My Favorite Baitcasters

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you already know what reels I’m about to list off. I haven’t fished with every brand and I’m not sponsored by any of them. This is purely just my experience and opinion. Here we go.

1. Abu Garcia Black Max : Extremely affordable and reliable. I use 6:4:1 gear ratio for a good portion of my fishing. It can do about 90% of everything I need technique-wise. The main benefit is that it is SO cheap! Usually costs between $40-$60.
2. Abu Garcia Winch : This reel is also fairly affordable, and has a very low gear ratio that helps when using crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
3. Abu Garcia Silver Max : I like this one for flipping and pitching. It is basically the same as the Black Max but has a spool stop button on the top. I find this convenient to use when dropping my bait into small spaces like holes in the grass/brush. This reel runs in the $50-$80 range.
4. Abu Garcia Revo X : Versatile and dependable.This one is a good all-around reel. I use it for a lot of things. Fast topwaters, moving baits, worms, and Jigs. If I want a big fish, I’m looking to this reel first.
5. Shimano SLX 150 : Longest casting reel (without bearing upgrades) by far. If you do decide to upgrade the bearings, you can really launch your lure with this one. It also holds a ton of line. I like using this one for topwater walking baits, jerk baits, and crankbaits. I’ve even caught a 30lb flathead catfish with this thing and it handled it with no problem. Goes for around $100.

Upgrade the bearings to turn a $40 reel into a $200 reel. They aren’t that expensive and it is the single most important change that will result in the biggest performance upgrade of your reel.

I’ve listed some places to get new bearings below:

Spool Hi-Speed bearings

Please don’t use needle-nose pliers and break your spool or bearing pins. Invest in some easy to use bearing tools instead.

Hedgehog Studio bearing removal tool Boca Bearing Company Fishing Reel Spool Pin Pliers

I hope this helps someone out there looking to find some good reels to use or how to get more out of what they already own. Tight lines everybody!

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Published

Originally published at http://l2-fish.com on October 3, 2020.