10 Best Crankbait Reels to Enjoy Fishing (Updated 2023 Reviews)

In this article you will get ideas about best crankbait reel. Fishing is a popular hobby among a vast number of people. One of the most necessary gears for fishing is the fishing rod, and with a fishing rod, we also need a crankbait. These days, a fishing rod is not a gear to perform a past time activity, but it can also be a survival kit or even a travel companion. 

With the development of technology now we have crankbait reels to make this popular activity more fun and easy. A crankbait is simply a lure to attract fish that eats smaller fish. In short, it is a form of bait to catch fish with a fishing rod.

And a crankbait reel is a combination of crankbait reel and rod that is designed explicitly for crankbait. It gives the fishing rod a better reach, depth, speed. In short, it makes finishing more fun and easy, and lets you catch bigger fishes from depth with ease.

In this article, we will give you a brief detail on what are the best crankbait reels. This information will help you and guide you to find the best crankbait reel, which will make your fishing activity more enjoyable and comfortable, so let's go!!

A Quick Overview of the Best Crankbait Reel

Specifications to Look for in the Best Crankbait Reel

A crankbait reel fescilatetes are casting by giving us a better reach of depth. Crankbait reels usually have a long thread so the lure can go further in the distance, at a higher depth. Crankbait reels also help in simulating a live bait. When a bait is cast, it reaches a specific depth, and after that, the reel rotates at a certain speed for which the bait moves like a real fish swimming.

This helps the bait to lure bigger fish from deep. All these aspects of a crankbait reel make it very essential, and there are some aspects in crankbait reel to fulfill all the requirements for the reel to be the best. These aspects are-

Review of 10 Best Crankbait Reels

From the information given above, we can determine the features of a good crankbait reel. If fishing is your hobby or if you are even passionate about this matter, then you must wonder what the best crankbait reels? Then let me tell you we are providing a product review on the best crankbait reels you can get so that you don't have to give an effort to find one. So let's go

1. Abu Garcia Black Max Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel

Abu Garcia black max low profile baitcasting fishing reel is one of the most reliable reels. It has a graphite body that allows it to be compact and lightweight but durable. It has an easily adjustable gear ration with the capability to cast bait at long distances quickly. It also has a very comfortable grip that allows you to do your angling at ease. Its efficient and effective design can make your fishing experience very joyful.

Key Features

2. Abu Garcia REVO S Low Profile

Abu Garcia REVO S low profile came in the market a few years ago. And instantly, it grabbed the attention of the anglers with its slick looks and extraordinary features. Its carbon matrix drag reel provides a smooth drag, and an easily adjustable braking system enables you to tune into any bait. In short, its light slick compact body, including all the excellent features, took its name in the top chart of angler's favorite.

Key Features

3. Abu Garcia Ambassadeur S Round Baitcast Fishing Reel

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur S round Baitcast is like a vintage car with a muscle engine. It is a timeless crankbait reel. It never fails to get the job done, and it is doing the same for ages now. It is quite preferable for catfishes. And for starters, it is the best. It also has an excellent braking system along with no backlashes. It has a solid body and long-lasting features. Many people used it generation after generations.

Key Features

4. Abu Garcia Revo IKE Low Profile Reel

Abu Garcia Revo IKE low profile reel is one of the premium series of Abu Garcia. Mike Leconelli designs it to be powerful, agile, and comfortable just the way he desires. It's a   perfect tool to be a part of any tournament. It's Power Stack Carbon Matrix Drag System unique handle design will give you an enhanced experience in the game. Its High casting distance and accuracy with a variety of baits, an IVCB-6L braking system, and Infini II Spool design provide an impeccable performance even with the lightest bait.

Key Features

5. KastKing Royale Legend/Whitemax Low Profile Baitcasting Fishing Reel

Kastking Royale Legend/Whitemax Low profile Baitcasting fishing reel is one of the best fishing reels in the market at its price range. It has unbelievably great features that may shock you. It is a low profile reel with lower gear ration giving it an increased torque. And it also got shielded MaxiDur corrosion resistant ball bearings for super smooth casting, retrieve, and long life. It also has an easily adjustable duel brake.

