I bought the Abu Garcia Black Max last year because it was cheap and I have had nothing but issues with it. I am looking for a baitcasting combo that I will exclusively use to throw topwater lures that weigh 1/4 - 3/8 oz. I am pretty sure I need to go with a medium power rod or even a medium light??? Does anyone have any suggestions on a good quality reel that is reliable??? I don’t want to spend a ton of money, but I also don’t want to be cheap and make the same mistake twice. I would be comfortable with spending up to $150 on a solid, reputable reel. I appreciate any suggestions and help!
Some like a shorter-faster rod for walking the dog. I don’t use that technique much. If your just throwing a popper and bloopin’ it back in, I like a Mojo crankbait rod. It’s a 7’ MH Mod. The slower action has really helped my hook ups and keeping them on. I’ve got this paired with a BPS Carbonlite (90 bucks right now!)
Any 6.x or 7.x reel would work well for topwater. BPS has some nice reels in that price range(Johnny Morris & the new Carbonlite that should be coming out before too long) & if you look on eBay, you can get a Revo SX for under $150 easily. I’d actually prefer one of the BPS reels, since I feel their Dual Braking System would be better for dialing in lighter topwaters than Abu’s sometimes tricky magnetic brakes.
For a rod, I’d suggest a 6’6”-6’10” M powered rod, maybe even a cranking rod. I like the short rod for working the tip on topwaters, especially on smaller baits.
thanks guys! Im going to check out BPS’s reels. I like the idea of the dual braking system, I think that was my problem with the Black Max. I don’t do a whole lot of walking the dog or twitching. I throw the baby torpedo a lot and just use a reel…pause…reel action. So, casting distance is most important to me with the rod.
I bought the Abu Garcia Black Max last year because it was cheap and I have had nothing but issues with it. I am looking for a baitcasting combo that I will exclusively use to throw topwater lures that weigh 1/4 - 3/8 oz. I am pretty sure I need to go with a medium power rod or even a medium light??? Does anyone have any suggestions on a good quality reel that is reliable??? I don’t want to spend a ton of money, but I also don’t want to be cheap and make the same mistake twice. I would be comfortable with spending up to $150 on a solid, reputable reel. I appreciate any suggestions and help!
Check this out on Bass pro. i have several BPS reels and am happy with them. they have a lot of great reels at BPS. make sure you read the reviews and whatever you decide on will be a quality reel. clean and lube it when you get it. enjoy
I personally like a slower action (moderate or fast) for any lure that has treble hooks - it allows the fish to inhale the lure better for the hook set.
For topwater lures like walk-the-dog baits or poppers I like a 6’6” Medium power/fast action rod. Specifically, I use the BPS Crankin’ Stick.
I use a 6’ 6” Medium Abu Garcia Veritas. It’s short enough to allow me to work the rod in a downward angle when walking or working top waters. It’s paired up with an Abu Garcia STX 7.1:1.
I saw someone posted the Shimano Curado 50e is on sale, cheap, at Bass Pro. I think it was $99. I use my 50e for topwaters/jerbaits and love it. I’m partial to Shimano but this reel is perfect for topwater, no joke. For a rod, I’d get a medium action with a nice soft tip on it. You need a soft tip for walking and setting the hook, plus it helps with casting. Go with whatever length you’re comfortable with.
I just got back from BPS and spent about 2 hours looking at rods. I really liked the carrot stix at first, probably would have been my second choice, was really light and felt good. I ultimately ended up buying the BPS Crainkin Stick 6’6” Medium. Everything felt right about that rod. Was really light, well balanced, and felt great. I really wanted an off color rod like the carrot stix or abu garcia in white, but I just could not get past how good the BPS cranking stick felt compared to everything else.
and at 80 bucks it is a great value.
I still need to buy a reel for it, but will wait until after x-mas before buying myself another gift.
I really appreciate all the suggestions, as I looked and tried out all of them!
They might drop some prices after Xmas on some of these reels. My BPS will match the internet price but not all will. you can print out the sale price of the reels you want and call them or when you are at the store ask them if they will accept the internet price. chances are they will. i’m glad you are happy with the rod. when you go to buy a reel, take your rod with you or use the same rod in the store and put the reels on it and see how you like them together. it’ll be just like choosing the rod, there will be a couple of combo’s that will feel just right to you. Congrats and GL, Happy holidays
I just got back from BPS and spent about 2 hours looking at rods. I really liked the carrot stix at first, probably would have been my second choice, was really light and felt good. I ultimately ended up buying the BPS Crainkin Stick 6’6” Medium. Everything felt right about that rod. Was really light, well balanced, and felt great. I really wanted an off color rod like the carrot stix or abu garcia in white, but I just could not get past how good the BPS cranking stick felt compared to everything else.
and at 80 bucks it is a great value.
I still need to buy a reel for it, but will wait until after x-mas before buying myself another gift.
I really appreciate all the suggestions, as I looked and tried out all of them!
Sorry to inform you but that rod is on sale now for $59.97 online. take it back and get your money then order it online ship to store and save $20.
