Cabela's Prodigy Reels

west30capt · January 02, 2005, 12:09:58 AM

Anybody ever use one of Cabela's Prodigy Baitcast reels? Right now I'm debating over them, Shimano Curado's, and BPS Rick Clunn Series combos. I've read nothing but good things about the Curado's. I think the Clunn Series (There seems to be two different Clunn Series according to BPS) are new so I Can't find anything on them. These 3 combos have about the same features so it comes down to price. The Prodigy ($130) are about $40 cheaper then Curado's ($170) while the Clunn Series are in the middle price range of $150.

Anybody have two cents they want to throw in here to help me decide?

Also for futher info, the rod that comes with them doesn't really mean much to me right now. All three are somewhat comparable. I plan on upgrading the rods later anyway. Speaking of....Anybody use Falcon Rods???

Rowdy · January 02, 2005, 07:16:11 AM

I can tell you I buy lots of stuff from Cabelas and have since I was a kid. I have not bought any of there brand name reels though. I like how there brand name stuff looks though, as most if not all the brand name stuff has the look about it that I like LOL...

I would be for calling there product specialist and ask them about the reels parts following for them. I have all Shimano's for as spinning and Baitcasting reels. I like those for many reasons including the parts following that I can order myself. I look for the instant anti reverse on both bait casting and spinning reels and I have always had the best long lasting service from the Shimanos and as time has gone by I have found myself change all my other brand reels to the Shimano. If I was you I would call the product specialists at Cabelas and talk to them about the reels as they will be quite honest to you and might help you figure out what you look for. I have visited with them many times on products and things I was interested in. Great company Cabelas with good lines of products and people to help.

DundeeMike · January 02, 2005, 11:29:51 AM

When it come to choosing a reel, I want to pick it up and feel it. I ask myself does it feel smooth, I check the anti- reverse, I put it in free spool and spin the spool itself. If I like the way it feels, the main consideration is the availability of parts and repairs. Most of my reels are Shimano, But I just purchased a Pfleuger Trion. I was going to buy a curado, but when I felt the Trion, I had to go with that. It all boils down to what YOU like....

Trey · January 04, 2005, 09:38:52 AM

I bought a Cabela's Prodigy Reel 3 years ago from their store in KC, Kansas. I love it. It is very smooth and easy to cast. It has three different braking systems: the disc brake, a mag brake and a centrifigal brake. I have cast 1/8 oz buzzbaits to the end of the spool. And that I think would be the only drawback to this reel; line capacity. I can always cast anything to the end of the spool, because it doesn't hold much line. The reel has held up very well through 3 years of tournament fishing and grueling abuse. I had a spinning rod from Cabela's that broke so I sent it back, and they gave me a brand new one. Their customer service is awesome, and they will warantee their reels for life. When I was in that store in KC I went to the "Bargain Cave". That is where people send items back that they didn't want or were defective, etc. Cabela's will repair them if needed and sell them for a discount. I asked the salesman about that program and he explained the Cabela's service agreement to me. He said that Cabela's will take back anything they sold and replace it for free, you just need a proof of purchase. I say that it is a safe bet on the Prodigy reel; I am planning on buying another one when I go back.

Trey

west30capt · January 22, 2005, 02:47:47 AM

Trey,

I took your suggestion and when I went to the Cabelas near Wheeling WV over the week-end I checked the "Bargain Cave." I found about 7 left handed Prodigy reels. I picked one up for $54. There were very small scratches on the gold plate on the side of the reel. I checked everything else and it appeared fine. These scratches were the type you would get from it being in a rod box anyway. (Very small and fine.) Now I just need the weather to break to try it out.

OHbassaholic · January 22, 2005, 07:40:09 AM

I have never used the Cabelas brand reels but have had folks tell me they are pretty much the same as those that Bass Pro puts out. I started fishing tournaments using Bass Pro Extremes and Pro Qualifiers. The PQ's did not hold up under tournament conditions for me. I have since switched over totally to Shimanos. I use Curado 200B's and Castaic 200B's and 200SF's for baitcasters and Spirex's and Stradic's for spinning. (I am buying a Chronarch today to try out as well.)

The only draw back to the Shimano baitcaster's in my mind is that they do not have external adjustment for the brakes. For this reason I am planning to pick up a couple of Quantums for those nasty windy days. You know, those days when the wind is so variable that it would be nice to have the external adjustment since the wind gusts and dies down so quick. We just started carrying the 6 bb Shaw Grigsby's at my store so I plan to get those to fill in this gap in my arsenal since I will only need the quick change for overhead casting situations. My current Castiac SF's still work fine for pitching into the wind. That's all just thumb control for me.

Falcon Rods:
I have been using them for about 2 years. I LOVE the Lowrider series and have several. I have a couple of the Silver Series as well. Those Lowrider's are quite nice and have pretty good sensitivity. They ain't no G-Loomis' but neither do they cost as much.

Steve Barnett · January 22, 2005, 03:58:45 PM

I'm with you OHbassaholic, I use all Shimano's and have for guitea few years. I like to keep all of my reels the same brand so they will feel the same in my hands.
You will love the Chronarch, I have several and they are, in my mind the perfect reel.

