I just ordered this reel last week and wanted to provide a detailed review of my recent purchase. Just as another reviewer shared, it is advertised as black, but my reel was a vibrant red. I spooled it with a 10lb braid and cast it with soft plastics with a 1oz weight. I set the tension so the lure just barely dropped from the end of the rod, then set the drag to 5/10. There are micro-adjust settings between the typical settings, meaning 0.5 increments are possible. Once casting, wow, this thing can really send the bait pretty far. I would estimate I was regularly getting 35-40yard casts on a relatively lightweight lure. Plus I was able to drop it the lure exactly where I wanted it to go. The reel is pretty typical size in the hand when palming. I would say its not the biggest or smallest, but it was comfortable to use. There is another switch on the back of the reel that changes the reel function to allow for flipping and pitching. I've never seen this before on a reel and typically just used my thumb on the spool. When this is activated, you press the button holding it during the flip and let-go when you want the line to stop advancing. It took a few tries to get used to, but is still very intuitive to use. If you forget to switch it back when going back to do a normal long cast, it can be a surprise. However, I think it is a nice feature. I was able to catch some bass as a local pond with it and the drag was very smooth. There are a lot of bearings on this reel, box says 11+1, and it feels like it. I have multiple bait-casters, including some other higher end models, and this MegaJaws Elite reel fits right along side the others.
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