# Decent baitcast reel for under $100?



## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

G'day Mike , you should be able to get an abu ambassador [2000] , like mine ,for close to that on ebay , is that about the size you're after ?


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

mingle said:


> Hi Kieran,
> 
> I'm after one of the small 'low-profile' ones with the thumb-operated spool release button.
> 
> ...


There was some discussion on those low profile ones a while back , not that good from memory , get an abu you can still chase snapper with them going light and haveing fun . My abu has the thumb release button and you can always spool an extra 40 metres of 6 lb line on top when chaseing the ep's . K---------


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Kieran is your ABU 2000 a typical ABU reel in that its reliable and nice to cast , what size and length line mate , i am a baitcaster addict , is the 2000 a similar type setup to the bigger 5000 which i treasure or is it low profile


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

bazzoo said:


> Kieran is your ABU 2000 a typical ABU reel in that its reliable and nice to cast , what size and length line mate , i am a baitcaster addict , is the 2000 a similar type setup to the bigger 5000 which i treasure or is it low profile


 Yeah mate nice and smooth , made in sweeden not taiwan or chinga or japan. Dont remember the line capacity , but it is not a low profile . It is my first little baitcaster i have game overheads and used to be able to cast them from the rocks no probs befor my shoulders sh!t themselves , maybe thats why they're effed , that and hurling 100 gm lures off the rocks :shock:, K--------------


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Kieran , i used to do the same myself and catch Bonito and Kingfish throwing 100 gm lures , with a 12 ft rod and an old Seascape overhead reel which was my first overhead and loved it , and as a matter of fact i still have it would be worth a lot now , but its sentimental value is such that i couldnt part with it , I will have a look on Ebay Kieran for a good 2000


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

mingle said:


> Hi Kieran,
> 
> I'm after one of the small 'low-profile' ones with the thumb-operated spool release button.
> 
> ...


If you spend that little on a baitcaster you will never get along with them.

baitcasters are one area where dollars do make a massive difference to your enjoyment of them.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I use a Shimano Callisto 100 and have had it for 3 years now. It's been dunked in saltwater (it floats with the rod) and has never had a proper service although it needs one now. It's only got a single bearing and has lots of plastic parts but I run 20lbs braid on it and have managed to stop anything I've connected to so far. I'll probably buy another one when it dies, unless I'm feeling rich and decided to go for a higher spec unit.

(edit) The level wind follower thingie is plastic and is probably worn. Every now and then I feel a tight spot when retrieving and it's when the level wind gets to the end and changes direction. To be fair, the combo lives permanantly behind the seat of my ute (work on a farm) and gets full of dust and I just squirt anything handy into it (to make mud!) when it gets really bad.


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## BigWoodie (Jun 2, 2009)

If you want to push it out to about $119 BCF have Abu Pro Max baitcasters for that price. Good low / mid end reel with plenty of features.


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## Donutslayer (Jun 9, 2007)

I am as bigger tight arse as anybody, however i reckon (as others have infered) you would be lucky to get a decent baitcaster for that sort of dosh. But then again it depends on what you want to do with it. If your a thousand cast a day fella, then spend the extra money. If you just want to troll with it, then anything around that price will do. 
For the record, mine was about 200 about 10 years ago and i use it for EVERYTHING. Its spooled with 300meters of 10kg braid and have used it hard. It has outlasted any other reel i have ever bought. I wont mention the brand but it is very much mid range.
A good quality baitcaster is for life.
Sean.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Its not to hard, you just got to wait for one of the young guns to buy a good un, use it 3 times then flog it second hand because there is a newer flasher one just come on the market!. I've got all but two of mine that way. (I've got 6 good baitcaster reels, one curado and one cruxis under the $100 mark, with a second curado at $120)


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## Flop (May 7, 2009)

as some of the others have said theres no point in spending under 100 on a baitcaster as they dont cast well and are worse to use for beginners........either save up a bit more for an abu revo or pflueger summit or look at getting a decent spin reel. just my opinion


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

bazzoo said:


> Kieran is your ABU 2000 a typical ABU reel in that its reliable and nice to cast , what size and length line mate , i am a baitcaster addict , is the 2000 a similar type setup to the bigger 5000 which i treasure or is it low profile


Bazz i made a booboo , my abu is a 6000c 12 - 20 lb , but i reckon i could use 6lb with it if i really wanted ,K-----------


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Feral said:


> Its not to hard, you just got to wait for one of the young guns to buy a good un, use it 3 times then flog it second hand because there is a newer flasher one just come on the market!. I've got all but two of mine that way. (I've got 6 good baitcaster reels, one curado and one cruxis under the $100 mark, with a second curado at $120)


There is a young bloke on BFO at the moment flogging a few reels, to finance his next upgrade, including a Cruxis for $130 with 8lb Platypus braid on it. Probably a little pricey, but supposed to be in very good nick. (I got mine 2nd hand for $80 in average nick and no braid)


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

looking good mate

http://www.reelfishingdeals.com/

Check the reels on here out.