Key Features

6. Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 Round Reel

ABU GARCIA AMBASSADEUR C3 ROUND REEL has a design for smooth operation, strength, and precision. The advanced design of it consists of smoothness with three stainless ball bearings and one roller bearing. It is a blend of smooth drag with durability, along with finely crafted design.  Its Carbon Matrix drag system provides smooth and steady drag. It consists of six pins centrifugal brake, which applies continuous pressure for an accurate cast, and extended bent cranking handles and power knob offer added torque for strong-puling fish.

Key Features

7. KastKing Crixus Baitcasting Reels

Kastking Crixus Baitcasting reels excellent tools for fishing. It is an excellent combination of good look, affordability, and performance. Any other crankbait reel with these features is far more expensive than Kastking Crixus Baitcasting reels. It has exceptional value, performance, and design. It has a lightweight body, but it is firm, strong, and durable. Crixus Casting reels consist of heavy-duty brass main and pinion gears, which makes it durable, and fast. It has a CNC machined aluminum U-Shaped spool, which enables an angler to cast longer and more in-depth. The aluminum handles are very comfortable and lightweight; they are also slip-resistant Super Polymer grips. At this price, it would be challenging to get this kind of comfort.

Key Features

8. Abu Garcia REVO Winch Low Profile

Abu Garcia REVO Winch consists of a winch reel and earned high demand among the angler for its rich features. It has a proficient size power handle, large handle knobs, which provides extra leverage for throwing large baits. They have a duel break, which consists of an excellent magnetic brake system and an internal centrifugal brake that makes your casting much comfortable even in heavy wind. Though REVO winch is large yet it's pretty light in weight. The Winch also has excellent line capacity, which is essential casting in long-range and deep. Its gear ration allows it has higher torque and suitable for crankbait and lure with high resistance. The gearbox of Revo wench is Duragear brass gear for long-lasting gear.

Key Features

9. Abu Garcia Revo SX Low Profile Fishing Reel

Abu Garcia Revo SX Low Profile Baitcast Fishing Reel is designed with advanced engineering to provide a powerful performance. The fourth generation of Revo SX presents the most robust, long-lasting, and sturdy performing SX ever. It provides smooth operation and effortless casting performance, the upgraded DuraCluth design, and an improved Dual braking system. The combination of  The D2 Gear Design and a brass main gear makes it useful, easy-going, robust, and durable. So if you are looking for a reel that is a combination of all features that an ideal reel should have, then REVO SX low is perfect for you. The power stack carbon and two gear ration gives it a wide range and makes it faster than any other reel of its class. 

Key Features

10. Abu Garcia C4-6601 Ambassadeur Round Baitcast Fishing Reel

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Round baitcasting fishing reel never failed to please anglers of generation. It is popular for its simple design but powerful and sharp performance. And new C4-6601 is the combination of performance and durability along with advanced features. The carbon matrix drag system enables the reel to provide smooth drag, and upgraded bearing provides excellent performance—the upgraded braking system seamless braking force throughout the cast. It also provides a satisfactory range of casting as well as retrieving rate; its exceptional reach of depth and distance has always been satisfying. This ambassador series has a symbol of heritage and elegance, combining with advanced gear and braking system. It is genuinely a reel of choice among the anglers. And when it comes to durability, there is no doubt that if you have one of these reels, then you be able to pass it to your descendants.

Key Features

Aspect to observe before buying a reel

Finding the right crankbait reel can be a challenge. It would help if you took time and lots of research as well. To get the crankbait wheel that you require depends on where you are going to do your fishing. Different sort of water body requires a different kind of crankbait reel. It also depends on the type of crankbait you're going to use along with the kind of fish you are going to catch. An angler knows the right gear ration to put in the right place.

Choosing right gear ration

Choosing right gear ration is very important to choose the proper gear ration you need to know the range of gear ration there so lets the range of gear ratio

Low-Speed Gear Ratio

The range of low-speed gear ratio starts from 5.1:1 to 5.4:1 gear ration. If you want to have firm control and smooth handling over larger bait for luring bigger fish, then low-speed gear ration is suitable.

Medium-Speed Gear Ratio

Medium speed gear ration ranges from 6.0:1 to 6.4:1. The medium-range gear ratio is the most common gear ratio, which you can use for dependable performance. This range of gear ration will enable you to retrieve lines faster than a low-speed gear ratio. This gear ratio is preferable for all sorts of baits like spinning bait, topwater bait, and all others.

