9 Best Baitcasting Reels
Carla Arbuckle
Whether you’re a new angler or a veteran, fishing should be fun for all parties. In my opinion, fishing is always better with the right equipment for your fishing trip. If you’re a new fisherman, it can be overwhelming to walk into a fishing store and see all of the myriads of options such as fishing tools, rods, lures, and other accessories.
A baitcasting reel is a tool used to cast lures like jigs, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits with extreme pinpoint accuracy. The flip side to this is that this reel requires more skill due to the angler having to thumb the spool as the line flows off. The primary purpose of using a baitcasting reel is to target and catch larger-sized fish. Since there are more complexities to learning how baitcasting works and how to use one, this fishing tool is recommended for more experienced anglers. Spinning reels do not have the accuracy and control than a baitcasting reel would because these reels can pinpoint and hit an exact location every time. Also, it’s important to note that baitcasting reels are generally more expensive than spin-casting reels.
In this article, we’ll share the best baitcasting reels in the market today so that you can hit the waters as fast as possible!
9 Best Baitcasting Reels
1. Piscifun Torrent Baitcasting Reel
2. Cadence CB5 Baitcasting Reels
3. KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
4. Abu Garcia Black Max Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
5. KastKing Crixus Baitcasting Reels
6. KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Reel
7. KastKing MegaJaws Baitcasting Reel
8. KastKing Spartacus Baitcasting Fishing Reel
9. KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
Piscifun Torrent Baitcasting Reel
The Piscifun Torrent Baitcasting reel comes in four different variations -- including the 5.3:1 - left-handed, 5.3:1 right-handed, 7.1:1 left-handed, and 7.1:1 right-handed. This reel focused on four components, which are power, durability, performance, and lifetime value. This baitcaster used a 4-washer to provide extreme power with 18 pounds of fiber drag that enables it to handle the biggest fish you can imagine. Inside are Japanese Hami cut 3604 brass gears made for climate resistance and durable strength to prevent any bad weather from ruining the reel. There is also a different side plate oil port, making maintenance effortless and ensuring your reel lasts for a long time.
Pros
- Incredible price
- Smooth casting
- Heavy action rod able to catch big fish with ease
Cons
- May need frequent oil lubrication
- May be difficult to break apart to grease inner bearings
Our Take
For the price that you pay for this baitcasting reel, you are getting one of the best features in the market. In over a hundred cast, this outing may only have one or two backlashes, making this reel extremely efficient. We’ve also noticed the reinforced CNC brass gear is engineered to provide water resistance, reliable operation steady, speed retrieval, and quiet casting. To add oil to the reel, you can simply remove the screw and oil the gears. This baitcasting reel is extremely accurate due to it’s 0-10 magnetic brake. There are five strategically-placed magnets which optimizes the magnetic effect on the aluminum spool. These magnets and the dial-in gauge will help with backlash control and precise targeting when trying to fish.
We love how the gear ratio of 7.1:1 and 5.3:1 are designed to get fish quickly out of cover and to reel your fish in quickly.
Cadence CB5 Baitcasting Reels
The Cadence CB5 Baitcasting lightweight reel comes in four variations, either black or red and left or right hand. The coils are ergonomically designed for smooth gear lines to help with the reduction in friction. Furthermore, the bait caster is palm-sized and lightweight, approximately 1.76 ounces, making it very comfortable for extended fishing trips. This CB5 baitcasting reel has seven double-shielded stainless steel ball bearings and one instant anti-reverse bearing. Accuracy-wise, the coil also has a scientifically proven SLT (super low torque) BB system to reduce casting effort, and the handles turn smoothly and very quietly while handling heavy loads. The product dimensions are 5.5x4.5x5.5 inches.
Pros
- Very smooth casting
- Well made, nice fit and top-notch
- Affordable pricing
- Compact and portable
- Good for beginners and intermediate anglers
Cons
- Could improve casting distance
- May slip after casting
Our Take
We love that this is more of a compacted and sporty type of baitcasting reel. How do you that it is quality? Well, if there are no screeching noises or whining sounds during any part of the casting. The casting is exceptionally smooth that you can barely feel any resistance, but yet it seems to handle quite a load for big fish. The parts can easily be replaced or taken out if anything goes wrong. Or if you need to grease the gears, it’s elementary to do so.
