Fishing Rods

The majority of my reels are Shimano. I use the old green Curado's and Chronarch's.

Is anyone using the Ardent reels? How well do they work and feel on the Kistler rods? I heard these reels sit high on the rod.

You'll love Ardent reels as much as I do. They are extremely EASY to cast and very DURABLE.

My son, Little Alton, fished the co-angler side of the Elite Series this past season. One of his pros (I won't mention any names) asked him "how are you out-distancing me like that? What in the world kind of reel is that?". And that was a 16-year-old fishing with a 10-year tour veteran.

My favorite is the XS-1000, but the XS-600 is a really nice piece of equipment too.

Alton Jones -- 2008 Bassmaster Classic Champion

I use Quantum Tour Editions on all of my Kistler rods.

It really comes down to personal preference. I just got a couple new Curado E7 reels, and love the way the rods feel with that reel. Whatever reel you choose try and get the lightest model you can to keep the overall weight of your setup light. If you are going to fish with a light rod like Kistler you might as weel use a light reel as well.

Nothing but Shimano here. Symetre Spinning reels are my reel of choice. Find that it gives great service for not a large price tag. They really balance out my Mag's and LTA's.

Shimano.... I have not used another brand of reels on my Kistler rods in almost 10 years...

I really like the Abu Garcia Revo. It has a low profile that fits my hand well.

I have found a reel ,The H20 express-Mettle it has 10 ball bearings,It is about $50 but it is very smooth with adjustable brakes..Great casting distance havent had a problem...Other than that A shim curedo...

My favorite combo on the water is my Daiwa TD Zillion 7.1 reel and Magnesium "Chatterbait" rod.

Just amazing for whatever I feel like throwing at them that day, or that hour.

I absolutely agree with Alton Jones about prefering Ardent reels; been using them for going on 4 years now. I especially like the Ardent's on my 7' LTX (He2MC70) and LTA (He70MC) crankbait rods and my 6'6" LTA (He66MC) wacky worm rig. Whatever you heard about the Ardent reels sitting too high on the Kistler rods just isn't true. I have both the older Ardent XS baitcasting reels, and the newest Ardent XS1000 reels; both models are very "Low Profile," and feel great in my hands.

My hands are fairly medium-sized, so I have looked a long time for a reel that fits me well; the Ardent XS and XS1000's are light and very comfortable, and have performed well for me. The best thing is that Ardent reels are 100% Made in the U.S.A.!

I also use, and have been really impressed with, the Quantum Tour Edition TE1160PT baitcasting reels on my larger (7'6") He76MHC and He76HC rods. (Already have a couple of those reels ready for the New ARGON 7'9" "Longcaster" crankbait rods when they arrive!) The 7:1 ratio "Burner" (TE1170PT) does well for buzzbaits and ribbits.

God bless,

Scott Burns
Kistler ProStaff

I love the Revo's on my Kistlers!

I have Shimano Chronarch 50mg on my helium2 rod (consider this is the World LIGHTEST combine rod/reel). I've won multiple tournament myself. No Question!!!!!

my fav. reel in general is the not the brand new 09 quantums but the older tour editions sure they weigh just a lil bit more..which to me isn't a big deal the new ones go for 279 when you can get the same reel that just weighs a little more on ebay brand new now for a little over 100.

I'm Shimano all the way.

Core's on my drop-shot rods, and Curado 200's on everything else!