High end Bait casters

I’ve normally bought mid range bait casters $100-200 range. My question is are the $300-500 reels worth the money? What are the real benefits gained? Which brands have best warranty service? I only get out maybe 3-5 times a month but usually out from sunrise to sunset unless I’m frying then around 3-4pm. I love almost all styles of fishing so would want one to be multi function.

No, there are very good reels in the $100-$200 range, which all the pros use too.

Yes, Daiwa Steez. A friend told me long ago those reels wouldn't stand up to my abuse. Switched from Shimano Calais to Steez. Dunno how long ago, maybe 10 yrs. Best reels I've ever used, on this side of the pond. To this day.

Just like any other fishing equipment, you can choose your entry point and price tolerance. The BEST is simply that. But you reach the point of diminishing returns at about $200-$230.

Choose the BEST reels that fit your style of fishing and budget. You'll never be disappointed! Any reel in that $200 range will serve you well!
fouz

Fished just about all day. Caught 3 fish and ruined 2 reels. These were around $100 reels. Bought one of them new yesterday. The other I’ve used about a year. I’m probably gonna upgrade a little when I replace these.

The quality you can get in some reels under $100 is incredible. I think that today's $200 reel is yesterday's $400 reel. I don't think I would ever spend $500 on a reel but then again I never thought I spend $200 either.

Most reels around the $200 mark are going to be good. I like Shimano the most. I just bought a Daiwa Tatula SV and it is nice so far. But when it comes to customer service there is a big difference. I'm not sure how Daiwa is on warranty replacement but getting parts, even trying to buy them without warranty, is impossible. I am still creating new words about them while waiting 8 months for parts! Shimano is quick and easy for parts or service...

I have a pretty good assortment of mid range and higher end reels, I like the Curado just fine but the Chronarch is just a little better and when you get to the Metanium and Aldebaran I can tell a pretty good difference in quality and the way the reel functions. I have a couple upper end Daiwa reels that are nice. I also have Several Lews' super duty reels that I use for more extreme type techniques like Frogs, Carolina Rigs and big Swimbaits. I think the most important thing with any reel is proper maintenance by a qualified person. I like high quality so to me it seems worth it to spend the extra money. To each their own.

My highest end reels are Daiwa Zillion. I mostly use Daiwa Tatula SV TW and I really don’t see a difference. They are both really good reels. That being said I probably won’t buy a reel any higher than the Tatula unless I find a great deal on Zillions or if I get lucky a Steez.

Agreed! For a 5.6 oz reel the Steez holds a ton of line & is the best reel I have ever used. I have two that are 10 yrs old and have been used hard and are still my Go To reel for most every application. That's how you can tell if they are worth the money or not.

So many of the hi-end super-lite reels hold about 50 yards of line. That really bothers me. I like to put on 20# line and make a long bombing cast with a 1 oz jig & still have some line on my reel.

The new Shimano K is a great reel for the price point and holds a lot of line as well. They are smooth & cast well. Shimano hit a home run with this one. It is just a little heavy compared to the Steez. You don't notice it until you get to the end of the day and you are a bit more mature than you used to be. Then that 2 oz makes a big difference.

I've got 4 Lew's baitcasters that were all around $150. For me, can't imagine wanting anything more.

I have Over 20 daiwa steez 6.3 ratio and japan only 8.0 ratio and 10 lews hypermag. I would Choose the lews Hyper mag if I had It to do over. The lews cast further and control backlash just fine. The daiwa can’t even cast 20 tatsu good enough to use it. The t Wing hurts the cast Apparently. The lews can be bought for 209 each from American fishing legacy if you contact them.

Lews all the way just got the TI expensive yes.. But real smooth...

I bought two Ti’s. The handle retaining nut stripped on both of them within a few days. Handles would literally fall off on a fish.

I have some of the older “Team Lews Pro” reels and they are beasts.

As for high end stuff, like the Steez reels? They are bulletproof proof. I have a bunch of the older 103 Steez reels. They cast so much better than anything else, that I just can’t understand the need for a t-wing. I have two Zillion TWS reels, I can’t figure out what to use them for...they don’t cast well, are heavy, big, and overall just a let down.


For the money, even at $600, the Steez (older) were hard to beat. Still are.

How did you ruin two reels?

I have not used the Steez so can't comment but had a bunch of the Shimano Calais several years back and sold them all and went to all Curado 200E's. I lucked into 22 brand new in box about 3 years ago which was quite the find. The Calais definitely felt smoother but was also HEAVY compared to the Curado. From what I have seen in these new reels, there doesn't appear to be a substantial difference between the $200 reels and the $500 reels. What have never made sense to me is a $1,000 spinning reel.

Upon further review they weren’t ruined. Just needed cleaning. Unspooled them last night, cleaned the good, restrung, and they worked fine.

How many of the $100-$200 range reels have parts that are made in China? Serious question.

Probably most of them. I wouldn't stop at the $200 reels. I would be willing to bet some of if not most of the higher end has Chinese parts. Dig far enough and China can be tied to most anything.

I think the sweet spot is between 200-350. The great thing about about high end Shimanos is they never really break and I am pretty rough on them. Do they catch more fish?... probably not. Do they last longer? Absolutely. Do you enjoy fishing more with a higher end reel? Absolutely.

