Zephyr Bait Finesse Baitcasting Reel, Carbon Fiber Fishing Reel - Drag Clicker Version, 7.2:1 Gear Ratio Fishing Reel - 5.6oz Lightweight Bait Finesse System Casting Reel

Okay first I have read all the reviews. I have stage 4 cancer and take a few drugs so I’m not too steady. I’m letting you folks know this because using reels like this are hard for me to use. Okay now the reel. I only had the money to purchase one. I took it out of the box and looked it over. Very nice looking. I only use Berkeley fire line. Period!! Filled the reel with 14 pound line. I put it on a 7 foot ugly stick. I went fishing. People said that you could not use a small lure so I picked a small bass pro 2 3/4” square bill. Small lure. I cast it the first time and I had a birds nest. I adjusted the button on the left side to to half way. I adjusted the button on the right side till you could hit the release button and it dropped to the floor and stopped. I cast it again. And it cast good but still a little backlash. I turned the button on the right side a little bit more and tried it again. Man it cast so sweet. I cast it about 100 times and never had a problem again except when I hit a tree over my head that I didn’t see. Lol. A week later I went fishing again and I wore this reel with that same crank bait and never had a single back lash. I truly love this reel. It’s so smooth after you set it up correctly. It takes time to get it correct. Take your time and play with it till you get it correct. It’s really worth the effort. All I can say is that when I get some more money I’m purchasing another one. Also don’t throw it so hard. I just swing it and it just cast so smooth. I love this reel

Ive had this for almost 9 months at this time, and its casting just like the day I purchased it! Very durable and the value for the price is unmatched. Fishing with light baits (finesse senko, no or light nail weights) up to chatterbaits and the like. Very versatile. Accurate casting and very smooth retrieve, way less winding noise than other more expensive options. High gloss frame looks sleek, and its held up as well. Im hard on gear and this has taken it!

Works well and was easy to spool. The click drag system function is easy to set and change when necessary. It does control backlash fairly well when properly tuned and can easily cast super lightweight tackle with ease. It is not perfect and some of the tolerances could be fine tuned - the line can sneak in behind the spool from time to time but it is simple to correct.

Great bait caster

Saw this in my purchase history from forever ago and figured I’d come give a review. Amazing reel. My first baitcaster and I couldn’t be happier. Im about 8(?) months in and have no complaints. Casts super smooth. Retrieves are nice and smooth. I run 10lb braid with an 8lb flouro leader. I honestly didn’t understand what bfs was when I bought this but honestly this works great for everything I throw. Would purchase again.

I bought two of these Zephyr, and 2 of the KK Kestrel baitcaster reels about the same time. I wanted to compare, "budget" options to my Lews and Diawa reels that cost much more. At first the Zephyr were decent reels, I used them exclusively through the spring and caught many many bass, up to 4.5lbs(good size where I'm at), and they performed well. However, after several weeks of use, now each reel just randomly has an issue where the brakes on casting go absent and the reel mega backlashes. To the point, it's done for the day, and needs to be re-lined. Comparing to the Kestral. The Kestral is much smaller profile. Braking is different to setup etc..., but once setup, to me perfroms MUCH better, especially in the wind, which is common on my lake. The Kestral still feels a bit cheap, plasticky compared to the KVD Lews and Diawa SV TW reels. But it's 2/3 the price, and seems to cast very well, and resist wind backlashing. So far, the Kestral does not seem to suffer the random crazy backlash the Zephyr does(both reels and multiple fisherman using[myself, my son and brother in law all had the same issue]). If $ is absolutely tight, the this is a decent reel that can catch decent fish. But does seem to suffer from random casting/braking issues, on the reels I have. The Kestral, while more $$$, to me is a better deal. I'll keep these Zephyr on spare rods and use the Kestral's for various BFS setups.

Very smooth, great for casting light lures long distances.

OK there are a lot of mixed reviews on this reel! Mainly complaints on the line getting behind the spool. Others saying it' prone to backlash. Here's what my experiences have been! I spooled it up with 24lb bliss (yes I said 24lb it's diameter is only. 007) to a 7' 8lb. leader (just before it went into the reel) Dialed in the reel with a 1/8 oz. Jig and commenced to throw that 1/8 oz. Jig further than I ever thought possible! I ran this setup for probably 2000 casts catching well over 100 1 to 2lb bass. Very minimal and mild backlashes. Had a absolute blast! Had the wild hair to respool with 6lb mono and try 1/16 1/32 jigs. Setup the reel according and was equally impressed. BUT then I threw a little too hard after backing the brakes off a little more than I should've and I'm talking about the worst birdsnest ever! Procided to pick it out and realized in fact the line did get behind the spool! Had to pull the side cover and remove the spool to get the line unwrapped from the spool shaft, not that big of a deal! The backlash however was a goodun indeed!!! After bout 5 minutes of trying and hearing the growing number of birds chirping overhead I gave up and grabbed another rod! I've been fishing for over 45yrs. And love it! This was my first bfs reel. My honest opinion of this reel is that this is a awesome reel if you want to try out the bait finesse system style of fishing! For the price on Amazon you can't beat it. I've saw them on sale for as low as 40 bucks. Now!! The most important thing is the rod you put this reel on! It can make or break your day!! Bfs will definitely bring the thrill of fishing back to life! Sadly bfs is just now gaining popularity here in the US so you're choices of rods are sadly limited and a quite pricey, unless you're willing to buy from alybaba or whatever their name is. I choose a Dobyns seirra ultra finesse 701c from tackle warehouse. Little pricey but a excellent rod for this! Bfs makes those little bass feel like more than twice their size and was the most fun I've had in a long time! Let's face it your going to catch a lot more little ones than you are monsters so why not make them feel like monster! Keep your hooks sharp and your lines wet!

Works as advertised. Paired with Ugly Stik Elite 7' UL rod and 8lb Power Pro, handles 1/8 oz lures no problem. Anything lower (eg. 3/32oz) and you're limited to overhead casts only. Managed to haul in panfish and even a small pike no problem, the drag ran smooth. It backlashes as any other baitcaster would, and I was able to unravel all but one, which was produced by hooking a bush behind me with the brakes at 50%. I did not experience the issue of line getting caught between the spool and frame as other anglers have. There is a clicking sound in the spool every time the anti reverse bearing catches, which is a little annoying if you're jigging, but does not affect the function. I've only used it for a month, so I cannot speak on the longevity of the reel. 5/5 - wish it was built a little more solid, but it's perfect for the $100 price range.

great

Good for the price.

Bad tolerances means line gets between the barrel and frame, causing all sorts of problems. Very hard to set up for any lure. Just not recommended. Get an SLX BFS or a Curado BFS.