A Push for True Market Alternatives : The Shift Baitcasting Reel

Total Score: 7.83 - GOOD

Introduction: Last year we looked north of our borders and sampled Rapala Canada’s new Shift bait casting rod and liked it enough to coin a new phrase in “CDM” or Canadian Domestic Market fishing tackle. But as any tackle aficionado would know, in order to be considered a true alternate market for tackle, let alone a manufacturer who caters to this market, there has to be available, reels to go with those fishing rods. Rapala Canada knows this as well and earlier this year, they sent us one of their new Shift Baitcasting reels to put through the paces.

Impressions: Rapala Canada's Shift series of rods are an impressive collection of sticks at an even more impressive price point. They set the bar of expectations pretty high, but those are fishing rods. The formula for rods is somewhat simple, offer a quality blank, assemble it with modest detailing, and spec it out with quality components all at an affordable price and you'll likely have a winner. Fishing reels are an entirely different ball game, so when we finally got our hands on the Rapala Shift Baitcasting reel, we looked upon it with a rather reserved, if not skeptical eye.

Introducing Rapala Canada's Shift Baitcasting Reel.

The first thing we noticed is the fact the Shift Baitcaster is a pretty compact reel. It's almost Daiwa Alphas/Sol compact but not quite.  Coming in at 6.4 ounces, it's weighted just right and really fits well in your hand – especially when matched up with a Shift baitcasting rod! So initial impressions were very good. Time for a test out on the water.

The Shift Baitcaster is a compact size and features a standard 80mm sized handle.