Does anyone have any stories or history about the bantam 50? I barrowed an old bantam from a buddy and seemed to like it very much. very smooth.


thanks

great reels been takin them to kenia for the past couple years and they handle 60 lbers. just fine... drags still smooth

like them a lot, but this year i bought a shimano calcutta 400 twice the $ but also twice the reel.

I love the Bantam 50. Use it on all my rods for Salmon. Never had a problem, but you should always loosen the drag after use!

SA

Reaaly like mine too. I also like the 100 before it went out of production. Nothing like fighting a nice nookie and being able to activate the direct drive. The one that replaced the 100, I think the 1,000, has a big hurkin line counter that really gets in the way. Anyway, I really like the 50 too.

NEN

I've had my Bantam 50 for probably 15 years now. Still works great!!
It's my go to Nookie reel!

I just bought new one, 94$ seemed like a good deal for the quality. Now how do I tell the wife I got a new reel?

I have 8 50's and 8 100's - like 'em all - also for the direct drive feature. I had John's in Everett put a direct drive button on the 50's. Don't know if they still do that - sweet. Also reiterate about loosening the drag. Both reels are relatively easy to take apart and clean. watch out for the 2 little springs on the right-side. There is a large fabric washer, also on the right-side spindle that controls the drag. It will tend to wear and flatten out. Linc's in Seattle has spares - or Marie there is an expert in cleaning and repairing both types of Shimano's. Good luck.

nice reels but buy a shimano calcutta and you will be very happy.

Love them....the 1000 too if you can find one. The fifty's last forever. They make good mooching and trolling reels but also work well for pulling plugs in a drift boat. $.02

Is the TE series worth the difference in money on the Calcuttas? Ebay has a number of the plain Calcuttas for considerably less $$.

the more expensive calcutta is by leaps and bounds smoother than the less expensive calcutta ( dont know the model #s ) and in my opinion well worth the extra $.

John's will still make the 50's direct drive and I think they will add bearings to them as well.

John said they cast a mile with their bb conversion.

The reel repair person @ John's in Everett (on Broadway), I think his name is Ahmad, is a great guy and if you're in the shop, he's a lot of fun to talk to. He'll help fill you in if your conversation with John has left you with unanswered questions.