KastKingMegaJaws Baitcasting Fishing Reel, New AutoMag Dual Braking System Baitcaster Fishing Reel, Only 6.7oz, 17.64 LBs Carbon Fiber Drag, 11+1 Shielded BB, High Speed 5.4:1 to 9.1:1 Gear Ratios

I have had 30 plus different brand of reels in my fishing history. I am very impressed by the quality and prize of the Kast King Reels. I fish 200 days a year and they have held up great since my first purchase of a Kast King Reel. Can't go wrong with any KK products.

The media could not be loaded. Im not so sure what the bad reviews are about. Maybe its a QC issue, maybe its user error, but im leaning on user error. I have bought over 15 KastKing products including the Rover 60, Sharky 3 baitfeeder, and the Royale legend and never had a problem with themI have been using low profile baitcasters for about 12 years now and i own several expensive ones including a Daiwa Tatula elite. Also some cheaper ones like my BlackMax. This reel casts further than my BlackMax, Much more smooth reeling, the handle is more comfortable and has a much more powerful drag as i have tested both side by side.Before beginning this review i would like to note i paired this with a Daiwa Laguna 6'6 MHF Rod with 50lb PowerPro braid.Some complain about backlash...and if you look at KastKing beginners video i can see why! They dont use their thumbs haha. Use your thumb to control the spool people! In my video the mag breaks are lowest setting and spool tension set to where my spool slightly wobbles. I cast this left handed (im right handed) with one arm, barely casted and it went pretty far with no backlash. It was a 5/8 oz RedEye Lipless. Even long distance casting was easy. When i set breaks and spool tension high the spool stops perfectly with no thumb but of course now your sacrificing distance.My spool lays line evenly. Not sure why people was having issues with this but that could easily be a QC issue with the worm gear. Check to make sure its not packed with grease or that it actually is slightly lubed up. Sometimes they could forget to lube it or pack it too much causing the line guide to stick.Gears was nicley greased and smooth as well as all bearings oiled and smooth. The spool is slightly small but if they made it any bigger you wouldnt fit a lot of line on the reel.I love how the drag, tension knob, and mag breaks click. Makes it super easy to dial in when switching baits or fighting a fish or maybe the wind speed changed. Very loud audible clicks get you right where you want on the fly.Fished my private pond right after i inspected the reel and got her ready. Everything on low and first cast was so satisfying for a $60 reel. Far and smooth. Caught a few 2lbers and a few big bluegills and the reel handled pretty well. No drag slips and when i lowered the drag it was smooth.Reel body is made of enhanced graphite which isnt the best per se but the drag is 17lbs so you will be fine for freshwater or inshore fishing like reds and flounder. The stainless kick levers are a nice touch because you won't have to worry about smashing your button too hard to too much. And the line guide is a cool new thing which is probably the main reason this casts much further than my BlackMaxWill update after the spring season to see how well it really holds up against some big bass at my lakes here in Texas. My BlackMax's can last forever it seems (i clean, inspect, and lube all my reels myself) so im hoping this reel can hold up.

I have two main problems with this reel, otherwise I love it. 1) Casting, 2) Max DragFirst the good: It feels great in the hands. Everything is smooth, smooth, smooth. It feels super light but SOLID. The features are well designed and well machined. Everything clicks beautifully, and feels like a marvel of modern technology, (which for the price is deeply satisfying). I don't have any worry about something breaking, or falling apart while I am fighting a fish. It feels like a great "thing," and it is. It's a really cool new thing.Now see, I bought this reel to replace a 20+ year old reel, also a small baitcaster. My old baitcaster casted like a champ. It had no magnetic brakes, and bushings instead of bearings. Sounds crude! But the thing is, it casted a country mile without effort at all--give it a little thumb at the end as your bait hits the water. That's it. And it was a workhorse for small and medium fish. I measured the drag to be around 9lb, and that was enough to pull in most fish. I had to replace it because a knob fell off and I can't find a replacement. Sad.So the KastKing MegaJaws claims to be totally awesome by the data found online, including here on Amazon. First off, the gear ratio is, in fact, very quick retrieve. That part is true, and is pretty cool. You can pull lures fast. Nice. That's something I couldn't do with the old baitcaster this replaced. Old one was slow on the retrieve (not as good for artificials). The KastKing MegaJaws has faster retrieve, which makes it more versatile for artificials, and overall more versatile for the inshore saltwater fisherman.Where the comparison goes downhill for me, however, is with 1) casting, and 2) max drag claims.1). Casting: this reel doesn't cast all that great for something made by a company called "KastKing." I am normally casting old conventional reels, including big brass reels like the 4/0 Senator, and Long Beach, and distance casting with Squidders and vintage Abu Garcias. I am good at casting baitcasters in general. I enjoy casting. I modify vintage reels with magnetic brakes for fun because I love surf casting. But the KastKing MegaJaws only casts nice consistently with magnetic brakes set at 8.5, which is almost the max amount of mag brake. And with that brake force, the only way to throw a bait (or lure) more than 40 feet is to have it weigh AT LEAST 2 oz, or better in the 4 oz range. Otherwise you can throw as hard as you can and have it go nowhere. This is because it is so light, and the spool is so small, and it will backlash/birds nest on you easily. If you are going to throw a lure under 1 oz, don't plan on casting it far. It works nice if you are flipping under docks or mangroves nearby, but forget surf casting a lure. Waste of time. You need more mass in order to get a bait out there far on this reel, and it will never be a champion of casting. But this is a design limitation of small, compact baitcasters in general (yet my 20+ year old baitcaster didn't have this problem). I just wish it had more magnetic braking power and a design that was even easier to cast and dial settings in on.2). Max Drag claims: Upon cursory inspection, the drag feels pretty strong, and by visual inspection, the drag washers are, in fact, nice big carbontex drag washers. Cool. So I go fish a few times. Caught a 40" snook, and took a few minutes to work it in. It made some powerful runs. This little lightweight reel made it quite fun. It worked out, I landed it. Then I caught a 40 lb cownose stingray, and could not stop it at all. It kept running, running, running, and even after 15 minutes it showed no signs of slowing down. I just could not get it in. I thought that was strange because with my old baitcaster I could land big stingrays without much fuss. And not only that, this reel is so small my hands were cramped up after the stingray (also never a problem with my old baitcaster on the same rod). So after I got home I measured the drag. Clicking the star drag all the way down to a point that is uncomfortable (I would never crank it down so tight while fighting a fish), the most drag I could squeeze out of this reel was 8 lb, and I thought I was going to break the star drag getting it that tight. The drag is not very strong at all, but actually a bit WEAK. When KastKing gives a rating of "up to 17.64 lb of drag" they are beyond exaggerating, they are lying. Reporting that kind of precision is awfully misleading, and in the real world it doesn't come close to the claims... I love KastKing products. I have many. But it's pretty hard to ignore this particular detail because the max drag was a deciding factor to me. Having a high max drag is important to me, and this product let me down in that regard.I can do things with this reel that I could not do with my old baitcaster, and overall, this is a great reel. But in the areas of distance casting and stopping power (max drag), it feels slightly lacking. It should have lots of stopping power, but not quite...

Hi I’m Noe out of ColoradoI started using the KastKing MegaJaws Baitcasting Reel back in June 2024—it was my first time ever using a baitcaster, and I’ve got to say, I’m hooked! Since then, I’ve become a confident baitcaster, and this reel has been an absolute game-changer. I fish for just about everything, and this reel handles it all. One of my most memorable catches? A massive 20lb, 40-inch pike—and the MegaJaws handled it like a champ.Not only are KastKing products top-notch, but their customer service is also unmatched. Huge shoutout to Winnie and Kevin, who both helped me out recently on another purchase—they made the experience easy, smooth, and genuinely enjoyable.What makes KastKing stand out even more is their direct-to-consumer approach. Their products are affordable without compromising on performance, unlike a lot of overpriced brands that just don’t deliver. KastKing gives you pro-level gear without the pro-level price tag.I’m truly grateful to be part of the KastKing family, and I can’t wait to continue supporting and representing this amazing brand. KastKing is the real deal!