Since the spools are made of premium aluminum, this bait caster is 20 percent stronger and lasts 30 percent longer than other baitcasting reels out there. Furthermore, the CB5 baitcasting reel has a quick 6.6 gear ratio, which is a very high class compared to its other competitors. The gear ratio allows for fishing efficiency and fish retrieval at ultra speed, keeping pressure on the fish while reeling them in.
KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
The KastKing Royale Whitemax Baitcasting Fishing Reel comes in two colors, both white and black. Also, there is a left-handed and right-handed version for each color, depending on your dominant hand. The gear ratio is at a 5.3:1 for precision fishing and provides more torque and cranking performance. The ball bearings in the baitcasting reel is an 11+1 shielded MaxiDur corrosion-resistant to improve long term durability. This also helps with smooth casting and faster fish retrieval. KastKing also is made with an anodized aluminum forged multi-ported whiffle style spool enabling maximum strength but also reduces the weight of the actual reel. This helps when catching larger and heavier fish. There are also dual brakes and a seven magnetic brake system to help with casting control. The weight is an overall 7.5 ounces.
Pros
- Extremely affordable
- Efficient gear ratio
- Smooth Retrieve
- Reliable controlling
- The handle is cushioned for comfort handling and gripping
Cons
- Bail may be inconsistent after the cast
- Occasional backlashing
Our Take
The KastKing baitcasting reel is an excellent tool with phenomenal performance. We have used 3-4 ounce baits to catch giant muskies of up to 18 lbs. With over 100 casts, there were no birds nests, and it cast up to about 40-50 years. We like how the magnetic brakes provide a centrifugal base that helps with overall control and smooth casting. For beginners that never have had experience with any baitcasting reels, we recommend following guides or YouTube videos since the product doesn’t have any set-up instructions.
We also like how the 7.1:1 gear ratio allows anglers to catch fish and retrieve it with ultra speed so that it can’t escape. Furthermore, it’s silky smooth and hushed for its size. Overall the reel is lightweight enough to spend all day fishing but strong enough to catch hefty fish such as bass, trout, or even go ice fishing.
Abu Garcia Black Max Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
The Abu Garcia Black Max Baitcasting Fishing reel is an excellent low profile fishing tool that is lightweight and designed to catch the toughest fish. This product includes four stainless steel ball bearings with a power disk system. Inside the Abu Garcia has a MagTrax brake system aimed to boost the casting range, accuracy, and efficiency. The handle is compact and bent along with an ergonomic grip for comfortability during long fishing trips. The product dimensions are 7x5x3 inches and weigh 1 pound.
Pros
- Extremely affordable
- Durable reel
- Quality ergonomic and comfortable handle
- Smooth casting
Cons
- Setup may be difficult
- Can also birdnest on casts
- No click stops
Our Take
This baitcasting reel is an ideal starting reel for beginners. The price of entry is fantastic, but it's a bit challenging to understand at first. You will need to configure the correct settings in order not to bird nest on every other cast. However, the product is extremely durable and should last you for years if maintained properly. The reel seems to be super smooth and has excellent drag quality along with the retrieval rate for catching big trophy fish.
We like how the low profile makes it very user friendly and small enough to fit in even your children's house or portable fishing bags. There is a pretty good distance in casting and easy to cast. The bent, compact, and ergonomic handle make it almost feel like you're not even holding a rod. You could fish for hours! There does seem to be too much plastic on the structure, making it not feel "sturdy," but it should be fine overall.
KastKing Crixus Baitcasting Reels
This KastKing Crixus Baitcasting Reel comes in six variations, and three particular colors, such as white glacier, sea spray (greenish color), and dark star (black color). And each color, you can choose between a left-handed or right-handed reel depending on your dominant hand. The coil only lasts 7.3 ounces but is strong and durable to catch trophy fish. It features a carbon disc drag system that can have over 17.6 lbs of fish stopping drag power. The drag is also adjustable, enabling anglers to fish on a lighter fishing line with lightweight aluminum and star-shaped drag knob. The KastKing baitcasting reel is equipped with seven shielded, stainless steel with a high-quality ball and instant anti-reverse bearing. The reel weighs 7.7 ounces.
Pros
- Extremely affordable
- Aesthetically appealing, excellent color scheme
- Tension knob and drag star clicks
- Cranking handle is strong with good grip
- Smooth casting
Cons
- Slightly heavy
- Magnetic brakes are not quite strong enough
Our Take
This KastKing Crixus Baitcasting Reel is the perfect product to add to your arsenal. It’s got a smooth casting and is both salt and freshwater approved. The setup is quite easy and has very few backlashes if any at all. The first time we’ve used it, we’ve ended up catching 20 basses, and a big trophy-sized catfish. It had enough drag to swing big fish with excellent retrieval speed easily. For this unbeatable price, Kasting offers extraordinary value.
We enjoy how the adjustments on the reel click, so you know how many increments you are adjusting to. The build feels exceptionally smooth, stable, and sturdy. Overall, it has an excellent and sleek aesthetics that you can show off to all of your fishing buddies. The grip is so comfortable, enabling you to fish for hours without getting sored or tired.
KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Reel
The Kasting Rover Round Baitcasting Reel is an excellent fishing tool for anglers to catch catfish, salmon, steelhead, striped bass, and inshore saltwater fishing. It is reinforced with thicker hard anodized aluminum side plates, CNC machined spool, precision-cut brass gears, all ally flawless level wind, industry-first stainless steel worm gear, patented metal idle gear, stainless steel shaft and other components for durability and corrosion protection. The Cymbal washing system has up to 30 pounds of smooth drag, which is double that of some of its famous competitors in the market. This allows them to carry fish even when resisting in the waters. The grips are an EVA non-slip oversized material with a line out the clicker, alarm, easy access thumb bar spool release, and a sporty aesthetic look. The shipping weight is 1 pound.
Pros
- Able to catch large fish with ease
- Excellent baitcasting reel on a budget
- The reel is large and heavy yet also sturdy
- The reel has incredible casting distance from 70-125 yards depending on the casts you use
Cons
- Spool can have trouble locking down
- The screw in the real seat may rust out and must be lubricated frequently
- Could improve on drag strength
Our Take
Whether you’re an angler that needs the necessary fishing equipment to catch trophy hunters such as giant catfish, carp, walleye, or trolling offshore fishing for large saltwater species or wreck fishing for bottom feeder, this KastKing Rover will work for you. We love how the gear ratio is 3.6:1, which allows its users to prevent fatigue and have a non-slip grip to improve control of the reel use.
The reel is incredibly strong and holds about 240 to 250 pounds of 15 lbs Berkley Big Game Monofilament Line. We found that this Kastking Rover can cast 20-30 feet farther than most of its popular competitors. The bait clicker makes it safe and efficient to use. Furthermore, the casting is exceptionally smooth with fast retrieval so you can obtain the fish quickly.
KastKing MegaJaws Baitcasting Reel
The KastKing MegaJaws Baitcasting Reel offers ten different variations, including colors such as rubber cork version, seafoam green, sword silver, chartreuse green, and rocket red. Each color comes in both left and right-handed variations depending on your dominant hand. The micro dual centrifugal and magnetic brakes add power to its overall frame. The tournament plus ready carbon fiber drag holds 17.6 lbs of fish stopping power so you can catch the most massive and biggest fish out there. The reel and casting are smooth and have 11 + 1 corrosion-resistant bearings, CNC machined aluminum spool, and precision casting. The gear ratio is 6.3:1 ratio. The weight is 7.4 ounces with an inch per turn of 28.3 inches. With the mono line capacity (which is the distance cast) is 10/25, 12/100, 15/85. The first number is in lbs, and the second number is in yards. The braid line capacity is 40/125, 50/100, and 65/85.
