low profile vs round casting reels

[ma_fisherman]

my experience with bc reels is limited to low profile reels but recently i have had some interest in adding a round reel to my arsenal. i have a chance to get a really good price on a shimano cardiff....it was a small one...a size 100 i believe. for comparison thoughts, though, i wanted to keep this more generalized then comparing specific models....just basic characteristics of a round reel vs low profile. how do the two compare (assuming comparison between low profile and rounds that are similiar price and have similiar line capacities) in the following:

-casting distance and ease of casting/backlashing
-braking systems/cast controls
-smoothness of retrieve
-drag smoothness/drag power

Also is it safe to assume that overall weight or lack of weight is not a focus point of manufacturers when building round reels as it is with the low profile and spinning models. for instance, are there even any round reels that have magnesium construction or a carbon composite of some type (i.e. ci4, zaion, carbon fiber)??

anyone with some insight or opinions on comparison to any (some) or all of the above please share your thoughts. thanks.

[Buck2thPerch]

This topic has been discussed many times before the crash and certainly after as well. But to each thier own on this topic

Round Reels have always been the benchmark in quality, craftsmanship, power, and longevity since its inception. However with the introduction of the low profile reelsi n the 70's things changed. Weight and ease of all day fishing was won over with the low profile reels. Now with advancement in technology, both reels are almost identical in the 200 - 50 sizes - as far as casting, drag, smoothhness, and brake. Depending on where you buy your reels from, most JDM Reels will have more bearing, are built better which in the end is more refined, and much more smooth than its USDM counter parts. Round reels still have two areas in which they will never win vs low profile and that is weight and palmability and that will never change but that is assuming we all know this already like you stated and its a moot point.

Comparing two reels: Calcutta 100TE vs Core 100MG 6:2:1 (Overall similar to each other and I am not comparing due to the "100" Tag - price, line capacity, quality etc...)

From my experience......

Stock:
Casting - Core (Core excels with smaller bait and can cover higher end heavier range of bait thus more versatile overall vs Calcutta 100TE excels at bigger baits but its range for smaller bait is not as good)
Brakes - Tie
Drag - Core (IMO not by much)
Smoothness of retrieve - Calcutta (Calcutta TE GT has 10+1 vs Core 5+1. You be the judge, but others may say differently)
Line Capacity - Calcutta (Round reels will always have the advantage in this category. Calcuta 100TE GT 12/115yds vs Core 100MG 6:2:1 12/90yds)

Overall both types of reels are neck in neck but where these two reels will excel is where your specific application you commit them to that will determine which one would best suit your needs. Example - if I do alot of offshore fishing and hauling in big salt water lunkers, I'd probably pick the Calcutta over a low profile reel 9/10 times. Where as if I was bass fishing in freshwater I'd probably pick the core 9/10 times.

I could have used the Calais 100A/200A for comparison sake vs the Calcuta TE100GT but the only real difference would be the Calais is salt water proof where as the Core is not. And I have not fished a Calais but I would imagine the Core 100MG and Calais 100A performance is almost indentical except the Calais is heavier. Perhaps someone else can chime in.

Last note, the tie breaker for the round reels would be upgrades and supertunning. Which in the end would make the round reel cover almost the entire range of performance a low profile can, except, again - weight and palmability.

Again, this is all from my perspective with experience in using round reels vs low profile. I have sold all of my older round reels and have gone all low profile but plan to aquire some new round reels for Catfishing, Muskie, and big fresh water fishing. But I have to say one reel that is tops on my list to get is the Conquest 50!

[Reel Old Geezer]

Not trying to be picky, but to set the record straight, low profile reels have been around a lot longer than the 1970's. This Meisselbach Flyer is from 1927. Note the nice "S" shaped power handle. It just wasn't its time. EVERYTHING CYCLES.

[Buck2thPerch]

You never cease to amaze me Geezer.

Perhaps I should restate: "with the revitalized introduction of the low profile reelsi n the 70's things changed". I can't remember who was the famous Bass Angler in the 70's that made low profile reels mainstream.

[bigreddog]

Not trying to be picky, but to set the record straight, low profile reels have been around a lot longer than the 1970's. This Meisselbach Flyer is from 1927.

This post makes me wonder just how old Reel Old Geezer *really* is...

Great stuff!

[Buck2thPerch]

Not trying to be picky, but to set the record straight, low profile reels have been around a lot longer than the 1970's. This Meisselbach Flyer is from 1927.

This post makes me wonder just how old Reel Old Geezer *really* is...

Great stuff!

OFF TOPIC: Just amazing how Geezer can pull ancient reels to reference....simply amazing. I can't remember when exactly but there was a discussion of high speed gear ratio reels and with advancement in technology soon we will be seeing 8:1 gears etc. Geezer just blew everyone away with a reel in the 1950's(?), that was 10:1 gear ratio, I think? My jaws dropped when I read what Geezer posted along with the picture.

[USA-RET]

how do the two compare (assuming comparison between low profile and rounds that are similiar price and have similiar line capacities) in the following:

-casting distance and ease of casting/backlashing
-braking systems/cast controls
-smoothness of retrieve
-drag smoothness/drag power

Casting distance is dependent on the weights you are throwing. Also on the amount of money you are willing to spend. Due to the popularity of low profile reels, you are likely to find the less expensive low profiles casting better than a similarly priced round reel (at least this has been my experience).

As the price of reels increase these difference all but vanish. As one would expect, there are more options for lighter bait casting with low profile reels due to their popularity. There are also some absolutely wonderful light bait casting round reels available (although at a higher price point).

Braking and backlash should not be an issue with either reel. However, I do find that if I am fishing one type of reel and switch to the other, I have to adjust my casting and pitching motion to allow for performance differences between the two reels. Once acclimated, neither reel type presents a problem for me.

Most manufacturers have braking systems that are more than adequate on either reel as are the casting controls.

I rate smoothness as equal. Again there are some low profiles that are smoother than other low profiles..the same is true with round reels. At a higher price point (generally) the round reels seem to feel smoother. I attribute this to their heavier weight and general robustness. This is probably more a perception than actual reality.

The drag smoothness and power varies with each reel. Differences exists between low profiles as well as round reels. Personally I find most stock drags to be fine for the general fishing audience right out of the box. Upgrades are easy and inexpensive so bringing a low profile or round drag "up to snuff" isn't a problem (IMO)

Unfortunately I do not own a USDM Cardiff. I do own an older model Shimano Corsair. It was and is a nice reel but I find a similarly priced low profile reel will out perform it on casting and pitching baits. In all other areas I find it comparable.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

I have become a huge fan of the round reels lately (as my bank account can attest) and have a near equal number of both type reels in my arsenal.

[SLM]

Round casting reels were always perceived to have more power, mainly due their ability to house larger gears. Now that most low profile casting reels employ oversized, drop down gear boxes, that playing field seems to have been leveled.

[TheGEEK]

Of all my reels, only one is a low pro. I go with the round for line capacity.

[mhood]

I have lots of both and honestly, my favorites have become the Conquests and Calcutta DCs...although I still love fishing with the Pixzillas and Calais DC7s.

[brokeneye]

anybody see the similarities in the meisselbach and the lew's ng?...and the s-shaped handle was one of the shakespeare wondercast's "new and improved" selling points...just a scant 40 or 50 years ago.

as to the op, sometimes manufacturers create classics in spite of themselves...in our recent past, the abu 5000, the lew's ng and the curado 200b easily come to mind...they weren't the best, they weren't the worse, but they damn sure hit a nerve...and they hit that nerve because of reasons other than round/low, mag/cent or all those things we myopically search for and call intrinsic.

cream always rises...no matter how you package it.



oh yeah, have used the core 100mg and the calais 100a..."identical performance" ain't what i remember.

[Reel Old Geezer]

This post makes me wonder just how old Reel Old Geezer *really* is...

For the record, I'll soon be 80. I'm most proud of the fact that I fished 142 days last year and that 1885 river smallmouth came to the boat. I used a counter because I was aiming for 2000 smallies and at least one every month of the year, and I did make that target.

About the high speed reel, it actually had a 9:1 gear ratio and was patented and produced in 1903-1909. There was a 9:1 gear ratio reel patented in the 1880s also. Here are a couple of 9:1 reels. The one on the right is an original Carlton from 1903. Note also the adjustable crank handles on these reels. The Rochester Reel on the left has a backplate that is turned to adjust the click, very similar to the modern Daiwa Millionaires adjustment of the brakes.

