Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
inline reel
#1
I am thinking of getting the Black Betty ghost freefall inline reel and was wondering if anyone is using this reel can give me user review on it.  The like and dislike of this reel.  

Thanks.
Reply
#2
(01-11-2022, 01:12 PM)hook_sets Wrote: I am thinking of getting the Black Betty ghost freefall inline reel and was wondering if anyone is using this reel can give me user review on it.  The like and dislike of this reel.  

Thanks.

I use the silver and black Black Betty as my primary reel and the Ghost as a back up.
Zero complaints on either, you will LOVE both.
Reply
#3
(01-11-2022, 01:12 PM)hook_sets Wrote: I am thinking of getting the Black Betty ghost freefall inline reel and was wondering if anyone is using this reel can give me user review on it.  The like and dislike of this reel.  

Thanks.
I have 2 Ghost reels and love them.  Then a couple weeks ago I found out about these reels and 2 of them are being delivered today.  I will be using them tomorrow on Echo.

Piscifun ICX Carbon Ice Fishing Reel, 3.2:1 Inline FreeSpool Ice Reel
Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 82 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
Reply
#4
I have a couple including the regular black betty, I like/dislike the reels... First let me tell you what I like them for. I love the trigger line release, and they are great for panfish and shallow water type fishing.... The lack of line twist is excellent... Where they fall short, they take up more room in the rod case and make it hard to get my rods put away... But the big drawback and this may depend on the line you use, but the line from time to time unspools weird and tangles around the reel and I have to take the spool off to get the line straight... (This isn't a backlash situation, which you have to get used to putting a finger on the spool to avoid, or set the tension tight enough so you have to pull the line off the reel when you drop.) This is a situation where line off the spool slips out the crack between the housing and spool and gets tangled. If this happens when I'm fighting a big fish it would be a very Sad situation... Now I am using the white line that looks like dental floss... I'm not sure if it's nano-fil or something similar, it was packaged as ice line.... Anyway no good on the ghost.... I like the reel, but I actually like the (13 Fishing) Decent reel a lot better, it doesn't have the trigger drop, but it's a great reel and about half the cost... I'm actually switching back more to a conventional reels because they are better to fight big fish with... Kind of a phase for me, I like to have one for perch, gills and crappie, but if I'm fishing trout I'll stick with my conventional reels. Hope this helps a little... If not find me on the ice and I'll let you try them and see what you think... Later Jeff

Hey Bob, you'll have to let us know how you like them, they look great if I was in need of another one.. Oh well I best resist or I'd have to buy a new pole also... Thanks for posting that, i hadn't seen that kind before... Thanks Jeff
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
Reply
#5
don't care for the trigger release type. I have Frabil inlines that work great with push button release. Line doesnt fall off the sides.
Reply
#6
Thank you for all your help.   I am currently running one rod with Daiwa Fuego and one with Shimano Sahara.   But wanting to try out the inline reel to on my Panhandler rod.   I will strictly running 2 lbs mono on it for catching panfish.  Is 2 lbs mono work good with inline reel?

Thanks again.
Reply
#7
Now that I no longer ice fish, I put my Eagle Claw inline on a 9-foot crappie rod. I use that rod to drop jigs straight down next to docks, cover, and stickups, so it's a lot like ice fishing but nine feet away. A heavier fly rod would work as well for that use, if anyone wanted to try it come Springtime.
Reply
#8
(01-11-2022, 08:44 PM)hook_sets Wrote: Thank you for all your help.   I am currently running one rod with Daiwa Fuego and one with Shimano Sahara.   But wanting to try out the inline reel to on my Panhandler rod.   I will strictly running 2 lbs mono on it for catching panfish.  Is 2 lbs mono work good with inline reel?

Thanks again.

2 lb line and a correctly set drag works for much larger fish than just 2 lb’ers.
Enjoy!
Reply
#9
(01-12-2022, 05:50 AM)MrShane Wrote:
(01-11-2022, 08:44 PM)hook_sets Wrote: Thank you for all your help.   I am currently running one rod with Daiwa Fuego and one with Shimano Sahara.   But wanting to try out the inline reel to on my Panhandler rod.   I will strictly running 2 lbs mono on it for catching panfish.  Is 2 lbs mono work good with inline reel?

Thanks again.

2 lb line and a correctly set drag works for much larger fish than just 2 lb’ers.
Enjoy!

True, I normally uses 6 lb line for most of my fishing.  That goes for catfish as well.  I just like the fight and the sound of the drag.  I've caught 10 lb carp on 4 lb line before.  It took 15 minutes to get it in, but I surely enjoy it.
Reply
#10
a 36" northern on 6lb floro jigging for walleye makes for a good battle to!!
Reply
#11
Phong, I have limited experience but I'll share my thoughts and experiences and you can take it for what it's worth. I have two of the Eagle Claw inline reels. One has springier line and it comes out the side, slinkees, and creates big tangles which I cut off happily to see if less line will sit lower in the spool and cause less problems. The jury is still out on that. The other one does much better. I'm sure that's because the line is softer. I think it's a fine reel for panfish. I guess I'm damning with faint praise so take it as you will.
I like the concept of the various iterations of the 13 Fishing Black Betty. If I had $100 just lying around begging for me to do something with it I would buy one in a flash. I believe that the Ghost Freefall is about $75. A few weeks ago I saw some at CAL Ranch on a $130 combo. What sorta surprised me was how fragile they appeared to be. They were obviously plastic and I wonder how durable they would be. I think Dubob has some experience with them and his opinion is usually closer to a fact than a guess. From my research I think they would be great for the panfish that you fish there at the state park. As you know, the schools of white bass, crappie, etc. come and go so it helps if you can get your bait back quickly to the right depth after you catch one. I think you would like that. I say get one and if you don't really like it you can sell it to me for half price Big Grin.
The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.
Reply
#12
Don't worry about the composite material of the ghost, I think I prefer them over the aluminum Black Betty... They are plenty strong if you decide to go that direction... Later J
When things get stressful think I'll go fish'en and worry about it tomorrow!
Reply
#13
I have a ghost and one of the piscifun in-line reels. They are great.
Reply
#14
First use/impression of my new Piscifun ICX Carbon Ice Fishing Reel.  I like it!  ?

