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Bass Pro Shops hit a home run. There it is. I've ruined the review by giving you the conclusion up front. Continue on to find out why or just go buy it.
Previously, my experience with Bass Pro Shops baitcaster reels has been a slightly mixed bag. I bought a 2009 Pro Qualifier baitcaster that has been good, but not particularly great. It's backlash prone, and very picky about what line you can put on it. However, it's been smooth, and worked well for the two seasons I've owned with virtually no maintenance. So it was a with a little trepidation that I tried the new for 2011 BPS Carbon Black baitcaster.
Priced at $130, this reel is in the “value” end of premium baitcasters segment. It features 10 “gem grade” ball bearings, a one-piece aluminum frame, 14lb drag, perforated forged-aluminum spool, click adjustable cast control, and a magnetic wind control. One model offers a flipping switch and another has a wide spool. Ratios are 5:4:1 to 7:1:1. It has a matte dark gray finish with gold trim, and a carbon fiber handle. So, on paper it's packing a lot of heat. Let's see what it does on the water.
The first thing I noticed is that the design looked familiar. Too familiar. I put a purple BPS RCX reel next to it and the frames were virtually identical. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing as the RCX frame was well received, and the internals and spools are both different. It's like buying a truck with the basic V6 or the monster V8. The exterior is pretty much the same but the guts can be quite different.
Weighing in at 9.4 OZs, the Carbon Black has a heavier feel then a Revo (8.6OZ) or Quantum Smoke (6.2 OZ). However, it's not something you notice after a few minutes, and certainly doesn't effect performance. The matte dark gray looks great, and pictures don't do it justice. It's simple, elegant, and has been durable in the time I've used it.
I tested three Carbon Blacks with the following setups:
Model JCB10HA (6:4:1) with 12lb Momoi mono on a 7' BPS CarbonLite Medium/Medium rod for top water and shallow crank bait.
Model JCB10HFA (6:4:1 with Flipping Switch) with 14lb XPS Fluorocarbon on a 6'6” BPS CarbonLite MH/Fast rod for worm, and general fishing. (One side note on this setup; this has become my favorite rod/reel combo of all time. It feels so good that it's like fishing nirvana. I've let three people try this setup. and all three immediately bought the same combo. )
Model JCB10HFA (6:4:1 with Flipping Switch) with 65lb Spiderwire Stealth Braid on a 7'6” BPS Carbon Black Heavy/X-Fast rod for flipping and deep cover casting into the pads.
The CarbonLite rods felt a better fit for the reel then the matching Carbon Black rods, and are made of Carbon Fiber. They are extremely light and sensitive, and are constantly sold out at my local BPS.
I did bank fishing on the lakes of Weston FL, and took the boat to the Sawgrass Expressway canal and the Florida Everglades at Holiday Park. Weather was hot as fu...a Florida summer.
All three setups casted extremely well and accurately. The reels were smooth and accurate with all three line types, but seems to have an affinity to the XPS Fluorocarbon which was the best handling of the three lines. I did not have a single backlash even casting up wind. The Carbon Black reel had a tougher time casting Braid, putting it's distance about 2/3rds that of the mono and fluoro. However, the Braid has yet to show any additional stress on the reel.
The reels easily pulled in Bass, Chain Pickerel, and Gar with no problems. The quality was consistent across all three reels, and they all maintained an incredible smooth retrieve. The flipping switch models worked reliably, and the switch, while not looking all that good on the reel, works very well and is placed so that you won't accidentally hit it. Teaching a friend to use a baitcaster on it was very easy using the Carbon Black.
My complaints are few and far between. I would like to see a flipping switch available on all models. It seems silly to only have one model with it. At the very least, give me a 5:4:1 or a 4:7:1 option for the flipping switch. While the 5:4:1 will be excellent for crankbaits, I would love to have a 4:7:1 to really crank out some of the bigger fish from the weed infested South Florida lakes. As with most BPS products, it has a 1 year warranty. However, if you buy it from the catalog or online, you aren't allowed to return it to the store. This makes absolutely no sense to me and BPS really needs to do a better job at coordinating their order and service methods.
Being a new reel, the long term durability has yet to be determined, but it's held up well to my abuse in the last month, and I have no reason to doubt that it won't last for years to come.
For $130 ($110 on sale!), the Carbon Black reel is a bargain. It's incredible smooth, easy to cast, and well featured. Plus, it looks great. Match it with the CarbonLite rod, and you have a killer setup. I have no problem recommending this reel to my friends and family, and since I'm not sponsored by BPS in anyway, have already laid out my own money to buy the three that I reviewed.
Previously, my experience with Bass Pro Shops baitcaster reels has been a slightly mixed bag. I bought a 2009 Pro Qualifier baitcaster that has been good, but not particularly great. It's backlash prone, and very picky about what line you can put on it. However, it's been smooth, and worked well for the two seasons I've owned with virtually no maintenance. So it was a with a little trepidation that I tried the new for 2011 BPS Carbon Black baitcaster.
Priced at $130, this reel is in the “value” end of premium baitcasters segment. It features 10 “gem grade” ball bearings, a one-piece aluminum frame, 14lb drag, perforated forged-aluminum spool, click adjustable cast control, and a magnetic wind control. One model offers a flipping switch and another has a wide spool. Ratios are 5:4:1 to 7:1:1. It has a matte dark gray finish with gold trim, and a carbon fiber handle. So, on paper it's packing a lot of heat. Let's see what it does on the water.
The first thing I noticed is that the design looked familiar. Too familiar. I put a purple BPS RCX reel next to it and the frames were virtually identical. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing as the RCX frame was well received, and the internals and spools are both different. It's like buying a truck with the basic V6 or the monster V8. The exterior is pretty much the same but the guts can be quite different.
Weighing in at 9.4 OZs, the Carbon Black has a heavier feel then a Revo (8.6OZ) or Quantum Smoke (6.2 OZ). However, it's not something you notice after a few minutes, and certainly doesn't effect performance. The matte dark gray looks great, and pictures don't do it justice. It's simple, elegant, and has been durable in the time I've used it.
I tested three Carbon Blacks with the following setups:
Model JCB10HA (6:4:1) with 12lb Momoi mono on a 7' BPS CarbonLite Medium/Medium rod for top water and shallow crank bait.
Model JCB10HFA (6:4:1 with Flipping Switch) with 14lb XPS Fluorocarbon on a 6'6” BPS CarbonLite MH/Fast rod for worm, and general fishing. (One side note on this setup; this has become my favorite rod/reel combo of all time. It feels so good that it's like fishing nirvana. I've let three people try this setup. and all three immediately bought the same combo. )
Model JCB10HFA (6:4:1 with Flipping Switch) with 65lb Spiderwire Stealth Braid on a 7'6” BPS Carbon Black Heavy/X-Fast rod for flipping and deep cover casting into the pads.
The CarbonLite rods felt a better fit for the reel then the matching Carbon Black rods, and are made of Carbon Fiber. They are extremely light and sensitive, and are constantly sold out at my local BPS.
I did bank fishing on the lakes of Weston FL, and took the boat to the Sawgrass Expressway canal and the Florida Everglades at Holiday Park. Weather was hot as fu...a Florida summer.
All three setups casted extremely well and accurately. The reels were smooth and accurate with all three line types, but seems to have an affinity to the XPS Fluorocarbon which was the best handling of the three lines. I did not have a single backlash even casting up wind. The Carbon Black reel had a tougher time casting Braid, putting it's distance about 2/3rds that of the mono and fluoro. However, the Braid has yet to show any additional stress on the reel.
The reels easily pulled in Bass, Chain Pickerel, and Gar with no problems. The quality was consistent across all three reels, and they all maintained an incredible smooth retrieve. The flipping switch models worked reliably, and the switch, while not looking all that good on the reel, works very well and is placed so that you won't accidentally hit it. Teaching a friend to use a baitcaster on it was very easy using the Carbon Black.
My complaints are few and far between. I would like to see a flipping switch available on all models. It seems silly to only have one model with it. At the very least, give me a 5:4:1 or a 4:7:1 option for the flipping switch. While the 5:4:1 will be excellent for crankbaits, I would love to have a 4:7:1 to really crank out some of the bigger fish from the weed infested South Florida lakes. As with most BPS products, it has a 1 year warranty. However, if you buy it from the catalog or online, you aren't allowed to return it to the store. This makes absolutely no sense to me and BPS really needs to do a better job at coordinating their order and service methods.
Being a new reel, the long term durability has yet to be determined, but it's held up well to my abuse in the last month, and I have no reason to doubt that it won't last for years to come.
For $130 ($110 on sale!), the Carbon Black reel is a bargain. It's incredible smooth, easy to cast, and well featured. Plus, it looks great. Match it with the CarbonLite rod, and you have a killer setup. I have no problem recommending this reel to my friends and family, and since I'm not sponsored by BPS in anyway, have already laid out my own money to buy the three that I reviewed.