High-Speed Gear Ratio

The range of high gear ration is 7.1:1 to 8.1:1. This is the gear ratio of reels that are strong and very fast. This gear ratio is best for reaching the fish quickly along with other techniques of fishing.

Gear Ratio of higher speed

Lower speed of gear ratio

Draw an outline

It is essential to check the dependability and durability when figuring out the most suitable reels with a pleasant gear ratio. With all the proper information, it will not be challenging to find the right gear ratio for saltwater fishing difficulties. Ones you get everything suitable, then you will not be far away from saltwater fishing. Having an understanding of gear ratio will increase your efficiency in any water-body regardless of its difficulty level.

So if you know what size of fish you are fishing for, if you know which kind of water body you are going to fish in, then you can outline your requirements to get a crankbait reel.

Cost

Well, one of the very first factors of buying a crankbait reel is budget and the price of it. At first, you must fix a budget of how much you are willing to spend on a reel. There are crankbait reels of many price ranges. Some of the low budget crankbaits have pretty useful features.

If you are a beginner, you can start from a fundamental and economic reel by which you can gain ideas and experience about using t and maintaining it. Eventually, your experience will guide you to more options, but the initial budget should not be very high as a beginner.

You may find crankbaits reels that may cost you twice compare to the crankbait reels of its quality, but it also depends on the brand image and experience. There are crankbait reels that you may find much cheaper for the feature it consists of. Price, in some cases, does not matter on the feature but brand. But of course, features matter for many factors.

Type of Crankbait

There two types of crankbait. They are

• With lip: Dives deeper and requires a very slow gear ratio
• Without lip: Lipless crankbait requires a faster gear ratio.

Line retrieve rate

For crankbait fishing, a lower retrieving rate is sufficient. But if you are willing to for fast fishing competing where the count of fish matters, you require a high rate of retrieve. So it is ideal for keeping the retrieving rate at an optimum level where it is not too high or too low.

Bearings

For bearings, the quality is more important than the quantity. This means it most cases, it does not matter how many bearings a reel consists, but it is essential that the bearing good in quality or not. Because bad quality bearing will soon lock up, and that is very irritating for anglers. So it is better if the bearing is of good quality. Most cases shielded bearing, double-shielded, or shield bearings remain up to the mark.

Body and wight

The body of crankbait reel are built with various materials like graphite or aluminum. Different materials also have different advantages. For example, graphites are lightweight, and they do not get rusty for even if they fall on saltwater. On the other hand, aluminum is durable and can go through rough usage because they are strong. The wait also plays an important role. If the reel is too heavy, then it will cause strain on your arms and rest, which can be painful if you use it for a more extended period.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the Best Gear Ratio for Crankbait? 

Well, it depends on the type of lure you will use. Crankbait with a lip for deep diving is more efficient with a slow-speed reel. On the other hand, lipless crankbait is for shallow water use where it has to go through underwater vegetation, so it needs reels with a higher gear ratio.

2. Do crankbaits have to hit bottom?

No crankbait does not need to hit bottom. Crankbait is lures that work when they come in contact with something.

3. Can I use a spinning reel for crankbaits?

Yes for sure you can use a spinning reel for crankbaits, during windy or stormy situations spinning reels can be very useful with a lightweight crankbait.

4. What do the numbers mean on fishing reels?

Numbers in fishing reel refers to gear ratio and also retrieving rate.

5. Are more ball bearings in a reel better?

It depends on the material of the balls because some are not suitable for saltwater. But more bearing balls make a reel smooth.

6. What is the best season for fishing?

Some experts suggest spring and autumn are perfect for fishing. But it would not be a surprising fact if you get fishes in other seasons as well.

7. What type of maintenance is needed for crankbait reels to extend its lifespan?

Simple maintenance like disassembling it, wash it and clean it then put oil or grease, doing this will keep the reel tight and running.

Final word

A successful purchase of anything, the primary requirement is ideas and guidelines. And getting a direction requires a lot of time and effort. In many cases, people gather fragments of information together to get a solid brief idea and instruction about something.

Using this information and your requirements, you can find the best crankbait reel for you. Now you can be more confident about buying a crankbait reel when you go to a shop, and since you have such a brief idea that even if the shopkeeper has less idea about your requirements or plan scam, you can handle it wisely. I hope you have a great purchase and happy fishing.

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