Best Baitcaster for Light Lures

Tossing light lures can be a challenge without the right baitcasting gear. Without the right gear your casts will end up too short, or you may end up with backlash. To end up with a good cast you need a balanced rod and reel that can handle lighter weights. Here we will review our recommendations for the top baitcasting gear for light lures.

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Shimano Calcutta 200B Round Reel

1. Shimano Calcutta 200B Round Reel

Product Features

Brand Name: Shimano
Gear Ratio: 6.0:1
Bearings: 3+1
Weight: 10.1 ounces
Max Drag: 11lbs

The Shimano Calcutta 200B is our top choice if you’re looking for a conventional reel that can handle lighter baits and lures. The reel itself has a low profile while being incredibly fast. It’s made with lightweight aluminum frames and plates that make the reel strong and lightweight, but more importantly is that this reel performs. It’s smooth drag and 3+1 bearing system makes this a great buy. This is a great ultralight finesse reel that can handle lighter lures, the only major drawback would be that it is on the higher end of gear when it comes to price.

Pros

Ultralight 10.1 ounce reel

High performing finesse reel
Smooth drag

Cons

Somewhat expensive if you’re looking for a budget reel

2. G. Loomis NRX 893C JWR Casting Rod

Product Features

Brand Name: G. Loomis
Rod Length: 7’5
Power: Medium Heavy
Number of Pieces: 1

The G. Loomis NRX casting rods are a great option. These rods are designed specifically for jigs and soft plastic lures, so when combined with the right reel and fishing line, it should perform well for lighter lures. It’s designed to be ultra-lightweight and sensitive with comfortable cork handles that make fishing a breeze. They offer this rod in a few different options depending o the power and action you want. The one we linked here is their 893C version with is a medium-heavy extra fast action rod.

Pros

Lightweight
Great sensitivity
Comfortable cork handles

Cons

This is an expensive rod

3. SHIMANO Curado DC 150

Product Features

Brand Name: Shimano
Gear Ratio: 8.5:1
Bearings: 6+1
Weight: 7.9 ounces
Max Drag: 11lbs

The Shimano Curado DC is another awesome reel you need to check out. It’s a low profile reel that is designed to minimize backlash, which is important when you are using lighter lures. The reel has 6+1 bearings and weighs a lightweight 7.9 ounces. You can easily adjust the brake settings via the side plate with 4 different settings which make this reel easy to use for both beginners and expert anglers alike.

Pros

Great for lighter lures
Easily adjustable brake settings

Lightweight 7.9-ounce reel

Cons

Some anglers have issues with backlash minimizing feature and go back to thumbing it

4. Abu Garcia VENGC70-6 Vengeance Casting Rod

Product Features

Brand Name: Abu Garcia
Rod Length: 6’6″ – 7’6″
Power: Medium Heavy – Heavy
Number of Pieces: 1

The final spot goes to the Abu Garcia Vengeance Casting Fish Rod. This baitcasting rod is constructed from graphite to keep it strong and durable. The EVA handles are made for comfortable ease of casting. Overall this is a pretty solid rod. If you’re looking for a budget option to use lighter baits with, this can be it. You just have to make sure to pair with the right reel and line.

Pros

Budget-friendly

Strong and sensitive
Comfortable EVA handles

Cons

How To Choose Baitcasting Gear for Light Lures

When you’re shopping for a baitcaster that works well with light lures, there are a few things you need to consider

Rod
Reel

Fishing Line

Rod

For using lighter lures you will usually want to use a medium to heavy powered rod with a fast action tip. Having good flexibility in the tip is important when using light lures. If the rod is too stiff your spool won’t rotate at the proper speed and you’ll end up with a weak casting distance and backlash.

Reel

The reel is also important for using light lures. You want to have a smaller and slighter spool because it requires less force to get it moving. Having the appropriate reel is very important if you want to be able to finesse fish with light baits.

Fishing Line

Having a good line is also important. Typically lighter lines like 6lb will work best with lighter lures. A good 6lb test monofilament or fluorocarbon line is a good choice.