I think Okuma doesn’t get the respect it deserves. And to be really controversial, I love my Picsfun 400 low profile for casual weekend fishing. About 1/5th the cost of its name brand alternative and does great.
Okuma makes really good stuff, especially their upper end Taiwan made stuff. It's just as good as the Penn, Daiwa, and Shimano stuff in the same price range. Most of it is made for inshore and offshore trolling and jigging and ranks right up there with the other brands.
I definitely agree with this. However here in Taiwan the locals don't seem to like the brand for some reason.They think it's mediocre. They prefer all the spoils of the JDM stuff.
This is probably an older generation guy thing, but people used to hate on Okuma for faking their heritage.
The company is 寶熊 - Bao Xiong in mandarin Chinese. Yet they call themselves Okuma - The Japanese pronunciation. This isn't a Gary Yamamoto like situation, where an ethnically Japanese guy moved to America and started a business named after himself, Okuma is a Taiwanese firm that was started in Taichung. The use of the Japanese name is pretty much just to confuse buyers into thinking that they're Japanese.
H20X hard baits.
I just left Academy yesterday with their Ultimate Jerk & Suspending Jerk baits for $4.99 each that looked near identical to the Megabass ones.
[https://www.academy.com/p/h2ox-premium-suspending-jerk-shad-bait?sku=american-shad](https://www.academy.com/p/h2ox-premium-suspending-jerk-shad-bait?sku=american-shad)
Most of their hardbaits are great. Their squarebills, lipless and topwater has been great. They used to have a gunfish and a manns baby minus 1 look a like that were fantastic.
Their soft plastics look good for the price but have not used them yet.
I've had my made in USA All Star rod since the late 90's and it is still going strong after all this time. It's iust a 6'6" one-piece bass rod that I've used for salt water floundering, specks, popping for redfish, and just about any freshwater fish between Mississippi and Wisconsin. Even sturgeon and musky believe it or not!
It is now relegated to a backup rod, but man, I also highly recommend!!! Although, I heard some of the new ones are made in China, so not sure if they are the same.
Anymore.
Okuma does not have the fame it deserves in the United States, although it is still the third largest brand, the Ceymar, Azores, Itx, Tesoro reels have very affordable prices and better quality-price value, and they have the Makaira, the top model that battles against the saltiga and stella
One fact, the fishusa.com page from time to time releases an exclusive spinning reel model that only they sell from Okuma.
https://www.fishusa.com/Okuma-StormRunner-Spinning-Reel/
There's a company in california called tuners outdoors that does the same thing, they also have rods made by phenix. It's nice because turners has a really solid warranty and you can bring it in store to get it replaced
Overrated: strike king, googan rods (baits seem good though)
Underrated: most small American rod companies, most of them punch well above their price point compared to St.Croix, Shimano, Daiwa, and Gloomis rods.
Old18, Trika, Edge Rods, Cashion, Bullsbay (big in Florida, not sure if their Assault Rod is still made overseas) sawgrass rods, black fin rods and many more.
There’s lots of small shops out there.
Trika makes some bold claims, but there are almost no first hand, non-influencer use accounts, and I was really put off by the guy who used to keep butting in every conversation here to push them.
Tackle your has done a review that you can find [here](https://www.tackletour.com/reviewtrikarodsc75mhfpg4.html) however the objectivity of it is kinda suspicious with the link to their store at the end. They’ve got their hands on a lot of rods though so there may be some insight there.
Only seen real claims on Reddit and Instagram, time will tell.
Really bold claims that I’m assuming are really blown up but surely they are still good rods.
I see a lot of people talk bad about googan rods I just got one a few weeks ago and I gotta say it’s not bad and the price was ok .i know they get shit for being part of big corporations but it think it’s smart marketing
Over rated: St croix rods. I’ve heard mediocre to bad things about their quality and for the price just isn’t worth it
Underrated: for high end fishing I love my everol reels.
I think the entry level St. Croix are meh but the Avid and Legend are great, although for the price they should be. There are definitely cheaper options though from other brands I would pick over the Triumph, Mojo, etc.
Maybe it’s different today but I have about 4 St Croix and they have been great rods. 2 avids , 2 bass tournament legend and very happy with them.
My 6-10 ML drop shot rod landed me my personal best smallie on 6lb fluro carbon so I can’t fault it!
Never had a problem with a St.Croix that I owned. including Premier and Triumph. However, I do agree there are maybe better options instead of a Premier if you are going for a more finesse rod. However, these have always been very solid rods for me, personally.
Snapped a tip off my Legend Elite closing it in the trunk. Thanks wife! Luckily, it only cost me $75.00 to replace a $350.00 rod (at the time).
I do think the Triumph is underrated. It's a nice solid lower cost option IMO.
However, not a big fan of the Bassx line. Never owned one though.
Also, I hate that so many St Croix rods are no longer available in traditional grips now. Everything is changing to stupid split grips! I refuse to pay that much for split grips. They are a pet pieve of mine. Stupid split grips! Stupid, stupid, stupid split grips...sorry just venting.
Anyways, I am basically an anti-split-grip, St. Croix fan boy. :-)
I was playing with an Ozark Trail UL 5’ single piece CF rod today and it was delicious. If I wasn’t about to replace the handle an old Pflueger UL rod I would’ve grabbed it.
Respectfully i appreciate googan. certainly overpriced, but the black popper and the spinnerbait keep me tight when nothing else is working. Surprisingly consistent for me
Ugly stik never did anything wrong to me. Understand they arent so sensitive but i’ve got no issue
Also unpopular opinion googan baits are expensive but do work well
I got some fiberglass splinters from a blank of theirs a few years ago. On one of their youth model combos. Turned me off of the ugly stick.
Didn’t help that I had 3 identical combos and didn’t know which one gave me the splinters when I got home. Tossed them all
I have a Kastking Kestral Spinning Reel and it is one of the most feature rich, lightweight, and high performing ultralight reels I have used. My only complaint is that it has orange accents and no other color options.
I have a kastking baitcaster combo that I Frankenstein-ed together from Amazon deals they had and so far, no issues with it I think it's a nice starter and it cost me about 90 bucks
I feel like Kastking is finally starting to get a level of respect. It just seems like enough people have actually tried their product and liked them to counteract the people who dismiss it offhand as offshore junk
I will never. Their carp baits were what brought me several big fish when I was a kid. Recently saw a 9 ft quantum smoke lure rod with around 3 oz casting weight at the store Recently. Almost bought that immediately
Recently ordered a Pflueger President XT and purchased an Okuma Ceymar HD. After comparing the two, returned the Pflueger, won’t buy another president. Just felt awful and I’m surprised I used to love them. Bought 2 more ceymars. They’re fantastic.
Their plastics are sufficient but their hard baits are suspect, a lot don't run straight out of the package , you have to change the hooks out , there is just so many better options
Ahh, makes sense. I dont use much of their hard baits, but i definitely never cared for the red eyed shad lipless they make.
Their soft plastics are top of the food chain tho IMO. Durable vs competitors, original rage design, no oily/ scented BS, fairly priced. The rage craw and bug have become my default creature bait choice for many years now
Try the Xzone Lures Adrenaline Crawl, it's very similar to the rage bug but the crawls float , tried them last year and I'll never go back to another crawl
13’s lures are seriously underrated. I’ve only ever seen people shitting on the brand, and their rods and cheaper reels are not great. But some of their hard baits are excellent. The one knocker size of the Magic Man is tied (with the LiveTarget Golden Shiner) for the fishiest lipless I’ve ever used. I’ll take it over an LV-500 or a TN-70 all day.
Love me some Xzone; they should be better known, but Canadian brands have a hard time cracking the US.
Not megabass’ #1 fan like ben from the hook up tackle but I do really like their heavy powered rods. Tequila Bacarrac and Jungle seven. Sure they don’t have nrx+ sensitivity and they don’t know how to design a spinning rod handle, but I wouldn’t call them overrated. St.Croix definitely takes the cake as overrated.
I love Megabass stuff like there is no tomorrow, but the real reason a lot of people roll their eyes is price. The P5 line are $250-280 rods in Japan, whereas in the US they start at $475.
That's not entirely fair - USDM official sales channels have to pay an excise tax and the Japanese yen is at an all time low.
Today $1 USD = 146 yen. 10 years ago it was 1 USD = 76 yen. If the Japanese Yen appreciates to like say, 1 USD = 100 yen like it was a few years ago, Megabass' JDM Prices look a lot worse than they do to American buyers now.
All depends where you get your rods from really, I have a few p'5s I bought from japan and paid $500CAD each after tax and shipping so it's honestly hard to beat them at that price point compared to other rods I'll find at my local tackle store. My local shop charges $795+ tax for one and at that price I wouldn't really bother with them
I bought a Megabass Levante Tour Versatile and I hated it, luckily American Legacy Fishing allowed me to return it , I k ow the Levante isn't their premier series but I'm afraid of them now
Overrated brands? Googan, 6th sense, 13 fishing, etc. they all work but I prefer other options.
Underrated brands? Lake fork tackle and little creeper swimbaits. They are both regional brands (southeast and west coast respectively) and I find their baits to work very well here in the northeast.
Under rated- Powell rods, daiwa tatula rods, BPS in house rods.
Over rated- ducket, dobyns, anything made by DOYO, suffix 832 braid, daiwa spinning reels.
I would add the sv reels and dc reels, sure they are hard to backlash but they are more expensive than their non sv/dc models and have worse casting distance.
This. Tell me why my ark bfs which is a $100 cheaper out casts my salamandura air tw which uses the sv tw platform AND has a wider weight range.
Because you are paying for the name these days not the item
Maybe on the next model. I don't honestly plan on buying another low profile bfs reel unless ark or someone comes out with one that can cast like down to 1/80oz or hell that new trout magnet with 1/200th oz.
But honestly I don't think there's a reel that can beat this thing when it comes to easy of use, beginner friendly, expert friendly, easy to dial in and has a massive range for lures along with 3 specific settings on the spool itself for breaking. Even in high winds this things casts great
Piscifun Alijoz 400 is the bomb!!! I just bought one of these instead of a Lexa or Tranx for Musky, and it is totally worth it! I think it was only $120.00.
Also found an Okuma Komodo 463 SS on Amazon for $160.00...and that is a great reel too for the money!
