Im looking for a new baitcaster for under 150. Im not sure what rod I'll put on it but im hoping the whole setup will be under 300. I currently have a Shimano Chronarch 200e6 paired up with a Duckett Micro Magic 7'3 medium heavy. I use that mainly for jigs, frogs, and other heavy cover lures. I will use the new setup for worms, tubes, other soft plastics, and crankbaits. I've looked at the BPS Johnny Morris(eventhough its 150) and the Shimano Citica, but I am very open to suggestions. Thanks everyone!
-Jett

C I T I C A

I just bought a quantum smoke 100spt new in the box on eBay for 138 dollars. I read all the reviews good and bad before buying it and took them into consideration. I said � what the heck, I'll try it out". I am very pleased with it so far and haven't had any problems that the reviews talked about.

IMHO the W&M Victory reel is hard to beat for the price and its way under rated. People complain of noise but that is nothing a cleaning out of the factory grease (if there is any LOL) and replacing with some quality stuff. I did a hands on comparison with a new Citica E I had and found the W&M superior. Better line guide, more bearings, long handle, stronger drag, and better spool cast control set up (rotational instead of click out weights). To each their own but I reach for the Victory more often than not.

I saw the Smoke on EBay too for 138 which is a great deal considering that it's a 200 dollar reel. Most of the bad reviews talk about how sensitive the reel is to adjustments. Your decision

Shimano or Daiwa.

You can find a Curado E50 for that price and they are great reels. The original price on them was $250.

Jason

BPS Pro Qualifier or H20 XPRESS Mettle

I only tear into about 1500 reels a year and the Citica is by far a much better design and built for the long haul than any reel mentioned above. The Best under 150 buck reel on the market.

You folks have to know that here in the Saltwater climates and the fresh water also it is my expererince to find the least amount of tramatic failures on reels that cannot be fixed or are too expensive to fix is on Shimano Reels. The Citica and The Curado is the best overall performer in the $150 price range of all the reels I service. That is why you hear me tout them so much on this site. Spinning or Casting, day to day, the most durable and long PERFORMING reel. Sure there are others that seem better performing out of the box but down the road.....Well.

Just and FYI my account as TexasBassin11 has been deleted and my new name is Duckett12. Thanks Coast Tackle for the long reply that helped a lot! So you've tried the smoke and the Johnny Morris but the Cotica and Curado still come out on top?

Have not fished the Smoke but have been in several. If you have fished a Pflueger you have fished a JM or a Lews. Worst of the bunch but okay reels just not for the same price as the Shimano line. Quantums, Diawa and even Okuma are fine.

thanks again! So if u tear into 1500 reels a year then you must have a lot of rods too. So what's your favorite rod for under or around 150?
-Jett