It all comes down to one question: How much do you want to spend

I dont know if you'll be able to cast bream lures with any baitcaster (there would be a select few if any I would think), or were you more thinking casting bait? There is one with a 'twitching bar' which would be interesting though, daiwa I think?

--------------

Always interested in someone to go fishing with

baitcasters you could cast a small lure with.
Money is not the object, just after everyone's opinions on favoured baitcasters.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

I have only really used one baitcaster and that is the Abu C3 6500 and i have had it for the last 10 yrs no issues. (just bought another one from a member new used)
Only cost around $150 and a basic and easy to service. Bit tickier to use at night and into strong winds.

I agree #1 you can cast very light lures, unwaited baits with a Baitcaster.

Small lures, sure, but not sure about 3g bream minnows :p. (especially with a slight breeze). Might be some though, but I wouldnt of thought most would like going below say 5g twisties? Happy to be proven wrong of course, but just want to make sure we're thinking of the same thing :p. 

Otoshi, I had a look and I think it was the viento I saw with is about $280, so hopefully better built. Not good to hear about your reel failing, did you take it back to get it looked at?

--------------

Always interested in someone to go fishing with

baitcasters that could cast small bream lures, but I certainly feel there are a few of the new lowprofiles from Shimano and Daiwa would do the job. I have an old Shimano lowprofile that I bought for $50 new that I can flick unweighted pieces of prawn out with and that has nothing on the new reels. Basically you only have to flick a lure 15 to 20 metres maximum for most bream chasing. But that's just my opinion.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

I have the Daiwa with the twiching bar. Its the daiwa megaforce with twitching bar. 7.1 ratio. I have used it for bream fishing with hard body lures and even caught my first Barra on it at the pentacost river earlier this year

So many fishing spots. Not enough sickies!!!!!!!

I have two abu reels.
The 7000 workhorse!
Smaller gold one, 6000 or 6500.
Both great reels and i can cast lures with both.

(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

I have 2 x 7000s and a 6500,use them for everything form baitcasting mulies,lures or bottom bouncing.
Have caught everyting from herring to big spaniards on them.
Mind you I saw a mate demolish a 10.000ca on the jetty here on a big cod?we think it was anyway,spool collapsed blowing both end plates off,still hadn't seen culprit with 50-60 metres of line out.
IMO the best of all the overheads I have used and ATM i HAVE 10[3X ABUs,3 x shimanos,2x penns,1x diawa and a melaluka.

I'm hearing ya Neander. Great spot and some many other spots on the way there that I would love to stay at longer.

So many fishing spots. Not enough sickies!!!!!!!

(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

I have the curado 300dsv and its a bruiser really. Better drag, retrieve and capacity than a calcutta 400 and in the LP size.



I'd expect the new series 100 and 200 sizes are very nice, but I haven't seen them yet.

Pretty good value too.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

i think there is a smaller version of a bluebacker around too Colin ... ive used a few of the high end millionare reels and they would be nice ... unfortunatly they are not super low profile though

I will see what I can find out about that Bluebacker. Sounds good.(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

For casting the "finesse" lures then look at either the Calais DC or the Zillion, both top of the range.

If you want the barrell style baitcaster then yeh the 100BB (bluebacker) would be the one that i would pick for the smaller side of things..

Cheers,
Sam

when im casting for bream,do i have to put my thumb to feather it...as i cant cast futher than 1 m with u new baitcaster...not sure how to use it?need some advice...because most ofthe bream lures are to lightto feather it with my thumb

the more u fish..the less stress u get....

adjust your cast control cobba...

Cheers,
Sam

i have tried but thats the looses it would go before poppig out of place...any ideas?

the more u fish..the less stress u get....

If you are looking to chase bream with lures you should be throwing them near structures. Most of those will be close by, ie, reeds, branches in the water, boat pens, jetty pylons. So you don't need to cast very far. Practice flicking lures at a target about 10 m away in the park. Also make sure you have a balanced outfit and that your rod is not too heavy for the rel size you have.
It is really practice, practice practice.
PS With your cast control it seems like you might be turning it the wrong way.
Your casting style might also have to change. Try casting more like you are swinging a baseball bat.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

cheers colin...tips taken =]
the more u fish..the less stress u get....

