. Just looking for opinions. Please, no brand wars as each person has their own opinion. Digital? Mega bearings? Ease of casting? Durability? Ease of repairs? Just would like to know everybodys opinion. I have 4 Abu Garcia Revo MGX Extremes and was just curious if Im throwing one of the better reels out there. There always seems to be something better coming down the line. (And yes, I have some Zebco 33s in my arsenal as well!)

Last edited by Patrnflyr; 12/15/17 11:17 AM.
Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12539338 12/15/17 04:35 PM
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The lightest ones

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12539675 12/15/17 10:06 PM
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npl_texas Offline
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Shimano Aldebaran for me

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12539740 12/15/17 11:22 PM
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Originally Posted By: Patrnflyr
Title says it all. Just looking for opinions. Please, no brand wars as each person has their own opinion. Digital? Mega bearings? Ease of casting? Durability? Ease of repairs? Just would like to know everybodys opinion. I have 4 Abu Garcia Revo MGX Extremes and was just curious if Im throwing one of the better reels out there. There always seems to be something better coming down the line. (And yes, I have some Zebco 33s in my arsenal as well!)


I will tell you this, that there are a lot of good reels out there, from a Steeze to Aldebarans to Revo MGX's. I personally am an Abu Revo MGX loyal consumer. I have 8 MGX's and I love them and wouldn't fish anything else. However, Abu got a really bad name/rap for their reels, and many guys do not like them. I would say you and I are in the minority when it comes to Revos. Most people you would talk to would never buy one. I clean/upgrade reels for many guys, and Revos are easy to maintain and upgrade. They cast really well especially if you upgrade the bearings and they are very light weight. My next purchase is going to be a Revo MGXtreme. I am looking for a used one, pretty hard to find a L.H. model. Revo only for me.


"Practice, practice and more practice, and if you think you're good practice some more". circa 2006, Cadman
Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12540027 12/16/17 03:24 AM
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Thanks guys for your input. We went out for a little bit today and had a great day of casting. I, too, like the Revo MGX Extreme.

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12540866 12/17/17 05:42 AM
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stringwise Offline
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Shimano Metanium MGL is the best I've thrown. Shimanos hold their resale value incredibly well for a reason. If there is a better reel, for me, I haven't found it yet.

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12540884 12/17/17 08:05 AM
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That reel and the Aldeberran are the other two that I was curious about. Their price is similar to the AG Revo MGX. Seems like anything priced higher is fluff life gold plating etc.

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12546941 12/22/17 01:27 AM
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I have an aldebaran 50hg and a couple of metanium mgl reels. Just recently sold a Steez sv tw. The Steez is a really nice reel, just felt different than the metaniums and aldebaran. My personal favorite is the metanium mgl, hands down. Also, the new Curado 200k is the absolute best Curado Ive ever fished.


Don't leave a fish to find a fish!!! Mark Zona
For the love of god man, set the hook!!! Me
Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: npl_texas] #12547103 12/22/17 03:13 AM
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Originally Posted By: npl_texas
Shimano Aldebaran for me
great reel...
Steez SV is a good choice.

Really, any of the higher end Shimanos and Diawas are great choices if money isn't an object.


As for your Abu? It's way above average for sure.....but, honestly, it isn't even close to the best. of course, this is my opinion. Someone that loves Abu may say I'm nuts. But, for me, when someone says "high end" or "the best" Abu never comes to mind for me.

Money no object? I'd own a few dozen Megabass Hyper Lariats. Money is an object for me though, so I own a hand full of Steez reels, another handful of Team Lews Pros, and a few JDM Chronarchs.


Eat. Sleep. Fish.
Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12557066 12/30/17 09:12 PM
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I have used Ardent reels since they first came out the first models had a lot of problems but they worked them out. I still have a couple of Edge models and have never had a problem with them they were the last ones made in the USA. I have some of the Elite models and really like them I think they are made gy the same company that makes other brands but one thing Ardent's customer service is second to none. Also the reels are reasonably priced.

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12559209 01/01/18 01:02 PM
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abu Garcia morrum 3600zx

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12569764 01/09/18 02:41 AM
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Honestly money isn't the biggest factor when you are looking for the "BEST" reel for bass fishing. The answer would require some questions before there can be an answer. Where will you be fishing? What kid of fishing will you be doing as in what type of water condition and lures do you want to use. No one reel and rod are the "BEST" for all applications.

Now days most people seem to believe that bass fishing requires a baitcasting reel. They do offer a lot and with lots of experience and practice you can achieve great accuracy. For bigger crank baits they have the power and speed that you will need to burn them through the water. In general they have great drags and then there is the ability to drop your thumb and say STOP. This sort of thing can be a must if you are fishing in heavy cover.

At one time the general consensus was that you needed stiff powerful rods and heavy lines and that is pretty much the area for casting reels. We seem to be getting away from thst somewhat now days.

I do a lot of my bass fishing in ponds and in general there isn't a lot of wood cover there.In these places I seldom use a casting reel. I prefer to use lighter and smaller lures and enjoy the fight offered on light to ultra light rods and do nearly all of my fishing there with zebcos and spinning reels.

The fact is that bass offer mostly a bulldog tugging fort of fight. They nearly never go on a long drag screaming run like some other species do. This means that you don't need a huge line capacity or a really heavy drag. I have caught bass up to 9 pounds on spincast and spinning tackle and never once had my line broken because my drag wasn't good enough. When I use casting reels I like the lighter ones like the 3600 and 4500 ABUs and such.

Success with your bass fishing won't be as much related to the cost and type of your reel as it will be with your ability to read the water and offer your lures accurately into the areas that actually have bass there that are willing to bite. I have often gone places and worked HARD and not gotten a single fish until I found the combination of lure, speed and structure that was what they wanted and then would catch fish one after another. I always carry at least three rods when bass fishing and usually had 6 or 7 when I tournament fished.

