new baitcasters

[zippyduck]

I just bought 2 baitcasters after 25 years of an old shimano bantum broke. The difference is amazing on how well they cast and the brake systems are so much better.
I have a daiwa caius and abu revo and both are better than I expected. I bought them because I was dragged back into tourney fishing after being out of them for 25 years.
Is there anything that I should be aware of with the newer baitcasters?

[Mike Bush]

Your addiction to new gear has officially started. 

[Mike Cork]

There is a lot that can be done to bring those older reels into casting performance but it gets costly. Buying new gear is definitely more cost effective and will last another 25 years if taken care of.

Enjoy

[LgMouthGambler]

The new reels that are available now make older reels seem like junk. Technology has got crazy results with design and ergonomics. Wait till you dip into a high end Shimano or Daiwa, or even the JDM offerings for that matter. 

Then you can even get into customizing!       

[coldfront]

Wait till you dip into a high end Shimano ...

occasionally I look at those $500 reels   ...  just makes me take better care of my 'cheapie' $150-$200 reels...

[LgMouthGambler]

occasionally I look at those $500 reels   ...  just makes me take better care of my 'cheapie' $150-$200 reels...

Nah, depending on the brand a $150-200 reel will last a loooong time. Look at all the Curados that are still around and still taking a beating every time they are used.

[zippyduck]

Well I know I will never spend $500 on a reel. I learned how to catch fish with fiberglass rods, mitchell spin reels and penn baitcasters . you know old stuff.
And I have fished with guys that tourney fish and regularly beat them out of the back of the boat with ugly stick spin rods.
TV has alot of guys believing it takes alot of money to catch fish,  but decent equipment wit experience will get the job done.

[LgMouthGambler]

Well I know I will never spend $500 on a reel. I learned how to catch fish with fiberglass rods, mitchell spin reels and penn baitcasters . you know old stuff.
And I have fished with guys that tourney fish and regularly beat them out of the back of the boat with ugly stick spin rods.
TV has alot of guys believing it takes alot of money to catch fish,  but decent equipment wit experience will get the job done.

There is no doubt that you can catch fish on a $50 reel. The difference is the "feel" of the performance in hand with a high dollar reel and its ability to cast baits.

[Mike Bush]

Well I know I will never spend $500 on a reel. I learned how to catch fish with fiberglass rods, mitchell spin reels and penn baitcasters . you know old stuff.
And I have fished with guys that tourney fish and regularly beat them out of the back of the boat with ugly stick spin rods.
TV has alot of guys believing it takes alot of money to catch fish,  but decent equipment wit experience will get the job done.

For sure. Knowing how and where is 90% of the battle.


I was "lucky" and got back into bass fishing during the release of high end type equipment. I didnt have any "old" model stuff laying around. I got to start from scratch with all the new things.

The newer equipment is phenomenal to say the least. I get to work on some reels from the 80s from time to time...and man....they just dont compare. There are some round reels that are just unstoppable, but in general todays equipment is lightyears ahead...as you can imagine.

The good thing though, plenty of light use stuff out there to be had at a good price too. You can get into new model stuff for about half of retail.