Pros
- Prevents backlashes
- Unbeatable price
- Reel casts smoothly
- Beginner-friendly
Cons
- Casting distance limitations
- Complicated breaking system
Our Take
We love this Kastking Megajaws baitcasting reel because it is a low profile with a lower gear ratio to help with moving larger baits and catch larger fish. It's excellent for holding swimbaits, small glide baits, chatter baits, and big spinnerbaits. We found that the 6.3:1 ratio is just the perfect ratio to fish with these bigger baits without wearing yourself out.
We also love that this reel has 17.6 lbs of drag, ensuring that you can hold the bait along with large, massive fish stopping it in its tracks. This baitcasting reel is exceptionally comfortable to palm and works great for individuals with smaller hands. We've paired this reel up with a 7'6" action rod, and the setup casts perfectly. The reel retrieval is smooth, and works perform for all types of fish.
KastKing Spartacus Baitcasting Fishing Reel
The Kastking Spartacus Baitcasting fishing reel offers two colors: black and white, along with the left-hand and right-hand versions for each. Its low profile design bait caster helps make the reel incredibly silent and obtain a high speed of 7.0:1 line retrieve. It also has two color anodized aluminum forged multi-ported Wiffle-style spools to help with maximum strength while at the same time reducing weight. This fishing reel has state of the art fine-tuning that is a reliable centrifugal magnetic brake system, giving it superior casting from its competitors. Currently, the weight is 7.4 ounces with a gear ratio of 6.3:1 and an inch per turn of 28.3 inches. The monoline capacity is 10/125, 12/100, and 15/85. The first number being the pounds and the second number being the yards in the distance. The Braid Line Capacity is 40/125, 50/100, 65/85.
Pros
- Smooth casting
- Affordable costs
- Drag is smooth
- Low profile reel
Cons
- Breaking system can be complex
- Spool can be limited on its speed
Our Take
Overall, we love the flexibility and durability of the KastKing Spartacus Baitcasting fishing reel. With the low gear ratio and its low profile build, you can use larger moving baits such as swimbaits, small glide baits, chatter baits, and big spinnerbaits. Compared to the KastKing’s WhiteMax, which has a ratio of 5.3:1, it is excellent for deep diving crankbaits, but a little too slow for bigger moving baits.
For individuals who have larger sized hands, taller fishing reels can tire your wrist out just from gripping the reel for an extended amount of time. This KastKing Spartacus feels exceptionally comfortable to palm and would be an excellent choice to fish with comfort, whether you have big or small hands. Lastly, we love the 17.6 lbs of drag that it has, so it has all the tools to go big game hunting.
KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
The KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax low profile baitcasting fishing reel is an excellent best value and affordable fishing reel used for both beginners to experienced level anglers. The profile design enables the reel to be super silent and high speed with a 7.0:1 line retrieve. This tool offers a precision cut brass gear structure and carbon fiber drag system that can carry 17.5 lbs of drag resistance to catch big fish. Inside the reel, there is an 11+1 shielded maximum corrosion resistance ball bearing to improve casting smoothness and retrieval. The weight of the reel is 7.7 ounces.
Pros
- Smooth build and casting
- Optimal and fast retrieval
- Reliable controls and pinpoint accuracy
- Affordable reel
Cons
- Sometimes have to manipulate spool while the handle is turning
- Comes with little to no grease system
Our Take
One aspect we love about this KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax low profile baitcasting fishing reel is how incredibly durable this product is. We were able to throw 3-5 ounces of fish bait all day and not a single bird nest or backlash. This reel is slightly heavier and larger than other baitcasting reels in the market, such as the Abu Blackmax making it more sturdy. The cast is incredibly smooth, with no hitches while fishing. Also, the drag stoppage power is fantastic, and I’m able to reel in 15+ pounds of catfish with accuracy.
With this reel, it does take some practice to get the hang of the setup and casting pinpoint aspect. You will need to fine-tune and adjust the spool resistance to get reliable results. We love that the drag and retrieve controls and metal and that the handle is cushioned and grips well.
