# Baitcaster



## Mrfish989 (Dec 6, 2020)

I am looking to purchase my first bait caster and how do I know if I want right or left hand retrieve. Looking to spent about $100. On a reel. 

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## Old Whaler (Sep 11, 2010)

Go someplace that has both on display. Even mounted on the little make-believe rod handles one will feel much more natural to you than the other, I promise. 

FWIW, I'm right handed, I cast right handed, and I crank right handed. YMMV. Good luck, you're gonna love it once you get used to it.


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## bowhunter426 (Oct 20, 2010)

I have always bought right handed bait cast reel. Cast with the right arm, switch over to the left and reel with the right hand. This year I bought left hand reel so I can cast with the right and start reeling with the left loosing the switch. Honestly am in different to either method after a few outings. 

For reels in your budget Abu Garcia Revo 4x


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## Mrfish989 (Dec 6, 2020)

I was looking at the Revo. Or the Lew's lfs


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## YAKFish#1 (Aug 14, 2018)

I’m a 54 YO left handed guy who learned to live in a right handed world…back then, spin cast didn’t have movable reel handles so I learned to reel with my right hand…as I’ve gotten older I find it much easier to cast with my left hand and immediately begin to reel with my right…it’s become very convenient…oh, I golf right handed too…my dad only had right handed clubs😂


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## Bucket-Back (Feb 8, 2004)

I'm right handed, I shoot and cast right handed, and retrieve my line twisters and baitcasters with my left hand.


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## Holzer (Oct 20, 2012)

I own several $100 abu Revos. Nice reel no problems. Bought a $200 daiwa tatula. Cant tell the difference.

My abu line counters are preferable to my daiwa and okumas.

I'm right handed. Half my baitcasters are RH and half are LH. I wish I could go back in time and buy all LH.


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## Bucket-Back (Feb 8, 2004)

I have a 20 year old LH Abu Garcia Ambassadeur , I gave up a RH Calcutta for it


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## VanderLaan (Dec 30, 2010)

Cast RH and reel RH. Good advice to go to the store and try them. I have Revos, Tatulas, Lexas, BPS and Ambassadeurs. The type of reel/specs really depends on what you are going to use to it for. I would avoid the lower-end BPS reels ($60-75), as they don't last more than a season, two if you are lucky.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

Daiwa Fuego CT. The Revos are nice, but they aren't Daiwa nice. Both are within the same price range. For what it's worth, the Fuego CT is the same reel as the Tatula CT, minus the T-wing line guide, a couple of bearings in the handle knobs, and $50 cheaper. You can find a Fuego CT for ~$80 if you look around. The Magforce brake used in the Fuego is used throughout most of the Daiwa product line, from the budget oriented Fuego CT to the Steez, Zillion, Millionaire, and Ryoga. It's a progressive brake which gives more braking power the harder you cast, and less the lighter you cast. The Magtrax found on the Revo is a linear brake, providing the same braking power regardless since the magnets sit a fixed distance from the spool.

As far as retrieving goes, use whatever feels most comfortable. I prefer to reel with the hand I can crank fastest and have the finest motor skills. I cast right and reel right.


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## Bucket-Back (Feb 8, 2004)

I can throw left handed also, just better right handed.


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## Mrfish989 (Dec 6, 2020)

Was just at Cabela's. And the left hand retrieve seems to be the most comfortable for me. And of course nothing in stock. Left hand real. That place is a reel joke lol. The combos that they had seemed way over priced. And the combos that seemed more reasonable priced had cheap plastic reels. 

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## mjh4 (Feb 2, 2018)

YAKFish#1 said:


> I’m a 54 YO left handed guy who learned to live in a right handed world…back then, spin cast didn’t have movable reel handles so I learned to reel with my right hand…as I’ve gotten older I find it much easier to cast with my left hand and immediately begin to reel with my right…it’s become very convenient…oh, I golf right handed too…my dad only had right handed clubs


Same here I am left handed and cast with my left and reel with my right hand (bait casters). I have also bowhunted my whole life shooting right handed bows yet I shoot all guns left handed. Us leftys are always improvising! Lol


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

Make friends with someone on here who owns some righty reels and invite him fishing with you. Then do the same with someone with a lefty reel.


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## 98885 (Jan 18, 2015)

I'm right handed predominantly but cast a spinning rod right handed and reel with my left. Bait casters I cast with my right, switch hands and reel with my right. What gives ? Not sure why that's been my habit but last year I changed up and bought a lefty bait caster. Cast right handed and reel with left. Took about a day to get use to it but I really like the change. I bought a Lew's Mach Crush combo. Live it. Great rod and reel combo. Under 200.00. Wound up picking up a couple more this spring.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

johnIV said:


> Not sure why that's been my habit but last year I changed up and bought a lefty bait caster.


