Texas Fishing Forum

Best spincast (closed face) reel ?

Posted By: justchillin

Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/01/15 08:49 PM

Just wondering what some of you forum guys/gals thought would be the best closed face reel for sand bass etc... Wife cant seem to grasp the baicasters just yet without the dreaded birds nest every time. We do quite a bit of casting lures for sand bass. Do some night fishing as well drowning minnows. Any thoughts or opinions would be helpful. Thank you.
Posted By: uncle_bagster

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/01/15 11:21 PM

Daiwa makes a pretty good one. It's a Gold, Goldcast, or some such. My experience has been that the more money spent the better with spincast reels. Even then, you're not getting much. I'd try to teach the wife to use an open-face spin reel. Much more versatile and trouble free.
Posted By: Slow Drifter

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/04/15 12:52 AM

I'm gonna' get poo-poo'ed here, but for what you described I'd go with a Zebco 33 for pure trouble free fishing pleasure.

edited to add: Years ago I had a friend with a bar/bait shop at the coast. Every now and then, when the right crowd was there at closing time, he'd call for a "character contest." Under the bar was a trashcan full of "character" combos. Snoopy, Sponge Bob, Little Mermaid, etc. We'd pass the hat, winner take all. Some very nice fish came to the dock over the years on those little "toy" rods. Just because it's not fancy or expensive doesn't mean it won't work.
Posted By: justchillin

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/04/15 01:34 AM

Thanks for the response. Slow Drifter, I have heard those 33's were some pretty tough reels. Its just hard to imagine them getting in a nice sand bass or something larger very easily or quickly. Might have to consider it though. If nothing else, I can give it to the grandson to use. Uncle_bagster, I was considering the daiwa silvercast series . The gold series seem to be rather expensive. You get what you pay for sometimes though.
Posted By: Slow Drifter

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/04/15 02:10 AM

A Zebco 33 is more like a winch than a reel. It will crank in anything the line on it will hold. Best of luck to you, sir!
Posted By: doctorxring

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/05/15 03:34 AM


Here's your huckleberry --

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTdckiXXr8c

Zebco Z03
Posted By: jagg

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/05/15 07:35 AM

Yeah, the higher end Zebcos is what I would go with.
Posted By: ToadThrower

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/09/15 02:59 AM

I dont have any experience with Daiwa , but I own several of the Zebco omega reels...great reels and would recommend them...dont worry about big fish on them...they can handle whatever white bass you hook....I have personally landed a 5.5 pound large mouth bass on a small crank bait and a 5 foot ugly stick with a zebco omega...this rod/reel lets me cast into places I could never reach with a bait cast reel. My grandson has landed many sandies using a similar setup...if you look at the zebco 33 ...I would get the platinmum model ..grandson used this and it has held up very well...Line twist can be a problem on these type reels so use of a swivel on the line helps eliminate some of those issues..
Posted By: PowerLizard

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/09/15 04:14 AM

The Zebco Omega and Omega Pro. They have oscillating spools. I dont think you need the extra features of the Pro model for sand bass. My brother bought some for his kids a couple of years ago and he is very happy with them. If he is unhappy with a reel, he tends to throw it into the lake. I bought one for my son as a Christmas gift. We tried it out yesterday morning. We didn't catch any fish but he was casting further than ever. I tried it too and was impressed for a spin casting setup. It also comes with a spare spool so if you get spooled by a gar or carp, you can change out the spool quickly.
Posted By: justchillin

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/09/15 12:02 PM

Thanks for all the responses. I decided to go with the bass pro shop brand with the oscillating spool. Just could not go with the Zebco Omega pro because of the price. Bass pro price was around 75.00. Their brand was on sale for 24.95. It seems like a pretty well made reel with some good reviews. Time will tell though.
Posted By: Indianation65

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/11/15 10:54 PM

I still like my Shakespeare Ugly Cast, and my Pflueger Underspin 1810...for spincast reels, they work great...for me!

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Posted By: Indianation65

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/13/15 08:06 PM

Ha, my Pflueger Underspin handle is messing up, first time today. I need to take it apart and see what I can find.

Addendum: I've never taken a reel apart.

