TackleTour

Has anyone tried the BPS Johnny Morris Carbon Lite?
It weighs 5.9oz., and has an aluminum frame, for $129. That's for an aluminum frame with 10 bearings and externally adjustable mag brakes.

Don't know about that specific model, but I've got a buddy that fishes 4-5 days a week and he says the Johnny Morris line are good reels. He's normally a Curado guy, but he speaks well of the BPS reels.

I do not have that specific model but I have the Signature models and have been using it for the last 10 years along side my Daiwas and Quantums and it has held up very well and they get steady regular use. One of them is a dedicated crankbait reel.

I don't have that reel either but just changed out the spool bearings and regreased and now my dad's 2 Morris reels are ready for another season at 9 years strong.

Every one of those I have handled have felt geary. Now if they feel that way when fished I have not experienced it.

The original BPS Carbonlite in the orange color is a spectacular reel. I've got mine hotrodded (OS, tuned, etc) and its mounted on a 6' 3" Fenwick ET Smallmouth. I use it for small topwaters, 1/4 oz jerk baits and shallow cranks and even for 3/16 spinner baits. It's a smooth reel (not as smooth as a CH50e, but also half the price) that casts as well as anything else I own.

The "new" Carbonlite from 2 years ago is quite rough feeling. That said, I've used it to some great effect. Got two as my "Florida" reels. One's on 6'6" medium Carbonlite rod. It's loaded with 10lb Suffix Seige and has landed fish over 7lbs for me and shows no signs of slowing down. The second CL is on a 7' MH 13 Fishing Black loaded with 30lb braid for heavier applications, it's been a lot of fun tossing big spinnerbaits to grinnel, but I've yet to hand a good bass on it. For bottom contact plastics it doesn't compromise the fishing at all. But the "new" CL doesn't feel as magical as the original orange Carbonlite. Wish I'd bought a couple more of those at the close-out $79 price!

I also have the Bass Pro Johnny Morris Signature. For $150 its a real beast (no pun intended). Also has a full tuning (Nitroman) bearings, carbontex, etc... Casts and feels as smooth as a CHe or Abu (essentially it is an Abu as I understand it. Great reel that I use on a Powell 683 for essentially all purpose fishing. I havent found anything at $200 that I'd trade it for. It absolutely crushed a Lexa (actually had 3 Lexa reels when they first came out and got rid of them all - they felt more "geary" to me than the "new" Carbonlites at a higher price - and no I haven't tried the Tatula and probably won't at this point).

For reference I also own AG Winch, Record, CH50e, CH200e, CH100SF (super tuned and wonderful), CH Ci4+.

My $0.02

cornmuse wrote:The original BPS Carbonlite in the orange color is a spectacular reel. I've got mine hotrodded (OS, tuned, etc) and its mounted on a 6' 3" Fenwick ET Smallmouth. I use it for small topwaters, 1/4 oz jerk baits and shallow cranks and even for 3/16 spinner baits. It's a smooth reel (not as smooth as a CH50e, but also half the price) that casts as well as anything else I own.

The "new" Carbonlite from 2 years ago is quite rough feeling. That said, I've used it to some great effect. Got two as my "Florida" reels. One's on 6'6" medium Carbonlite rod. It's loaded with 10lb Suffix Seige and has landed fish over 7lbs for me and shows no signs of slowing down. The second CL is on a 7' MH 13 Fishing Black loaded with 30lb braid for heavier applications, it's been a lot of fun tossing big spinnerbaits to grinnel, but I've yet to hand a good bass on it. For bottom contact plastics it doesn't compromise the fishing at all. But the "new" CL doesn't feel as magical as the original orange Carbonlite. Wish I'd bought a couple more of those at the close-out $79 price!

I also have the Bass Pro Johnny Morris Signature. For $150 its a real beast (no pun intended). Also has a full tuning (Nitroman) bearings, carbontex, etc... Casts and feels as smooth as a CHe or Abu (essentially it is an Abu as I understand it. Great reel that I use on a Powell 683 for essentially all purpose fishing. I havent found anything at $200 that I'd trade it for. It absolutely crushed a Lexa (actually had 3 Lexa reels when they first came out and got rid of them all - they felt more "geary" to me than the "new" Carbonlites at a higher price - and no I haven't tried the Tatula and probably won't at this point).

For reference I also own AG Winch, Record, CH50e, CH200e, CH100SF (super tuned and wonderful), CH Ci4+.

My $0.02

Great writeup. Thanks.