Best sub $100 reel

[829]

I am looking for a new sub $100 baitcast reel to replace my tired old Shimano B-200. Any help here would be great.
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[829]

Is this the worng place for this topic?
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[gdn443]

829, if your happy with your old shimano why not get another one? It's the few brands I'll only buy now.
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[829]

I am looking am just looking for a collective thought. I like shimano, but they are expensive and I just bought a boat. My friend has a couple different quantum's that perform well and are a bit cheaper.

I like the Shimano Citica D Baticast, but it is just a touch over.
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[Tarpon4me]

Hey there 829 and welcome to BFT! There are alot of great baitcast reels on the market, infact, almost too many to choose from. Like Gregg, you'll find that many hard core bass fishermen and women have thier favorites based on years of trial and error. Shimano is infact one of the best reels on the market, and has been since they started making reels.

I, however, prefer Abu Garcia over all others as far as quality and bang for your buck. You'll find that to be a contravercial statement once a few more bass fishermen jump in the mix. But none the less, i've put loads of abuse on mine, fresh and saltwater, and they hold up time after time. An Abu Garcia 5500 spooled with 15 lb Power Pro is a deadly tool in the hands of a willing angler. But not just for bass. They also double as the perfect flounder/fluke reel, trout, and any other inshore species in that size range, fresh and saltwater. The drag system is near bulletproof, and anyone that has used one can't contest how smooth a 5500 C3 or C4 is. If things haven't changed too much, the reels run right around 60 bucks, which isn't bad considering you'll never have to buy another reel.

One thing you need to be aware of is that Walmart sells a cheaper version of the Abu's. Don't be fooled by that. Make sure it's a C3 or C4 model that you're getting, and you'll probably have to buy it somewhere like your local tackle store or bass pro or something. The ones walmart have a still good reels, but only half the reel that the higher end models are.
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[fishingrich]

shimano cruxis is my reel of choice and i love it. it's better than my quantum anytime. but it's all in the way you use them, imo.
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[DunhamFisher]

Hey Tarpon4me, you is right. Dollar for dollar, I feel Abu-Garcia makes the best baitcasting reels. On the high-end, Shimano and Daiwa are probably the best reels out there.
I have an Abu-Garcia 5500 that my kids gave me for Christmas in 1995, I've cleaned and lubed it once. I use it at least 28-30 times per year. I also use mid-priced Quantums, also good reels for the money. IMO, not quite the pit-bulls Abu-Garcia's are. You hit the nail on-the-head - you'll never replace an Abu.

I just don't have the $ to constantly but new reels. When I do buy a reel, I need it to last. And the drag is as smooth as it was when I got it.
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[829]

Well all, Christmas came and went and I got the Citica 200D I wanted and an Allstar TAS807C rod. Know all I need is some active spring bass.
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]It would be definitely difficult to top a Shimano - You'll love your new reel. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]But, I would echo the comment on Abu Garcias. They are casting machines. Also to my liking are some of the Penns for their power and durability. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]All three of them are quality reels and I have found them to be dependable, reliable and require only minimal maintenance.[/size][/black]
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[gdn443]

Those Penns are a great rell. Most of my saltwater gear is Penns. Just picked up my two senator reels that where cleaned up for me and they feel like new. Their also 32 years old.
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[Tarpon4me]

All of my Big Game tackle is made by Penn. I have a few 114HLW's and a couple 113's. My favorite is my Penn Mag 990, which is a very unique reel with a 3/0 size body, a drag system that's stronger than a 4/0, and is totally castable with a super fast gear ratio. I've been looking for another one for a long time.

On the casting side though, the Penn's just don't seem to match the smoothness and castability of the Abu's. Of course, it really depends on which Penn casting reel you're speaking of too. For instance, the international series casting reels. You couldn't compare the superior quality of an international series Penn reel with a C3 Abu. You have to compare apples to apples. A more worthy apponent for that particular Penn would be the Calcutta series casting reels.

BUT, if you take quality AND price into consideration, Abu is pretty hard to beat. Surely you've got a few 6500's laying around you use for fluke. I don't know a flat fisherman that doesn't own an Abu. []
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[tubeN2]

I wouldn't quite call myself flat but I do have several Abus. Left and Right handed. I especially like the left hand retrieval for topwater Bass fishing. It is smooth, sweet and casts like a dream with lightweight lures.[cool]
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[Fishhound]

[black][size 3]LOL ! I like that - A lot of flat (and big cat) anglers are closet Abu owners. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]I confess, I am one of those too - I have both Penns and Abu Garcias. Although like you, my heavy duty stuff is all Penn - for probably the same reasons that your's are. Yeah, they might not cast like a Shimano or an Abu, but those reels don't perform in the same way as a winch-like Penn either - if I need a winch, I want a winch. Then again, as you mentioned, it helps to compare apples to apples.[/size][/black]
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