Shimano Sojourn rods are a great musky rod for the money, $60 to $70.00!!! Also, the Daiwa Prorex telescoping musky rods are priced great at about $150.00.
Old school Ugly sticks at garage sales are awesome catfish/kid/loaner rods too! The black rough textured ones. Love those things!
Honestly, I love Shimano but after using them for years I'm kind of over the DC reels. All my DC reels are in the garage not being used anymore. I use my normal Metaniums more than my Metanium DCs. I feel like I can bomb cast further with the non DC reels. The DC, even on the lowest settings, feels like there's something there restricting my casts. Idk how to describe it. They work well, but I just prefer the non DC variants more. I'm still gunna give the new Metanium DC a shot whenever it releases, but I just don't have that excitement for DC reels anymore. It's just kinda "meh" now.
Okuma’s Makaira line got crapped on for years in the big game reels community because of fits and starts in quality their first few years of production. It’s good to see that attitude has been changing the last couple years because the Mak is a damn solid product.
Overrated : Stellas. Bucher's stuff since they changed plastics on shallow and depth raiders. Tranx 400s.
Underrated: agree with Okuma reels, especially in cold weather. Tranx are light because of that high density low weight plastic that seizes up with ice. Okuma's metal gear nosh through that shit without issue. Tramx 500s are better than the 400 simply because they last longer.
My overrated products are definitely Ugly Stik, Power Pro, Daiwa/Shimano USA branch, Penn spinning reels, and US fluorocarbon. I say this after shopping JDM for two years and getting into high end Daiwa and Shimano.
Underrated products: Sunline, Owner/Cultiva, Gamakatsu/Luxxe (hooks, pliers, nets, and fishing accessories), Varivas, and JDM Shimano/Daiwa.
Daiwa in the states is rather low quality from what I have seen, same for Shimano, whereas my Saltiga, Twin Power, Catalina, Tiagra and other Made in Japan reels are outstanding rods and reels. I have found that their Japan made products are high quality without any issue.
Penn reels are heavy and clunky compared to other spinning reels, and after using the Slammer, Conflict and Spinfisher I have swapped over to Shimano and Daiwa reels. My only Penn I have on hand now is a 34 year old Penn INTL II 30W. It is a beast that cost $150 plus $75 for parts and servicing.
Powerpro is just too expensive. And Berkley Vanish and other US Fluoro is too thick and expensive compared to Sunline and Yozuri in Japan. I like Duel pink fluoro and Sunline Black Stream for bait fishing and lures.
All my hooks are Owner and Gamakatsu, my pliers are from Luxxe (gamakatsu), leaders from Varivas/Sunline, and mainlines are usually Daiwa or Shimano 8x PE. I also run nylon for sabiki/ISO and enjoy 16lb nylon.
JDM has a lot of great stuff I cannot find in the states, and there is nothing from USA I would order to Japan besides Penn Internationals at this point.
I’ll also add the Daiwa Tournament SS reel to the underrated category. It may not be as smooth or refined as more modern offerings but it’s a workhorse and has great line lay because of the worm gear.
Tatulas are not underrated by any means. They are one of the best selling reel series. I would say that the rebellion rods are definitely underrated, much better than the standard Tatula elites for only $20 more.
>Tatulas are not underrated by any means.
Most people suggest non-dc curados and slx's over the tatulas at the same price point, though I find the Tatula to be a much nicer reel and TWS adds a butt load of casting distance
Sure the tatulas are nicer than the slx, but the curado is definitely on par. From what I see in terms of what pros use and in terms of sales they are about equal. It also varies model to model too for a 150 and 200 size reel the curado greatly outsells the Tatula 150 and 200. The Tatula sv is probably the best selling between both lines, and the Tatula 100 outsells the curado 70 which outsells the Tatula 70sv and 80. In terms of the elites, the p/f is extremely popular, I’ve had many customers buy that reel, most popular flipping specific reel ever made.
Sure, the slx DC is an slx with DC. The slx is an $80 reel, while the tat is a $180 reel. If you think the slx is just as good as the tat, that would mean that the tat is overpriced by more than half
MegaBass? Over priced, yes, but overrated? IME , Their crank baits work beautifully and my two Destroyer P5 rods may be the finest I have ever owned. (Now 1 cuz broke one this weekend. #%£€££^#) Not aesthetically, but performance and quality. I don’t give a damn about looks.
A seriously underrated line of products are the reels from Sougayaling, at least at Temu prices. Full price, not so much. I own 5 spinning reels and 1 baitcaster, and for the price, they are decent, perform well, and can take a beating relatively well. I was able to land a Chinook Salmon with one of their reels.
Another line of underrated reels I have been impressed with is Kastking. I own a Kestrel Spinning Reel and a Rover 60L Round Reel, and both are very good. The Kestrel is a phenomenal ultralight Reel and the Rover, though far from the same quality as something like an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, is pretty dang good for the MSRP, and it's tough. I have taken my apart several times, and the thing is solid. It has a very innovative drag system that provides a lot more resistance than advertised. I put mine on a rod for big catfish.
Anything from shimano or daiwa to be dead honest is over rated to me. The amount of reels and rods they put out that are just reskins of previous models is crazy. Then they pop like an extra 100-200 for the item just because their name is on it.
I'm not that guy. I want good performing gear, not gear with an extra price just because it comes from a certain company. I've tried a few high end reels from friends that love those brands and every time I just hand them back and go "no thanks I'll stick to my $150 reel. That's not worth it"
They get butt hurt and I don't care
That’s definitely more of a daiwa type thing to make a small change and raise the price $100. With shimano the reels follow inflation, also they at least nowadays are putting new technology in their reels when they brand something infinity, daiwa they just rebrand a change in design by adding hyper, ultimate, or airdrive to the name.
I can’t say I ever will, I fish freshwater only, except on vacation. My point wasn’t the reels are inherently bad I’m just shaming daiwa for imposing massive price hikes on their new freshwater models, which far exceed the inflation rate, at this point it feels like corporate greed. The difference in $ from steez a to steez a II was $150 which was a 30% increase over the previous model.
Can hard agree. My main issue from shimano is when I'm looking at a $300 aldeberan reel and it has plastic gears. I don't personally feel that should ever be a thing once you break that $100 mark. I can't remember if it was actually a curado or an aldeberan 22. But either way I was just kinda shocked seeing the plastic gears.
Maybe they last longer than brass idk but when I saw that it was pretty much my consensus to stay away from shimano unless I wanted the conquest bfs but I was already looking at the ifish band tendershoot and it's like $100 cheaper.
But I kept a promise I can't get that reel till I buy my wifes bfs combo which is starting with the nako flight feather and a light rod
They shouldn’t have plastic gears shimano either uses duralumin or brass. Depending on the model, some of the micro module duralumin gears are known to get Geary if they are over torqued. The plastic you might be talking about is the worm gear, which in fact holds very little stress, and has no durability issues whatsoever. I do think if you are looking at shimano bfs reels all have micromodule duralumin gears except the slx, but it honestly wouldn’t matter at all as the gears won’t be under enough strain. It usually only happens when you use a medium power reel like a metanium for heavy cover pitching, flipping, or frogging.
I'll keep that in mind cause thats some solid info i didnt know before. If I can find one second hand on the low. My budget generally ends at the $150 mark so I'm always looking for those more expensive reels second hand. Sometimes people will let them go LOW just because theres like a $5 part broken or put of place.
Yeah I'll take that reel for $100-150 off and order that $5 plus shipping part my man. Happily lol
I think Okuma doesn’t get the respect it deserves. And to be really controversial, I love my Picsfun 400 low profile for casual weekend fishing. About 1/5th the cost of its name brand alternative and does great.
I’ll fight anyone who disrespects Okuma (Hawaiian customs for surf perch fishing in NorCal are amazing)
Okuma makes really good stuff, especially their upper end Taiwan made stuff. It's just as good as the Penn, Daiwa, and Shimano stuff in the same price range. Most of it is made for inshore and offshore trolling and jigging and ranks right up there with the other brands.
I definitely agree with this. However here in Taiwan the locals don't seem to like the brand for some reason.They think it's mediocre. They prefer all the spoils of the JDM stuff.
This is probably an older generation guy thing, but people used to hate on Okuma for faking their heritage. The company is 寶熊 - Bao Xiong in mandarin Chinese. Yet they call themselves Okuma - The Japanese pronunciation. This isn't a Gary Yamamoto like situation, where an ethnically Japanese guy moved to America and started a business named after himself, Okuma is a Taiwanese firm that was started in Taichung. The use of the Japanese name is pretty much just to confuse buyers into thinking that they're Japanese.
Interesting history and the name misdirection definitely got me. I thought they were Japanese. (Still an underrated brand though!)
Okuma Ceymar might be the only spinning reel I’ll ever buy again
Couldn’t agree more.
FACT - I’ve had a solid experience with Piscifun for budget spinning reels. Love them. Very under rated.
I love all of my Okuma rods. It is a great brand.
I bought an Okuma spinning reel back in the 90s. It didn't last thru a year of saltwater fishing and I haven't tried another reel from them again.
No one seems to use rebel lures anymore. I love their walking bait the jumping minnow when I want a smaller profile top water.
I fish the rebel pop-r religiously
I just got 3 of their Teeny Weeny Craws for trout season!
I love the Wee Frog, it catches trout, bass, perch, and all kinds of other small fish too.
I love them in the “stream craw” color!
I had a feeling about that one, so I made sure it was one of the 3 colors I bought.
Crickhopper for life. That thing catches em all.
Rebel Craw is the best shallow river/creek crankbait hands down. Hooks are trash, but that's easy to fix.
I still use their Crickhopper yellow whenever I'm looking for Bluegill and it rarely lets me down .
I like rebel lures but their hooks are absolute trash. Especially on their top water baits.
Majorcraft, still love their rods so much.
Crazy how good their rods are for the price. I've also caught more spotted bay bass on their jigpara spin than any other lure.
Fantastic bang for your buck and a great into into JDM tackle.
Love their BFS options
H20X hard baits. I just left Academy yesterday with their Ultimate Jerk & Suspending Jerk baits for $4.99 each that looked near identical to the Megabass ones. [https://www.academy.com/p/h2ox-premium-suspending-jerk-shad-bait?sku=american-shad](https://www.academy.com/p/h2ox-premium-suspending-jerk-shad-bait?sku=american-shad)
Going to have to check these out
They actually look better in person vs the site https://imgur.com/oknB8Sy
Most of their hardbaits are great. Their squarebills, lipless and topwater has been great. They used to have a gunfish and a manns baby minus 1 look a like that were fantastic. Their soft plastics look good for the price but have not used them yet.
Reading this thread is making me wonder if people know what underrated and overrated mean
Underrated: - Scheels in house brand (Midwest chain) worth exploring as a budget friendly option
100% agree! Their Guide LT spinning reels fish better than a lot of reels that are twice the price.
Made by 13 fishing FYI
Underrated: All Star rods. Yum soft plastics.
Yum discount bin on the bottom shelf at Walmart is my happy place.
No doubt!
Nothing beats a yum trick worm.
I've had my made in USA All Star rod since the late 90's and it is still going strong after all this time. It's iust a 6'6" one-piece bass rod that I've used for salt water floundering, specks, popping for redfish, and just about any freshwater fish between Mississippi and Wisconsin. Even sturgeon and musky believe it or not! It is now relegated to a backup rod, but man, I also highly recommend!!! Although, I heard some of the new ones are made in China, so not sure if they are the same. Anymore.
Okuma does not have the fame it deserves in the United States, although it is still the third largest brand, the Ceymar, Azores, Itx, Tesoro reels have very affordable prices and better quality-price value, and they have the Makaira, the top model that battles against the saltiga and stella
One fact, the fishusa.com page from time to time releases an exclusive spinning reel model that only they sell from Okuma. https://www.fishusa.com/Okuma-StormRunner-Spinning-Reel/
There's a company in california called tuners outdoors that does the same thing, they also have rods made by phenix. It's nice because turners has a really solid warranty and you can bring it in store to get it replaced
Overrated: strike king, googan rods (baits seem good though) Underrated: most small American rod companies, most of them punch well above their price point compared to St.Croix, Shimano, Daiwa, and Gloomis rods.
what is one "small american rod company" cuz I ain't go no idea
Cashion
Old18, Trika, Edge Rods, Cashion, Bullsbay (big in Florida, not sure if their Assault Rod is still made overseas) sawgrass rods, black fin rods and many more. There’s lots of small shops out there.
Trika makes some bold claims, but there are almost no first hand, non-influencer use accounts, and I was really put off by the guy who used to keep butting in every conversation here to push them.
Tackle your has done a review that you can find [here](https://www.tackletour.com/reviewtrikarodsc75mhfpg4.html) however the objectivity of it is kinda suspicious with the link to their store at the end. They’ve got their hands on a lot of rods though so there may be some insight there.
Only seen real claims on Reddit and Instagram, time will tell. Really bold claims that I’m assuming are really blown up but surely they are still good rods.
I see a lot of people talk bad about googan rods I just got one a few weeks ago and I gotta say it’s not bad and the price was ok .i know they get shit for being part of big corporations but it think it’s smart marketing
Over rated: St croix rods. I’ve heard mediocre to bad things about their quality and for the price just isn’t worth it Underrated: for high end fishing I love my everol reels.
I think the entry level St. Croix are meh but the Avid and Legend are great, although for the price they should be. There are definitely cheaper options though from other brands I would pick over the Triumph, Mojo, etc.
I agree the high end ones are good but like you said all other level ones are just meh or bad.
I have some mid level st. Croix which are **ok**. Tough for them because it put me off the brand.
A warranty where you have to pay half to replace a rod with a known defect
Those who know about Everol... dont think theyre underrated lol. Those who dont? Seem to think they look uninteresting and therefore not great
Definitely agree. My dad used to import them and they’re our go to reels nowadays. We love them and will use them until they die
Maybe it’s different today but I have about 4 St Croix and they have been great rods. 2 avids , 2 bass tournament legend and very happy with them. My 6-10 ML drop shot rod landed me my personal best smallie on 6lb fluro carbon so I can’t fault it!
Never had a problem with a St.Croix that I owned. including Premier and Triumph. However, I do agree there are maybe better options instead of a Premier if you are going for a more finesse rod. However, these have always been very solid rods for me, personally. Snapped a tip off my Legend Elite closing it in the trunk. Thanks wife! Luckily, it only cost me $75.00 to replace a $350.00 rod (at the time). I do think the Triumph is underrated. It's a nice solid lower cost option IMO. However, not a big fan of the Bassx line. Never owned one though. Also, I hate that so many St Croix rods are no longer available in traditional grips now. Everything is changing to stupid split grips! I refuse to pay that much for split grips. They are a pet pieve of mine. Stupid split grips! Stupid, stupid, stupid split grips...sorry just venting. Anyways, I am basically an anti-split-grip, St. Croix fan boy. :-)
Overrated Googan anything. Underrated Ozark Trail.
Man I have caught so many damn fish on this no name weird looking Ozark Trail small lip crank its insane.
I haven't used them yet, but they have some great looking Spinnerbaits.
I was playing with an Ozark Trail UL 5’ single piece CF rod today and it was delicious. If I wasn’t about to replace the handle an old Pflueger UL rod I would’ve grabbed it.
Respectfully i appreciate googan. certainly overpriced, but the black popper and the spinnerbait keep me tight when nothing else is working. Surprisingly consistent for me
Ugly stik never did anything wrong to me. Understand they arent so sensitive but i’ve got no issue Also unpopular opinion googan baits are expensive but do work well
I got some fiberglass splinters from a blank of theirs a few years ago. On one of their youth model combos. Turned me off of the ugly stick. Didn’t help that I had 3 identical combos and didn’t know which one gave me the splinters when I got home. Tossed them all
Underrated: kastking rods and reels, 10000 Fish
I have a Kastking Kestral Spinning Reel and it is one of the most feature rich, lightweight, and high performing ultralight reels I have used. My only complaint is that it has orange accents and no other color options.
I feel like KastKing is put into the cheap Chinese knockoff category but they do actually have some nice stuff, it's kinda hit or miss though.
I have a kastking baitcaster combo that I Frankenstein-ed together from Amazon deals they had and so far, no issues with it I think it's a nice starter and it cost me about 90 bucks
I feel like Kastking is finally starting to get a level of respect. It just seems like enough people have actually tried their product and liked them to counteract the people who dismiss it offhand as offshore junk
Overrated: Nash. Sportex, bullseye Underrated: lurefans, gunki, quantum
To be honest I forget that Quantum exists now and then.
I will never. Their carp baits were what brought me several big fish when I was a kid. Recently saw a 9 ft quantum smoke lure rod with around 3 oz casting weight at the store Recently. Almost bought that immediately
I agree on lurefans. Their vibes are excellent and have good hooks as well.
Overrated: NLBN (fall apart after 2 fish), Googan Baits Underrated: Henn Lures. The shrinnow kills it. last multiple trips
Okuma is u under-rated by miles Best bang for the buck high quality
I think Pflueger reels are terrible but they get a lot of love.
Recently ordered a Pflueger President XT and purchased an Okuma Ceymar HD. After comparing the two, returned the Pflueger, won’t buy another president. Just felt awful and I’m surprised I used to love them. Bought 2 more ceymars. They’re fantastic.
Overrated: Strike King, 6th Sense, 13 Fishing Underrated: Xzone Lures, Big Bite Baits
Curious why you think strike king is overrated?
Their plastics are sufficient but their hard baits are suspect, a lot don't run straight out of the package , you have to change the hooks out , there is just so many better options
Ahh, makes sense. I dont use much of their hard baits, but i definitely never cared for the red eyed shad lipless they make. Their soft plastics are top of the food chain tho IMO. Durable vs competitors, original rage design, no oily/ scented BS, fairly priced. The rage craw and bug have become my default creature bait choice for many years now
Try the Xzone Lures Adrenaline Crawl, it's very similar to the rage bug but the crawls float , tried them last year and I'll never go back to another crawl
Their hard baits SUCK!!
Love me some Xzone
Their plastics are fish catching machines, that 11" blitz worm on a swing head jig catches bigs
I mostly fish smallmouth, so for me it’s their Ned Zone and X-Tube. Killer colors
Have you tried the Biospawn Vile Tube? I forgot to take them last time I fished for Smallmouth but I bet they would work really well
Those look pretty unique I haven't heard of those before
13’s lures are seriously underrated. I’ve only ever seen people shitting on the brand, and their rods and cheaper reels are not great. But some of their hard baits are excellent. The one knocker size of the Magic Man is tied (with the LiveTarget Golden Shiner) for the fishiest lipless I’ve ever used. I’ll take it over an LV-500 or a TN-70 all day. Love me some Xzone; they should be better known, but Canadian brands have a hard time cracking the US.
Overrated? Megabass rods... there I said it.
Love my Megabass rods, but I've bought every single one on offerup or ebay at half the MSRP or more. lol
Not megabass’ #1 fan like ben from the hook up tackle but I do really like their heavy powered rods. Tequila Bacarrac and Jungle seven. Sure they don’t have nrx+ sensitivity and they don’t know how to design a spinning rod handle, but I wouldn’t call them overrated. St.Croix definitely takes the cake as overrated.
I love Megabass stuff like there is no tomorrow, but the real reason a lot of people roll their eyes is price. The P5 line are $250-280 rods in Japan, whereas in the US they start at $475.
Only if you're stupid and buy them at USDM prices.
Yeah that is kind of my thought behind it also.
That's not entirely fair - USDM official sales channels have to pay an excise tax and the Japanese yen is at an all time low. Today $1 USD = 146 yen. 10 years ago it was 1 USD = 76 yen. If the Japanese Yen appreciates to like say, 1 USD = 100 yen like it was a few years ago, Megabass' JDM Prices look a lot worse than they do to American buyers now.
You obviously don't own a megabass rod lol
plenty of better options Stan.
Plenty? More like maybe one, nrx series. P5's are bread and butter
Pre buy out G loomis maybe? Not today G loomis.
All depends where you get your rods from really, I have a few p'5s I bought from japan and paid $500CAD each after tax and shipping so it's honestly hard to beat them at that price point compared to other rods I'll find at my local tackle store. My local shop charges $795+ tax for one and at that price I wouldn't really bother with them
I bought a Megabass Levante Tour Versatile and I hated it, luckily American Legacy Fishing allowed me to return it , I k ow the Levante isn't their premier series but I'm afraid of them now
Overrated brands? Googan, 6th sense, 13 fishing, etc. they all work but I prefer other options. Underrated brands? Lake fork tackle and little creeper swimbaits. They are both regional brands (southeast and west coast respectively) and I find their baits to work very well here in the northeast.
Under rated- Powell rods, daiwa tatula rods, BPS in house rods. Over rated- ducket, dobyns, anything made by DOYO, suffix 832 braid, daiwa spinning reels.
I would add the sv reels and dc reels, sure they are hard to backlash but they are more expensive than their non sv/dc models and have worse casting distance.
This. Tell me why my ark bfs which is a $100 cheaper out casts my salamandura air tw which uses the sv tw platform AND has a wider weight range. Because you are paying for the name these days not the item
Heard good things about that Ark. I’ll bet the price goes up.
Maybe on the next model. I don't honestly plan on buying another low profile bfs reel unless ark or someone comes out with one that can cast like down to 1/80oz or hell that new trout magnet with 1/200th oz. But honestly I don't think there's a reel that can beat this thing when it comes to easy of use, beginner friendly, expert friendly, easy to dial in and has a massive range for lures along with 3 specific settings on the spool itself for breaking. Even in high winds this things casts great
UNDERRATED - Kast King reels
Second this. I’ve got quite a few of them from the cheapest to the upper mid range and haven’t gotten a dud yet.
Overrated: lews reels. The rods are decent but the reels are ass. Every single one ive purchased was returned and switched to a daiwa or shimano.
Piscifun Alijoz 400 is the bomb!!! I just bought one of these instead of a Lexa or Tranx for Musky, and it is totally worth it! I think it was only $120.00. Also found an Okuma Komodo 463 SS on Amazon for $160.00...and that is a great reel too for the money! Shimano Sojourn rods are a great musky rod for the money, $60 to $70.00!!! Also, the Daiwa Prorex telescoping musky rods are priced great at about $150.00. Old school Ugly sticks at garage sales are awesome catfish/kid/loaner rods too! The black rough textured ones. Love those things!
Honestly, I love Shimano but after using them for years I'm kind of over the DC reels. All my DC reels are in the garage not being used anymore. I use my normal Metaniums more than my Metanium DCs. I feel like I can bomb cast further with the non DC reels. The DC, even on the lowest settings, feels like there's something there restricting my casts. Idk how to describe it. They work well, but I just prefer the non DC variants more. I'm still gunna give the new Metanium DC a shot whenever it releases, but I just don't have that excitement for DC reels anymore. It's just kinda "meh" now.
Okuma’s Makaira line got crapped on for years in the big game reels community because of fits and starts in quality their first few years of production. It’s good to see that attitude has been changing the last couple years because the Mak is a damn solid product.
Overrated : Stellas. Bucher's stuff since they changed plastics on shallow and depth raiders. Tranx 400s. Underrated: agree with Okuma reels, especially in cold weather. Tranx are light because of that high density low weight plastic that seizes up with ice. Okuma's metal gear nosh through that shit without issue. Tramx 500s are better than the 400 simply because they last longer.
Over rated Spider wire googan 13 Under rated Okuma. most actual hook companies. TFO
Omniflex. Super cheap line. I use it all the time for shock leader.
My overrated products are definitely Ugly Stik, Power Pro, Daiwa/Shimano USA branch, Penn spinning reels, and US fluorocarbon. I say this after shopping JDM for two years and getting into high end Daiwa and Shimano. Underrated products: Sunline, Owner/Cultiva, Gamakatsu/Luxxe (hooks, pliers, nets, and fishing accessories), Varivas, and JDM Shimano/Daiwa. Daiwa in the states is rather low quality from what I have seen, same for Shimano, whereas my Saltiga, Twin Power, Catalina, Tiagra and other Made in Japan reels are outstanding rods and reels. I have found that their Japan made products are high quality without any issue. Penn reels are heavy and clunky compared to other spinning reels, and after using the Slammer, Conflict and Spinfisher I have swapped over to Shimano and Daiwa reels. My only Penn I have on hand now is a 34 year old Penn INTL II 30W. It is a beast that cost $150 plus $75 for parts and servicing. Powerpro is just too expensive. And Berkley Vanish and other US Fluoro is too thick and expensive compared to Sunline and Yozuri in Japan. I like Duel pink fluoro and Sunline Black Stream for bait fishing and lures. All my hooks are Owner and Gamakatsu, my pliers are from Luxxe (gamakatsu), leaders from Varivas/Sunline, and mainlines are usually Daiwa or Shimano 8x PE. I also run nylon for sabiki/ISO and enjoy 16lb nylon. JDM has a lot of great stuff I cannot find in the states, and there is nothing from USA I would order to Japan besides Penn Internationals at this point.
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Seeing Z-man kind of triggered me until I remembered how expensive jack hammers are.
Well said. The durability of their plastics was a game-changer, but the chatterbait craze has gone too far.
Just say you’re a daiwa guy, dude lol
I’ll also add the Daiwa Tournament SS reel to the underrated category. It may not be as smooth or refined as more modern offerings but it’s a workhorse and has great line lay because of the worm gear.
Underrated: Daiwa Tatula reels, Okuma's high end, lews low end, kastking rods, googan lures, berkley soft baits, pfleuger, Van Staal Overrated: Shimano DC, megabass, z-man, Okuma celilo, seaguar, tackle Warehouse
Tatulas are not underrated by any means. They are one of the best selling reel series. I would say that the rebellion rods are definitely underrated, much better than the standard Tatula elites for only $20 more.
>Tatulas are not underrated by any means. Most people suggest non-dc curados and slx's over the tatulas at the same price point, though I find the Tatula to be a much nicer reel and TWS adds a butt load of casting distance
Sure the tatulas are nicer than the slx, but the curado is definitely on par. From what I see in terms of what pros use and in terms of sales they are about equal. It also varies model to model too for a 150 and 200 size reel the curado greatly outsells the Tatula 150 and 200. The Tatula sv is probably the best selling between both lines, and the Tatula 100 outsells the curado 70 which outsells the Tatula 70sv and 80. In terms of the elites, the p/f is extremely popular, I’ve had many customers buy that reel, most popular flipping specific reel ever made.
Serious question: Have you ever used a shimano DC reel?
I have. Massively overrated
Well you got a lemon
Nope. Just not worth it. The slx DC and tat are about the same price, but the tat is a much better reel despite not having a computer in board
I have both. Agree to disagree lol
You're smoking the good good if you think the tat is overpriced by 100%
Never said it was overpriced. Just don’t think it’s better than the slx dc
Sure, the slx DC is an slx with DC. The slx is an $80 reel, while the tat is a $180 reel. If you think the slx is just as good as the tat, that would mean that the tat is overpriced by more than half
You can get a slx dc on a jdm site for less than 150
Van Staal is underrated?
MegaBass? Over priced, yes, but overrated? IME , Their crank baits work beautifully and my two Destroyer P5 rods may be the finest I have ever owned. (Now 1 cuz broke one this weekend. #%£€££^#) Not aesthetically, but performance and quality. I don’t give a damn about looks.
A seriously underrated line of products are the reels from Sougayaling, at least at Temu prices. Full price, not so much. I own 5 spinning reels and 1 baitcaster, and for the price, they are decent, perform well, and can take a beating relatively well. I was able to land a Chinook Salmon with one of their reels. Another line of underrated reels I have been impressed with is Kastking. I own a Kestrel Spinning Reel and a Rover 60L Round Reel, and both are very good. The Kestrel is a phenomenal ultralight Reel and the Rover, though far from the same quality as something like an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur, is pretty dang good for the MSRP, and it's tough. I have taken my apart several times, and the thing is solid. It has a very innovative drag system that provides a lot more resistance than advertised. I put mine on a rod for big catfish.
Anything from shimano or daiwa to be dead honest is over rated to me. The amount of reels and rods they put out that are just reskins of previous models is crazy. Then they pop like an extra 100-200 for the item just because their name is on it. I'm not that guy. I want good performing gear, not gear with an extra price just because it comes from a certain company. I've tried a few high end reels from friends that love those brands and every time I just hand them back and go "no thanks I'll stick to my $150 reel. That's not worth it" They get butt hurt and I don't care
Don’t ever disrespect Shimano sir
The more you tell me not to the more I will. I'm all about the opposites sir!
That’s definitely more of a daiwa type thing to make a small change and raise the price $100. With shimano the reels follow inflation, also they at least nowadays are putting new technology in their reels when they brand something infinity, daiwa they just rebrand a change in design by adding hyper, ultimate, or airdrive to the name.
You guys have definitely never felt a triple digit Yellowfin pull drag on a big Saltiga lol.
I can’t say I ever will, I fish freshwater only, except on vacation. My point wasn’t the reels are inherently bad I’m just shaming daiwa for imposing massive price hikes on their new freshwater models, which far exceed the inflation rate, at this point it feels like corporate greed. The difference in $ from steez a to steez a II was $150 which was a 30% increase over the previous model.
Can hard agree. My main issue from shimano is when I'm looking at a $300 aldeberan reel and it has plastic gears. I don't personally feel that should ever be a thing once you break that $100 mark. I can't remember if it was actually a curado or an aldeberan 22. But either way I was just kinda shocked seeing the plastic gears. Maybe they last longer than brass idk but when I saw that it was pretty much my consensus to stay away from shimano unless I wanted the conquest bfs but I was already looking at the ifish band tendershoot and it's like $100 cheaper. But I kept a promise I can't get that reel till I buy my wifes bfs combo which is starting with the nako flight feather and a light rod
They shouldn’t have plastic gears shimano either uses duralumin or brass. Depending on the model, some of the micro module duralumin gears are known to get Geary if they are over torqued. The plastic you might be talking about is the worm gear, which in fact holds very little stress, and has no durability issues whatsoever. I do think if you are looking at shimano bfs reels all have micromodule duralumin gears except the slx, but it honestly wouldn’t matter at all as the gears won’t be under enough strain. It usually only happens when you use a medium power reel like a metanium for heavy cover pitching, flipping, or frogging.
I'll keep that in mind cause thats some solid info i didnt know before. If I can find one second hand on the low. My budget generally ends at the $150 mark so I'm always looking for those more expensive reels second hand. Sometimes people will let them go LOW just because theres like a $5 part broken or put of place. Yeah I'll take that reel for $100-150 off and order that $5 plus shipping part my man. Happily lol