Depends what you class as a baitcaster i mean a curado or core yeah sure but what are they when they are in the 700/800 size? 

_________________________________________________________ 

You couln't wipe that grin fom my face even with a hammer.

3g bream minnows in the wind, how often does anyone do that, oh i forgot you guys all live down south of the 26,

whoooooo hahahaha hahah aahaaha ahhhhhhh, hrmmm.. cough!

For all occasions, last you a life time, well almost

got a calcutta 700 from a member on here, havnt had the oppertunity to use it :( expept for one landbased night Felt like an absolute beast! 

_________________________________________________________ 

You couln't wipe that grin fom my face even with a hammer.

Zillionaire is good, but I actually prefered my old chronarch strange though it may sound. COl - I have a heap of baitcasters.

Millionaire z 203 and 253
Zillionaie 100
A couple of chronarchs
A couple of old calcutta 200 and 400's

YOu are welcome to come around and check them out, have a cast and see which you prefer.

It is my favourite type of reel and I think I am pretty knowledgeable about what each type is good for, give us a yell if you want. Love being up a creek, flicking lures for Jacks - all time favourite fishing style

I use a penn 975csld for heavier stuff and they are great, also the calcuttas, luna's, bluebackers/blacksheep. would all be fine.

on the lighter side, the zillionaires are a great reel.

Best Ive owned by far has been my original ABU 2500c Col.

Getting old now but it has been perfect. ABU recently rereleased them too so thinking of getting a new one to go with the original.

These things cast so well people used to use them in casting comps.

** Rockingham Offshore Fishing Club **

Thats the one. Still going strong too.

** Rockingham Offshore Fishing Club **

Took the big leap and splashed out on one last month. Super smooth, casts like a dream, worth the big money, have caught some snapper up to 57 cm and some salmon trout on it. Still haven't found the right rod for it so haven't really seen what it's capable of but highly recommend it to anyone interested in "round" baitcasters.

Also a word about Abu...my 5600 C4 wouldn't go back into gear after casting so I took it into the shop (it's 2 and a half years old) and apparently that particular model has been discontinued so they gave me a brand new one. Very happy with that, and as said before the Ambassadeurs are tremendous value for money!

If you find a swedish made abu then grab it, the chinese ones are no where near the quality of the old swedish made ones...

but i don't like your chances of finding one...

Cheers,
Sam

I know where you can get some Abu 7000 (made in sweden) NIB for about $250.

cant remember for sure if its was a lefty or righty. anyone intrested, feel free to PM me.

Otoshi.....a 7000 would be a righty.....7001 would be a lefty.

Ive only got baitcasters and both are my fav coz they're Daiwa's

Millionaire Blacksheep 250
Millionaire CV-X 253

* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference * 

Manager/Tackle Rat @ "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682

pesronaly I have a few bait casters,

Abu and Diawa are the brand leaders, but don't right off the Shimano, Penn and even the little Shina ones are good value for money.

As for light gear, best value for money is the Shina reels, good drag and not bad magnetic back-lash casting systems. Abu smaller ones like the Abu 6500 C3 & Abu 4600C4 ( I have both of them) are great little reals fro everything from skippy to bream and even small snapper. Barra can test them!!! and under $150~$200 they good value, just not bling-bling...lol

non of the Diawa models are "bad", they all good and they limited by the depth of your pockets... ;-) saying that the Diawa Sol is a dam fine reel, with 6kg drag can haul out even big fish!!!

Shimano Corvalus 200. at around the $100 mark is a bargin, but not as tuff as the Abu in my view.

Shina reels are sometimes branded as MARADO Evolution baitcasting reels, but still the same reel. loads of people turn there noses up at them, cause they made in China, but mate, my two are four years old and still going strong!

bigger biatcasters for fish over 4kg etc... then you can look no further than the Shimano Calcutta 200B and Shimano Calcutta 700B and the Diawa Sol ( best for Barra) and for top end fishing.

