Best Baitcasting Reels For Beginners for 2023

Great baitcasting reels for beginners in 2023 are specifically designed to make learning how to fish easier for individuals just starting. Fishing can be time-consuming, requires patience, and can be difficult to get the hang of, especially when landing a wriggling fish as a beginner. In fact, there’s nothing more frustrating than being out on the water all day and not catching a single fish to take home with you.  

If you don’t buy the correct baitcasting reel (see the best baitcasting reel for bass here) for your skill level, you could risk losing interest in your newfound hobby if you don’t have the proper equipment. After all, you can’t run before you can walk!  

The best baitcasting reels for beginners include:

  1. SHIMANO SLX DC Baitcaster
  2. KastKing Royale Legend GT Baitcasting Reel
  3. Abu Garcia Revo SX Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
  4. Lew’s Mach Crush Baitcaster
  5. Piscifun Phantom Carbon Baitcasting Reel

As you’ll soon read, a baitcasting reel for beginners is a game-changer, allowing you to grow with your reel as you master the skill to fish. Learn to catch fish the proper way with a baitcaster for beginners!  

Below is our handy guide to finding out the best baitcaster for beginners. 

Our Top Baitcasers for Beginners in 2023

OUR TOP PICK

SHIMANO SLX DC Baitcaster

[5stars]

Shimano Fishing SLX Dc 150 Low Profile Reels [SLXDC150]

The SHIMANO SLX DC Baitcaster is designed with S3D technology that leads to significantly reduced spool vibration.  

This baitcaster boasts SHIMANO’s newest innovation in brake system technology: SVS Infinity, which provides easy-to-manage, consistent spool control (see the differences between two popular Shimano reels here), and brake force.  

The SHIMANO SLAX DC baitcaster uses S3D spool technology. By designing a balanced and uniform thin wall aluminum constructed spool, S3D creates an incredibly smooth feel casting and retrieving lures! 

Pros:  

  • Intelligent Digital Control braking system – The easy-to-use, four settings, externally adjustable brake dial allows anglers to fish a wide variety of lures, in any conditions, with minimal adjustment to the reel. 
  • Super free spool – SF was designed to eliminate friction on the spool shaft during the cast. In standard baitcasting reels 
  • Beginner-friendly – Set your brake to ‘4’ on the brake dial and cast with no thumb, and get zero backlashes.

Cons: 

  • One customer claimed that they thought the drag could be improved on this particular baitcaster. 

EDITORS CHOICE

KastKing Royale Legend GT Baitcasting Reel

[5stars]

KastKing Royale Legend High Speed Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel

The KastKing Royale Legend GT Baitcasting Reel features a precision cut brass gear structure and carbon fiber drag system designed to deliver 17.5 LBs of drag power to help you land fish consistently!  

Thie compact, low-profile baitcaster combined with a concealed side cover release makes this reel comfortable all day, helping prevent fatigue when you’re out all day.  

The KastKing Royale Legend baitcaster features one of the best dual brake systems with a quick, easy to fine-tune reliable centrifugal and magnetic brake system for superior casting control.  

Pros 

  • A dynamic magnetic braking system helps you avoid time-consuming and frustrating overruns and backlashes and achieve superior casting control. 
  • 11 + 1 double-shielded MaxiDur ball bearings – For super smooth casting, retrieve, and long life. 
  • EVA handle knobs – The custom contoured EVA handle knobs are light, durable, and exceptionally comfortable during long days on the water and provide a strong grip when you’re reeling in fish.

Cons 

  • A couple of customers claimed that they struggled with backlash when casting with this baitcaster. 

BEST VALUE

Abu Garcia Revo SX Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel

[5stars]

Abu Garcia REVO4 SX-HS Revo SX Low Profile Fishing Reel

The Abu Garcia Revo SX Low Profile Fishing Reel is designed to deliver power and durability.  

This baitcaster features a DuraClutch design that increases its durability, reduces thumb bar resistance when casting heavy baits for an improved engagement, and enhances casting smoothness.  

The Abu Garcia Revo SX baitcaster comes equipped with a power stack carbon matrix drag system that allows for a very smooth, consistent pressure across the entire drag range with a max drag of up to 24 pounds to stop any fish.  

Pros

  • X2-Cräftic alloy frame – Provides a strong yet lightweight reel with a rigid base for high drag pressures, so you don’t have to worry about those bigger fish wriggling free. 
  • Infini II spool design – Delivers improved castability and enables you to handle extreme loads. 
  • Dual braking system – This allows for an array of adjustments to suit any style of bait. 

Cons

  • One customer noted that the lever that unlocks and locks the side plates is positioned so that it can be accidentally pushed into the open position during casting if you’re not careful. 

