The Best Baitcast Reel Under $100

We covered some of the most expensive and attractive reels available on the market today in our recent feature article Dream Reels, but what is the best cheap reel? I’ve used a handful of baitcasters over the years, all in the $140 – $250 price range. To the average fisherman, any reel (or combo for that matter) over $100 is too much. I work with a couple of guys who loved fishing when they were young, but haven’t fished in years. My constant bragging talk about fishing has got them both interested in fishing once again. My buddy Adrian, who has joined me fishing at Albro Lake a few times, didn’t waste anytime getting a new rod and reel. We took a trip over to Canadian Tire and managed to find one of their “expensive” spinning combos on sale at half off the normal price of $79.99.

My other friend Dominic already has a cheap spinning combo, but after I showed him a few of my reels he has decided to purchase a baitcaster. This is a problem here in Nova Scotia, there is very little selection because most fishermen here target trout, and trout fishermen don’t use baitcasters, which of course means most stored don’t carry any. I’ve been on a mission to find him a good deal on a solid baitcaster, but its hard to find a great reel for a good price. There are a few deals to be had on Ebay with used reels, but you never know how well they will really work. I have a trip to August, Georgia next month and will be pretty close to Bass Pro Shops so I told him I can pick him up a reel while I’m there.

After browsing their site I was amazed at the price of some of their reels, baitcasters for as cheap as $25.99! I’m a firm believer that you get what you pay for, so reel that cheap has got to be too good to be true. I did however find a bunch of reels between $59 and $89 that get great reviews. I may have to return with two reels and add one to my collection! Here are the four reels I’ve narrowed it down to:

From left to right – Quantum Code ($79.99), Quantum Kevin Van Dam ($79.99), Pflueger Cetina ($89.95), Daiwa Megaforce ($59.95)

I’m leaning toward the Daiwa (and pairing it with a Lightning Rod), but figured I’d ask you guys what you favorite baitcast reel under $100 is. Are there any cheap reliable reels out there I need to know about?

15 Comments
April 21, 2008 by Clive Mathias

Filed Under: Albro Lake, Fishing, Gear, Reviews, United States
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15 Comments on “The Best Baitcast Reel Under $100...”

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  • avatar szomo
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    I picked up the kvd , I have noticed somethings with it like the engaging mechanism can sometimes seem flaky . BUT , overall the reel offers some great features for the price , including the long lost flipping switch. The code doesnt have the flipping switch.

    One major problem with all these reels less the daiwa is they are not available in left hand retrieve ATM.

    Fleugers are some of the smoothest reels i have ever owned , but you might want to check the daiwa they sell exclusive at bass pro , comes in left and it doesnt have that annoying twiching feature which to be really honest is a fallen gimmick..

    another good post !! looks like you guys are gearing up

  • avatar szomo
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    One more thing i notced , the bass pro shops extreme baitcaster comes in many different versions , but its SOLID and i regrete not purchasing one earlier … they are green , take a look , i beleive they are also under $100 i think

  • avatar Clive Mathias
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    I noticed shortly after this post that the Daiwa is the only one they have in left handed. All of the BPS and Cabelas name brands are only right handed for some reason.

    I’ve always wanted to try out the twitch bar, is it really that bad?

  • avatar szomo
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    im almost certain the 1 diawa its grey and its like a procaster model but modified should come in left for under $100 , for sure the rest are like 200 – upto 500 for the steez and come in left

    The twitch bar is a good idea !! but the problem lies with the actual amount of rotation that occurs , they may have come a ways with this , but i do remember the first one that had it got some mixed opinions on the twitch bar .

    Still a good reel no matter what.

    heres the daiwa i was talking about , guess i made a mistake about the cost , its a little over a $100 , about $119 :S

    http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_97966_100001001_100000000_100001000_100-1-1

    heres the bass pro extreme reel , which i would typically not suggest , cause i dont like the bass pro brands a whole .. this reel however is a steal at the price and comes in all shapes and sizes … this baby is actually made by daiwa anyways , under the label that is…

    http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_90338?cmCat=CROSSSELL&cmid=PP_P1_1

  • avatar Jonathon Marshall
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    Given how little we use jigs and slow bottom style baits is the twitch bar really a selling point?

    Personally I think the quantum code looks pretty damn sweet. & Im definitely sold on the 7.0:1 burner gear ratio, but if it doesn’t come in a left hand crank then theres no point in me buying one.

  • avatar Clive Mathias
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    I’ve been using jigs here in Nova Scotia – the fishing here is much differnt then what we did in Ontario. I think that twitch bar could come in handy – and being the only lefty of the bunch it will have to do!

  • avatar JonnyButts
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    I’m interested to hear what you think of the twitching bar. I’ve been thinking of picking up one for the pickeraleyes up here but thought it was probably more of a gimic then anything else.

    Have fun on that trip Clive, hope ya get a chance to wet a line.

  • avatar JonnyButts
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    One more thing. I’d look at pairing it with a St Croix. I like the lightning rods but the St Croix is more sensitive and has a lighter feel. You can get into the Triumph series of rods for the same price as a Berkley.

  • avatar Clive Mathias
    3 years, 9 months ago #

    Yeah I was thinking about that. There are three rods in the same price range, i’ll have to ahve a look at each one once I’m there. Visually I think the Lightning Rod looks best with the reel.

  • avatar Kevin Brown
    3 years, 4 months ago #

    The price is right for all these reels,but which one would be the best bet for catching Northern Pike,which one has the best drag system??

  • avatar Clive Mathias
    3 years, 4 months ago #

    I’ve been using the Daiwa Megaforce since spring, and its been a solid reel. No pike, but I did get a nice little striped bass and the drag held up great.

  • avatar ricky92
    2 years, 10 months ago #

    i have a lightning rod and a pfluegar centina pair up and it works great, ive caught crappie on it and a 4 ft snake head(if you ever caught a snake head then you know the drag held up preety well) i love the centina i would deffinitly reccomend it to anyone

  • avatar Bob Hope
    2 years, 7 months ago #

    I love the Abu Garcia Black Max. Got it for around 52$. You make it sound like your friend is a begginer baitcaster and the Black Max is a slow reel which means there will be very little backlashes.

  • avatar Baitcasting Reels
    1 year ago #

    Desiring to become more capable with the baitcasting reel forced me to collect a list of tips and tricks that have all come in useful in stopping backlash, and getting more distance and accurateness.

  • avatar kirk
    10 months, 2 weeks ago #

    Get a Garcia 4600 C3 from academy for $74.99 It will last you the rest of your life it’s so tuff. Plus many brands stop making parts for their reels after a few years. You can still buy parts for a 40 year old Garcia reel. There is not a better more durable reel on earth in this price range and it will way outlast others that cost MUCH, MUCH more $$$ My dad left me his Garcia 5000 when he died 17 years ago and the reel was 20 years old then. Still works good as new and 37 years old. Most other reels would have been in the trash heep long before this. Fishermen all over the world have the same story as mine about these reels lasting forever. Garcia low profile reels are a different story. Many other competitors can equal or beat them in quality for a cheaper price.

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