Other high-end components on the Rage reels include a dual drag design, nine stainless steel bearings, a drop gear box and a removable reel foot for easy cleaning or replacement. A cold-forged aluminum sideplate on the crank handle side of the Rage, along with tempered stainless steel gears, add to its overall bullet-proof design. Maxel accomplishes this shedding of unnecessary weight by starting off with a billet of aluminum that is CNC machined with various spaces, gaps and geometric holes in its frame and side to save a few precious ounces, but not sacrifice the metal’s inherent stiffness and strength. At only 14 ounces, it’s easy to hold in your hands all day long with a minimum of fatigue. Right from the get-go, even an untrained eye will realize that this is no ordinary downsized jigging reel, but a high-end piece of well-constructed machinery. My sample featured a black body with a gold spool and trim, and had striking good looks. I requested the micro-sized 25H model in whatever color was available from their kaleidoscope of options and it showed up a few weeks ago. Its predecessors had brought a lot of stripers, deepwater sea bass and tog, summer flounder, cod, pollock and football tuna to boatside for me and my charter customers and I was well aware of the positives and the occasional negatives of the Maxel product line. I currently use the Hybrid star drag and the Ocean Max lever drag reels, so I was anxious to get my hands on a sample of the newest Rage to see how it measured up to its siblings. The Rage jigging reel models represent the top of the line for Maxel. The heavier Maxel Rage 60H, 90N and 90 are meant to handle larger near offshore and deepwater gamefish, but are still relatively light weight with run-stopping drag capability. The smaller 25H right and left hand models are a huge hit with the “slow pitch” jigging crowd looking for a powerful micro-sized outfit. These reels grabbed a lot of attention for their smooth gears and drags, combined with a tough as nails construction and do-it-all attitude. Introduced last summer at the 2018 ICAST tackle show, Bimini Bay Outfitters made a big splash with the USA debut of their proven high-end Maxel Rage lever drag reels. They specialize in manufacturing quality reels for big game trolling and deep water jigging fishermen who take their sport very seriously and insist on the finest quality at reasonable costs. Their experience as sub-contractors producing aluminum parts for some of the biggest names in the fishing business has honed their manufacturing skills and expertise. You can also get a left handed model in silver.Just in case you didn’t know, Maxel Fishing Tackle has been manufacturing high quality big game trolling and deep water jigging reels since 2003. They are available in black/gunsmoke and silver/gunsmoke. Maxel Hybrid Star Drag Reels are perfect for fishing braided lines.

It's also a great casting reel! If you are in the market for a modern star drag reel, and want a reel that you can hand down to your kids after a generation of use, this is it! Its 5:1 gear ratio combined with the torque it generates will allow you to reel in big fish. This is not something you normally see on this powerful of a reel, and anglers love thumb bars! With stainless steel gears, seven shielded stainless steel ball bearings and a clutch bearing instant anti-reverse, the Maxel Hybrid Star Drag Reel is corrosion resistant and won't fail under pressure. The Maxel Hybrid's most striking feature is its thumb bar design that allows you to easily engage the reel. It is constructed of aluminum and weighs just 13 ozs while delivering 28 lbs of fish stopping power with its top of the line carbon drag system. The Maxel Hybrid Star Drag Reel is the future of star drag reels! Fishing reels are getting lighter and more powerful and this reel hits on both notes.

Maxel rage reel