Looking for a good bait casting reel under $150.

How Good? I have 7 baitcasters. Some are right retrieve, some are lefty's. Slowest is one of the Kast King at 5.3 gear ratio. Fastest is a Tatula at 8.1 gear ratio

Three Daiwa Tatulas, awesome reel. They are about $200 new. I bought two of them used on this site for $125 Each. You CAN back lash these but you have to screw up really badly to do it if they are adjusted correctly. The third one is a brand new 2020 version and I don't have it on a rod yet. New version is supposed to be better. Not sure I'll be able to tell the difference

One High end Lews that I have had for about 5 years also bought used for about $150. Great reel. Right

One Concept One from Academy about $90 bought new. Great Reel. Left

Two KastKing Chinese reels one is a Legend the other I don't remember the name of. One is left, one is right

I have no idea what any of these reels will do if I catch a really big fish BUT all of them cast and retrieve very smoothly. The rod will make way more difference than the reel.

The KastKing was the biggest surprise because it was $39 and I was expecting a piece of junk. Pleasantly surprised. It is NOT a Tatula, but it works great. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another EXCEPT that now I don't want to buy anything made in China and that is going to be a hard thing to do

Wayne

Shimano curado. Yeah may be 19 buck over 150, just go get one. It will last you 20 years and even then will perform better then the majority of reels. I still have my first curado bantam, 20 years of heavy saltwater use and still cast like a dream.

Here’s a list of reels to look at. They are all good choices.

Daiwa tatula
Daiwa tatula CT
Shimano SLX
Shimano SLX XT
Lews LFS
Lews Tournament MP

I personally stay away from abu Garcia reels and
would never put my hands on a kastking product.

Thanks guys, I would love to avoid buying anything from China to but its going to be very difficult.

Find a used Tatula SV, you won't regret it. You should be able to stay under $150 BUT, the rod is going to determine how well you can cast as much as the reel, maybe more. Good rods ain't cheap, to the point of insanity. There are some good ones out there that won't break the bank. St. Croix Mojo Bass and St Croix Avid are good medium priced rods and Falcon Buco's are good inexpensive rods. Used ones can be had for around $100 and less.

Stiffer rods are easier to learn to cast because they are not as whippy. I prefer Medium Heavy Fast Action most of the time. Shorter rods cast easy and generally don't go as far. Longer rods generally cast farther. How they feel to YOU is important. Accuracy with anything depends on how much you practice. I have been casting out in my yard every day since the lockdown.

I set a bucket at 60 ft and try to put it in the bucket. It ain't easy but you get better fast.

Wayne

Stewart Discount Tackle

I found this guy on Facebook. Great to deal with and always has some great deals. Plenty of reels to choose from in your budget.

I just had an ad pop up on FB that Midway USA has the 13 Fishing Concept C in 7.3:1 on sale for $140. Full price is $230, though I did get one for $180 at Tackle Warehouse a while back.
The Concept C is a steal at $140. I would say it’s at least as good as the Curados (various non DC models) I own and superior to my only Lews ( a Tournament M B). I just picked up a Tatula SV TW 103 and haven’t gotten to try it to compare, but it was $200. I don’t really need another reel, but just ordered one anyway.

The Stewart Discount Tackle that tmd11111 referenced above has the Daiwa Tatula SV for $149. That is a good price for a great reel.

Wayne

That is a great deal! Wish I had seen it last week.

Get a Shimano scorpion 1500xt from a top rated seller on eBay for about $115. Will be bulletproof and easy to maintain. Same as curado 200e.

I was flinging baits all over our pond this afternoon (caught 2 nice fish) with my Diawa Fuego and thinking how much I like the reel. Can a Tatula be even better? I paid $79 for the Fuego. Not one backlash. Ain’t life grand?

I got an SLX 150HG about a year ago. Found it on sale for $70 regular price is $100 and it has been a very impressive reel for the money. This is coming from someone with several Curados and a Chronarch. There SLX is aluminum frame, lightweight and compact, and feels very smooth. It also has the big power grip handle like the curado does. If you upgrade the bearings in it and super tune it, I’m positive it could perform as well as a Curado for a fraction of the price.

The SLX150HG is an awesome reel for the price. I also have several Quantum Accurist S3's that are very nice as well.

Lews Speed Spool LFS is $100
It's solid and has held up to use just as well as my Curado K.