I’m looking to invest in the best overall Baitcaster for general purpose fishing.

Would like to use on my primary rods; plastics, crank baits, etc..

Interested in spending more that I typically do, so looking for best options in the $500-$1,000 range.

I’m partial to shimano and you can’t go wrong with a Metanium or Bantam. Daiwa Steez is another good option.

+1 on the Metanium

All Shimanos are good as Tim stated above but the issue I have with the Metanium & Bantam is their line capacity, or lack thereof.

For that reason I like the Daiwa Steez TW series. I like to use big line so when you load one up with 20# Flo if it doesn't have a decent capacity you find it limits your casting distance quite a lot. You would not go wrong with either of these reels but compare the line capacity before you choose.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Steez_A_TW_Casting_Reels/descpage-DSVAX.html

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=30&searchtext=bantam

Daiwa Tatula SV TWS....the most anti backlash reel on the market, better than the Shimano DC reels.

Best bang for the buck is the Daiwa CR80 if you are wanting a finesse reel.

If you are good at casting the Tatula elite is a great reel.

Shimano SLX is a good reel for the price.

Curado MGL 150 another good one.

Lews BB1 Pro

Lews super duty and super duty wide spool.

Daiwa Zillion and Steez for upper end reels.

Get ya a handful of these.

I fish every weekend and I go to Mexico every year and fish for 6.5 days where it's not uncommon to catch 100 bass a day and I've fished with lots of different brands (Diawa, Shimano, and Abu Garci). My favorite is the lews Pro TI because I got no time for maintenance. These reels have been thru my Mexico trips with no maintenance or down time. You can damn near empty the spool when you cast and they are super smooth.

oh you fancy

Yes sir! Have 4-5 of them. Best reels I have. 2nd best is the newest Tatula SV series.

Shimano Metanium.

Steez...Zillion....then everything else.

I said Metanium or Bantam as I have about 2 dozen of them but am thinking of picking up an Antares to go with my new Conquest 905c. It's about as high end as it gets in the Shimano lineup.

That would be one sweet combo.

The older made in Japan Shimano reels. Get some good bearings, learn to service the reels yourself and you will always have the best reels.

I own all of the high end Shimanos and they're all great reels if you use smaller line or braid. None of the high end Shimanos hold enough line to suit me. The OP was asking about high end reels $500-$1K.

The new calcutta conquest md holds plenty of line but weighing in at 13oz. I'm going to take a hard pass. I do agree though about Shimano's high end reels lacking in line capacity

Antares DC or DC MD hands down the best reels. The Metanium MGL is slick I like it over the DC, the MGL will cast almost anything. My favorite reel for jerk baits is the Scorpion DC it's super low profile fits in the palm of my hand easily.
I have 1 Daiwa Steez only use it for frogs as it kinda sucks for anything else IMO.

To be clear the Metanium, Scorpion and the Antares are fine pieces of machinery.

Its a personal preference thing to me. I like a reel that holds lots of line. If I put 20 Invisx on my Metanium and make a long cast I am out of line. This also affects the retrieve speed of the lure as the diameter of the spool has decreased to almost nothing after the cast. I'm probably the only person in the world that it bothers. I'm kinda bougie like that

Nope, you're not the only one. Some of my earlier Alpha frame Daiwas had this same issue. I swapped out the spools for deeper ones and they are some of my favorite reels in my line up.

One of the things the reel manufacturers are always striving for is to be the lightest weight, keep it under 6 oz. That is not an easy task even with magnesium & titanium components. If you shrink the reel frame down to 7/8 the size it is easier to achieve.

Notice Shimano lists the Metanium line capacity with 10 & 12# line. Who uses 10# line on a bait caster??

in Texas, if you are using 10-12 lb line here and its not a squarebill I pray for you

Metanium

I can’t believe no one has mentioned the Megabass tuned reels.

Basically a Daiwa reel with fancy parts

I had a Metanium and sold it because cheaper Diawa reels that I have outperform it all the time. No need for me to keep an expensive Shimano reel when it does not live up to my needs. Cheaper Shimano reels perform better than the Metanium.

I had a Metanium and sold it because cheaper Diawa reels that I have outperform it all the time. No need for me to keep an expensive Shimano reel when it does not live up to my needs. Cheaper Shimano reels that I own perform better than the Metanium for finesse baits. Its just too expensive for the performance you get out of it.

I don't own anything in that price class, but I have used some. I think the higher end DC reels aren't as worth it as the MGL/non chip reels. The Metanium MGL is choice

I’ve owned a butt ton of high end reels over the years and to me there is Daiwa, then everything else. The Steez is absolutely phenomenal, the zillion is a bit cheaper but still a fantastic reel.

Lews makes some killer stuff, as so high end Revo’s, never owned any of the super expensive shimano’s, and they were all great, but Daiwa sitting on Champion Extreme rods were the best feeling setups ever in my hands.

Steez zillion tws. For BFS the alderbaran period.

Ha!
And agree
I just make REALLY short casts with my metanium loaded up with big line…
Ken is bougie-what? No way.

Only rock the best

https://kastking.com/products/kastking-ireel-one-ifc-smart-fishing-reel

You guys quit making fun of me. I'm old and it's hot outside!

I date these right there with Lews and Abu.

If you got the funds to spend you can't get better than a Daiwa Steez!

With out a doubt!!

I like Lew's but is there really a best or are all the top of the line by different brand names equally as good???

Some are really good, some are not so good. Best is what you like best.

I’m a penny pencher by heart, but the Daiwa tatula has been incredible for me personally.

As a person who cleans over 200 reels a year. I can tell you the big difference is not that big. If your a weekender like most of us are. Your better off with a mid line reel and have some ceramic bearings installed. Maybe add a nice handle with carbon fiber and bearings.

Drag systems are adequate for bass fishing in most cases. Maintenance is key too.


Marketing is what gets you to believe one is superior than others. There are many variables to many to list here but that is my opinion on reels.