Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 28

Thread: Baitcasters!!!!!!

  1. #1
    I'm back!!! Sportsman296's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Maumee OH
    Posts
    27

    Question Baitcasters!!!!!!

    So i was looking online for a cheap baitcaster for my friends and team-mates on my bass team to use because they like to throw around my 200$+ Lew's, and Abu Garcia's. So i came acrossed the Shakespeare Alpha for 15$ on ebay new, and i know it won't be as great as my high-end reel's but is it even worth the 15$ just for a throw around, also it still has to work as a good reel not just a rag doll.hehee

    Has anyone used or have a shakespeare Alpha low profile baitcaster?

    Thanks,

    Ethan
    Ethan,
    I'm back!!





  2. #2
    Super-duper Moderator Sarge47's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    The People's Republic of Illinois
    Posts
    9,449
    Blog Entries
    32

    Cool What?!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sportsman296 View Post
    So i was looking online for a cheap baitcaster for my friends and team-mates on my bass team to use because they like to throw around my 200$+ Lew's, and Abu Garcia's. So i came acrossed the Shakespeare Alpha for 15$ on ebay new, and i know it won't be as great as my high-end reel's but is it even worth the 15$ just for a throw around, also it still has to work as a good reel not just a rag doll.hehee

    Has anyone used or have a shakespeare Alpha low profile baitcaster?

    Thanks,

    Ethan
    A paltry 200 bucks? Ya gotta be kdding me! Here's what I want for Christmas(NOTE: NOT a "baitcaster:

    http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=8A5A

    SARGE
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
    Albert Einstein

    Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!

    They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    Benjamin Franklin

  3. #3
    I'm back!!! Sportsman296's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Maumee OH
    Posts
    27

    Default

    Nice That would be a good gift. I do spend alot more on my fly outfit than my bass fishing outfits (Baitcasters.etc) though, $500+ I love orvis.
    Ethan,
    I'm back!!




  4. #4
    Senior Member Highhawk1948's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Flatwoods and Swamps of Florida
    Posts
    282

    Default

    I don't allow a sheakspear on my boat. Bad juju. Friend use to use a couple of them, nothing but trouble. But...just my opinion.
    Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth.

  5. #5
    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    KY bluegrass region-the center of the universe
    Posts
    10,360

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sarge47 View Post
    A paltry 200 bucks? Ya gotta be kdding me! Here's what I want for Christmas(NOTE: NOT a "baitcaster:

    http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=8A5A

    He!! Sarge the Jeep I drive to the lake and the boat I drag behind it ain't worth $1,300 !!!!
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

  6. #6
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    North Florida
    Posts
    44,846

    Default

    When I was 14 as is our OP, I fished with whatever Dad had in the basement. I was lucky to have any gear at all and honestly didn't care what brand it was. A lot of the time it was a stick with some fishing line tied to it. The fish didn't seem to mind.
    Can't Means Won't

    My Youtube Channel

  7. #7
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    58,832

    Default

    Yep. Cane poles for me. I don't think I saw $200 until I was probably 15....maybe 16. My first car didn't cost that much.
    Tracks Across the High Plains...Death on the Bombay Line...A Touch of Death and Mayhem...Dead Rock...The Griswald Mine Boys...All On Amazon Books.

  8. #8
    Super-duper Moderator Sarge47's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    The People's Republic of Illinois
    Posts
    9,449
    Blog Entries
    32

    Cool What?!

    Quote Originally Posted by Rick View Post
    Yep. Cane poles for me. I don't think I saw $200 until I was probably 15....maybe 16. My first car didn't cost that much.
    They had cars when you were a teenager? Really? I don't believe it! ..................
    SARGE
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
    Albert Einstein

    Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!

    They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    Benjamin Franklin

  9. #9
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    North Florida
    Posts
    44,846

    Default

    Sure they did Sarge.

    Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
    Can't Means Won't

    My Youtube Channel

  10. #10

    Default

    Most of the shakespeare reels are junk. I have an underslung spinner I like but it's a constant struggle to keep it functioning, mostly cuz they rust. Real quick.
    When I was 14 I think I still only had the 5 foot Zebco all in one push button. I had that thing far too long but like crash said, the fish don't care.
    Now I use a $75 Shimano baitcaster for the lake and a $160 Shimano baitcaster for surf casting. The spinner just rides around in the truck on a take-down rod during the summer in case a fishing opportunity presents itself.
    Last edited by LowKey; 02-23-2013 at 09:08 PM.

  11. #11

    Default

    I bought a Shakespeare Alpha spinner /Ugly Stick combo for surf fishing a few years back and while I admit it's junk, I wasnt paying a lot for 3-4 trips to the beach per year.
    I have Mitchell and Zebco rigs for fresh water fishing which I do almost every week till the seasons end.
    Wilderness Survival:
    Surviving a temporary situation where you're lost in the wilderness

  12. #12
    Super-duper Moderator Sarge47's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    The People's Republic of Illinois
    Posts
    9,449
    Blog Entries
    32

    Cool Well, since you asked...

