ISO inexpensive LC reels

[greywalls]

I'm interested in any first-hand experiences with the following line-counters:  

Penn Rival 

Okuma Magda Pro

Daiwa Accudepth Plus‑B

Ambassadeur S

Cabela's DepthMaster® III

I need to pick up two inexpensive (sub-$80) LC reels as dedicated shad pullers, to be affixed to two Ugly Stik Striper or Denali Bottom Feeder rods...  As I've got too much $$$ invested in my primary bait-casting and "green fish" setups, I need to constrain costs on these two outfits -- ergo, Tekotas and even the Okuma Cold Waters are outside of budget, unfortunately.

The reels mentioned above appear to be decent for the money, and, I think, the only contenders within budget. 

Any first-hand experience, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!   

[ajrod88]

I bought one of the Ambassadeur S LC reels. I haven't used it just piles yet but I am very impressed with it so far.  I'd say the weakest point would be the drag at only around 11lbs I think. But its enough for this poor boy. 

[greywalls]

Apr 3, 2018 19:52:58 GMT -5 ajrod88 said:

I bought one of the Ambassadeur S LC reels. I haven't used it just piles yet but I am very impressed with it so far.  I'd say the weakest point would be the drag at only around 11lbs I think. But its enough for this poor boy. 

10-4.  Thank you, sir!

[FishON]

I have used the :
Okuma Magda
Daiwa Accudepth

Wasn’t a fan of the Okuma. I really like the Daiwa reels. I have 7 of them.

[bushwacker]

I have 2 of the Okuma Magda and one seems to stick sometimes when reeling in. I think I got it fixed this winter when cleaning it but I doubt I'll buy anymore of them. I have 2 of the coldwaters and just used them for the first time the other week and I really like them.

[quackquackboom]

I have cabelas, the 2 not the 3. And Okuma Magda. I don’t like either. Sometimes they won’t go in gear with out a slight handle turn.

Personally I don’t think you need them. Most of mine aren’t accurate anyways.

[johnr]

I used to use line counters a good bit but only for downlining in summer. I have several still, I don’t know if any of them work though. With sonar, I know exactly how deep I am with any number of pulls from reel to eye, and I just go by that these days. Same with line-out for trolling. I just wish I had a better memory sometimes!

[getlinewet]

I have owned 8 Okuma Magda Pros over the years. After heavy use, 2 have gone south on me kind of the way Bushwacker described. The ones that went bad were probably my fault for ratcheting down the drag and trying to yank a lure out of the trees using maximum pressure. I probably bent or warped a ball bearing.

For everyday use I think they serve my purpose. And for $45 bucks, if one goes bad, you just buy a new one. Plus, I think Okuma gives you a 1 year warranty on their product (but you have to pay shipping to get it to the company's headquarters).

[va3dshooter]

I use the Penn Rivals on the James for Blue Cats. I have 9 of them ,been using them for about 3 years now . We throw 16 oz. Of weight and huge peices of bait and never had a minute trouble with any of them . They have the same disc drag system as the more expensive Penn's.