Reaction Tackle ReactCast Baitcaster Review

Reaction Tackle has become a big player in the bass fishing industry. They make a wide variety of products, the latest of which is a number of rods and reels.

Before, the release of these products, I had used and loved a bunch of their terminal tackle products, as well as their braided fishing line which is what they are best known for.

So when they released a brand new product line of rods and reels, I was very excited, but a big skeptical because building a high performing reel is a bit harder than line and terminal tackle.

My favorite reel that I have tried so far is the ReactCast baitcaster.

ReactCast Baitcaster Specs:

• 7.3:1
• 9+1 Ball Bearings
• 18 lbs of Drag
• Price: $37.99 on Amazon and $48.98 on RT website

General Overview

After a month or so of fishing with the ReactCast reel, it has been very, very good. I have used a ton of budget baitcasting reels over the years, and the ReactCast is one of the best that I have found when it comes to not backlashing.

And I feel like that is a big deal for budget baitcasters like these because often they are being used by newer fisherman or kids that don’t have tons of experience casting baitcasters.

Overall, the ReactCast has been extremely impressive, and has potentially become my favorite budget baitcaster on the market.

Ball Bearings

Coming with 9+1 (or 10 total) ball bearings, the ReactCast quite literally has more ball bearings than most premium baitcasting reels.

Now of course, quality is just as important as quantity, but to have 10 total ball bearings inside a budget reel is almost unheard of.

And it definitely makes a noticeable difference. The ReactCast is very, very smooth at all retrieve speeds as well as when fighting fish or setting the hook.

Like I mentioned, quality is also very important, so I am sure that a very premium baitcaster will maintain its smoothness a bit better over time, but I have not noticed any issues so far with the ReactCast.

When it comes to the ball bearings, it sits at the top of the budget baitcaster market.

Drag

The ReactCast has a listed max drag of 18 lbs. Which means that when fully tightened down, over 18 lbs of pressure will still pull out line.

This is a bit stronger than the StreamX baitcaster has, which opens of a couple more doors for what you can do with the ReactCast.

13 lbs of drag is a bit light to fish very heavy cover techniques like frog fishing or heavy duty jig fishing.

But with 18 lbs, you can definitely mix in some more heavy duty, heavy cover techniques and still have enough power to pull fish out of there.

Now I still probably wouldn’t fish a frog on top of matted grass or punch mats with the ReactCast, but it will handle pretty much everything else you will encounter with 18 lbs of max drag.

Casting / Backlashing

I touched on this earlier, but this is the biggest difference maker compared to the StreamX reel in my opinion.

I think the ReactCast is much easier to cast without backlashing. Now real quick, I will touch on the casting distance.

The ReactCast has quite good casting distance for a budget reel. I’ve found that it is about the same as the StreamX.

And of course, both reels won’t be able to cast quite as far as a high end, premium reel, but for the vast majority of situations, the casting distance is quite good and won’t be a limiting factor.

Now when it comes to the backlashing, I have been incredibly impressed by the ReactCast. Once you have dialed in the spool tension knob and the magnetic brakes, this think almost never backlashes on a standard cast.

Even if you are trying to cast as hard and far as possible, it is incredibly easy to prevent backlashes.

The only time it really over spools is when you are casting into a heavy wind. So both the ReactCast and the StreamX will cast very far, but the ReactCast is much more user friendly when it comes to backlashing.

With very minimal thumb control, you won’t really have to worry about bird’s nesting at all.

Materials / Construction

Just like the other reels that I have used from Reaction Tackle, the materials and construction are very impressive.

All the externals of the ReactCast are metal (with the obvious exception of the handle grips, which are rubber), with a combination of aluminum and steel.

So as far as durability goes, there shouldn’t really be any issues with the ReactCast because of the solid metal materials.

And then on the construction side, everything is very firm and solid. The only thing I noticed is that the reel handle often slides a bit when engaging the reel.

The reel handle isn’t loose, it is very firmly fitted, but there is just a bit of turn/slip when first engaging the reel sometimes.

I don’t know if this is the case with all ReactCast reels or if is is just a minor idiosyncrasy of my own.

But either way it hasn’t seemed to get worse or impact performance, so it isn’t a huge deal so far. Overall, the ReactCast has excellent materials and construction.

My Personal Opinion

In terms of value per dollar, I really love the Reaction Tackle ReactCast. It comes in a few dollars higher than the StreamX, but I definitely do think it performs a bit higher as well.

The backlashing, or lack there of, is the most notable improvement. So while of course, it doesn’t compare as well to a high end, premium baitcasting reel that costs hundreds of dollars, the ReactCast is very impressive for its price point.

And is certainly one of my favorite budget baitcasting reels that I have used!

Reeling this In

Reaction Tackle has once again demonstrated its ability to deliver exceptional value in the fishing industry, this time by successfully entering the competitive market for rods and reels. Despite initial skepticism about a company known primarily for line and terminal tackle tackling a more complex product, the ReactCast baitcaster has proven to be an extremely impressive budget reel.

The ReactCast shines across the board, boasting high-end features like 10 total ball bearings for a remarkably smooth retrieve and a robust 18 lbs of max drag that expands its utility to heavier cover techniques. However, its most significant strength is its user-friendliness and resistance to backlashing. This makes it an ideal choice for new baitcaster users while still providing excellent performance for experienced anglers.

While premium reels certainly offer long-term advantages, the ReactCast, with its solid metal construction and overall performance, easily sits at the top of the budget baitcaster market. For anglers seeking a high-performing reel without a high-end price tag, the Reaction Tackle ReactCast is an easy recommendation and potentially my new favorite budget baitcaster available today.