baitcaster reel recommendations?

I'm looking for a baitcaster reel, primarily for use in freshwater, but I'd also like it to be able to multitask for, say, sabiki-ing in the salt. I had one of these

https://www.tackledirect.com/abu-garcia-orra2ins-orra-inshore-baitcasting-reel.html

and I thought it was great, while it lasted. Unfortunately, it didn't hold up well, and became unusable after only about 1 season of light use in saltwater.

I don't want to spend a fortune, but $200 or a bit more would be OK for something that will last.

What kind of freshwater fishing you planning on doing with the reel? What kind of rod you pairing it with?

Check out Shimano Tranx

Your mileage may very

Super fave!  That thing whips.  Feels like a toy until you hook up then something changes and it cranks that mo’ in…I’ve handle big stingrays with the 4000…

What kind of freshwater fishing you planning on doing with the reel? What kind of rod you pairing it with?

Fishing: Trout and kokanee.

Rod: This is the rod I've got:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Okuma-Rx-c-701m-Reflection-Rod/34743149

It's 7' and say "8-17lbs 1/4-5/8oz". It paired great with my now-deceased Abu Garcia baitcaster.

Check out Shimano Tranx

Looks good. I'm a big fan of Shimano reels.

It looks like it comes in different retrieve ratios. Any opinions on that aspect?

Retrieve ratio probably wont matter for trolling, well couldn't hurt    For trolling trout and kokanee I really really like a line counter.  The most awesome one that I've bought is the Abu Garcia DLC, being digital it has some neat features others do not.  https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Garcia-Profile-Baitcast-Fishing/dp/B08DDGK178/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N90WQL8XYCTL&keywords=abu+garcia+dlc&qid=1704477833&sprefix=abu+garcia+dlc%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1

What kind of freshwater fishing you planning on doing with the reel? What kind of rod you pairing it with?

Fishing: Trout and kokanee.

Rod: This is the rod I've got:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Okuma-Rx-c-701m-Reflection-Rod/34743149

It's 7' and say "8-17lbs 1/4-5/8oz". It paired great with my now-deceased Abu Garcia baitcaster.

I have gone through a lot of baitcasters in the salt, they just don’t last and the anti reverse bearings can’t hold up to that much abuse. Spending more money won’t necessarily get a longer lasting product. Too much plastic in even the more expensive ones. A saltwater tranx is very different than a light kokanee reel. Keep your freshwater baitcasters exclusively to freshwater. Baitcasters aren’t the greatest sabiki reels because their anti reverse will eventually start to stick and the drag won’t come out smoothly so you will break off sabikis/pull hooks. No real advantage to using a baitcaster to sabiki either. Just buy a freshwater only baitcaster from whatever reel brand you are confident in, lews, okuma, shimano etc. They all look the same on the inside and probably come from the same factory.

I've never owned or even used a low profile baitcaster.  Maybe because my Abu Ambassadeurs are all still going strong with 10-20years on them?

(Not that there's anything wrong with that...No..)

Bushy

I have gone through a lot of baitcasters in the salt, they just don’t last and the anti reverse bearings can’t hold up to that much abuse. Spending more money won’t necessarily get a longer lasting product. Too much plastic in even the more expensive ones. A saltwater tranx is very different than a light kokanee reel. Keep your freshwater baitcasters exclusively to freshwater. Baitcasters aren’t the greatest sabiki reels because their anti reverse will eventually start to stick and the drag won’t come out smoothly so you will break off sabikis/pull hooks. No real advantage to using a baitcaster to sabiki either. Just buy a freshwater only baitcaster from whatever reel brand you are confident in, lews, okuma, shimano etc. They all look the same on the inside and probably come from the same factory.

That sounds like good advice. I might have to give up on my dream of a multitasking reel...

Retrieve ratio probably wont matter for trolling, well couldn't hurt    For trolling trout and kokanee I really really like a line counter.  The most awesome one that I've bought is the Abu Garcia DLC, being digital it has some neat features others do not.  https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Garcia-Profile-Baitcast-Fishing/dp/B08DDGK178/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N90WQL8XYCTL&keywords=abu+garcia+dlc&qid=1704477833&sprefix=abu+garcia+dlc%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1

That's a nice price. Have you used it in saltwater?

No, it's tiny and it stays on my downrigger rod.  But I do use this one for ocean fishing, it's lasted two years but then I lost it overboard this year and had to replace it.  Still, very good price, and a Line Counter, and it's fairly light as well:

https://www.amazon.com/Coldwater-Profile-Linecounter-Right-Hand/dp/B00LDYIRJS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NSZW9LSPSO11&keywords=coldwater%2Bline%2Bcounter&qid=1704481535&sprefix=coldwater%2Bline%2Bcount%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-1&th=1

Caught halibut lings and salmon using it trolling on my 8ft lamiglass and really like knowing how much line is out for deep fishing and trolling.  Makes it easier to reset the same way each time.

Retrieve ratio probably wont matter for trolling, well couldn't hurt    For trolling trout and kokanee I really really like a line counter.  The most awesome one that I've bought is the Abu Garcia DLC, being digital it has some neat features others do not.  https://www.amazon.com/Abu-Garcia-Profile-Baitcast-Fishing/dp/B08DDGK178/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N90WQL8XYCTL&keywords=abu+garcia+dlc&qid=1704477833&sprefix=abu+garcia+dlc%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-1

That's a nice price. Have you used it in saltwater?

Oh but I forgot, they do make a Max version, that would be the salt water version.  I've been tempted to buy it, but this Okuma has done me well.

Find an old JigMaster for your sabiki..virtually indestructible..I bet Senior Bushy could help you with that !

Bushy ..Jig Master ….

Hey no pun (or Penn) intended..

Get it !

Nyuk nyuk nyuk!

If double duty is a must, I’ve had good luck with the Daiwa Inshore and Penn Fathom low profile, meaning I own em and have fished both fresh and salt with them for a couple years with little to no maintenance other than a freshwater rinse.  I haven’t used it a ton but the Okuma Komodo SS is also a decent reel, although doesn’t feel as refined in the hand.  All reels were designed for fishing fresh and salt; so internals/parts etc are made with materials that will hold up better than a traditional fw bass reel.  I have the most miles on the Penn Fathom 400, it’s landed all the local species (minus salmon) and halibut, wsb, sand bass and calicos down south.  No issues so far. 

While I don’t think the dream of having a double duty reel is out of the question, I second the notion of separation, if for nothing else, less maintenance and zero corrosion. I have a small army of shimano curados that only see action in FW.  They have a long reputation for being the workhorse, balancing decent performance with longevity.  I got about 5 years on my current set and they’re not showing any signs of slowing down.  A couple thousand casts every weekend and a few drops of oil in the spool keeps em smooth. 

Ratios are like any other gearing consideration; lower gear for torque, higher gear for speed, with each trading off the other when you get to the ends of the spectrum. I’ve found 6:1 to be an ok compromise but the ratio should reflect the predominant technique you’ll use.  I use mostly 7 or 8:1’s for bass fishing as I need a lot of quick pickup for punching, frogs and reaction baits.  I’ll move to the 5 or 6:1 for crankbaits, slower presentations or fishing high resistance baits.  If you’re a numbers geek, the other metric people like to dig into is Inches Per Turn (IPT) and the impact the rate/cadence of cranking has on the bait or presentation. Personally I think it’s nonsense as I fish alot on feel and sight, so I adjust as I go.

Al beat me to it. Abu Garcia Max DLC for Freshwater and the Max Toro DLC for the saltwater. These reels are awesome!