KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Fishing Reels, Perfect Reel for Catfish | Max Drag: 30 lb, 4+1 BB, 22.8 oz, Reinforced Metal Body, Carbon Fiber Drag System, Oversized Non-Slip TPE Grips

I purchased the 40R with cat fishing in mind first and then maybe Hybrids or Strippers. Primarily for cat fishing 1st and foremost. At first glance the design is reminiscent of the old ambassador reels. However, they are entirely different mechanically and 40r is so much smoother and so functional. The drag is sweet and love the larger star crank. Besides being lighter in weight and mechanically smoother and stronger. Love the larger handle and the soft grips. The larger handle and grip is so easy to operate in comparison to so many others on the market or in days past. Forever since I can remember I used Ambassador reels and can’t count the throw away Zebco’s as a kid. Lol... I will never go back to either as of date. Considered recently was either Penn or Kast King. I am very happy I went with the later! This is the first Kast King 40r reel purchased and the first to own of this brand for me. Surely will not be the last. I will purchase another 40r or two and a 70r. In the very near future along with other Kast King products. I’m sold! Bravo! You won’t feel as if you have thrown good to bad with this reel. I highly recommend it.

Very nice reel. Smooth and quiet and as long as it holds up, it will be a winner. Why did you pick this product vs others?: When comparing reels and reviews, it rated very well for a lot less money than other products. The reel has a very nice look and pairs well with a 7ft medium heavy casting rod.

I bought this back 2-3 years ago. Nice reel, maybe a little smaller than expected as far as line cap goes but that really has not been a problem. Drag is nice and smooth. Casts very well, backlashes are most often my fault. Feels strong and gives confidence. I love the clicker! It can easily be heard and resulted in some catches that might not have happened. I caught a nice 9 lb Channel with it today, so the good experience made me want to write a review.

I bought the size 40 reel in 2020 to use Kayak fishing off or Ventura Califonia, where it never let me down. Fast forward three years and we moved to Oregon, and I use it to pull plugs for steelhead and salmon from an oar powered drift boat on the Rogue River. I have caught several good sized steelhead and salmon on this reel, and it has more than enough power to handle everything in the River - great drag too. My buddies all insist on using smaller baitcasters, and always struggle when they hook into a big one. Can’t recommend this reel enough!

Garbage- garbage- garbage! Locked up the first time I used it... and since there were no instructions or any info this piece of garbage sits broken and useless. Last time I buy from kastking - they should change their name to kastkrap!!!

Rover 40 This reel is built very well, and feels smooth. Paired this with rippin' lips 7'6 cat rod. They look good together and feel good together also. Will be using the pair of them for cats and stripers. Hope to test them out within the next couple of weeks. Jan 2019: Have used several times from trolling to set fishing. Have caught several trolling 4+ pound range one 6.8lb'er, and was a breeze. Drag was excellent when trolling! Plan on adding a 2nd to my gear soon! Update: Had the chance to use them last night. I don't know how far it casted but it went far before I heard the kerplunk from the weight and bait hitting the water. Wound it with 30 lb braid to 3way swivel. 4oz weight on the straight thru tied with 20lb mono, then on the 90 side of swivel again 20lb mono to 5/0 circle hook with live bait (blue gill). One of the times I put it out the darn live bait must have wrapped a tree or rock as I hung up. The rod, reel, swivel and weighted sides all held up with the bending rod over pulling to get loose, yes I tried the gentle way too. What didn't hold up was my knot on the bait leader where it was attached at the swivel. It did take a beating however so all I lost was a hook. Super pleased with the reel. Can't wait to go out again, in daylight, so I can see how far this thing casts. I know it has a great deal to do with the rod being used also but the above combination is a good one. Did I say how much I am pleased!

It’s not horrible but it’s not the best reel you’ll ever own. It does its job Pros: It’s lightweight and easy to palm. Very comfortable to use, even when Bass fishing and casting and reeling all day. It holds a lot of line. Even the 40 I bought has a very large spool. It seems sturdy and well made. Cons: It’s noisy. Makes noise casting and reeling. Maybe the noisiest reel I’ve ever used. It is not braid ready. You’ll have to add mono to the spool first and then add the braid otherwise the drag will not prevent the braid from spinning on the spool. It’s prone to backlash. I’ve seen some reviews that say because it’s a fixed spool (on the spindle) that it’s very hard to bird nest. Not true. It tangles more than any baitcasters I’ve ever used. So far flouro and braid tangle equally as easy. Haven't tried mono yet. All told, it’s not horrible for an Abu wanna’ be but there are issues. If you’re in the need for a cheap reel in a pinch it’s okay. But this is not the reel you’ll be bragging about or packing for that vacation. I would have given it a better review if it wasn’t so prone to backlash but facts are facts. I’ve owned extremely expensive baitcasters and extremely cheap ones. This one is one of the worst as far as birdnesting.

I'm hard on my fishing gear. I fish rough conditions, dirty places, and gnarly cover for catfish. I don't baby my equipment. So, when possible, I prefer to find more affordable brands that offer good quality. I've been using a different budget-friendly brand for the last several years, but when I needed to replace a reel recently, I discovered that their prices have increased dramatically, so I started looking around for something new. I'm a fan of older Ambassadeur reels on my bass rigs, but don't want to be worried about that much money going in the drink when I'm catfishing. The first thing I noticed on taking this reel out of the box was that it looked and felt a lot like one of those. This reel feels very solidly built, and it was the perfect size for the rig I was putting together, which is aimed at smaller channel cats. It casts well, and the retrieve is super smooth, like a much more expensive reel. My first impressions are that I may have found my new budget-friendly reel brand. It will take a little time to decide that for sure. I need to see how it handles a few good-sized fish and how it holds up to how I use it, but so far, I'm impressed.

Muy Bueno

will be returning this. No drag what so ever first baitcaster i felt like i wanted to throw in the trash out of frustrastion. Cost me 2x the price of the reel in braid to realise the reel is at fault!

Arrived as promised. There are no directions as to the proper operation of the reel. Although I spend many hours fishing with spinning reels this is my first baitcaster for still fishing trout. I had to serch the internet to find a site which explained the spool alignment knob (underneath the star drag handle)and the casting knob on the other side of the reel. The velvet bag for storage is a nice gesture but by far would have appreciated operating instructions ,once on a rod most do not remove. The reel appears solidly constructed with metal in place of plastic as with other models and look foward to its use.

Highly recommend this reel first time out with this reel at Scarborough got myself a personal best 11lb cod off the boat I was on

filament sometimes runs into the spool.