Real World Tests: Thanks to global supply and demand challenges, it took a while to procure this Conquest 201HG and for it to arrive, but once it did, we (as in TackleTour) were in the midst of our #RatRumble themed year. As such, there really was no time to waste. I spooled the reel straight away with about 85 yards of 50lb Seaguar Threadlock Hollow braid and installed a 25 foot leader of 30lb Gold Label fluorocarbon leader. I then paired it with my Leviathan Omega Swimbait 8 foot Heavy fishing rod with the idea of testing its capabilities casting and working Stray Rat Swimbait Company's Rumble Rat. Secondary duty came on board my Kistler Rods KLX7107XXH fishing 22nd Century's Nezumma V-Cut Rat.

Flip this black lever on the bottom to release the non-handle sideplate

Casting: There's a train of thought out there in the big bait world that big baits need to be cast on big reels hence the popularity of 300 and even 400 sized low profile reels. As far as I can tell, the basis for this preference lies in the assumption that because of their size, these larger reels are more robust and able to handle casting duties of big, heavy baits more easily. I've never bought into this particular line of thinking.

The primary factor driving my decision on the size of reel I choose to use for throwing big baits is how much line I can get onto the reel. If I can get somewhere around 60 to 100 yards of my line of choice on the reel, I'm good.

With a handful of exceptions, big baits are not very aerodynamic, and the average distance of one of my casts is probably 80 to 120 feet and 60 yards of line gives me 180. I've cast down to the spool with 100 and 150 sized reels on a cast in the past, but I don't recall ever running out of line on a 200 sized reel - at least not yet.

The sideplate pops up and flips open

If you're using a fishing line that has a disproportionate diameter, then yes, you're going to need a bigger reel to accommodate all that line. This is why we go to the pains we do to measure the diameter of the lines we write up in our reviews. For big baits, something in the range of 0.40 - 0.45 millimeters in diameter (in nylon or fluoro) is what I've found works best for me. This is generally 25 - 30lb test, but some manufacturers produce their 20 or even 17 lb test line at these diameters meaning their 25-30lb line is even thicker. If one of these products is your fishing line of choice, then I can understand the need for those larger reels. Don't get me wrong, I have reels in that size (including a Conquest), but they just rarely see any use these days.

Access to the four SVS brakes is underneath that sideplate

What's allowed me to rely on these smaller reels for big bait duties is the strategy of using braid as my main line with a leader of high quality fluorocarbon or nylon monofilament providing a degree of shock absorption, line concealment, and resistance to abrasion. Elevating that strategy one step more with hollow braid to fluoro, and I find a combination that works really well with most reels including this Conquest.

The Conquest 201HG is a wonderful match with the Kistler KLX7107XXH rod

Back to casting, Stray Rat's Rumble Rat tipped our scales at close to five ounces. This is very close to the upper limit for my Leviathan Omega Heavy swimbait stick, but well within the capabilities of the Conquest 201HG. Big bait duty is certainly not a challenge for this reel. In fact, it felt even more at home on the heavier duty Kistler KLX7107XXH with the equally as heavy 22nd Century Nezzuma Rat V-Cut.

200 sized reels are about as large as I go these days when tossing big baits. There is nothing wrong with going larger but a 200 works just fine for bass applications

The only difficulty I encountered casting with the Conquest 201HG was dialing in the brake settings. My typical setting for Shimano's four brake SVS system is to have two brakes engaged and two off. For the Conquest, I had to have three on and one off to consistently tame the spool. Perhaps even more importantly I found easy casting motions were best with this reel. Any resemblance of a snap cast where the line is suddenly shot out of the reel - especially with the whippy Leviathan Omega Heavy - proved to be problematic. That slow, sweeping casting motion seems to compliment MGL tuned reels the best for me, and all of that is heightened with the Conquest 201HG.

This reel comes with a dis-engaging levelwind

Those familiar with the 300 and 400 sized Conquests will know these reels come with a non-dis-engaging levelwind meaning that levelwind will track back and forth with the line on your spool during a cast. With the smaller, 100 and 200 sized Conquests, this levelwind dis-engages.

There are those who will argue the non-dis-engaging levelwind results in greater casting distances and while this may be true on wider spooled reels like the 300 and 400 sized Conquests, it's overkill on these smaller reels. I did not find myself wanting for more casting distance with this Conquest 201HG.

Handle length is 84mm measured center of knob to center of knob

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