jcolo4sho Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Lexa's are horrible, get a Curado 300DSV or an Abu Big Shooter Magic Man CP, Jerrystowing and BigSlant 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Lexas are decent reels. But you really have to do some bearing swaps and upgrades. New ceramics and adding one under the spool tension cap and to the level wind make them pretty nice. Magic Man CP and trav 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Man CP Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Lexas are decent reels. But you really have to do some bearing swaps and upgrades. New ceramics and adding one under the spool tension cap and to the level wind make them pretty nice. "And get a dremel, polish all bearing surfaces, install a cetrifugal breaking system".... Wait, why didn't I just get the Curado....? Lol! I do like my Lexa ok, but I can definitely see why I got it for $80 virtually brand new! The old Curado B series from the 90s are still going strong for me too, guess I'm guilty of being too stuck in my ways. But I do have newer cores, calais, calcutta te/dc, , all comes down to personal preference, there's really not a terrible real once you get in that $150 and up price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass Addict Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 I was a big fan of the lexa 300, then I broke 3 in a year, the spool would re engage mid cast, snap crackle pop, I stopped using them. Az_urban_swimbaiter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 +1 on the Abu Big Shooter. BigSlant and jcolo4sho 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerrystowing Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 Abu hands down Dancran, sickboytfc13, Low&Slow and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Wynn Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 +2 on the BigShooter BigSlant 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egoodnow Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 For people who say the big shooter, I can't seem to find it in anything but a 7.1:1 and I was wondering if that might be too fast. It'll be my first swimbait reel and I need it to cover all my basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MA Frog Man Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Depends on what you'll be using it most for. Great for glides and topwater. Slow down a little for everything else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 301 curado is wonderful for cranking, and you could also throw a jig spinnerbait whatever with it. I have not really been able to put it down, because it is fun and easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 "And get a dremel, polish all bearing surfaces, install a cetrifugal breaking system".... Wait, why didn't I just get the Curado....? Lol! I do like my Lexa ok, but I can definitely see why I got it for $80 virtually brand new! The old Curado B series from the 90s are still going strong for me too, guess I'm guilty of being too stuck in my ways. But I do have newer cores, calais, calcutta te/dc, , all comes down to personal preference, there's really not a terrible real once you get in that $150 and up price range. Curado needs bearing too. Actually most reels need bearing and handle upgrades. Curados fails just the same, Dsouth stripped the gears in his Curados deep cranking if I recall corrrectly. lexa is available in a variety of gear ratios, guys use them with alot of success in the salt for calicos and stuff so they def hold up. I never have had an issue with mine but I also dont throw baits over 7ozs on it. For that size i go up to a stronger set up. I use round reels 90 % of the time, but between the lexas and curados, i sold all my curados after fishin em side by side for half a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Man CP Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Like I said,, ALLL the top names produce great products test days, I think most people can buy in confidence to meet their demands. I've been guiding since the 90s and put my old green B series through hell, and even to my amazement they're still going strong, not one bearing replacement, and never even a new drag washer! Now maybe that translates to some that I don't fish them hard, or I baby them. Anyone who's been out with me knows that's not the case... I do however, break all my reels down each year and do just basic maintenance, maybe that's the difference. And I think whatever brand you're working with, the maintenance is key, just like with a firearm or vehicle. But to have reels 20+ years that haven't failed me, with 30# + salmon, numerous striper in the 30#-40# range, , and bass of all sizes month after month in all imaginable conditions, I gotta stick by what's worked for me. I do like round reels such as my calcuttas too, but I've found the low pros easier to cast heavy gear because I can wrap more of y thumb around the spool. And all of these posts are personal opinions, no bashing of products, hopefully guys getting into the sport can collect enough info from all these posts and get pointed in right direction! I've been getting a bunch of PMs, and I'm always happy to share any info I have,, thanks SU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilcatfish Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 For the price, I really like the Tatula HD. Line capacity isn't real high but its a solid reel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcauliffe Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 It's not in the $150 range, but you may get lucky and find one - Abu Revo Beast. Also, hear great things about the Revo Toro Winch Low&Slow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossypumpkin Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 For people who say the big shooter, I can't seem to find it in anything but a 7.1:1 and I was wondering if that might be too fast. It'll be my first swimbait reel and I need it to cover all my basses. IMHO, you LITERALLY cant reel slow enough with a 7.1 to effectively fish a lot of baits. When Im looking for a swimbait reel, my criteria are these and in this order: Comfort/Low pro Low gear ratio High line capacity Price A decent amount of drag Beyond that, there is the obvious things you want in any reel, conventional or swimbait, like smoothness and what not. After fishing a couple higher speed reels, like a curado 300, I will NEVER go back to anything over a 5.4. So, There goes the Citrix, Komodo, Beast, Big shooter I think, and Curado. Then you have the Lew's which are available in a low ratio, but only hold 150 or 12# line. Yes, that's plenty of line. But I fish almost 7 days a week and as much as I retie, Im wasting a lot of line if I have to respool constantly having the smaller spools. Short explanation here.....Low pro reels cuz I HATE the feeling of a round reel. I have girl hands. So there goes anything round. Big drag...not super important but is a plus. Price is big for me. I dont have money for a punker reel, hudd reel, TT reel, glide reel, etc. So a solid all around reel is a plus. After looking at all these criteria it leaves me with the Lexa 300PWR and possibly the Nacl. I have 4 Lexa 5.1's and love them! If I can get my hands on an Nacl I'll pick one up. That low ratio is just huge for me because when I toss hudds and other soft baits it helos you slow down. And 90% of people tossing hudds are fishing to fast. Just my .02 and maybe help some newer guys with finding a good reel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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