The zillion and viento are both good reels.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

but if you were to get a TD Advantage that's also a bloody awesome bit of gear.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

Feral said:


> Feral said:
> 
> 
> > Its not to hard, you just got to wait for one of the young guns to buy a good un, use it 3 times then flog it second hand because there is a newer flasher one just come on the market!. I've got all but two of mine that way. (I've got 6 good baitcaster reels, one curado and one cruxis under the $100 mark, with a second curado at $120)
> ...


Geez, talk about a fixation on these darn young blokes. :lol:

How dare they.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

I have a pair of the daiwa's great reels, maybe not so good if your a beginner, they are not joking when they say "supertunes" needs constant adjustment when changing lures to get the best out of it. Something like a curado is much more forgiving for starting out. I have cast 50mm lures and changed to 150mm lures with the curado without touching the brakes. The daiwa - a heavier lure in the same size often needs a tweak.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

Feral said:


> I have a pair of the daiwa's great reels, maybe not so good if your a beginner, they are not joking when they say "supertunes" needs constant adjustment when changing lures to get the best out of it. Something like a curado is much more forgiving for starting out. I have cast 50mm lures and changed to 150mm lures with the curado without touching the brakes. The daiwa - a heavier lure in the same size often needs a tweak.


Mingle, what this means is that ultimately a Curado isn't as adjustable as a Daiwa.

It will be more forgiving at first, but less adjustable for distance and accuracy when you get used to it.

Food for thought.

I use a Viento for 60% of my baitcast work because I can throw such a huge variety of lures with it. The adjustment isn't exactly difficult, you just turn the brake up and down which takes a whole 1 second. After a while you'll just know what settings to use for what lure. It's not difficult.

The twitching bar on the megaforce and the viento are extremely good for bait fishing because you pull up slack line just by using your thumb, it's also handy for plastics.

You won't be upset if you buy the advantage.


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

http://www.happymicks.com.au/prod228.htm

$289


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Yeah, I use my Curado's for barra, use the daiwa's for Bass. Love em to death, but as I say harder to learn on, (will backlash easy until you get used to adjusting it, or you just screw it down!) but worth it if you want a great reel for casting.


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

koich said:


> http://www.happymicks.com.au/prod228.htm
> 
> $289


Thats a sign there Mike ! :lol:


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

mingle said:


> Don't think I'd be too happy spending almost 300 buckeroonies on a reel!
> 
> I'll keep my eyes on eBay and see what come up...
> 
> ...


I would say so mike , on both accounts . As long as you dont go swimming with it and rinse it off / spray with wd40 though it should be fine .K----------


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Just be careful what you are getting with the daiwa's.
There are two different reels
The Daiwa Advantage, which is the cheaper reel, and the Daiwa Advantage supertuned (153HSTA) which is the better quality and dearer reel.

Here is a review of the supertuned unit when it first came out, also explains the difference between the two reels. (Note the current supertuned version I think now has 10 bearings)

http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwaad ... 53hst.html


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## tryto2fish (Nov 14, 2008)

in the area of maintainance,no one can go wrong if "alan tani" procedure is applied.just google the fella and start learning as i have being doing so last couple of months ago.CRBB's bearings are not really up to scratch compare to ARB's from shimano.reason being is that because of the sheilds thats on it.


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

mingle said:


> ... or possibly this one:
> 
> http://www.tackletour.com/reviewabugarc ... shore.html
> 
> D'oh!


This abu loks to be the better one imo , K-----------


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

mingle said:


> Hi Kieran,
> 
> Yeah, it does look a bit beefier, but the Daiwa seems to have better corrosion resistance - see this review:
> 
> ...


Yeah but are you going to use it in salt water much ?, K----------


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

IF you change youir mind, that young bloke has dropped his price on the cruxis to $110.


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

eric said:


> kritter67 said:
> 
> 
> > I would say so mike , on both accounts . As long as you dont go swimming with it and rinse it off / spray with wd40 though it should be fine .K----------
> ...


Excelent point , never thought about it penetrating inside the reel , i will have to change my habbits [ not hobbits ] :lol: filthy little hobbits's :twisted: ,K----------


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

gra said:


> I wonder if they have a different name here?
> 
> Gra


Never got a domestic release here. Daiwa don't release 50% of their reels here some silly reason.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

All the financial whizes reckon the Oz dollar is going to get much stronger against the yak dollar, if it does get back over 90c I'll be spending up big in the US tackle shops!


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## bilby (Sep 2, 2008)

I have a Fluegar Echelon, owned it for about 2years, it was about $110 from memory, i spooled it with 12lb trilene,i didn't want to spool it with braid and get massive backlashes from gumby casting as i have never owned a baitcaster before and after a few weekends of practice casting in the backyard, i found it was easier than i thought. I've caught flathead, snapper, slamon on this reel and it has worked flawlessly. I have it on a 5ft 6" Daiwa rod and i can't fault the combo for reliability and strength. I'm sure the better ones are well "better" but i don't think you have to spend $200 + to get into a baitcaster. Thats my opinion though.
Cheers Bilby.


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