Baitcaster help

Oh_Boy_T

Anglers,

This year was the first time I tried fishing for Bass and I must say... IM HOOKED :fishing:fishing!!! I dove in to the world of Bass fishing. I found myself thinking about it all day everyday. I would go to work from 6am to 6pm with my rods in the car, get off and hit just about any body of water that I thought would hold bass. From ponds on the side of the road to creeks under bridges. I DID A LOT OF **** BASS FISING IN 2014... AND THE YEAR ISNT OVER YET. :hail:hail. I did tons and tons of research, and watched hours of youtube vids on just about everything related to Bass fishing. From what to use, times to fish, where to fish and how to fish for them. You name it, I searched it and WHAT A YEAR IT WAS FOR ME. It took some adjusting to, but I finally got a hold of things. Boy did I miss tons of fish due to the bite that I was not accustomed to. After some trial and error, I got the hang of it, and in no time, i was reeling in nice bass for a first timer. (I have pics for days of Bass that I caught. Memories of quite a few huge ones that shook the hook on me and a lot of gopro footage of epic top water hook ups and misses lol). I dont know if it was luck or if I just so happened to be in the right places at the right time. I guess all the research paid off. One thing I came across more than so, was the fact that it seemed as if EVERY VIDEO I WATCHED, they were all using Baitcaster reels!!! So I looked at a few vids on everything to know about those as well. I wanted to know if it was worth picking up a bait caster or two and if my fellow anglers could offer me any advice on what particular brand to look into. (Just a little info about me). I fish mainly for reds and trouts here in Jacksonville, FL. Ive never used a Baitcaster, and im a Shimano spinning reel guy. Not saying I wont try any brand of Baitcaster reels you guys recommend, just letting you know what brand im currently using if that helps. I want to hear your favorite Bass fishing reels and setup, and if I should consider purchasing 1 or 2 Baitcasters. If so what do you suggest?

Thanks for reading and here are a few pics for 2014 bass fishing from a Noobie. lol

All Bass caught on

Jim311

I like Shimano baitcasters and since you're already a Shimano guy, you should try a Curado. If you don't want to spend that much buy a Citica, it's almost as good. Pair it with a Clarus rod that fits your application best and you'll have a good combo. You'll probably also find you like it better for certain applications in saltwater, too. Once you get your technique and your reel dialed in it will be second nature and can even be less problematic than spinning reels in some conditions.

Oh_Boy_T

@Jim311 thanks for the response! I will most definitely research both reels and the rod you mentioned tonight. Maybe i'll be able to stay apart of the Shimano family after all. Thanks for the info!

snookaffinity

Jim311 wrote: »

I like Shimano baitcasters and since you're already a Shimano guy, you should try a Curado. If you don't want to spend that much buy a Citica, it's almost as good. Pair it with a Clarus rod that fits your application best and you'll have a good combo. You'll probably also find you like it better for certain applications in saltwater, too. Once you get your technique and your reel dialed in it will be second nature and can even be less problematic than spinning reels in some conditions.

X2 on the Curado. I started fishing the same way you did and became a bass addict. I switched from spinning reels to baitcasters and probably will not fish spinners again although I know there are times they would be better. I fish inshore saltwater almost exclusively now. I fish the same Curado for both salt and fresh. Very satisfied with it.

jp555

Check out Lews baitcast reels. Awesome!

Jack Hexter

Curado's are very good baitcasters, which can be used in both fresh and salt. If you will use it strictly for bass, I really like the Daiwa Tatula. It won the Bassmasters last year, pretty strong evidence for a $150.00 reel.

Pescatoral Pursuit

Ilove my baitcasters for both salt and fresh and you will too. The horsepower to weight ratio is much higher than spinners and you have more control of casting and fighting.

The best reels have an adjustable pins system for cast control. And as long as you give a brisk cast each time, backlash free casting is easy as falling off a log. I have Shimano and Abu Revo baitcasters and like them both. The Abu casts farther and has twice the drag.

Jimmy Jay

Awesome photos - those are some nice looking fish!

linesider 159

I get lews for 50% off, a lot of people seem to like them. Im not much of a fan. Cant go wrong with shimano though

congoman775

Another vote for the Curado I. I like the high speed gears, and pair it with a 13 Fishing Omen Black… something like a 6'7 MH -7'1 MH. Whatever you're more comfortable with. You'll find that you only want to pickup your bait caster soon…

bonephish

I just bought a Lew's BB1SHZ 7.1:1 and I like it a lot.:thumbsup

Oh_Boy_T

Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I really, really do appreciate the time taking to offer advice to a fellow angler and Bass newbie like myself. My price range is about $250-$300. Now comes the hard part... Actually selecting a rod and reel.