All still need to get out of those above is the Sol and thats a luxury actauly, as the bases are covered by all the others.

cheers
Tony

Full-time piscatorial-idiot, in The Vines. "It is always in season for old men to learn." Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek poet.
Supporter of Meals on Reels & The Wally Weight

Colin i have shit loads of baitcasters mate heres my opinion and what i use for each type of fishing.

Fplueger summit, iloaded with 6lb braid deal for small bream lures when matched to the right rod. I can cast 3 to 5gms with ease on this reel. 7:1:1 ratio means its ultra fast retreive which is also great for working small to large metals fast. Very nice reel.

Daiwa bluebacker 300 loaded with 30lb braid, awsome reel with 10kg drag pressure and balls not matched by any other reel the same on the market. oversized grips and very light. i use this mainly for jigging, rubber rubbers and drift baiting. once again awsome.

calcutta 250 dc, another pleasure to use and with the digital cast control its great for punching light lures into a breeze. i mainly use thie for trout, redies etc and any windy days. this also doubles as my main barra reel and has landed 1m fish no probs, very versatile reel.

daiwa millionaire cv-x 253. great alround reel for most aplications but i use this one for light trolling and its spooled withmono for a bit of fun on smaller fish but capable of alot bigger ones as well.

For budget goers the old abu 5600c4 are awsome, penn inters are sweet and so are the basic calcuttas and dawia lunas there are all worth buying.

sorry to dripple shit but ive brought heaps over the past few years and are finally happy with the 10 or so i own the above mensioned are my fav's and have never let me down yet.

 cheers spess.

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

*PROUD FISHWRECKED MEMBER*

Tony

I dont know how you can rate abu above shimano for baitcasters mate

daiwa may be on par but the cte range of calcuttas and the dc, even the B range are probably the best for what i do. Millionares are good too its just because i am a shimano man (holden v ford arguement about which ones better)

But i dont agree that abu are the market leaders, more like the cheaper alternative, i can comment becausae i have a cheaper alternative abu 5600c4 becauase i like the ratchit for livebaiting. I only have it because i couldnt afford a calcutta 400, not because it is better

True point brad i agree. They DO NOT COMPARE and are in a league of there own. This is one reel i WOULD NOT recommend to a newbie starting out but in saying that i have them and love them but they dont compare to even the proberly most brought baitcaster on the market the calcutta 400 and 200B.

PS Colin the dc is covered by 10 years warrenty remember which helps if your concerned. The trinny dc is great off the beach etc but not the calcutta as much. better to leave th calcutta dc to inshore, creek and lake work IMO. 

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

*PROUD FISHWRECKED MEMBER*

(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

The round baitcasters also work quite well as driftbaiters. My calcutta/t-curve is probably my most used combo offshore, despite my bottom bouncing (/jigging) gear costing a bit more :p 

--------------

Always interested in someone to go fishing with

for me its about comfort.

as they say if you write right handed then you should hold the rod in your right hand use your left hand to wind/reel. your right arm is generally stronger than your left.

from memery only one brand does left hand wind in multiple reel tpyes; diawa

 dont see the logic in casting with your right hand and then transferring the rod into your left before you can commence to wind....

makes it simple for me to choose

There are a number of brands that do left hand wind baitcasters. Daiwa, Shimano (very limited), Penn (even more limited), Abu (more than you think), Banax and Okuma.

Yes I understand range is very limited. Fortunately Im left handed therefore I can use most reels as I hold and cast the rod with my left arm and wind with my right. Unfortunately I cant write with my left hand, unless you can read jibberish.

* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference * 

Manager/Tackle Rat @ "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682

agreeded,

hopefully this limitation will change with time....

still am perplexed by number of right handed people who wind there threadline reel with their right hand...... all mine are left hand wind......no wonder any deckie on my boat brings there own reels..... probably for the best though

Cant you just change them with threadlines?
_________________________________________________________ 

You couln't wipe that grin fom my face even with a hammer.

yep agree, your right hand is more dexterous...perfect for imparting more action on your lure/softy plus most rods holding the reel have limited lenght below the reel seat so all your power is needed in holding the rod at the reel position.

always personal preference, i just started fishing for trout and by the time you swapped hands/arm the fish was gone. you needed the split second to impart action on the lureto catch the fish when you throw a lure in deep cover.

i prefer my stronger arm when trying to hold my baitcaster rod with a GT on the other end.....

you sure can change them easily on a threadline but the common response is that " it feels uncomfortable"?

diversity makes the world spin round

Here's a list of whats available out there.

Abu 5601/6601 BCX
Abu 4601/5501/6501C3
Abu 5601/6501 C4
Abu Record RCN 51/61/61HC
Abu 7001i
Abu Blackmax L
Abu Revo Toro 51/61
Abu Revo SL
Abu Revo SX-L/STX-L
Daiwa Alphas 103L R-edition
Daiwa Alphas 103L
Daiwa Bay Area 200BB
Daiwa Fuego
Daiwa Liberto Pixy L
Daiwa Luna 103L
Daiwa Luna 203L
Daiwa Luna 253L
Daiwa Luna 300L
Daiwa Millionaire SW203L
Daiwa Steez 103HLA
Daiwa TD Advantage 153HSTLA
Team Daiwa Tierra 153HL
Daiwa Team Daiwa SOL
Daiwa Viento Left hand Wind
Shimano Calais 201DC
Shimano Calcutta 101B
Shimano Calcutta 201B
Shimano Calcutta TE 201DC
Shimano Chronarch 101BSV
Shimano Chronarch 51mg
Shimano Corvalus 301/ 401
Shimano Curado CU201E7
Shimano Curado CU201E7
Banax Starion 400L
Banax Sounion 304L/304WL

* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference * 

Manager/Tackle Rat @ "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682

(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

They're a mix of round and low profiles.

* Oceanside- Advice, Knowledge, Experience....that's our difference * 

Manager/Tackle Rat @ "Oceanside Tackle & Marine"
364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth Ph# 9337 5682

Forget bream fishing with a baitcaster unless you want to pay upwards of $500 for a Steez, it's just not worth the hassle trying to chuck tiny lures with one.

For Barra and Murray Cod fishing where you're using heavy weights the best one I've owned was a Team Daiwa Big Bait Special but it is a magnesium body reel not really suited to salt applications, however was my first choice every time I wanted to use one.

The Viento is crap, the Sol was nice, the Alphas was awesome but the Steez and BBS were miles in front when pulling big fish from snags, BTW I owned all of these at some stage in my search for the perfect reel.

The Shimano range of baitcasters dont even come close when it comes to light weight casting, I know this from first hand experience, and for the best of light and heavy your going to have to comprimise and get a Steez or a Pixy.

Stick to spin gear for ultra light is my conclusion.

Al.

My "light" baitcaster is a Penn Generation V50 with 2lb mono (sporting ) which I generally use for trout and bream - haven't had any issues with it, nice little reel. I also find it 100x easier to troll with a baitcaster for trout than an eggbeater so it wins in that regard also.

My mid sized baitcaster is a Daiwa Luna 300 running 30lb braid. I drift bait and bottom bash up to 50m with it mainly but have also cast for salmon with it. I ended up choosing this over a Calcutta on advice as the level wind eyelet is metal and not plastic. Has performed beautifully.

Next on the wish list is a Penn International 975LD. Oh, and more consistent casting ability with baitcasters!

I picked up a new Daiwa TD Viento from the Tackle Shack. It looks and feels pretty slick and was a great price. Can't wait until the bream reach my favourite spot in the river and to try it out with some soft plastics at Hillarys.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

Give me a burl colin and ill join ya, the twriching bar on those are sweet for working squid jigs. Bet you didnt think of that one hey? lol.



Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!



*PROUD OWNER OF 'SPESSial needs'*

Reviews I have read suggest the twitching bar is great for small softplastic fish and worms. I am keen to try your trick with a crab on a jig head - that should be some fun.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)

Yeah been having some good luck of late doing that. You should be able to work them across the bottom pretty sweet without it lifting off the bottom too much. Ive had some thumping runs in the marina of late doing this but to no avail im getting bustoffs. Great fun though. Not fun catching the fresh crabs though.......bluddy hard work!lol.



Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!



*PROUD OWNER OF 'SPESSial needs'*

what you mean about chasing them crabs - itcan get pretty frustrating.
(Colin 1 - Co-founding member of the prestigious Colin Club)