Piscifun Alijoz Baitcaster Fishing Reel, 300 Size Aluminum Frame Baitcasting Reel, 5.9:1 Gear Ration 33Lbs Max Drag, Freshwater & Saltwater Low Profile Casting Reel for Musky

I bought this to go on a custom swimbait rod I built and had plans on actually putting a Shimano Tranx on the rod. After testing with this reel I probably won't buy another Tranx if it holds up as smooth as it fishes and handles big baits with no problem. I tested with 6", 8" and 10" magdraft and some custom 8" glide baits I make and was so impressed I'm gonna buy the 400 next. I bought a carbon x spinning for my wife cause it was the only reel I could find in purple to match her custom rod I built and it's amazing as well, may be smoother than my Lews hypermag.

I wanted fill the "smaller" presentation slot in my musky rod line up with something under $150. I used this reel paired with a medium-heavy action rod rated for 3/4 to 4 oz lures and 65 lb test braided line.I was impressed by the reel's ability to pull everything up to a #7 single fluted blade bucktail which is the largest I went with that rod/reel combo. Had excellent pick up with the power handle to work small twitch baits (again due to the rod power, only went up to 205 or 206 cranes or 5" shallow raiders) and other straight-line presentations.Overall I boated 3 or 4 fish with this reel in the 35" to 40" slot without any failures. The drag performed flawlessly and had no issues during any of the acrobatic fights these fish put up. For ~$100, this is a great entry-level reel for someone looking to enter the realm of musky fishing without having to buy a Tranx or Revo Beast. Just make sure you use a mono-backing under your braided line as some people out here failed to do and report drag failure/line slippage when using braided line, and to keep it paired with a rod that's realistic for what can be expected of it.

Good to excellent reel for the money. Bought one, used it and bought a second with a different gear ratio. Out of the boxes both were very good. Have waited for a dozen or uses to rate. I take focused care of my fishing equipment. Both reels are holding up well-pretty much as fresh out of the box. They cast well and drag is good. From my experience over almost two years of usage, they’re a good bang for the buck.

The only thing I dislike about this fishing reel is the handle does not have a counterbalance like the 400 does and I do wish they would just send both handles a paddle handle and your power handle and did modify it with an aftermarket drag clicker. Great for fresh water and salt water. Don't let the size fool you.

I have this paired up to a 20-30 inshore rod and it's nicely balanced. Clickers on tension and drag adjustment are nice feature, holds a little more line then other 300 reels at my house. Braking system is effective, no complaints, would buy again.

I can’t express how pleased I am with these reels. I now own three of them. Great quality, smooth, reliable and good looking. Very pleased.

**Update after first season of use (freshwater only):Reel still works as well as the first time out.Casting distance is not great, that spool just doesn't like turning.Fished fine in 30 F degree weather up through 100+ F degree weather.Fished fine in wind, rain, and hail.Lots of power when reeling in fish.*******Preface: Three stars does not mean a bad product in my book. It means that it is an overall, perfectly ok product.Got this for an entry level small swimbait (1-3oz) reel. This is my first Piscufun reel and normally I would get a name brand reel but 300 size baitcasters are pretty expensive and until I decide if I like this technique, I didn't want to invest big money (for me) in something like a Tranx or Komodo. So for under $100, I figured I would gamble on this one.Haven't fished it yet but will update after using it for a while but so far:Pros-Packaging was good, just like any name brand reel.-No play in the spool.-The spool has a little peg thing on it to keep your line from disengaging from the spool. I think I like that better than holes in the spool or using electrical tape.-Rubber traction pad on the thumb switch which is a nice little touch that I will certainly appreciate in the rain.-Drag washers are carbon fiber! Assumed they were going to be felt at this price point, so bonus!-Main gear is indeed a big brass one. Machining quality seems fine.Cons-Some play in the power handle.-Out of the box free spool is poor. With brake setting on zero, the spool only spins five or six times when I flick the spool.*Note: Oiling the bearings really helped the free spool time but it still isn't great.-It is a little geary feeling and I can hear the reel when turning the handle. I'm going to open this thing up and see how much grease is in it.*Note: Opening the reel and lubricating it with grease and oil really helped the smoothness. There was grease inside but the care in its application was lacking.-The anodized metal on the spool is red like it is supposed to be but the spool tension knob and colored inlay on the reel body are a pink/magenta color. See attached image.-When I tore down the reel to grease and oil it:--Found brass metal shavings on the handle hardware stack from the star drag adjuster, none inside the reel though--The bearings were pretty dry so I needed to add oil.-The included parts diagram doesn't clearly show you the orientation of the parts, so if you lose track of which direction some of the bushings or similar parts go, then you're in for some lengthy trial and error to get the reel back together.Other-Star drag adjuster is plastic. That might be a pro or a con depending on your application.-Note: the metal nut inside the star drag is brass and also seemed to be the source of the metal shavings I found.-Some of exterior plastic parts aren't fully finished in that there's mold lines and plastic burrs on some of the parts. These aren't parts you touch though so it's not a con, just something to be aware of. Also, there are some tool marks on underside of the reel from the factory assembly process as well.-Unsurprisingly at this price point, there is a lot of plastic on this reel but it seems to be metal in all the areas that would actually be under load. So no harm no foul, less to corrode for you saltwater anglers.-Abu Garcia Reel Grease is compatible with the factory grease; there was no ill effect when mixing them.-Standard nylon/plastic cogs for the worm gear line assembly. Tolerances look fine. Was scared they would be reel destroying cheap metal.

Nice well made reel. Comparable to other baitcasters at over $200. Smooth operation and good drag. Well worth the price for the occasional fisherman. Not sure it will hold up to everyday use, but you can go through 3 before reaching the cost of a higher priced reel. Mine has held up through a season of blackfishing in nasty weather and still feel like new. I would definitely buy again.