Have not had a casting reel for the last 60 years. Thinking of getting one for lake trout trolling. Yes or no? Your opinion? Do you use one at all? Like to get one around $60 but go a little higher, maybe $ 99 if needed. New territory on reels for me since I was 8 years old I had a plastic $1 casting reel and backlashes with black line.

Want it small and light and be able to hold at least 100 yards at 10 pound test.

hey pinetree look at abu garcia revo reels many different levels in price and features if you are fishing for lakers look at one with a line counter. that way if you start catching take notice of how much line is out so you can get down to same depth easier. take care

I struggle with baitcasters for every application EXCEPT trolling. I splurged on a shimano tekota because we troll a lot. The line counter makes a difference. I love it.

Are you looking for a low profile bait caster or round bait caster?

I only use a Baitcaster for trolling or casting for big Pike and Muskies. I do hate it when it birdnest the reel.

I have had a few, but my favorite has been an older (maybe 12 years?) Pinnacle Core-Z reel. Very basic, but super-smooth, and practically backlash-proof... Close second is a Pfleuger Trion, and my least favorite is a low-profile Abu Garcia. I also had an older Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, but gave it away to a friend who really liked it. Why he liked it- I have NO Idea, LOL.


These reels are a few years old, and have held up very nicely with very minor cleaning. Nothing obsessive about my maintenance program, haha.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if something goes wrong with either the Pinnacle or the Pfleuger. They can be had new-in-box on eBay for under $50.

quote MeatGun: "I struggle with baitcasters for every application EXCEPT trolling. I splurged on a shimano tekota because we troll a lot. The line counter makes a difference. I love it. "

Indeed.........the Tekota is a sweetheart and I would be hard pressed not to have one along. The line counter is very helpful not so much with lakers but for precision trolling for walleye. Probably one reason folks do not do well trolling and often find it dull and tedious is without knowing where your bait is at the game is less interactive and therefore can be dull and tedious not to mention lacking in results. The line counter, in combination with a depth finder, makes the game infinitely more interesting not to mention much more productive. The only advantage with lakers is you could replicate your depth rather precisely but I'm not so sure its as important as keeping a bait 18" off the bottom. Besides that, even though the Tekota is smallish for a line counter I would not label it as a "lightweight" offering. The reel is metal and it does have a bit of heft to it but considered light for a line counter. The other positive aspect to the Tekota is the tolerances are quite tight.........in other words line will not find its way into the reel via the spool. The reel will set you back considerably more than $100.

Pinetree.........If I were you I would be very careful about your choice given the parameters lain out. You may end up with a cheap piece of junk akin to you initial experience. To small of a reel and you defeat your purpose. It will not hold much line, the spool will get small as line is out (often much line if your lake trout trolling with purpose) and the fish will be hard to reel in or will break you off as the drag tends to get tighter as the spool diameter gets smaller. Plus as the spool diameter shrinks each turn of the handle brings in precious little........no good.

Before I would throw away $100 I would stick with a spinner for lakers. Not so bad and I have landed plenty with spinning equipment and rather enjoy it (unless of course you have a smallish spinner). Rather, I would set aside a sock in my top drawer and put my change in it for a year and presto I have enough to get a real reel. Plan on spending closer to $175 for something which will last and you will enjoy using. The previously mentioned Revo is a fine reel as well. They are very lightweight and large enough to do what it is supposed to do.........plus you can easily troll larger Pike offerings if so desired. They will set you back closer to $225/ $250.

The other reel I like is the Shimano Curado.........they could probably be picked up via eBay in your price range. Maybe that could be your route. Go to a Bass pro and figure out which reel you like and then get one on eBay. Probably could get a good deal.......I have a few friends who go this route and have seldom been unhappy.

quote skeeter2025: "hey pinetree look at abu garcia revo reels many different levels in price and features if you are fishing for lakers look at one with a line counter. that way if you start catching take notice of how much line is out so you can get down to same depth easier. take care"

+1 ... have 5 different models of revo and love em.

Used to use the Chronarchs a lot, but the last 15 years or so nothing but Lew's BB1NGH. Unfortunately they're discontinued. I have 8 or so of them, and always keep an eye out for more.

Get one with a flipping switch.

Embassadeur 5500. Why? Because it is what I have and have a couple extras and parts! :) . I struggle with bird nests some days too.

If you are looking for an anti-backlash reel, Diawa makes the Zillion SV for such a purpose. Costly though, close to $300.

I bought two Shimano Calcuttas the year they came out, '88-'89(?). I retired them this year, only because I could no longer find parts. Nothing ever broke, just maintenance stuff. Casual fishing, tournaments, BWCA, fly-ins, 8-25 lb. mono, up to 65lb braid. Flipping/pitching, spinnerbaits, cranks, worms/ jigs. They had a 5:1 ratio. I don't mean to complicate the issue, but that is an important thing to look at, retrieve ratio. Lews even makes reels with a 3:1 ratio, perfect for cranks, too slow for pitching/worms/jigs. 5:1 is perfect for spinnerbaits, topwater, works pretty good for cranks. 7:1 or higher would be fine for pitching/ jigs/ worms. Think about what the reel's main job will be, look for appropriate retrieve ratio.

Question: How light a weight can you cast compared to a open face reel. Distance?

The weight of the lure has been the learning issue for me. To your question, I can cast anything 1/2 oz. or greater as far as I would with a spinning reel if the rod is equal. Less than 1/2 oz, higher likelihood of birds nest. That's why I just troll with them. The reel I have been learning on is a Shimano Curado. Matter of preference probably, but if you have many years of experience and comfort with a spinning outfit, why are you looking to change? Just curious.

quote MeatGun: "The weight of the lure has been the learning issue for me. To your question, I can cast anything 1/2 oz. or greater as far as I would with a spinning reel if the rod is equal. Less than 1/2 oz, higher likelihood of birds nest. That's why I just troll with them. The reel I have been learning on is a Shimano Curado. Matter of preference probably, but if you have many years of experience and comfort with a spinning outfit, why are you looking to change? Just curious. "

Why change or have another option? I am starting to wonder that also?

I just see more and more people buying casting reels,tho still I am sure it is a small percentage of the whole. Maybe that is more of the big lure bass-muskie-northern pike group?
I thought maybe it makes a better trolling reel?
They do look nice and compact. I did see your reel in Mills Fleet Farm today and a couple of Abu-garcia. Both looked very nice.

Anything less than 3/16 oz starts getting tough on a levelwind , especially with heavy mono. With levelwind reels, lures with high retrieve resistance are much easier, and it is due to physics. The levelwind gears are on the same plane, and higher torque is created. Spinning and spin Cast reels have gears that are set 90 degrees from each other, and cannot develops as much torque. So lures, like big cranks, spinnerbaits much easier to reel in with levelwind reels. Spinning and spin cast reels are at their best when retrieving lures with low water resistance: jigs, in line spinners. Fishing technique also plays a part: for instance, very forceful hook sets, like in flipping/pitching situations, are easier on gears that are on the same plane(levelwind) than gears that are set at 90 degrees to one another( spinning, spin cast). Incidentally, and I do not recall the source, I read once that spincast had the smoothest drags, then spinning, then levelwind. I tested this with a Zebco Classic One, maybe 20-25 years ago. I loosened the drag, held the line out at my side, and the reel slowly paid out line, smoothly, to the floor. Did the same with a Calcutta, and it chattered all the way down. Surely not scientific, but interesting. Try it!

I really like my Daiwa AccuDepth Line Counter reel for trolling. Nice, smooth drag. Decent clicker (because it's so fun to hear the clicker scream when a trout hits!), plenty of torque for bringing in the fish.

I like using Jet Divers and Fish Seekers to get my flutter and Sutton spoons down deep. The line counter lets me replicate the depth every time. Having the extra torque is nice for retrieving the Jet Diver. An AccuDepth 27 will set you back about $80.

With heavier lures, a baitcaster allows much more precise casting than a spinning reel, and they handle the torque of hard-pulling baits much better. There's a reason the muskie guys use them nearly exclusively. Light lures (say under 1/2 oz.) do much better with spinning gear.