KastKing Royale Legend II Fishing Reel - 5.2:1 Gear Ratio Spinning Reel, Up to 22 Lbs of Carbon Drag, 5+1 Stainless Steel Ball Bearings, Graphite Frame, Asymmetric Spinning Reel Rotor Design

This is my 3rd reel of the same kind just on other rods, they are awesome. I battle all kinds of fish in the gulf. Lightweight but tough reels. I love the zero handle return slack in the gears unlike some reels can have the little bit of bail movement this one is awesome and just does it right.

I just got the reel & haven't fished with it yet. I just want to give my initial impressions. I'll update my review after I've used it a few times. The first things I noticed were, first of all, unlike some of the other Kast King spinning reels I've bought this one only comes with one spool. That's not a problem for me since the spare spools are usually not the best quality anyway. It's just nice to have a backup if you only bring one reel and happen to get spooled. The reel also has an anti reverse switch, another thing I never use, and one more thing to go wrong, but I know they're people who do like to use it. It should be fine as long as it's kept clean and free of salt or sand. When I put the handle on I realized that it doesn't fold. I rarely fold my handles anyway, but it can be a useful feature at times. Otherwise this reel seems like a great little reel for the money. It's very smooth and feels solid. It's possibly a little heavy for a reel of it's size, but I consider that a trade-off for the aluminum spool and solid frame, which I'd choose over plastic all day long. The description says the reel has a carbon fiber drag and stainless steel main shaft and double shielded ball bearings. This reel should last a long time and perform well with a little bit of routine maintenance. This should be a great little all purpose reel for fresh and salt water.

I got this to replace the reel in a cheapy combo set from Wally a couple years back. First year trying for pinks. After a few battles, the original reel somehow got warped and the spinner was no longer smooth. Decided to replace it with this Kastking Royale Legend (3000 size) and it was night and day. This was smooth and quite. Granted, the cost of this reel was almost as much as the combo, tells you how cheap the combo was. Put some 15lb braid on it and good to go. The only gripe if there is one is the bail only opens at certain points. I'm just a "weekend" angler and not much experience with higher end reels, so take this review with that in mind, but so far 6 pinks 😀.

Great quality

I bought this reel for kayak float fishing on rivers and didn't want an expensive reel which could be lost at any time. I have found it to be smooth and to function reliably. While it is not a $100+ spinning reel, my experience has been that it is a really good reel for the price. I would definitely buy it again.