Steve Barnett
Booneville MS

Ron Fogelson · January 24, 2005, 01:48:30 PM

Just about everyone I talk to like the Shimano's, must be something good there. My question is this, does Shimano make a baitcasting reel with a larger spool? All the ones I've ever looked @ has the narrow smooth center & I prefer the larger center spool with all the holes in it, like in the BPS reels.

shadow745 · January 24, 2005, 02:31:25 PM

Shimano does make some good reels, but they're not cheap. They do offer some reels with their "wiffle spool", which do appear to be larger, but in most cases don't hold alot of line. They're supposed to be more for casting lighter lures than for line capacity. I noticed alot of guys on the forums like the Curado, which seems to be OK for me, but I think they use too many plastic parts on them. The side plates being plastic are OK, but I don't want a plastic star drag. I guess that's why I'll never buy one. Later!

Steve Barnett · January 24, 2005, 02:39:21 PM

The Curado 200 holds 150 yds. 12lb.test. You can get the wiffle spool in the MG series (Magnesium Spool) but you can't use it around salt water or brackish water.

The BPS reels mostly all hold 160 yds. 10lb.test or 130 yds. 12lb. test.

I use the Shimano's for almost all situations but I would not recommend the 3.8:1 ratio cranking reel. Its just too low geared, and I could not feel my bait very well when cranking big crankbaits like the Strike King Series 5 baits or a Manns 20+.

Steve Barnett
Booneville MS

Ron Fogelson · January 24, 2005, 06:27:26 PM

The reels I have bought in the past, yes even one Shimano, Banta I think were all narrow spools & I just didn't like how they handled. I found the line slipped, & I had to keep them just about full to get them to cast as good as the wiffle spool style reels.

OHbassaholic · January 24, 2005, 06:43:24 PM

If you need a lot of line, I figure you must be trolling. In that case, I believe going with one of the round baitcasters would be more suited to the application. Shimano has the Calcutta series or you could go with an Abu Garcia.

I like the low profile baitcasters since I am strictly a bass fisherman and do not do any trolling. I don't have any need for all that extra line.

I'm with you about the 3.8:1 ratio, Steve. Way too slow for me. I have never really seen any good reason for going with even the 5:1. I just physically slow down my retrieve. It is important to me to have that 6:1 so I can keep up with the bass when they head towards the boat. There have been many anglers tell me they love the 5:1, so I picked up a slightly used one at the show yesterday to field test. I'll try to keep an open mind while using it, but the first time I lose a smallie when it charges the boat and gets underneath, I will sell it off in a heartbeat.

When it comes to the wiffle spools, every Super Free Curado, Castaic and Chronarch I have has these. You guys must be looking at the 100 size reels. The 200's are plenty wide for me and I have wide thumbs.

Ron Fogelson · January 24, 2005, 07:30:02 PM

OH, Not sure who your talking to about trolling, but the Shimano I have is the Bantam Citica 201 & I can't get it to free up. I took off every brake & have no tension on the spool adjustment knob. If I put any tension on it I can side arm it & skip jigs & worms under docks but I prefer to use openface for that technique because of the inevitable backlash I make.

bass1cpr · January 24, 2005, 07:44:00 PM

Fogy the Citica is only a two ball bearing reel. They are ok but the curado is a big step above it. If you want the wiffle spool just look for a Curado 200SF (Super Free) They run about 139.00

Steve Barnett · January 24, 2005, 09:22:04 PM

OH, The 5:1 is a good choice, I use it here on Pickwick for crankin' and don't have a problem keeping up with them charging towards me. Well, sometimes I have problems with it, but it don't have anything to do with the reel, its the operator.

But anyway, I agree, the spool on the 200's are plenty wide for me, and free up fine so far. I have only had one failure in about 20 reels and that was a spring broke on a four year old Castaic.

Steve Barnett
Booneville MS

OHbassaholic · January 24, 2005, 09:46:24 PM

Steve mentioned the line capacity. That's why I went in that direction.

I can understand your challenge with the Citica. It is one of the more low end reels that Shimano puts out. I wish you lived around here so you could pop in to the store and I could demo several reels for you to try. Finding the right reel is a chore. I went through too many to get to where I am now, and still keep looking for something even better. The stupid thing is that I am perfectly happy with the Curados and Castaics I use but picked up a Chronarch and a Chronarch SF in the last 3 days.

Luckily, I got both at a great discount!!!

shadow745 · January 24, 2005, 09:49:59 PM

Let us know what you think about the Chronarchs. Those things have been around for some time so there must be something good about them. Later!

OHbassaholic · January 24, 2005, 09:58:16 PM

Another thought on those adjustments, Fogy. I did exactly the same thing with Bantum Curados put was not happy with the pitching distance. That's when I bought a SF model. Tremendous difference!

There is one more thing that you can do. There are special bearings that can be purchased to free up the spool on many models of reels. I found out last night just as I was leaving the Louisville show that there was a guy doing this service for only $25. I never got the chance to look into it further since it was closing time. I could have taken the two reels I bought while there for a nice tune-up. Bummer.