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Posted By: AlwaysAPFC

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/15/15 08:17 AM

I have 2 of those ugly casts. For their price, I've been pretty happy with the fishing I've gotten from them so far.
Posted By: texdanm

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 02/21/15 07:22 AM

You just can't beat a Zebco. A 33 will handle most any bass out there if you aren't in tree tops, Good for catfish up to 10 to 15 lbs. For casting crank-baits a 33 works well but for sand bass I like the 22. I keep one in my boat for folks that aren't casting reel or spinning reel friendly and it is great for throwing roadrunners and grubs for white bass. A kid that I took last week managed a 20" striped bass with no problems. It is on a 6' lite action rod and is great fun for white bass.
Posted By: JIM SR.

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 03/13/15 03:40 PM

Zebco Omega Professional Spincast Z03 Reel
These are about $70 and are excellent. My wife uses these, she puts Trilene XL 12 pound on hers, and it's amazing.
We fish Fork only, and she whips them big basses butts. 5 Stars..
Posted By: texdanm

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 03/21/15 12:34 AM

I also have an Omega. To tell you the truth it really is a pretty great real but I actually prefer the Platinum 33 over it. It is a little lighter and seems to cast and handle the bigger bass about as well so far. I use the Omega now as a worm and grub reel for casting under docks and such but in general use the 33 Platinum most of the time. They run about 40 bucks so are a little cheaper if that is a factor.
Posted By: Indianation65

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 04/02/15 05:45 AM

I was thinking of getting my Dad a different spincast, maybe the Bass Pro Extreme. Any experience?

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Extreme
Posted By: Brad R

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 04/02/15 11:38 AM

I have the Omega Pro Z03 and it worked like a champ until one day when I needed to change the line on the spool. I found that as I was getting to it, the screwed down disc in front of it was seemingly fused on. I eventually decided to muscle it off and it finally gave away. The reel's components must have flexed under the huge pressure I had to exert to break it loose, maybe a gear was put under too much strain but it has never been the same.

I'd go with the Zebco Platinum 33 for about half the money and here is why: it is a good reel and for 35 bucks, it really isn't much above the cost of cleaning and repairing a higher end reel a time or two, so keep it greased and oiled and use it until it acts up, then just dicard it or use it for kids to fish with.

That red Cajun line in many of the Zebcos? It is the most elastic line I have ever used yet oddly has really decent breaking strength.

Brad
Posted By: Indianation65

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 04/04/15 10:39 PM

Is there a Cabelas brand spincast reel?
Posted By: justchillin

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 04/27/15 12:18 AM

Bought the Bass Pro Extreme spincast and just now got a chance to use it. I guess I should have went with one the Zebco reels that were suggested. The Extreme reel turned out to be not so good. When reeling in fish , it seemed stiff as if the line was wrapped around the end of the pole. Tried different drag settings , line size and brand to no avail. It cast real well though. Back to square one I guess.
Posted By: Indianation65

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 04/28/15 05:14 AM

I got the Bass Pro Extreme Spincast for my Dad as well. We have not used it yet, and I respooled with 12 or 14 lb mono. Reviews coming once we use it! I'm obviously hoping for greatness!

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Posted By: BIGDOG1956

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 04/28/15 11:58 AM

I look around and I will buy the used American made zebco's omegas.
The old American made Zebco 33 are winches.
These are bulletproof reels.
I a new reel I like the Abumatic's and the Diawas gold cast.
Posted By: popawalker

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 06/13/15 10:55 PM

Sorry for stepping into this discussion so late, but these bass was caught on a zebco 33.
Posted By: texdanm

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 06/14/15 04:09 AM

My best Bass on a Zebco went 7lb 10 oz. It was one of those Red Rhino Zebco reels some years ago. I used to tournament fish mostly with ABUs but still had a Zebco on the boat for dock shooting. Now days I seldom break the ABUs out for bass unless I'm buzzing on top or flipping or pitching in stumps.
Posted By: RonL

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 06/14/15 04:13 AM

I have a Zebco 33 for my wife also . She can't get the hang of anything else . I grew up on Zebco 33s' . I didn't know any other kind til a friend gave me a Garcia OF reel . It's at the bottom of Lake Allen Henry right now . It had some big fish on it but I'm sure it's gone now .
Posted By: Indianation65

Re: Best spincast (closed face) reel ? - 06/15/15 02:47 PM

My Dad did not care for the Bass Pro Extreme, and I used it once to confirm, it does feel stiff reeling in, but I'll try it again before I decide if I'll take it back in for an exchange. I do like the ratio for this spincast. That's why I chose it for him.

Addendum: The handle and drag star are too close to the reel and your hand will hit them. Again, I'm not giving up on it...yet.

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