KastKing Verus Baitcasting Fishing Reel, New Assassin Version, Only 5.4 oz. Carbon Fiber Frame & Side Covers, Carbon Fiber Drag System & 11+1 Double Shielded Ball Bearings, 8.1:1 Gear Ratio

I've been a bass fisherman most of my life, both as a recreational angler and as a professional. While I haven't had a chance to put any real time on this product, I can say that it's a great reel, with a huge bonus in the fact that it costs so little. It casts crazy good, and would be a perfect choice for a beginner because it's almost impossible to backlash.This reel is very light in weight and also very smooth out of the box- I can't tell any difference between it and my Lew's BB-1's and that's saying something. I've had great experiences with KastKing reels before- this reel is more of the same.

Out of the box, the reel looks and feels of quality. I strung mine up with 20lb braid and took it out for a little Sunday shore fishing. It took a few minutes to get the spool tension tuned in, but once I got it adjusted the casting was effortless. The fact that the spool tension knob has detents is very helpful. Knowing how much you adjusted the tension by clicks is very helpful.I started with a 1/4 oz spinner bait and had no backlash issues even with the brakes turned all the way down. Nice long casts in the wind. The fish weren't interested in the spinner bait, so I switched to a 1/8oz rooster tail. As is my typical experience with such a light bait in the wind, after a few casts it did backlash, so I turned the brakes up to about 3-4. The backlashes stopped after that.The only complaint I have about this reel is when I tied my line to the spool, a sharp edge cut the line. I switched to a different hole and it was fine after that. I'll probably go back at some point and just hit those with a little file to knock down any sharp edges.Overall, this reel outperforms other reels at this price point and even some that are much more expensive. Highly recommended!

This is my first KastKing reel and they delivered as advertised. It is light, but beefy. I've only used it for a short time, but it performed better than any reel I already have. Good price for a ten bearing reel that was easy to adjust and use. very nice retrieve.

I have many reals like this style and this is one of the smoothest. And the line will scream off of it and easy to control.

I’ve gotten to take it out a few times and I have no complaints on it working. It cast super smooth, drag is perfect and the retrieval is flawless. Only downside I noticed was the level wind didn’t fully commit to the right side of the reel when I spooled it. It’s seems to be fine and eventually does make it all the way over but I feel that could be something that would be adjusted eventually by the manufacturer

Have not had a chance to use reel, out of the box it felt great

Cant fully assess whether reel has good functionality. Very dissapointed because the reel has a nice feel to it in hand and looks solidly built but by not being able to fully dial in this reel makes it unusable for me. Hope they can replalce the dial because its already fully spooled with good line.

I have to say, this reel is shockingly good for the price. My buddy picked mine up the other day and couldn't believe how light it was. It cats plenty far with 20lb test and just feels smooth. Perfect small entry level baitcaster for inshore saltwater fishing. It looks cool and goes right on the kastking 2pc casting rod no problem. The brakes are simple to dial in and so far I've had zero issues. Would buy another! Baitcasters have a learning curve. Start with the brakes on around 7, tighten the spool tensioner so that the spool doesn't have any left to right movement and make sure you lightly thumb the spool, applying a bit more pressure right before your lure hits the water. Getting lazy on a baitcaster or trying to cast too hard will be your main cause of backlash. Plenty of videos on YouTube about how to get rid of backlash, it will happen but if you follow those steps they should be less severe and easier to deal with.