KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Reel, Conventional Reel for Catfish, Salmon/Steelhead,Striper Bass and Inshore Saltwater Fishing Reel, Reinforced Metal Body,Black

This is my first-round reel. I spooled it with 30lb braided line. I will be matching this reel up with a 7ft medium heavy rod for catfishing and some inshore fishing. The reel is smooth and that 30lb drag is amazing. The reel is all metal for salt or freshwater fishing. I really like the oversized handle for better power in reeling in that big fish. The price point is affordable and KastKing usually has a coupon for more money off. The reel comes in a nice box. There is a bag for keeping the reel clean and safe while storing. Inside the box are some KastKing stickers and a parts list. It cast really good. I tried it out in one our local ponds. Retrieve is really smooth. The reel is looks great in Black with a Gold label for the reel name. You can spool it up with up to 65lb Braided line.

Bought this as a gift and the love it they said it worked perfectly

I got 2 of the 70 series a couple weeks ago. Lined up 30lb big game on both for catfishing. Both reels have been great and the clickers are nice and loud . They are just as nice as any of my 7000s and I will definitely be ordering more

I cannot state enough how much of a amazing value this reel is. At time of this review, the 70-size reel was priced at $72.99 with a 30% discount bringing it down to $51.09. This reel feels well-built and sturdy. The retrieve is smooth and the drag is solid. I'm a big fan of the power handle, it feels solid and well balanced. This reel will find service fishing for carp and catfish, so having an audible line clicker is a must for me. The Rover has a line out clicker that is comparable to my Abu Garcia reels. The line capacity is top notch and I was able to load nearly 300 yards of 80lb PowerPro braid onto this reel without issue. The Rover is an amazing addition to my tackle collection. Highly recommended!

The TLDR: Great value for the money. Good for both salt and fresh water. Easy to clean and maintain. Casting is ok and the line alarm is decently loud. Quality assurance may be a factor when you first get it but customer service and the warranty is good and easy to work with to resolve any issues. Detailed review: This reel is currently in use with my normal catfish rigs. When I first received the reel it worked well out of the box. I was able to land some decent size fish while dragging bottom in my boat. However, halfway through my first trip with it I noticed the reel started to lock up when in free spool. I believe it had something to do with the anti-reverse gear. I reached out to customer support who took care of the issue by sending me a new reel and shipping was quick enough I was able to rig it and get it back into the lineup within a week or so. Since then I had no real issues with it. A deeper look... 1. Spool The spool is a smooth metal and has a metal level wind that works well and will not damage your line. You can use braid but I cant speak to the wear on the level wind eye as a result because I mostly use mono. I have had the level wind pop out of the track one time when I got a little careless reeling in a fish but was able to pop it back in no problem using my thumb. The spool is able to hold a good amount of line for any kind of fishing you would be wanting to do. I use the 60 series and tend to troll long lines (100-300ft) and I have yet to get close to being spooled when catfishing. For some of the bigger saltwater species the 60 may be small but that's why you can upgrade to the 80 or 90 series. The reel has 2 spool tension knobs on either side of the reel. In my experience the tension knob under the drag is set well to keep the spool center for the level wind. I use the tension knob on the other side with the numbers to adjust the spool tension. When casting heavy baits/lures you may need to thumb the spool down an inch or so you truly release the spool from the anti-reverse gear. It's not that big a deal for me but I can see this being a item that may wear out in the future. But in all truth you can see the same in higher end Abu Garcia reels. 2. Handle The new power handle that comes with the new rover series is a welcome change. Having used the older red models in the past (and still do) the first thing I would do is change out the stock handle to a power handle for more torque. Having these come stock with one is a welcome change in my eyes. It's not too cumbersome, has good balance and will not close the spool on a hard cast. 3. Drag The drag system is very good. It has no problem stopping a large fish run. The drag is decently smooth. The 30lbs in the 60 is more than enough for your typical catfish rig. 4. Line Alarm (Clicker) The clicker on this reel is decent. It's loud. It would be comparable to an Abu Garcia C3 series, maybe a little louder. It's more like a phone ringing on half volume. The gears that make up the clicker are made of plastic which isn't that big a deal since there isn't any load on it, but you need to be careful not to cast with the clicker on or you run the risk of it breaking. 5. Wear and tear The type of fishing I do can be really hard on reels and they can start to show wear pretty quickly. The Rover series does seem to be holding up well. I have been doing the best I can to keep it in working order by cleaning and lubing it every so often or after I take it to the salt. Even with regular cleaning I have noticed the reel building more resistance to casting when in free spool. The gears that are in contact with the spool when engaged remain touching the spool when in free spool and add drag thus reducing casting distance. It's not an egregious loss of distance but it is there. The other thing that I noticed wearing on the reel is the black paint. After a year of weekly trips to the water in ether a boat or on the bank I've started to notice the paint starting to chip away. It's purely cosmetic though and will not hinder the reels ability, but I wanted to bring it up in case someone wants style points on their setup. Conclusion I give this reel a 4/5 stars. It's a good reel for the price. This is a reel that I've really enjoyed using and currently have 2 actively on my rods ready to go.