Right hand retrieve baitcast reels were about all one could get for a very long time. It wasn't until around 20 years ago when manufacturers increasingly offered more left hand models. Some models have been offered in left hand since the later 70s, but there aren't many out there due to lack of demand at the time. As a result, those older classic left hand reels can fetch substantially more than their right hand counterparts.


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## 6thMichCav (Nov 8, 2007)

Mrfish989 said:


> I am looking to purchase my first bait caster and how do I know if I want right or left hand retrieve. Looking to spent about $100. On a reel.
> 
> Sent from my moto e6 using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


I can second the recommendation of a Daiwa Fuego. It replaced the Laguna in the mid-priced starter reels, and absolutely out-performs its price point.

Another option is to pick up two cheap Chinese reels on Amazon (RH/LH) and see what you like better. Piscifun, KastKing, and RUNCL all make sub-$50 reels that are pretty smooth out of the box—it’s the lifetime wear that is still unproven. 

I get old Abu mags and ultra mags off eBay, clean them up; polish the spool ends lightly, add light oil and go. Although I play around with newer reels, I’m not really a plastic gear guy.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

6thMichCav said:


> Although I play around with newer reels, I’m not


The old reels have plastic gearing in them too, usually the idler gear that drives the level wind. It's a safety feature. If you get your finger pinched in the line guide, teeth will break off that idler gear to save your finger. If the gear was metal, then that could cause bigger problems.


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## 6thMichCav (Nov 8, 2007)

tincanary said:


> The old reels have plastic gearing in them too, usually the idler gear that drives the level wind. It's a safety feature. If you get your finger pinched in the line guide, teeth will break off that idler gear to save your finger. If the gear was metal, then that could cause bigger problems.


Yup; safety or not, I’m still disappointed when I see that plastic idler gear inside, especially if it has teeth chewed off and the level wind no longer works.


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## frenchriver1 (Jul 5, 2005)

My son just started using a LH reel after 39 years and found it to be to his liking with no transitional issues. Calcutta.....


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## mrt6893 (Nov 3, 2015)

the shimano slx is a really easy reel to cast and the daiwa CA80 is also pretty good


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

mrt6893 said:


> the shimano slx is a really easy reel to cast and the daiwa CA80 is also pretty good


While the CA80 is a nice reel, it's kind of an oddball in the Daiwa product line. It's almost the price of the Fuego CT, which is a much better reel overall. The Fuego can be had for under $100 if you look around, often times a good amount cheaper. I wanna say I paid $80 for mine. The Fuego CT is essentially a Tatula CT without the T-wing aperture, other than that, they are identical. The Magforce braking system found in the Fuego is much better than the linear mag brake found in the CA80 since it only applies braking when the spool is spinning fast, when you are most likely to backlash. The linear mag brakes, like those found in the CA80, Lews, Abu, Pflueger, and BPS/Cabela's branded reels apply braking at all times which can sacrifice distance. Not all is lost with a linear brake, they are better for techniques focused on short range pitching where spool control is paramount.


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## mrt6893 (Nov 3, 2015)

tincanary said:


> While the CA80 is a nice reel, it's kind of an oddball in the Daiwa product line. It's almost the price of the Fuego CT, which is a much better reel overall. The Fuego can be had for under $100 if you look around, often times a good amount cheaper. I wanna say I paid $80 for mine. The Fuego CT is essentially a Tatula CT without the T-wing aperture, other than that, they are identical. The Magforce braking system found in the Fuego is much better than the linear mag brake found in the CA80 since it only applies braking when the spool is spinning fast, when you are most likely to backlash. The linear mag brakes, like those found in the CA80, Lews, Abu, Pflueger, and BPS/Cabela's branded reels apply braking at all times which can sacrifice distance. Not all is lost with a linear brake, they are better for techniques focused on short range pitching where spool control is paramount.



with the ca80 i got it for 63 bucks and it has that in between ration of 6.8 to work so works good for square bills and deep divers and it also matches the daiwa rebellion rod that i have for crankbaits


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## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Buy a left handed reel and try it, if it doesn't feel good just flip it over and use it right handed!! Lmao


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## Mrfish989 (Dec 6, 2020)

Pulled the trigger and bought a lews custom XP combo. Seem to be alright made a few in the yard soon good find out the reel test tomorrow afternoon thanks for all the help 


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## frenchriver1 (Jul 5, 2005)

Mr Burgundy said:


> Buy a left handed reel and try it, if it doesn't feel good just flip it over and use it right handed!! Lmao


My son casually mentioned last year that he would prefer a left hand reel while fishing Caribou Lake and this summer in Cedarville he had to issues whatsoever using the one I bought for him. To him it made more sense to not have to change hands after casting.


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