KastKing Sharky Baitfeeder III Spinning Reel 10+1 Shielded Stainless Steel BB - Carbon Fiber Drag for Live Liner Bait Fishing Action

Edit: May 29, 2024I purchased the KastKing Sharkie BaitFeeder III in the 4,000 series and paired it with a Shakespeare Big Water. Ladies and gentlemen, this is in my opinion the absolute best combination for pier fishing. Why do I say that? Well, most people's methods of fishing from a pier is what I call "passive" fishing, including myself. I use what's called a High Low Rig, or a Crappie Rig as Eagles Claw calls it (the famous brand that sells hooks at your local Walmart), so you basically tie your line to a barrel swivel and that barrel swivel has a thick line about 3 feet long maybe, with two hooks spaced equally apart, and at the end is a heavy sinker of your choosing. I cast out, let the weight hit the bottom, stick the pole in a holder and reel in until the line is tight and with a regular reel you would set the drag pretty light so if a fish takes your bait and runs, your pole won't get sucked into the water. The line will just strip. Now this presents a problem because if a big fish takes the bait and runs, you have to pick up the pole and sit there turning the drag up until it's tight enough that you can fight the fish. This wastes time right? Enter the KastKing Sharkie BaitFeeder III and it's ingenious design. Now with this reel you have a dual drag system that are independent of each other! You have your normal drag in the front that you would set as if you hooked a fish, so decently tight, but in the rear is another drag! So with this now, you cast out and let the weight of the rig hit the bottom, stick your pole in a holder, reel in until the line is tight and instead of messing with the main drag in the front, you flip the lever in the rear of the reel and that engages the secondary drag. You turn the knob on this end until the line is so light that if a fish took your bait and ran, it'll just strip line. Simply pull your pole out of the holder while the line is stripping and as soon as you begin reeling, you'll feel a slight resistance in the handle and the lever will click over switching and activating your main drag! No time wasting messing with the drag with this thing. Set your primary drag in the front to how you would normally fight a fish and then flip the lever in the rear and adjust the knob to how light you want the secondary drag. I never heard of such a reel until I got one of these and I loved it so much that I bought another one in the 3,000 series to pair with a Shakespeare GX2! These are fantastic reels and for a great price! I've had the 4,000 series since December 10th 2023 and have used both starting in January of 2024 and they've held up great so far. I did catch a double header with two stingrays and that was a pain to haul in from the height of the water to the railing. I'd estimate that to be at least 15 feet and maybe 10+lbs of dead weight dangling in the air and the 4,000 series handled it. That has been the heaviest haul so far. I put 30lbs Trilene braid on the 4,000 and 20lbs braid on the 3,000 and with the 4,000 I can easily cast about 80 yards underhand on the pier but again, that's about 15 feet up. Reeling in feels smooth and the only thing I hear is the tension of the line. A couple things I appreciate from KastKing is including a manual with actual part names which I assume can be used if you were to ever lose a part or break a part and need warranty work or something. If you look at one of the photos I shared, I tried to showcase how the handle mounts and I couldn't believe to see they added grease which speaks volumes to how they want their customers to have the best experience. They've also included stickers you can write on for the type of fishing string you're using and stamp it somewhere on the reel. I made a sticker for each of the spools and snuck them on the inside portion of each spool so in the future, like next year probably, I can see what type of line is on there and how old it is. I'm just saying, they didn't have to include that but it's nice they did. I also tried to show exactly how large these reels are and the only poles I have to compare them to are a Penn Fierce which is a 6,000 series and an Ugly Stik GX2 which I'd say is maybe like a 3,000 or 4,000. If you look at one of their images, they show the sizes of their reels and it appears the 5,000 and the 6,000 are the same size so I personally went with the 4,000 to pair with my heavy Ugly Stik Big Water and compared to the Penn Fierce, it is just slightly smaller but perfect for the Big Water pole I think. And the KastKing 3,000 is comparable to the GX2, which is one of the most popular poles/reels in America, is about the same size. So you can compare and hopefully see which one would suit your needs. I absolutely recommend these reels and I don't think you could find a better price. I will continue to update this review so long as these reels hold up. Oh yeah, and I'm fishing the Pacific Ocean which means saltwater and there doesn't appear to be any corrosion yet but like I said, I'll keep updating.

I gotta say…impressive! I’m a Penn guy at heart. However, I saw this reel advertised on Facebook. So, since I’m an Amazon junkie, I searched and there it was. I have heard ok Kastking, but never checked them out. In any event, after looking at the specs and the price, I bought baitfeeder 500’s. Got them yesterday. I was so impressed with the quality, smoothness, sturdyness, I bought 2 6000’s today. You’d think at this price, it’s probably junk. No, no, no…don’t let the price fool you. Trust me, it’s a good, decent reel. It comes with a braid spool and a stand-by mono spool and extra drag washers and a black storage bag. If you buy this item and it spins foreword and reverse, that’s the anti-reverse bearing. There is a small switdh on bottom of reel close to spool. Just swith it to engage anti-reverse bearing. The bail is nice and thick gauge coated, not that flimsy wire on low grade reels. I bought Penn Mariner iii’s to pair them up. Anyway, this reel has my blessings. Get one or two and get out there and hook some lip. Happy fishing!👍

I love it but I ordered the 4000 size it's actually about the size of a 5000 or 6000 reel compared to most other brands if you have a lot of 4000 size reels an your trying to match your current reels g3t the 3000 size other then the size disparity I love the reel works amazing

I've owned this reel for nearly a year now. It's my go to reel for drifting live and cut bait. The Bait runner setting is adjustable so that it will let you know when a fish is taking or running with the bait.The reel has great drag and is a good weight for a larger set up.The drag system is smooth and easy to adjust.I fish the Gulf of Mexico twice a week on average, and haven't had a single problem with it.All in all a good looking and good quality reel!Would buy it again if I ever need one.

For the price, this is by far the best reel available. Three Kastking Sharky Baitfeeder 5000 have already been purchased by me. For any difficult-to-get secret locations, it is smooth and durable. The bait clicker is effective and adaptable to your preferences. This year, I've caught catfish weighing between two and forty pounds, and I had no trouble bringing them in. I'm delighted I bought them. I've purchased a new Spartacus reel II 2000 and the 7' 3'' M fast rod because I love Kastking so much. Very effective for crappies and bass. Kastking produces excellent products, and I will keep buying from them.

Awesome reel! Bait feeder option auto switches off when reeling, super smooth reel, drag settings are great. Caught some 20+ lb carp n cats on it no problem.

I have 2 of the sharky 3 baitrunners 3000 & 4000. I fish mostly catfish with live bait, and for carp. The clicker is so amazing . I see no reason to pay hundreds for a Shimano or diawa baitrunner while this exists. Come with 2 spools on with backing for braid. Clicker works flawlessly to let this fish run with the bait, alert me, and keep no resistance on the line. Start reeling, the clicker closes and it switches back to primary drag. Primary drag is so good. Reel is smooth and balanced. Metal construction, not cheap plastic. Feels premium performs premium at a budget price. I've gotten everyone I know that fishes to buy one just just seeing mine in use.

BEST BAIT RUNNER SPINNING REEL! YOU CAN HEAR THE CLICKING EVEN WHEN FAR AWAY!