Fishing with the Kestrel

I got to try out the KastKing Kestrel 1000 SFS reel this morning at the Town pond .
Paired with a 5’6” St Croix Trout Series (original series) ultralight rod and 2# Floroclear .
And it did not disappoint. Actually I enjoyed fishing with it more than any of the reels I’ve bought and returned lately .
The reel was smooth and easy to wind the entire trip . The drag worked great and I like the way it sounds .
I caught three bass , four bluegill and a small shellcracker that gave me one of the best fights of the group , in spite of its size.
Two of the gills were nice size and a couple of the bass were good UL bass .
I took a picture of the reel in my hand to show the size a little better .
I like the reel . I don’t know about how long it’ll hold up , but it’s a tight , smooth little reel.
I had read that KastKing was trying to build some tackle to compete with Daiwa and Shimano.
I think they’re there .

BTW , the St Croix Avid I ordered to pair with it came today , and Amazon sent the wrong rod , a 6’6” St Croix Eyecon Medium action walleye rod .
It’s on its way back already and with the refund I’m thinking of ordering another one of these reels .

Very nice looking combo. Beautiful catches….

Nice catches. Glad you like the reel

Nice setup and good pics

That Kestrel sure is a sharp looking reel. Fishing a lot of panfish baits stop and go or dragging slow shouldn't matter with that little bit of faster ratio, but could help out in certain other situations. Glad first impressions are good on it.

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Originally Posted by moonrunner

That Kestrel sure is a sharp looking reel. Fishing a lot of panfish baits stop and go or dragging slow shouldn't matter with that little bit of faster ratio, but could help out in certain other situations. Glad first impressions are good on it.

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I was worried about the faster retrieve rate , but looking at the inches of line per handle turn is only about four inches difference than a slower reel .
I thought it would make the reel harder to turn the handle.
I didn’t find it to be an issue.

Sounds like you found a winner. Beautiful colors on the gills. My butt has been in the truck today but my heads been on the water. Nino found the crappie yesterday and Kevin found the gills today. Hard to focus.