KastKing Rover Round Baitcasting Fishing Reel, Perfect Conventional Reel for Catfish, Salmon/Steelhead, Striper Bass and Inshore Saltwater Fishing Reel, Reinforced Metal Body

KastKing Rover 60R Reel ReviewThe reel arrived in a nice box and a nice cloth bag for storage.Inside the box was a schematic and parts list. This is very good as parts wear out and often need replacement. The schematic was small but readable.The reel was larger and heavier than I expected but very sturdy. Size wise it is larger than an Abu Garcia Ambassador 6500 but not as large or heavy as a 7000.The line spool is solid and a nice gold color. It is wider and of larger diameter than the Abu 6500. I was thinking it would hold more line but I was wrong.The spool release button is larger and over hangs more on the KastKing. Attempting to fill the spool all the way up to its max results in the line hitting the spool release button.Both reels hold about 240 to 250 yards of 15lb Berkley Big Game Monofilament Line.I noticed that the level wind assembly was all metal and appeared durable. This compares to both the Abu 6500 C4 approx. $135 and The Abu 7000 approx. $149. Both run smoothly and track well although the Abu Garcia Reels lay the line a little more evenly across the spool.Comparing the level wind to a Abu Garcia 6500-S approx. $60 the Abu also lays down the line smoother but it has a nylon drive tooth that will not wear as well as the $52 KastKing 60.Then I decided to get down to business and get inside the reels.The good news is most of the drive gears and bearings are metal and strong on the KastKing Rover 60 and the Abu 6500 C4. I noticed the spindle size on the C4 to a little thicker but it appeared only a mm or so. I did not take the time to micrometer them.Comparing it to the Abu 6500-S there was more metal and the construction was much better. Comparing the KastKing Rover 60 to the Abu 7000 is like comparing a Ford F150 to an F350 Super Duty. There is no real comparison. It will not stand up to a 150lb bull shark on the other end like the 7000 could (at max).However I would have no reservations taking on a 25lb redfish with this reel.A spin test of just the spool on the spindle outside the reel body revealed that all three reels: KastKing Rover 60, Abu Garcia 6500 C4 and the Abu 6500-S could be made to spin 40 to 60 sec and appeared equivalent in speed. I ran this test to see how pimp able they were to modifications like installing ceramic bearings, removing the level wind assembly, and adding a magnetic brake cast control.The three reels mentioned above are all equivalent here. (The Abu 7000 spins longer because the spool is significantly heavier)Still inside the reels all of the Abu Garcia Reels come with six set able centrifugal brakes as well as one or two spool tensions knobs. The KastKing has only two and they are on whether you like it or not.The Abu 6500 reels come with 4 of the brakes set to the on position at the factory. I changed this to two for my cast test later in the review.Getting back to cast control the KastKing has two spool tension knobs like the Abu 7000. This is an advantage as the star drag gets in the way of your fingers on the Abu Garcia with only one on the right side.The clicker assemblies on all three reels were similar with neither really out shining the other. All were adequate to leave the spool in free spool and let the sound alert you on a quiet night bait fishing. None was loud enough to do this on the beach with the waves coming in.I put the reels back together and filled them with 15lb Big Game Monofilament Line. I mounted them on a Diawa Acculite 9ft Salmon/Steelhead Medium Action Rod.Attaching a fish scale to a loop tied in the line I tightened the drag all the way down and did three pull tests of one foot. The Abu 6500 claim 15lbs of drag but he C4 only delivered 14.6. The 6500-S claimed 15 but only delivered 11.3. The KastKing Rover Claimed 13.5 and delivered 13.8. The Abu 7000 claims 20 but delivered 27.7.The Abu 6500 reels and the KastKing were then set to 5lbs and pulled through a 20ft walk away. The KastKing and the Abu 6500 C4 had less than 0.5lb variance during the walk. The Abu 6500-S failed this test on the third walk.(The line broke) All three were pull tested three times over 20ft.Now we get down to the casting part:Three cast were made with the Abu 6500 C4, the Abu 6500-S and the KastKing Rover 60 using a 1oz pyramid sinker with a one foot drop down from the rod tip. This was repeated with a 7ft drop down and a Brighton Surf Cast and finally with a full blown Tournament Type of Pendulum Cast.All three reels were within the margin of individual variance for a single reel.The one foot drop casts went 70 to 75 yards.The Brighton Casts went 85 to 95 yardsThe Pendulum Casts went 95 to 125 yards.You will note that as I went to the more difficult surf and tournament casts the variance widened. This is due to my own operator error as I am not a tournament caster and the angle of release is not as consistent between each individual cast with these tournament techniques.The Abu 6500 C4 was quieter on the cast and the KastKing Rover made more spool noise but both beat the Abu 6500-S here.My final conclusion is that the KastKing Rover 60 at $52 compares very favorable to the Abu 6500 C4 at $135 and is a real bargain. Don’t waist your money on the Abu 6500-S at $60 it’s a turkey.I plan on using his reel of spotted sea trout, redfish, flounder, and other near shore species. I am happy with it.

What an outstanding reel!I ordered from Amazon after reading many reviews and some YouTube vids. It arrived in just three days with normal shipping. Packaging good with no extra junk. It did come with a nice cloth bag to store the reel in when not in use.Now i have other similar reels by abu, penn etc. and was looking for something to pair with my new Santiam 11ft surf rod as my other reels were a bit large in diameter for the rod. This reel (KastKing Rover 5/0) is just about the perfect size reel for this rod. I spooled it up with 40lb KastKing super braid. I don't have a line counter yet but it took most of a 327ft spool. I couldn't wait to try this reel out and went out back to my small pond to kinda get a feel for the reel. So after my first few casts i couldn't believe that this inexpensive but quality built reel could cast so effortlessly. It was a very smooth and quite cast and the retrieval is a great speed for this size reel. I used a 1 ounce weight only to try this thing out and was easily casting 200ft. I then tried it on an ugly stick tiger rod 7ft with the same weight and line. Again very impressed with its performance on this rod which i use for catfishing.I've never used a KastKing reel before but i like this one more than some of my 200$+ reels. I give it 5 stars and recommend this reel to anyone looking for a great conventional style reel!In fact i liked it so much that just two days after receiving it i ordered the KastKing Rover 6/0!

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.

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.

Just got it the black rover 60 very pleased set it up and after a few adjustments no more nests and it casts a mile with ease put 50LB mono on it and it loves mono so after I brake it in it will be 50LB mono with 65 brade and leader will be 30LB mono this is a great real well made and beautiful just love it have in on a 10' MHF rod and its a match in heaven