KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Reel - No.1 Highest Rated Conventional Reel - Reinforced Metal Body & Supreme Star Drag | Max Drag: 20 lb, 6+1 BB, 12.6 oz, Reinforced Metal Body, Carbon Fiber Drag System, Oversized Non-Slip TPE Grips

Just received the Rover 60 today. I'm blown away at the quality of this reel. I had to take it out and try it out. I had an old 7' glowstik and some cheap Mustad 20lb test laying around so I assembled it all together and tied on a 1.5 ounce sinker. Keep in mind this line was very stiff and has high memory so it's not what I intend to use but the reel handled fine it nonetheless. I plan on using it for catfishing and obviously the Abu Garcia C3 6500 has been the king in this realm. So I will compare the two even though this reel costs half what a C3 does on Amazon (both are sold at a great price on Amazon). Overall build quality is just as good. Lots of stainless steel parts on both. Casting and retrieving they are the same (smooth). The line guide does its job and lays line flat on both. The drag is a little smoother on the C3 6500 but the KastKing drag still operates very smooth. The KastKing at its price point, to be fair, should be compared to the cheap Chinese Abu 6500S models that actually cost about $15 more than the KastKing. But those two aren't really comparable because the KastKing Rover 60 beats the 6500S hands down in every way. I actually like the full thumb bar on the KastKing over the Abu's small thumb push button. The only thing I don't care for on the KastKing Rover is the grips on the retrieving handle are EVA foam. I personally would have preferred just a basic hard plastic but that can be fixed later if they wear out. Now tuning this reel seems complicated to those that are new to conventional reels but its actually very easy. Assuming you already have the reel mounted and spooled with line (hopefully of decent quality), this is all you have to do. 1. Rig the rod with whatever weight/lure you intend to cast. 2. Tighten the spool tensioner knob pretty tight (this is the silver knob on the same side as the retrieving handle). 3. Tighten down the brake knob somewhere around half way, maybe a little more tight than halfway. (This is the knob on the opposite side of the reel.) 4. Hold rod up at a 45 degree angle with your weight/lure hanging down about 12-15 inches from the rod tip. 5. Press thumb bar to release the line. The weight/lure should fall to the ground in a controlled manner and you shouldn't have any backlash or very little. If it has a lot of backlash tighten the brake knob more. Repeat this step till you get a controlled drop with little to no backlash.once you achieve this you are ready to cast. When casting press the thumb bar release and press your thumb against the spool to hold the line in place. When you cast just pull your thumb off the spool slightly. Just before the weight/lure hits the water apply pressure to the spool with your thumb again. If it backlashes tighten your brake a little more. Don't try to sling the lure/weight too aggressively. I was able to acveive 60 yard casts with a smooth throw. ***note*** a reviewer had claimed his reel wasn't working. When he tried to reel it the spool wouldn't turn. Mine did the same and scared me when I first received it. Tighten the star drag so.e and it should start retrieving/spinning the spool. Hope this helps. This is a great reel. Cat fisherman spread the word!

Great KastKing Reel. Releases and spools line with ease without a bird nest left in the reel. Get the reel settings right then start catching fish.

I haven't used it yet but it seems like a good reel for the $

I had to get another boat reel as my (cheap) original had come to the end of its natural life. Looking through the choices offered I was impressed by the specification on this reel. It is amazingly cheap for what you get, time will tell about its longevity. It does feel good and the retrieve is smooth. The thumb release falls quite naturally to hand and I expect that if used as a baitcaster it would perform well. As I said though I will use this mainly as a boat reel and for trolling. It is maybe overspecced for this purpose but it's nice to have a versatile reel in the bag. It does have a quality look without being over blinged and flashy. I am looking forward to using it

Amazing reel for the price! I've landed anything from stripers to flathead catfish on this thing. It's always worked well and I have very few backlashes. Most of the time if I do get a backlash, it's my fault for not setting the reel up correctly. If I had one complaint, it would be that the little red caps on the handles fall off. Other than that, you can't get a better reel for the money.