Please pardon the poor photo. I should redo that one of these days. I thought I should also point out at Harvey Carlton of Rochester, NY patented these reels, and he also produced a free spool version in 4:1 that had a thumb bar to put the reel in free spool. This was long before the thumb bar on the Ambassadeur's, Shimano's and Daiwa's.

Addendum: I don't mean to high jack a thread like this, but I hope that some of you learn to appreciate the classic reels and tackle that led us to where we have the wonderful tackle we have today. I just like to point out that most inventions are not new, they are just improvements due to the new materials of our time. Incidentally, I fish daily with both Conquests and low profiles from Daiwa and Shimano. I find they all have their use, and I just love some of our modern reels.

[ma_fisherman]

thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts and i apologize if this is a topic that has been covered many times. i guess it makes sense that it would have been discussed previously and maybe i should have done a search but as someone said....a lot of threads were lost recently in the crash.

Geezer- thanks for spending some time covering all the bases. that was a good, brief ouline of comparison and exactly the type of reply i was looking for. usa- ret also had a nice thought out post that i found useful. I mostly fish for bass not much salt or larger freshwater game (muskie, cats, etc.) so i think practically speaking it sounds the low profile reels of today serve most any purpose that would be needed when bass fishing and getting a round reel would be more a matter of preference or adding some variety. i was more concerned with whether or not the round reels would be more difficult casting/backlashes. the low profile reels of today do such a wonderful job of casting that the horror stories ive heard from the older generation seem to be a thing of the past. when i first started using low profile bc's it didnt take me too long to become comfortable casting heavier baits. it sounds from most of you, though, that my concerns about any more difficulty in casting a round reel are not based in reality. good to know.

slm- i think you made an interesting point about the reputation of round baitcasters having more power and if what you say about todays low profile reels having similiar power in many cases due to oversized gears then this negates one of the main reasons most might lean to a round reel. at least those that are uneducated about such things as am i. i always thought the round reel had larger and more powerful gears then a comparable low profile 99/100 times. interesting observation on your part that this is not always the case. thanks for sharing.

i know a lot of the members here discuss things on a more educated level and have more experience with much of the tackle today. this intimidated me when it came to joining last year but ive found time and time again here that some of the more experienced tackle tour members are more then willing to take time and help some of the members here who are not as knowledgeable. i appreciate it. thanks. good day all.

[GARRIGA]

Lots of good points so I'm going to limit it to two reels that share the same internals but in different external suits. The Pluton/Ryoga 200 round vs the Z200/Z2020 low profile. Supposedly, both share the same internals except for breaking system where the Z adds the 3D and same exact spools, therefore, same line capacity. The Pluton weights around 12 oz and has a substantially higher profile and the Z is around 10 oz. On the same rod with the same line and the same 6:1 ratio, they both cast the same but the Z is much more comfortable which allows me to fish it longer without fatigue and easier to work lures that require wrist action such as a top water or jerk style bait.

Gear ratio and casting systems aside, I'll grab the Z 9 out of 10 times over the Pluton. In fact, since I've gotten my Z2020HL 6:1 I don't bother with the Pluton and it will remain on my Hudd 8" 806ML until exchange rates become friendly again and I get another Z2020HL or convince myself to get the US Z200HL.

I think many see a cool factor with round reels but low profile has come a long way, although, I still think once you get beyond a 200/300 size there is no alternative but a round reel to avoid an overly wide LP that obtains the same line capacity. Perhaps if I ever get a Conquest 50/100 or Ryoga 100 it will change my mind. Have fished 100 size round reels before but the right size LP is more comfortable and flexible to use. This is based on my experience and another could see things differently.

[billjaco]

When you are accustomed to fishing lp baitcasters, switching to a round reel requires a slightly different mechanical skill that can at first seem a bit awkward. In the middle of a hot bite, where I have somewhat satisfied my need for showing my superiority over the creatures of the deep, I'll grab a round reel to somewhat even the playing field. There is definitely an adjustment period in which the fish now has a slight edge, until I become comfortable with the size and action of the baitcaster.

The use of different tackle than one commonly employs can enhance the challenge and satisfaction level of angling.