RUNNER UP

Lew’s Mach Crush Baitcaster

[4stars]

LEW'S (MC1SH) Fishing Mach Crush Speed Spool SLP Series, Baitcasting Reel,...

The Lew’s Mach Crush Baitcast reel features a rugged carbon fiber drag system that provides up to 20 pounds of drag power to help you land the biggest fish!   

With a double anodized aluminum 32mm spool that adopts an effective U-shape, you can be sure of smooth casting and reeling.  

This baitcaster boasts a strong yet lightweight, super low profile graphite frame and side plates, making movement and casting hassle-free.  

Pros

  • Solid brass main gear and crankshaft – Allow you to apply as much force as you need without worrying about breaks. 
  • Multi-setting brake – The externally adjustable dual cast control system utilizes an external click-dial for setting the magnetic brake, providing you with ultimate control over this model’s braking system to meet any conditions you face while casting. 
  • 95mm bowed aluminum handle features oversized Winn Dri-Tac knobs to ensure a no-slip grip in all conditions.

Cons

  • One customer noted that they received a left-hand baitcaster instead of the right-hand one featured in the product picture. 

RUNNER UP

Piscifun Phantom Carbon Baitcasting Reel

[4stars]

Piscifun Phantom Baitcasting Reel - Carbon Fiber Frame and Plates...

The Piscifun Phantom Carbon Baitcasting Reel is made out of a premium carbon fiber frame and is lightweight without sacrificing strength and durability, making it perfect for beginners.  

This baitcaster features a 7.0:1 gear ratio that provides accurate casting, long-distance, instant hook set, six anti-corrosion stainless steel ball bearings, and one clutch bearing, all shields to extend durability.  

The double hard-anodized aircraft-grade aluminum main gear and pinion gear paired with 4-disc carbon fiber drag washers deliver exceptional 17 lbs stopping power to fight even the toughest fish.  

Pros

  • Easy to use – The featherweight baitcasting reel is easy to handle and cast, making it ideal for beginners. 
  • 7.0:1 gear ratio – Ensures fast reeling and efficient performance on every cast. 
  • Dual brake system – 0-10 external magnetic brake provides you with precise adjustment for a wide variety of baits to avoid backlash when you’re out fishing.

Cons 

  • One customer claimed that this particular baitcaster doesn’t have a large spool capacity. 

Best Baitcaster For Beginners Buying Guide

When it comes to purchasing a baitcasting reel, there are a few factors that you should take into consideration, but it primarily comes back to the size, weight, and gear ratio.  

Good quality baitcasters can be an excellent choice for game fishing, but you want to ensure that you’re choosing one that is suitable for beginners.

That being said, you should avoid buying a baitcaster that is more advanced and catered towards a higher skill level, as you might find it doesn’t have the appropriate braking system to aid your learning, and you could struggle to fish with it as a result.

After all, no one wants to give up on their new hobby before they’ve even started!  

Best Baitcaster For Beginners

Browse the features below before purchasing your baitcaster.  

Baitcaster sizes  

Before making your choice, you will need to consider the size of the baitcaster, as this will determine the capacity of the spool that your reel can carry.

The size of the baitcaster you choose will also depend on how far you plan to cast out and the type of fishing you will be doing.

Generally speaking, you are likely to be choosing between round baitcasters or low profile baitcasters. 

Round baitcasters

Many baitcaster reels use the 1000 naming convention to detail their sizing; however, this isn’t the case for them all.

Generally speaking, sizes start at 1000 and can go all the way up to 12,000+ sometimes, so here you have a wide variety of options to choose from regarding sizing.

This will accommodate a wide range of fishing types, from freshwater crankbaits up to deep sea trolling.  

Low profile baitcasters

On the whole, low-profile baitcaster reels tend to use either 10 or 100 sizing conventions.

Sizes can range from 100 (smallest) up to around 400 as the largest, but you tend to find that lots of ranges of low-profile reels don’t offer many variations in size. 

Typically, smaller reels are better suited for lighter lures and close-quarter fishing, as they can hold less line. 

Whichever size you opt for, make sure it’s suitable for the type of fishing you want to be doing. 

Weight   

When purchasing a baitcaster, an important factor to consider is its weight and the weight of the line.

Imagine that you’re out on the water fishing for the entire day; you won’t want to be anxious about causing an injury to your wrist while you’re learning to master your new baitcaster.  

Generally speaking, baitcasters can catch larger-sized fish with ease. Then, it is a fact that baitcasting reels are not designed for light lines (learn how to spool a baitcasting reel here), and you will need to consider the weight beforehand.

To avoid injuring yourself, you should do your own research on the type of line that you should use when you are just beginning to use a baitcaster until you’ve got the hang of it and always try to avoid picking a reel that is heavier than 10 pounds.  

Gear ratio 

When it comes to deciding on a baitcasting reel, you will need to consider the gear ratio. If you’re new to fishing, gear ratios are important to understand, as the variations suit different types of fishing.

Common gear ratios that you will find in baitcasting reels are 5.4:1, 6.4:1, and 7.1:1. Are you lost yet? Don’t worry. 

Although these different ratios might seem confusing if you don’t know what to look for, the general rule with gear ratios is that the higher the numbers, the faster your reel will pull the line.

That being said, a baitcaster that has a ratio of 7.1:1, for instance, will be able to pull in line with fewer turns than one that has a 5.4:1 reel.  

However, it’s not always as simple as that – but bear with us. Following that information, it may seem like you should always pick the higher ratio reels to pull the line as quickly as possible.

However, lower ratio reels have their own benefits and advantages over higher ratios, too.  

Whichever ratio you decide, you should remember that it mainly comes down to the types of baits that each ratio works best with.

A higher ratio will work incredibly well with light or plastic baits, such as spinnerbaits and buzz baits (find the best buzz bait for bass here). Although not as fast, a lower ratio will work better with heavier spinnerbaits and crankbaits.  

Whichever gear ratio you decide, make sure that you’ve researched and are happy with your choice. 

Line capacity  

Something else to take into consideration when purchasing a baitcaster is its line capacity, as you must understand how many lines a specific baitcaster reel can hold.   

The line capacity (learn about the best fishing line for bass here) you’ll require will come down to the type of fishing you hope to be doing.

For instance, if you are planning on using it for long-range fishing, then you will want to ensure you buy a reel that has sufficient capacity on the reel.  

You should also think about the size of fish that you plan on fishing for.

If you are targeting bigger fish, such as bass, that can potentially take more line from your reel than mackerel; you want to make sure that you have plenty of line on there to play it with.  

You don’t want to be running out of line on the water when you’re out there game fishing, so always make sure that you’re happy with the line capacity before proceeding with your purchase.  

Warranty  

Accidents can happen at sea, especially when strong fish are at play, so you’ll want to ensure that you consider the duration of the warranty that comes with your new baitcaster.  

The warranty will cover you should anything go wrong with your baitcaster or if it breaks sooner than you had been expecting.  

If in doubt about a product’s warranty, make sure to check the product information on the seller’s or manufacturer’s website.

It is worth noting that the terms and conditions of the warranty could differ between the manufacturer and the seller, so this is also something to take into account before purchasing the product.  

To avoid disappointment when you’re out at sea, always make sure you’re happy with the warranty before clicking ‘buy.’  

FAQs for Beginning Baitcasters  

What is the point of a baitcaster?   

There are many benefits of investing in a baitcasting reel. Baitcast reels can handle heavier lines and allow longer casts than spinning gear in the same size range.

A baitcaster can provide you with better line control than spinning reels (see the best spinning reels under $100 here) do, generally allowing for further and more accurate casts. 

You can cast a lure further with a baitcaster because the line flows directly straight off the spool and not in a circular motion as with a spinning reel.

You will also need one designed for your skill level, as without it, you’ll struggle to catch anything if you don’t take the proper precautions to learn how!

 That being said, baitcasters take commitment and time to master, so practice is key.  

Are baitcasters good for beginners?  

The answer to this question, in short, is yes! Baitcasters are good for beginners. However, how quickly and successfully you will learn to fish with a baitcaster will come down to a few things.   

Firstly, skill level. You’ll need to ensure that your baitcaster is designed for beginners.

Baitcasters require a good braking system, as when a beginner starts fishing, they need support from the brakes instead of using their thumb pressure to slow down the spool rotation when casting with a baitcaster. 

The more advanced the fisher, the less you will require these brakes, but you must get a baitcaster that matches your skill to accommodate this requirement initially.  

Secondly, you’ll need patience and practice! This is a given with any kind of fishing, but especially with baitcasters, as they can be notoriously tricky, to begin with. This is why you need the help of a good braking system.

Don’t be disheartened if you can’t catch anything while you’re getting the hang of your baitcasting reel.

After all, practice makes perfect! Keep persevering, and you’ll have the technique down the more you get out there and try!   

Most importantly, have fun with it!

What is the easiest baitcaster to use?

The easiest baitcaster to use are the following:

  1. SHIMANO SLX DC Baitcaster
  2. KastKing Royale Legend GT Baitcasting Reel
  3. Abu Garcia Revo SX Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel
  4. Lew’s Mach Crush Baitcaster
  5. Piscifun Phantom Carbon Baitcasting Reel

Is mono or braid better for baitcasters?

Most anglers find that monofilament line holds knots better and costs less than braided line. Mono fishing line also works better on smaller bait-casting reels because the light braid can dig into itself. Learn the differences between monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided lines here.

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