I’m looking at the Shimano DC and the daiwa tatula reels now. I see there’s another post about them now. I was never worried about the DC but it has me wondering about the service and replacement of one breaks. I have used the DC from a guide I use that’s all he has and they do cast like a charm. I would like to try the daiwa out so I may have to buy one of each see what I think and return one or keep them both to force me to start the reel upgrade process. I do have a Abu Garcia revo STX I bought on clearance about 10 years ago for $129 I think the original price on them was like $299. It’s always been my favorite reel for reliability and smoothness of cast and reeling. I have a lews Mach 2 that is newer and will say it’s about same quality as that 10 year old Abu. So I do think over time a reel that was $400 will be dropped down to the $100 range but in what time frame 5-10 years. With that said I guess it’s time to pull trigger on the higher end try it for myself.

I use the Tatulas and they have performed very well and I have never had to send a reel in or use their customer service. I do know that Lews customer service is phenomenal. I bought a reel off of ebay that was supposed to be brand new. When I received it the side plate had been broken. I submitted a claim (to ebay) and then called Lews to see if they would fix it for me and that it was not a warranty claim. They sent me a new reel at no charge. I called them about the mistake and they said it wasn't a mistake. Doesn't get much better than that.

I’m believe the sweet spot is 200-250 for a nice reel. But heck the $160 lews reel is smooth after a few years and had never let me down. There is a few hidden gems at the cheaper price points.

Caught my eye as well. How does anyone ruin a reel other than by smacking it or stepping on it?

My favorite reel was the original saltwater zillion. After 12 years it finally died. Now my daiwa svsw is by far my fav. Drag us pretty light but I use it for cranking stuff snyways

Ditto on the older Steez 103's. Have about 15 of them and they're still getting it done today. Just a little cleaning once/year is all I've ever had to do to them.

so are you saying Abu's backlash for a reason

Plenty of great reels in the $200 range but there is a different when you step up. Between Daiwa's SV TW's and 13's Concept A's, C's, and Z's I probably have 15 or so combined and thought they are all great. This past winter I picked up 3 Shimano Bantam MGL's and all I can say is WOW. They make my other reels feel like junk. The smoothness is amazing and there is absolutely no play in the knobs or handles. Makes a difference when you're cranking all day

I explained what happen in a earlier post.

What are you doing to your reel that it needs to be cleaned after one outing, using it as a paddle

Abu gets a kickback from Seaguar for every backlash that ruins a spool of line.

My son and I have several nice mid priced reels and a few high end reels. My favorite, by far, is the Daiwa Steez I have. I have a Metanium DC and the Daiwa is harder to backlash than the DC. My son likes how lightweight his Aldebaran is but he has one Steez also and likes his Steez overall. If money wasn't an issue I’d have a lot more Steez reels. It just doesn’t backlash unless you try really hard, in to the wind, still doesn’t.

We have a lot of much cheaper reels and they are great also and haven’t had any issues with them, except for 13 Fishing. We bought a bunch of them when they were new and had nothing but trouble, same issue with all of them which is they’d lock up and you couldn’t turn the handle.

If money is not an option than why not get the lightest and best designed reels available but do realize that spending more than around $200 for a low profile baitcasting reel is not needed at all and unfortunately increased prices doesn't always mean increased performance in any product. Sometimes the most expensive reels, rods, and other products are the absolute quickest to develop problems.

The vast majority of my rods have Revo SX Reels which I began outfitting them all with over the last 10 years and they've all held up just fine. In regards to which brand of reels have the best braking systems and longevity it's arguably hard to beat a Shimano Reel. The reason I recommend Shimano is because I have and still use my Shimano Curado 200Bs which are over 20 years old and they all still work very well. I hope this helps!

They weren’t ruined as I said in an earlier post. After fishing Tankersley and Sandlin here in Mt Pleasant, I went to a friends pond and I guess it was cottonwood all over the top of the water. It would wrap around my line when I reeled in.

I have about a dozen Revo SXs. Only paid retail on 2 or 3 of them, bought a few for $60 before they came out with the Gen 4s, and the reset were bought for about $110-$120 on ebay.

I can't imagine needing more or getting $100-$200 worth out of a more expensive reel.

I have had 4 lews in the same period of time and have had all 4 [censored] out on me at some point or another whether it be drag or worm gear, always seems to happen at the worst time.

Revos still going strong. I will never buy a different reel.


Bought some STXs for $80 when Abu had the same sale and if I had to do it all over again, I would have just bought more SXs.

I have reels from $100-450 list price. All different brands. Hard to pin me down for a favorite. I really like the high end reels for off shore applications. I want the reel to be super super smooth and give me every little advantage to detect a light bite. Some of my biggest fish have been very light bites and it has made me wonder about how many bites I may have missed. I also love NRX rods for offshore fishing. It's crazy to think about how much some of this stuff costs, but every time I sit down on a big one and watch her jump 30' or farther away from the boat, the rush I get trying to get that fish in the boat is incredible. The cost of money in that moment means nothing to me. Not saying you couldn't accomplish the same results with cheaper gear, but once you start using the higher end stuff, you get spoiled. Real fast.....

That new Curado K is just as nice as all my Chronarchs. Shimano's have been so reliable for me thats all I use. Plus I know how to break all of them down and service them.

The Daiwa Steez is a fantastic reel. I have 12 of them. I also have a bunch of the Daiwa Tatula ST TW reels, both in the early version and the 2020 version. Lews Super Duty standard and wide spool, and the BB1 pro are also good reels. Shimano E series, Shimano K and the DC are ones I like also. I also have two 13fishing reels (white model) and they are smooth as well. The Steez blows them all away for smoothness.