Fish-Hawk.Net

In April I'll be looking into buying my first baitcasting reel. I tried them last year and fell in love.

Its primary use will be to rip spinners across the water, and to flip for bass in the weeds.

The Curado sounds like the perfect reel but I'm trying to be greedy and find a cheaper reel. (Trying to spend less than $150).

I was looking at the Daiwa Advantage but apparently it has a bad reputation when it comes to left-handed reels.

There's plenty others that look promising but I wanted to hear from some Hawk Talkers first. What do other left handers use?

Of course when I purchase the reel I will be going to Paddletales and I will hear from the expert himself, Ed.

As for the rod size, I'll most likely be getting a 7ft.

Hello Snag,

Im a lefty and heres the reels I have and feel comfortable with!

Curado 201B5 & 201BSF (super free)
Team Daiwa 103HVLA x2
Rick Clunn flipping reels from bass pro x2

Now for flipping the rick clunns are great! They go for $99.99US sometimes theyre on sale. But Curado is a dam good reel pretty dependable. The Team Daiwa Advantage however is a nice smooth reel. Dont see how people can have problems with them when theyre fairly new. Theres also the new Pflueger series of reels whihc run from bout $150(Trion & President very smooth) .... Take a look at the Pfluegers someday impressive reels for the price!

As for baitcasting its to die for, very comfortable to cast and smooth. Goodluck with your choices and you know wehre to find me if you want to crank a few to test out......

Spence

Snag,

I wouldn't try and save on this one. Save a little and have something you don't like or get a curado you'll love. Spend $150 dollars on a reel you'll have for 10 plus years that's less than $15 a year. Money well spent. You won't be disappointed with the curado.

Steve

Goodluck with your choices and you know wehre to find me if you want to crank a few to test out......

Spence, we've discussed this. Be a little more careful.

Aprreciate you helping Snag too.

GamblerSteve wrote:Snag,

I wouldn't try and save on this one. Save a little and have something you don't like or get a curado you'll love. Spend $150 dollars on a reel you'll have for 10 plus years that's less than $15 a year. Money well spent. You won't be disappointed with the curado.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Maybe you are right. Money is tight now, but if I get more years out of it in the long run... why not.

I'll definetly look on Ebay too.

Here's a question. What makes the Curado such an awesome reel? It seems like everyone has one. Whats the difference between a Curado and another reel with similar features (i.e. 6:2:1 gear ratio, 4BB 1RB)

I was told that I should invest in a 6:3:1 gear ratio with 5BB. Whats the difference?

I guess more bb makes for a smoother retrieve and better castablity but you already know how good The Curado is and Pflueger too for that matter as you used them both last year.
You know what I suggest...also talking with Ed a 7' rod might be just a bit too much right now...

Hello Snag,
Just my opinion, but if you plan on chucking spinnerbaits and flipping to heavy cover then I would go with a 5.0:1 ratio. You will have more power when cranking. A big spinnerbait on a 6.3:1 reel feels like your reeling in an anchor.

The Curados are just the reel deal. Its old technology but proven. Quality is A+. Its a ten year reel, even then their easily rebuilt.

Good Luck,
G

Shimano is reliable which is why people recommend them most.. Like Steve said $15 a year for a reliable reel cant go wrong with that!

Keep an eye on ebay its where I get my reels

My Curado 201, lefty, has broken twice! The stainless steel brake pins have fallen out on two different occassions! They better replace the whole braking system this time, cause if it happens again, I will switch to Abu or Diawa. Those new Diawas are amazing, tiny super free spooling, good feel. However, the ones I seen were more comparable to a Chornarch, and I have a new one which I'm drooling about using it soon!

Snag,

While the curados are great reels there are other options out there if you don't want to drop $200 on the counter.

You may also want to take a look at a Quantum PT 501, or just a regular 501 ACS. Both have 5 bearings and are 6.2:1

You have the right idea a good baitcaster will be in the $150+ range and will last for years although certainly shopping around can get you a better price.

Snag,

I just picked up the Quantum Accurist PT500 and having not tried it yet it looks and feels great.Did a similar survey on the board last week asking everyone's opinion and nobody had anything bad to say about it.

Got mine for 149.95 including tax.


Ron

I too picked up a left-handed Accurist PT just before Christmas (early Xmas present) and I am looking forward to using it this sommer. I have been using the Eon by Ambassador last year and found this to be an excellent reel when matched with a 71/2 ft. flippin stick.

Peng

I switched over to left handers this year and did a bit of research on what reels I wanted to use.

I now have 4 Rick Clunn Bass Pro Shops reels and they work great. Eight Ball Bearings (3 more than needed really), smooth casting and they haven't let me down yet. These reels are made by Pfleuger, which in my opinion, is one of the most underated reel manufacturers in North America. The Clunn reel is on sale on the bass pro website for 79.99 USD. The comparable Pfleuger reel is the Trion...have a couple of those too.

It is better to support your local retailers and I know Crystal at Baitcasters does stock them and when I spoke to Ed last week he said he could get them in quickly if someone wanted them. I would guess that they would retail in the $150 CDN range.

I just bought a left handed Shimano Castaic Superfree at the show. I have two right handers and this reel is great. The go-to reel for flipping in my opinion.

I use an ABU 6501 C3 ( left hand model ) for lots of different applications...works great for me!