    For bait casting it's Zebco all the way. For Fly Fishing I have several rod & reels that I've bought over the years. My favorite is the Lefty Kregh 9' 5wt. that I bought from Cabela's on sale with Free shipping for $150 bucks, I think that includes tax as well. I have an 8.5' 9wt. Shakespeare fly rod that I bought at a Yard Sale for five bucks, but the Orvis reel and fly line ran me about another $90. To be honest, I do a lot more fly fishing than bait casting......
    SARGE
    "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
    Albert Einstein

    Proud father of a US Marine....SEMPER FI!

    They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
    Benjamin Franklin

  13. #13
    Resident Wildman Wildthang's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3,825

    Default

    Thos open bait caster always birds nest on me, so I just use the closed face reels!

  14. #14
    birdman6660 birdman6660's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    NORTHERN ONTARIO CANADA
    Posts
    216

    Default

    i USE ALL MY OLD pHLEUGER level wind reels .. used em since 1958 .. still catch fish ...too old for a switch up ( or too stubborn)
    THE PROSPECTOR ! !

  15. #15

    Default

    My first baitcaster was given to me by my brother-in-law in the late 1980's. It was a Daiwa Black Widow. I couldn't cast a baitcaster for shift. Everyone else we fished with prefered them and they would tell me to switch from my Shimano spinning gear to a baitcaster. I would try theirs and walk away while they tried fruitlessly to untangle the birdsnest that I put in their reel. Knowing that I could fish for a while in peace while they worked on their rig. LOL

    I was fishing with that same Black Widow last weekend.

    I was really trying to get the hang of that Black widow by casting in the yard and not doing well at all. Then some guy stopped right in the middle of the road and said he knew what my problem was and showed me how to use my wrist. An hour later I was a baitcasting fool.

    My brother-in-law fished a Team Daiwa combo which was a nice combo kinda high end for me. He was given a new one as a gift from his uncle. He gave me his old one and I was a Team Daiwa fan. Though I ran Berkley Lightning Sticks in combo with the reel. after awhile I broke the case on the reel somehow and when you set teh hook the case would open up and allow the spool to spin to loosely on the drag to get a good set. I couldn't find anymore Team Diawa reels. I had always bought up good deals and we all had many rods and reels. I fished Shimano Coriolis and Citica. I currently fish A Shimano Curado CU2000 though that needs to be rebuilt.

    I use an Abu Garcia Ambassador 5000 on 8 1/2' custom rod that my brother Sean won in a local bass tournament. Both of which he gave me.

    The current issue of Outdoor Life (March) has the 2013 tackle test. it is also their survival issue.

  16. #16
    Mad Scientist Mozartghost1791's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    A Secret Lab in a Secret Location
    Posts
    65

    Default

    I don't even pay attention to the brand of my fishing gear.... Usually it's cause the alternative is a stick with a rock for a sinker, an old hook and some old untangled line. LOL! But I figure if my reel reels, and it's not one of those stupid 'push button' reels that winds itself up every cast, then it works fine for me. I catch plenty of fish.
    "Sometimes the best spear is the one you don't throw."
    -Johnny Whitefeather, Self-Proclaimed Native American

    "Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!"
    -What you can usually hear when I try to demonstrate the above quote.

  17. #17

    Default

    Ive got a $25 open face Shakespear I use regularly and have no issues with it.

    Im sure a $200 reel would be slick as snot on a doorknob, but... Im not into slick reels or paying too much for the basics.


    I think the lure is way more important than the reel that is bringing it in...

    EB

  18. #18

    Default

    You can catch fish with a willow stick and a primitive line. You don't need a good reel and rod combination to catch fish. If you want to enjoy catching fish you don't need the high end stuff either. But, if you want to hook up on the lunkers then a good reel and rod make a whole world of difference. I can put food on the table with a willow rod and a grub.

    He said bass team and that's either fishing local tourneys or a lunker club. Lest I read that wrong. He is looking on more hook ups. The next thing is good line...

    I haven't fish a tourney since Fenwick Lunker Line was made. The god of all mono!

  19. #19
    I'm back!!! Sportsman296's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Maumee OH
    Posts
    27

    Default

    I fish as a free lancer for different teams and with a few of my friends and the tourneys are not that local, and i mostly fish the national Jr.Bassmasters due to me being 14. and im on a Pro-Staff so im used to using the "High end" stuff, it comes with the "PRO" teritory and when im just camping i sometimes use a self made cane pole.
    And Batch set your spool rotation and your friction control right and you won't get back lashes, also is Fenwick still in buisness, my grandpa used to use it alot, would make a good b-day present?
    Ethan,
    I'm back!!




  20. #20

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sportsman296 View Post
    And Batch set your spool rotation and your friction control right and you won't get back lashes, also is Fenwick still in buisness, my grandpa used to use it alot, would make a good b-day present?
    I was using my whole arm to cast and that was the problem. Fenwick had a Lunker series of rods and sold a line of mono called Lunker Line. I used that line with line dressing on baitcasters in the 1980's and it was the smoothest casting, lowest memory, strongest by weight class line there was back then.

    Your right if you set your cast control system just right for the bait and there is no unexpected precast snag or after cast impact you should not have a backlash on modern baitcasting gear. Not so back then and if you go gator hunting with me and you are slinging 5 oz trebles on a jig master or a squider out at the distances you have to when the late season is on and your using braided line. You will backlash period.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •