kastking

[RHTFISH]

Just get a Daiwa SS and everyone will go home happy!

[Cranfield]

They certainly look like a reel worth considering and they are appearing over here in small numbers.

Everyone is familiar with the, "all the gear, but no idea" brigade, they can be found in shooting , golf and just about every other sporting circle.
However, the sportsman that buys equipment that has a good reputation and they are confident with, is not necessarily in the aforementioned group.
I have old Shimano and Abu reels that have had a lot of heavy use, but been well cared for and perform like new reels.
I tend to buy things that I assume will outlast me and that goes for guns as well.

New things are worth trying, especially if there is a price advantage, but we have all be bitten by the "good deal" in the past and there is not a lot of point in experience, if you don't take notice of it.

[2Salty]

KastKing – Why I am making the switch….
http://www.thefishermansjournal.com/kas ... he-switch/

[dombern34]

KastKing – Why I am making the switch….
http://www.thefishermansjournal.com/kas ... he-switch/

and nobody is knocking you for trying or switching to them. I'm curious how they will hold up and perform myself for the price. would I make the switch? doubt it but, bad mouthing these "over-rated, over priced" reels that most of us use isn't helping either. you have an opinion and others do too. you said yourself it doesn't matter what gear anyone uses, it's the catch right?

[JIm Smith]

you guys need to play nice or we will have to put you in time out

[2Salty]

KastKing Sharky II Reel Review – 2017

“You will be hard pressed to find a reel that’s as well built as the Sharky II, and that comes anywhere near its low price. Thanks KastKing for making another full value product that leaves us money for the other fun parts of our fishing experience.”

http://best-spinningreels.com/kastking- ... view-2017/

KastKing Sharky II Review

http://www.thefishermansjournal.com/kas ... ky2review/

KastKing Sharky II Waterproof Spinning Reel
Starting at $37 (free shipping $20+)

http://www.eposeidon.com/kastking-shark ... nning-reel

[JeffB]

I certainly don't want to get caught up in this fray, but until my wife gave me a Penn for fathers day, I had used Pfluegers exclusively for the 10 or 12 years I have been fishing saltwater. I have the first one that I ever owned and still fish with it. Everyone that I have ever had still works and all are still used from time to time when guests fish with me that don't have their own tackle. As someone mentioned above, the handles on about half of them are corroded but they just look ugly, it doesn't hurt their performance. But, having said all of that, I have really enjoyed my Penn and will probably buy another.

[2Salty]

Pflueger and Penn are owned by the same parent company.

My friend who fishes Pflueger President reels inshore saltwater praises them. Also, he takes VERY good care of his reels - as well as his other gear, boat, etc.

[Salty Gator]

This has become a total hijacking, but I just have to throw this in. When boaters was here, probably 10 years ago, I got a pfleuger president and the one below on some sale. The president did hold up well for a couple of years but the other started grinding and the handle corroded. I upgraded and put them on a shelf. There was a guy on the kayak forum that was down on his luck and one step away from homeless. He had a yak and liked to fish, but was limited on gear. I contacted him and gave him both reels. He said he liked to tinker so I figured he may be able to use the lower end one for parts for the president. He pm'd me and said he took them apart and cleaned them, then he basically cused me out for giving him such crap reels and wasting his time.

Man I hope those kastking reels turn out to hold up. Seems almost too good to be true that someone can make a quality product for a fifth of the normal cost.

[Juan]

Ok, I'll add this and then quit: I've got two Pflueger Supremes on the shelf I've had for 20 years and they look and work as good as the day I bought them 20 years ago. I should also mention I don't use them and haven't used them in 19 1/2 years. They just don't compare in performance or quality to my Shimanos but I'm still going to give this Kastking a try and hope it holds up.

[bman]

Just catching up on this post...
saltygator and 2salty- work it out. No need to pick on each other.

Now on to the reel- I'm always looking for a good guest rig and will probably order a couple. The $99 Blair Wiggins combos have been great and I find myself fishing them even when guests are not in the boat.