The trigger – the trigger is a 2-position trigger.  You can push it forward and the reel will free spool continuously until you pull it back or turn the hand crank.  You can pull it back and the reel will free spool until you release the trigger.  This gives me slightly better control of the free spooling function of the drop.  On the negative side, the trigger is I little more upright and further back than the trigger on my Ghost reels and don’t feel as comfortable to use as the Ghost trigger.  That may change with continued use, but for now it just seems a little awkward. 

The drag – I didn’t catch any fish large enough to engage the drag.  It appears to be fairly smooth by just pulling out the line by hand.

Free fall control – there is a control knob on the side of the reel that will adjust the spacing of 7, small magnets on the inside of the reel in relationship to the spool.  It allows me to adjust the free fall speed for individual lure weights.  This is a nice feature IMHO.  Yes, magnets don’t work on aluminum.  Unless either one is moving – as in the spool turning in free fall.  Google it.

Line tangles – one of the main complaints of in-line reels is the possibility of the smaller diameter lines to escape the reel through a small gap between the spool and the frame of the reel.  I have found this to be more of a problem with the Eagle Claw reels than with the Fish 13 reels; but that’s just my experience.  With the Piscifun reels, there is a small, square window in the frame that the line goes through.  I think this feature will greatly reduce the possibility of this happening.  But only time will tell for sure.

   

Line freeze – same as with any reel.  If you fish out in the open and it is below freezing, then you will have to contend with line freeze on the spool making it necessary to pull the line off the reel by hand for drops unless your lure weight is large enough to overcome the freeze tension.  Inside a shelter; no problem.

Hand crank – zero backward play.

I think this reel is a keeper.  It will replace my Ghost reels as my primary perch reels.  The Ghost reels will now be used on my trout rods on my Jigging Jaw Jacker.
Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 82 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
"Free men do not ask permission to bear arms."
Reply
#15
(01-11-2022, 01:12 PM)hook_sets Wrote: I am thinking of getting the Black Betty ghost freefall inline reel and was wondering if anyone is using this reel can give me user review on it.  The like and dislike of this reel.  

Thanks.

I use the Black Betty Freefall "Glow Ghost" and I really like it! It is a little annoying to fish with heavier lures, they cause some backlashing but they are easy enough to fix. This could be a personal problem though lol. Im bad at remembering to ajust the drop speed. I also have noticed some slight line freezes if im fishing in below 0. Either way, I would highly recomend for the most part!
Why do I like fishing so much? The same reason why you like breathing so much, It keeps me alive.
Reply
#16
I finally pulled the trigger on the ghost freefall. I am super excited to try it out this weekend on the panfish. Thanks all for your inputs.
[Image: 58603-FB7-0785-4-ECB-AD3-D-5-E216-A8-AF06-D.jpg]

[Image: CFE9448-A-1-FB9-4-E23-BF6-D-EB75-E06-A62-C8.jpg]
Reply
#17
(01-13-2022, 02:38 PM)dubob Wrote: First use/impression of my new Piscifun ICX Carbon Ice Fishing Reel.  I like it!  ?

The trigger – the trigger is a 2-position trigger.  You can push it forward and the reel will free spool continuously until you pull it back or turn the hand crank.  You can pull it back and the reel will free spool until you release the trigger.  This gives me slightly better control of the free spooling function of the drop.  On the negative side, the trigger is I little more upright and further back than the trigger on my Ghost reels and don’t feel as comfortable to use as the Ghost trigger.  That may change with continued use, but for now it just seems a little awkward. 

The drag – I didn’t catch any fish large enough to engage the drag.  It appears to be fairly smooth by just pulling out the line by hand.

Free fall control – there is a control knob on the side of the reel that will adjust the spacing of 7, small magnets on the inside of the reel in relationship to the spool.  It allows me to adjust the free fall speed for individual lure weights.  This is a nice feature IMHO.  Yes, magnets don’t work on aluminum.  Unless either one is moving – as in the spool turning in free fall.  Google it.

Line tangles – one of the main complaints of in-line reels is the possibility of the smaller diameter lines to escape the reel through a small gap between the spool and the frame of the reel.  I have found this to be more of a problem with the Eagle Claw reels than with the Fish 13 reels; but that’s just my experience.  With the Piscifun reels, there is a small, square window in the frame that the line goes through.  I think this feature will greatly reduce the possibility of this happening.  But only time will tell for sure.



Line freeze – same as with any reel.  If you fish out in the open and it is below freezing, then you will have to contend with line freeze on the spool making it necessary to pull the line off the reel by hand for drops unless your lure weight is large enough to overcome the freeze tension.  Inside a shelter; no problem.

Hand crank – zero backward play.

I think this reel is a keeper.  It will replace my Ghost reels as my primary perch reels.  The Ghost reels will now be used on my trout rods on my Jigging Jaw Jacker.
I checked into this one before I got 2 Ghost XLs that have the windows and similar drag.  Yours is smaller and that would be nice.  The negative reviews for the trigger being way to the wrong side and that spooked me.  How comfortable is the handle for you?
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 6 Guest(s)