Casting reel: predator fishing

Several brands have developed product ranges for this type of fishing. From Japan, these include Shimano with its Tranx casting model. Other leading brands are also available.

Daiwa is a super star with its casting reel Daiwa Tatula, Daiwa Lexa and the latest addition to the range, the Daiwa Tatula Elite casting reel.

The United States is not to be outdone, with Abu Garcia and Lew's two brands with excellent reputations. These include the Abu Garcia Revo Beast and Revo SX casting reels.

The choice is particularly wide, so you need to take a number of factors into account when making your choice. You need to be aware of retrieve speeds, particular shapes, certain technologies and capacity to make a wise selection. Aesthetic aspects may also be important to some anglers.

Lew's casting reels will satisfy some users with a wide choice of accessories in different colours. As you can see, choosing a baitcasting reel requires attention to a number of aspects. You'll need to define your needs carefully before making your purchase.

What is a casting reel?

To understand its use and make the right choice, it's important to understand how a casting reel is designed. Certain concepts will help you understand how a particular technical feature works and why it's important. This understanding will help you to better understand which casting reel to choose.

The frame can be made in several ways. You'll find aluminium frames like the Daiwa Tatula Elite or composite frames like the casting reel Daiwa Aird. This will have a significant impact on the strength of the frame and its resistance to deformation during recovery or combat.

Bearings, their quality and positioning are also important. Given that many parts rotate when you operate the crank, it's important that they run smoothly. Some top-of-the-range models, such as the Abu Garcia Revo Mg xtreme casting model, can accommodate more than 10 bearings.

The spool plays a vital role. Its profile and depth can have an impact on retrieve speed and casting distance. For example, the Daiwa Tatula SV TW has a unique design that allows you to cast lures from 3 to 80g with the same ease. Lew's casting reels also feature unique designs.

The brake is another important aspect. There are two different brakes. On the one hand, there's the battle brake, which is adjusted with a knob behind the crank. This is the one that will allow the fish to be bridled or not. For example, the Lew's Mach 1 reel is fitted with a 7kg brake.

We also have the spool brake. It ensures that the spool is more or less free to turn on itself when casting. Its correct setting prevents the wigging so dreaded by novices.

Finally, the knobs or handles and cranks play an important role in grip and spinning power. For example, a casting reel Daiwa Lexa HD will have just one knob for an ideal grip and plenty of power. A casting reel lew's will tend to have a double handle with an easy grip between the fingers.

The different makes of casting reel.

There are two main areas of reel design and manufacture. One is Asia, particularly Japan, and the other is the United States.

As usual, the Asian countries are genius designers with cutting-edge levels of expertise in all aspects of engineering. We'll often see top-quality models that incorporate new technologies to help you fish better, more efficiently and more comfortably. A casting reel Shimano Tranx or a casting reel Daiwa Lexa are testimony to this unique expertise.

Across the Atlantic, it's not quite the same music. The vision of fishing tackle is a little different. Reels and rod are like consumables in their eyes, a bit like soft lures in ours.

There is a strong desire for efficiency and durability. The Abu Garcia Revo casting range is there to demonstrate this desire, as is casting reel lew's.

In Europe, we are not lucky enough to have any manufacturers to speak of. You'll find a few brands like Mitchell, Gunki or BFT, but nothing like a casting reel daiwa lexa or Abu Garcia Revo casting reel.

How do you choose a reel for casting?

We have already seen how reels are designed and some details about their characteristics depending on where they come from. Now it's time to choose between several models and here are the features to look out for.

The retrieve is surely the first point to examine. A 50cm speed will not be as useful as a 100cm speed. The slower the ratio, the gentler you'll fish.

The slower the ratio, the softer you'll fish Casting rod like crankbaits and spinnerbaits. The Abu Garcia Ambassadeur casting range with its Revo Sx will do the trick, as will casting reel Lew's.

On the other hand, a quick retrieve will make it easy to retrieve the banners that are created when the lures are animated. It can also be used to fish strike zones when you need to cast far and fish only the first 2/0 metres. A Daiwa Tatula SV TW will give you this option, as will an HSL ratio.

Capacity is another aspect to look at. You need to imagine what diameter of braid or nylon you want to use and how much you need. A round profile like the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur casting will have much more capacity than a flat or low profile Silver Max reel.

Me or freshwater is also important. Some models, such as the Daiwa Lexa HD casting reel, are perfectly compatible with marine use. The casting reel Daiwa Aird reel, on the other hand, should be used in freshwater to ensure a long service life.

Finally, weight can be an important factor in choosing a balanced package. A lightweight model such as the Abu Garcia Revo mgxtreme will excel at light fishing such as baitfinesse. A casting reel Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, on the other hand, will be much heavier. It will not fail to offer you a great capacity to handle very large lures.

Find our complete catalogue :

• Spinning reel
• Disengageable reels
• Reel maintenance