KastKingKastKing Royale Legend GT Baitcasting Reels,Left Handed Fishing Reel,7.2:1 Gear Ratio

Overall a great little reel for the price. I bought this reel as a backup reel for a week long trip to Northern Canada. My normal bait casters are Abu Revo series - Rockets and Toros. On day 3 of the trip, I gave the Royal Legend a few hours of casting. Its light weight, super smooth and didn't kick a birds nest once, while fishing for pike. The real was strung with 50lb. power pro, which worked great. I'm not sure how many seasons of intense fishing the reel can take, but for price, they are basic throw-aways. I recommend this reel.

Excellent quality, casts far, super smooth, this is my 2nd buy of this product, as good as other high end reels,

The media could not be loaded. People ask me about KastKing stuff all the time. I love them! Pretty much all I own for the majority of my fishing is KastKing now. I appreciate the low cost and high quality you get from the company. Since I use most of my goods in the saltwater, it is an absolute MUST that my gear be corrosion resistant, KK is always there for me for that low cost and high value reels and rods. I do not maintain my stuff much either, just a rinse down after each session and I set it aside to dry and ready for the next run. Hope you like the video I made up right after I got the reel, caught me some huge fish and never worried about my reel keeping up. Like I said, my fishing is in saltwater and with beefy, aggressive fish that do not come from any hatchery or pond conditions where there is no current or are fed consistently. Cool colors to match my rods, high quality and great price. What more can you ask for? Highly Recommended. If you have doubts, check out my YouTube channel and see just how often and how I am using the KK gear!

VERY SMOOTH .

To make this review helpful, everyone should try and learn a baitcast reel. It will take some time, but I find myself using it as my primary reel.Setup and Use:I used 20# braid. When securing the braid, the cylinder does not have holes to tie the fishing line to prevent slipping. I used electrical tape to secure the knot around the cylinder. -1/2 star.The reel works very smooth for me. I have only had a handful of times when reeling where I felt that the crank would not turn. It felt like it was jammed or stuck. I pressed the release and turned the crank again and everything worked smooth. Five times out of a thousand or two thousand casts is not bad, just worth mentioning.This reel as the name indicates is a baitcaster. I find that larger, heavier jigs are best suited for this type of reel, when compared to a spincast or spinning reel. I am able to throw twice the distance of a spincast, and maybe the same as my spinning reel. The baitcast reel is much lighter and makes all day fishing easier on the back and arms.Technique:Adjust the tension knob so that when you press the release and drop your jig, the spool does not have any line pop up or become loose. The tension knob has not slipped on me yet. I do adjust it between most jigs.The magnetic brake is another feature. I am wary about the settings and have mixed feelings. There is NO difference between 1-6. Any number between 1-6, I feel the magnets do nothing. I've used heavy 2oz weights through 1/16oz jig heads. They all have the same effect. Bird's-nest. Each click between 6-7 do have an effect on my casting distance. For heavy (1-2oz), I might go 5 (off for me) or 6. If I go to 7 ( 3-4 clicks away) I start losing 10ft per click. -1/2 star for the brake. Could have a better "tuneability".When using a new jig or weight, I start the mag take on max and will take it down until I start to backlash slightly. Then I'll bring it back up by 2 clicks. Following this system, I havent had a birdsnest casting in awhile. It does happen when I'm being lazy, or I mess up my cast.I stopped using this reel for crappie or any small jig heads. It is hard to tune and cast using this reel anything below 1/8oz. I use an ultralight spin reel and stopped having problems with backlash or casting distance.Drag is OK. I wish it was a click drag, but it still works and stays put. I adjust it often. I don't set my drag the way that I should as some % of the known break strength of the line, but rather adjust it by feel. I need it stronger on windy days with chop to bring the bait along. I'll also adjust it with chatterbait or swim bait to get the action I want. Adjusting the drag is easy and it stays where I want it.Background:I started with spinning reels, bought a few spincast zebco platinum 33's for the kids and an ultralight spin rod. You don't really need a baitcasting rod for most fishing. I'll usually fish from the bank, but will also kayak from time to time. I attached two photos of fish that this reel works well with. Bowfin and Bass. Both fish can fight, and you can appreciate the higher gear ratios and drag on the reel when targeting these fish.Conclusion:I've used this baitcasting reel for about 40 fishing days so far. I know it well and can now use it well. The photos I attached are the worst case scenario and has only happened once or twice. It happened when attempting to cast, and having the bait hit an object. In this cast I think it was a solid tree branch close to the bank. To understand, the spool is tunes to the weight of the jig. The mag is set to prevent the backlash. The bait sailing and then stopping will not stop the spool on the reel from moving and momentum caused the huge birdsnest in my photos. That would not have happened with a spinning reel or spincast. This is the major downside for me when using a baitcast from the bank. You will hit something and when that happens, if unlucky, you'll end up cutting off a lot of line.Overall, it is a great value under $40. A few small peeves, but to be expected at this price point. I would absolutely buy again and again.