If you want to catch the MOST bass and have a lot of action then the best reel and rod will be the one that allows you to cast small lures that you will usually work slowly. I dearly love to fish 4" worms and 2" grubs with 6lb test with a spinning reel and a 7 foot ultralight rod. I can often catch a just insane number of bass in a single day. Most will be small but they are fun on light line and then when you hook up with a big bass on 6 pound tackle the fight will be truely memorable.

I always carried a Zebco 33 platinum when I tournament fished because with it I could skip a weightless zoom fluke 25 or 30 feet back up under a dock where nothing else could be cast there. I also found that skipping weightless fluke so it would hit the front of a line of grass in shallow water will get hits when landing the lure in the same place would get nothing. You just can't skip weightless baits like this with a casting reel.

In open water if the bass just didn't seem to want my bigger crank baits I would switch to smaller quarter ounce lures and change from casting rigs to spinning rigs with 10 pound test. This would let me make longer casts which is nice in more open water when you are searching for scattered fish. Sometimes a smaller bait will get many more hits than bigger ones.

Once you decide on what kind of fishing you will be doing most of the time then you can start looking for the best reel for THAT sort of fishing. In my experience in casting reels there is a huge difference between most cheep reels and their more middle cost types. The difference between those and the more expensive ones isn't as great and the difference between a hundred dollar reel and a three hundred dollar reel isn't very large. Usually when you get above a hundred and fifty bucks you are paying for name and advertising more than actually better reels. This is true in spinning reels and spincasting reels too.


You know that old saying "Some people march to the beat of a different drummer."? I don't listen to a drum at all and have meandered through life instead of marching.
Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12570635 01/09/18 04:58 PM
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Metanium is the best ive ever used..

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: Patrnflyr] #12591928 01/23/18 04:17 PM
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What do you want? Size? Spool capacity? Braking style? (cent or mag)? What are your intentions for the reel?

Re: Best bass sized baitcasting reel if money no object [Re: texdanm] #12592834 01/24/18 02:30 AM
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Originally Posted By: texdanm
Honestly money isn't the biggest factor when you are looking for the "BEST" reel for bass fishing. The answer would require some questions before there can be an answer. Where will you be fishing? What kid of fishing will you be doing as in what type of water condition and lures do you want to use. No one reel and rod are the "BEST" for all applications.

Now days most people seem to believe that bass fishing requires a baitcasting reel. They do offer a lot and with lots of experience and practice you can achieve great accuracy. For bigger crank baits they have the power and speed that you will need to burn them through the water. In general they have great drags and then there is the ability to drop your thumb and say STOP. This sort of thing can be a must if you are fishing in heavy cover.

At one time the general consensus was that you needed stiff powerful rods and heavy lines and that is pretty much the area for casting reels. We seem to be getting away from thst somewhat now days.

I do a lot of my bass fishing in ponds and in general there isn't a lot of wood cover there.In these places I seldom use a casting reel. I prefer to use lighter and smaller lures and enjoy the fight offered on light to ultra light rods and do nearly all of my fishing there with zebcos and spinning reels.

The fact is that bass offer mostly a bulldog tugging fort of fight. They nearly never go on a long drag screaming run like some other species do. This means that you don't need a huge line capacity or a really heavy drag. I have caught bass up to 9 pounds on spincast and spinning tackle and never once had my line broken because my drag wasn't good enough. When I use casting reels I like the lighter ones like the 3600 and 4500 ABUs and such.

Success with your bass fishing won't be as much related to the cost and type of your reel as it will be with your ability to read the water and offer your lures accurately into the areas that actually have bass there that are willing to bite. I have often gone places and worked HARD and not gotten a single fish until I found the combination of lure, speed and structure that was what they wanted and then would catch fish one after another. I always carry at least three rods when bass fishing and usually had 6 or 7 when I tournament fished.

If you want to catch the MOST bass and have a lot of action then the best reel and rod will be the one that allows you to cast small lures that you will usually work slowly. I dearly love to fish 4" worms and 2" grubs with 6lb test with a spinning reel and a 7 foot ultralight rod. I can often catch a just insane number of bass in a single day. Most will be small but they are fun on light line and then when you hook up with a big bass on 6 pound tackle the fight will be truely memorable.

I always carried a Zebco 33 platinum when I tournament fished because with it I could skip a weightless zoom fluke 25 or 30 feet back up under a dock where nothing else could be cast there. I also found that skipping weightless fluke so it would hit the front of a line of grass in shallow water will get hits when landing the lure in the same place would get nothing. You just can't skip weightless baits like this with a casting reel.

In open water if the bass just didn't seem to want my bigger crank baits I would switch to smaller quarter ounce lures and change from casting rigs to spinning rigs with 10 pound test. This would let me make longer casts which is nice in more open water when you are searching for scattered fish. Sometimes a smaller bait will get many more hits than bigger ones.

Once you decide on what kind of fishing you will be doing most of the time then you can start looking for the best reel for THAT sort of fishing. In my experience in casting reels there is a huge difference between most cheep reels and their more middle cost types. The difference between those and the more expensive ones isn't as great and the difference between a hundred dollar reel and a three hundred dollar reel isn't very large. Usually when you get above a hundred and fifty bucks you are paying for name and advertising more than actually better reels. This is true in spinning reels and spincasting reels too.


Did you kinda just recommend a FREAKIN ZEBCO in a "best, money-no-object" thread? Are you serious? Are you really?!!!

Nuts. .....and kinda, well, .....never mind.


Eat. Sleep. Fish.
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