Best New Bass Fishing Reels

The votes have been counted and the results are in! Thanks to you, the viewer, industry professionals, and the staff at Tackle Warehouse, we were able to crown winners in the prestigious Viewer’s Choice and TW Staff Picks - best reels categories. One reel short of a two-year sweep, Shimano’s Curado expansion was well received in the casting reel category, while the Shimano Sustain held its own taking down the Viewer’s Choice pick in the spinning reel category. Internally, the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT’s reengineered design did not go unnoticed, however, taking top honors as Tackle Warehouse’s Staff Pick for best spinning reel.

Viewer's Choice & TW Staff Pick: Shimano Curado 150 MGL Casting Reels

Living up to its workhorse heritage, the Shimano Curado 150 MGL Casting Reel leverages key Shimano technologies to produce the perfect blend of performance and day-in and day-out dependability. Combining Shimano’s feather weight Magnumlite (MGL) Spool with 150-sizing, the Shimano Curado 150 MGL Casting Reel amplifies efficiency with an almost-endless range of applications by extending casting distance and accuracy.

“I love the Curado 200K, I think it is one of the best workhorse reels on the market. This reel (the Curado 150 MGL) takes it a step further.” – Matt Allen, Tactical Bassin’

Viewer's Choice: Shimano Sustain FJ Spinning Reels

Whether you’re targeting big fish in saltwater or freshwater, the Shimano Sustain FJ Spinning Reel utilizes a laundry list of advanced technologies paired with refined aesthetics. Housed in an extremely lightweight yet rugged aluminum HAGANE body, the Shimano Sustain FJ Spinning Reel is the toughest in MGL reel family and is crafted with a MagnumLite (MGL) rotor for easier start-up rotation and faster hooksets with increased sensitivity.

"This right here is one fine piece of machinery. It’s going to be available in four models from 2500, 3000, 4000, 5000… It’s going to have the new MicroModule 2 Gearing, LongStroke Spool, SilentTune, so what I am trying to tell you is you’re going to be able to cast further, it’s going to be smoother, and it's going to be quieter… it’s like butter” – Alex Davis, MLF Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler

TW Staff Pick: Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT Spinning Reel

Engineered with Daiwa’s most advanced spinning reel technologies, the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT Spinning Reels check all of the boxes when it comes to durability, dependability, and lightweight performance. Housed in a lightweight, one-piece Monocoque Zaion body, the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT Spinning Reels utilize larger DigiGearing, which gives anglers a faster gear ratio and more cranking power than other reels of the same size on the market

"The Ballistic MQ is very light, very strong, and very ridged with no flexing. What’s good about that, you can put bigger gears in the reel because of the light framing. The bigger gears make it smoother and easier to reel. It also has MagSeal; MagSeal helps the longevity of the reel." - Brent Ehrler, MLF Bass Pro Tour & Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler