KastKing New Assassin Carbon Baitcasting Reel, Only 5.7 OZ, 16.5 LB Carbon Fiber Drag, 11+1 BB, Dual Brakes, Our Lightest Baitcaster Fishing Reel, Affordable!

The Kastking Assassin looks and feels like a five-star reel. It is well made and has three very good backlash control systems. I love the way it looks and feels. The problem is for an average fisherman like me, it just does not work. Perhaps it is too good for my level of skill—I just cannot master it, even at the most basic levels. I have other bait-casting rigs and this is clearly the most frustrating reel, I have found to use.Comparing this to other rigs I own and use:Casting distance for me; well below average.Backlashes frequency (despite adjustments) way above average.I spend more time clearing backlashes than fishing by a magnitude. If you are a pro fisherman this may be the reel for you, but for folks like me there are better choices.This is an update to my original review:My casting has improved using the Kastking Assassin and here is what I did; Practice, practice, practice, …First, I removed all the line and used 25-pound mono as a backing. I used just enough mono to have a thin layer across the spool.Second, I put on 20-pound braid with about 5-yards of fluorocarbon attacked as a leader.Third, I had a skilled fisherman evaluate my casts. I changed the spool adjustment to where the weight would drop very-very slowly—with the Assassin this is a very critical adjustment. I changed my overhand casts from holding the rod nearly vertical or about 12 O’clock, to about 1 or 1:30—this made a big difference. I set the centrifugal setting to a “3” (about the middle) and the magnetic adjustment to an “8.”As I practiced, I adjusted the magnet brake down slightly as my casts improved. I found that there were less and less back-lashes and when they occurred they were minor and easily corrected. These adjustments must be tuned for changes in the weight being cast.The Kastking Assassin is a very fine fishing instrument, but takes time and patience to master its advanced features. It gives the experienced fisherman the ability to optimize their distance and accuracy given variable line types, different weights and shapes of jigs, lures and baits being used. The Kastking Assassin is high quality and is an exceptional value.I am changing my review to from 3-stars to five-stars.

The Kast King Assassin is an amazing real, especially for the price. Kast King is a relatively new reel company, so it is easy to be skeptical in terms of their credibility. At only $60, the Assassin is an affordable reel for someone just getting into fishing or for someone who is in need of another reel but doesn’t want to spend several hundred for a name brand.One of the first things that you would notice is, how lite it is. The Assassin is only 5.7 oz. Kast King can accomplish this by making the body up of carbon and the handle of carbon fiber. This allows it to weigh significantly less compared to other reals on the market. With it being so lite, it is easy to transport. You will also be able to use it for a longer period of time, avoiding fatigue in your arms.The second feature this real has is, 11 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing. This allows the reel to be extremely smooth when your casting and retrieving. It just simply feels good to use.Another feature this reel has is a 16.5 pound drag. Most lighter reels usually come with anywhere between an 8 to 12 pound drag. Having a 16.5 pound drag allows anglers to use braided fishing line and not have to worry about the drag slipping causing them to lose the 10 pounder they have on.The last significant feature this reel comes with is, a dual breaking system. Having dual breaks allows users to throw liter lures and make extremely long cast, avoiding backlashing and getting a “birds nest”. It will take time to tune your reel to avoid backlashes but once you’ve done so, you won’t regret it.The only thing that could change my mind on this reel is, if it isn’t durable. Cheaper reels typically aren’t as durable and will start to ware down a lot faster than more expensive name brand reels.Overall, the Kast King Assassin is a very good reel in terms of the quality for the price. With the features that it offers, it could be easily priced somewhere above $200. Only time will tell if this reel will hold up and is truly worth the money but so far, I am blown away with the Kast King Assassin.

I'm not going to get into a huge debate here on the merits of the brand. So far this baitcaster has surpassed my expectations. I bought this and a Diawa Tatula CTR at the same time. I put them both on the same rod (Lews Tournament Pro) with the same line (Suffix 832), The both cast within 2-3 feet of each other. Once dialed in, I cast most of the time without thumbing the spool.It's accurate, smooth and after about 15 trips to the lake, it's still functioning just fine. It's a bit noisy on the cast, but if I didn't read about that issue I probably wouldn't even notice it. The dual brakes are nice but I'm not convinced the magnetic brakes make much of a difference beyond some slight tuning if there's wind.That being said, the spool brake is good with a good amount of tuning range. A weightless ZOOM Fluke cast just as well as the Storm swim-eye shad I use. The drag seemed just fine for the two, four pounders I caught on it. I'll be honest I never notice a drag anyway unless it's seized. I guess that where I'm at from a reviewer standpoint; am I fishing for money? No. Do I fish three times a week casually? Yes. Does this reel suit that purpose? So far yes. The Diawa is a more refined product, it's quieter, and has better components, probably a better drag too, but at 3 times the price it better be. This is a great value for the money, especially compared against other baitcasters that you can pick up at its price point. I fish a couple of few year old BPS Rick Clunn and Pfluger President and this reel performs better than those. Time will tell how long this reel lasts but out of the box, I've been happy with it.