Bass Pro, Baitcast Reels

[Scott Shenton]

Has anyone had experience with any of the Bass Pro brand baitcast reels? The "Extreme" model is on sale now....

 

[Scott Shenton]

Also, what about good fresh/salt reels for a good price

 

[Mini]

I have had great luck with the reels, but I dont have any extremes. They were never available in left hand



Mini

 

[Michael S]

I have a couple and my dad has 3.....and we have never had a moments trouble with them....they are very smooth and some of the reels are a couple of years old and are still like new. The guy at BPS told me that they are also good for SW fishing but we not used them in the SW as of yet.

 

[Scott Shenton]

Which models are good for salt?



AMEN on the "left hand" thing mini....

 

[Texas Transplant]

I have been using several of the extremes for several years with very good success. However, I purchased several Pro Qualifiers last year, and again this year. They are significantly better. Not that the extremes are poor at all.



If you can get some ProQualifiers on sale, get them. If you are limited in what you can spend, the extremes will be nice reels.



Tex

 

[Larry Harp]

The BPS Extreme baitcaster is one of the best values on the market. My son has two of them that I fish with often. They're not quite the quality of my Curado SF's or Dawia TD-X but the Extreme is $100+ less money. The main differance is the anti-backlash works much better on the more expensive reels and while the spool spins like it's on an electric motor, it still lacks the quality feel that the more expensive reel enjoy. Still like I already said it is one of the best reels for the money out there.



Harpo

 

[Michael S]

wookie the guy told me the Extremes are good in both SW/FW....like i said that is what the man told me. He is the head guy in the fishing dept at the BPS in Houston. He is a big into the SW fishing area so I guess he knows what he is talking about.

 

[Mini]

You might want to check the new reel on BassFan today....looks like a real winner!



Mini
http://bassfan.com/reviews_article.asp?ID=61

 

[Mini]

Hey JimBob, what was his name? Does he look like Tim Horton?



Mini

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

I have about 10 extreme reels and love them. My buddy can't tell the difference between them and his curado's. As for use in saltwater - be sure to take it apart and get a good coat of lube on it before you go, and rinse them thouroughly when you're done. One of mine didn't get rinsed properly, and the salt ate one of the parts inside it.

 

[Michael S]

No Mini but I know the one you are talking about....this guys name is Jessie. An hispanic guy. My wife works there so I have gotten to know alot of the fishing guys....they take care of me when I go in there.

 

[Dan J.]

The Extreme's are great reels, available in right and left hand retrieve. They will perform well in salt water, however do not spray it with a hose, or any reel for that matter, to "clean it". More than likely you will be doing more harm than good in the long run. The pressure from the spray drives more dirt, salt, grit and debris deeper into the reel as well as stripping oil and possibly grease from needed surfaces, generally leading to an early demise. After using in salt water most manufacturer's recomend a 5-10 minute submersion in cool tap water, immediately followed by draining (shaking) excess water off the reel, then air drying. The submersion will dilineate the salt without stripping the grease and oil. Warm or hot water will remove most if not all oil properties from the reel, which I strongly advise against.



Tex made a great point. For the money, if you can get your hands on the Pro Qualifier combo, it's the best deal I've seen in over a decade with BPS. IMHO



Mini - The reel you linked is a "modified" old Crown Royal promo reel made by Pinnacle/Silstar years ago. (I've got a couple.) I wonder how many people Bassfan has hunting for it now?! LOL!!

 

[Mini]

I know Jesse too, he is a good guy.



Mini

 

[Michael S]

yeah he is....Most of the guys in the fishing Dept are good guys. Now the hunting dept...thats a totally differnet story. Those guys don't know the first thing about customer service.

 

[Bill McElroy]

I've been using BPS reels for 5 years now. Only had 1 minor failure in that time and that was easily fixed when I got home. I absolutely love the JLM reels,..they are awesome,..and for the same price as a Curado,...why pay for 5 ball bearings in the Curado,...when you get 10 in the JLM's!! I got my brand new one's last night, and they are first class reels. I ordered one of the new PROLite reels this year too and it's sweeet,...it'll be great for pitching 1/8-1/4oz jigs around docks this spring!! The Pro Qualifier and ProLite reels both have 7 ball bearings in them and they are very smooth too. I've never owned an Extreme reel,..but I know BPS sells a TON of'em,...I do a LOT of rod handles on "Extreme Combo's"....and when Woo is in the store,..I do more Extreme Combo's than everything else combined!! LOL...That dude can sell a rod and reel!!

There's a lot of nice reels on the market now,..but hands down,..the BPS reels have made the most significant quality improvements of any mfgr in the industry, and they've done it WITHOUT raising their prices,..and infact,..they're actually lower in many cases!! The JLM reels I got last night are MUCH better now than they were just 3 years ago and they're also $40 cheaper!! They're outstanding reels for the $$, IMHO!!



Mac

 

[Dan J.]

Mac - As MOBass eluded to, you've got to try the new Inshore Extreme reel. A deep U spool, hi-speed retrieve, infinite anti-reverse, 6 Japanese BB's, all in the Fritz frame, remniscent of the original Lew's BB series. It's rapidly becoming one of my favorites.



The new JLM's are the best reels I've seen with our stamp. Doug and the engineers went above and beyond to set the new benchmark in the industry. I'm throwing a soft jerkbait weighted with just a 4/0 hook and 10# test over 40yds. with it! The braking system alone will surely be envied, if not copied by the major mfg.'s. At $159.99 regular priced they're well worth the "cheddar", but at the $119 sale price, it's a steal of a deal!