That said the shimanos I own are fantastic.

[GaryDroze]

So fun to follow this thread! That said...

Few of you beat the hell out of your reels like I do. I hike through thick mud and salt marsh, and drag kayaks in the same stuff, about 80 days per year. My poor reels go through all that with me. I wish I could say I take great care of them, but I don't. Why not? I found that at a price point of about 60 bucks, I can get reels that last 2-3 seasons of of my merciless treatment, as long as I go with this brand: Shimano

Dang, I wish Shimano read this forum. I could use a sponsor.

[2Salty]

...Now on to the reel- I'm always looking for a good guest rig and will probably order a couple. The $99 Blair Wiggins combos have been great and I find myself fishing them even when guests are not in the boat...

Jimbo Keith/Saltwater Assassin Fishing Charters/Cedar Key, FL an endorsed Kastking charter now using Kastking reels on Okuma rods for clients.
http://www.eposeidon.com/endorsed-charter/#florida

[JIm Smith]

JImbo, his dad Jimmy, and his cousin Steven of Saltwater assassin charter out of Cedar Key should be blamed for this hold thing they are close friends and Jimbo is the reason I asked in the first placed

[big bend gyrene]

Isn't this your advice from last month? Re best reel under $120

Post by 2Salty » Mon Dec 05, 2016 - 5:03

#1 Penn Battle II
#2 Okuma RTX (or BTX if you can find them)
#3 Pflueger President/President XT

Exactly 2Salty... you did reference them as a replacement for Stradics and on a board that primarily deals with Saltwater fishing... worth noting without caveats you hadn't actually used them or without sharing you didn't find them salt worthy. Then you go insulting me for challenging the pflueger handles for corrosion issues by arguing they aren't meant for salt and assuming I ONLY freshwater rinse reels with no other maintenance.

So let's clarify a few points.

Search my posts on this board and you won't find me an outspoken Shimano fanboy. That said, over time I have gone through various reels fishing the big bend both fresh and salt... can think of 8 brands sitting in my garage now (Shimano, Daiwa, Penn, Okuma, MItchell, Pflueger, Cabela Salt Striker, and BPS and sure I'm forgetting others). DON'T fish Shimano alone even now... almost each trip out have a few shimano rigs, penns, diawa and okuma on board (take lots of rigs as most trips I aim to fish both offshore and inshore). All of that said, the Shimano reels I use (Thunnus when targeting large cobes, mid-level Symetre for inshore, and even cheap Sienna for bait) have served me as well as any other brands. I've found them to be a decent bargain for the price.

Second point, I'm completely open to trying Kastkings... sound very interesting, especially with the price point of many including carbon fiber washers. I think most on the board are indicating to you they're interested and willing to giving them a try.

Final point, what's hitting a fair share of us wrong is you join the board and in short order use posts to throw out broad sweeping challenges against others choices, gear quality, etc, without taking the time to even know your audience. You shared near the start of this thread, "I'm rarely impressed by the gear - but I can be impressed with the catch." Well, then... maybe when you've just joined and provided 1/100th the contribution of other members you should take the time to see what you can learn from others before being judging you need to educate us all.

Let's just consider a few members of your audience a bit... a semi-retired tarpon guide who is as anal when it comes to his equipment as anyone I've met and who regularly writes for various saltwater fishing focused magazines, a local hardcore fisherman who regularly wins tournaments by risking life and limb putting his gear and body through conditions (and terrain) most of us aren't willing to tackle, and while I've never fished a single tournament and don't think of myself as nearly knowledgeable of an inshore fisherman as MANY on this board I do have a passion for targeting cobes, do it pretty successfully year after year, and if you've caught many cobes than maybe you'll understand why I don't like taking crap gear out and losing fish to sticky reels, failing drag systems, etc.
Last of my contributions on this post. Very well may order a Kastking of two and if do will be completely willing to praise them if they perform well. Over and out.