Bad to the Bone

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Last year at the Classic, Shimano released the Bantam MGL. Their first reel to incorporate the single piece aluminum frame. You can tell this reel is built to last the minute you wrap your hand around it. The Bantam is very comfortable. My first impression was that this was gonna make for a really nice Chatterbait reel. When I finally got one, I paired it up with a Spiralite Maverick 7’6MH and spooled it up with 17 lbs. Flurocarbon. I never thought a reel could be so sensitive. I could feel the vibration from a Chatterbait all the way up my forearm. It wasn’t until I started seeing Japanese anglers across the big pond using it for hard baits that I started to realize its full potential. Seeing these guys throw glides and crank downs on it was enough for me to try it for myself. I started by throwing weedless baits and had zero issues. One thing I noticed with the added sensitivity is that you can actually feel the bite through the reel. Sometimes on a weedless bait it can be so subtle that you don’t even notice so this extra sensitivity goes a long ways.  Next I started venturing into the hard baits. I wanted to see if this thing really could pass the test. Started small by throwing the Tiny Klash and went all the way up to throwing the Wade Hoggs. This thing is an absolute beast. Don’t let the 150 size scare you away. I’ve spooled it up with line up to 25 Lbs. test and still had more than enough line to get the job done. I’m not a huge fan of the stock handle which is why upgraded it to the DRT 95mm Varial handle. It may not be necessary but for me it turns this thing into the baddest reel on the market. They retail for $350 which might be steep for some but if you can swing that price tag you won’t be disappointed in the purchase.