John Baker 12

[MrBill]

The John Baker reel finally arrived after a long wait. From what I understand, this is the first production run. It has been field tested numerous times. It comes with a wood box. (Period). It has no instructions, no schematic, no oil, no wrench, no warranty card. It came with some foam on the bottom of the box and some bubble wrap on the top.

The finish is a nice light gold anodized aluminum. The markings or etching of the JB12 is very light. Not deeply engraved. The knob is made of delrin. It has a nice feel to it. It also has lugs which are angled back toward the angler unlike the common top of the reel. This is a topless reel, giving you access to the line.

The main reason I bought this reel is because I was under the impression that you could shift the 2 speed with your thumb without your hand leaving the handle. You have to pull out and twist the shift knob to change gears. I have no idea how you can tell which gear you are in without cranking the handle. I don't like the shifting knob or the way it works. It also feels loose and wobbly.

The clicker is hard to get to if you have big fingers. I have a big problem. Others many not. It also is spring loaded and you have to pull out and twist to go in and out of the click mode.

The handle is loose. I have about 1/2 inch of play in the crank, back crank. It's as if someone machined the handle to big on the shaft. The handle arm looks strong but it feels funny being loose.

The drag preset knob is located like most others. This one is loose. It doesn't turn evenly when adjusting. Like a wobbly wheel on a bend shaft. Maybe something is wrong with one.

As far as drag, it feels smooth, but I'm afraid to load it up with line as I don't know if I have any warranty. I have no idea of the line capacity, drag capability or anything else because it comes with no information what so ever. I have taken some pictures next to other reels to give you an idea of the size. It's about the size of a Accurate 665W.

Keep reading this thread as I will continure to update pictures and facts about this reel. (Last sentence added on 12/31/07)

[Gunsmoke]

When I first grabbed hold of the reel I could see quality written all over it. The machine marks on the exterior were buffed out and the anodizing was very good. This reel should repel saltwater for years. I noticed the drag lever was lose so we started tightening up everything and using locktite. This is a heavy duty little reel built like a Sherman tank. Somebody at the assembly end of this reel must have been thinking about his girlfriend or day dreaming. None of the screws were tight.

I did notice lots of grease in the holes where the handle side plate attached to the main frame. I could also see grease on the shaft coming out of the gears to the handle. That's good. I wanted to take off the gear knob to see what was making the handle have play but was instructed to keep my hands off for now.

Good free spool and potential heavy drag settings for this reel are present. For the drag test, I placed the 130lb mono on Mrbills belt. He's a big boy. He started running towards this bamboo patch in his back yard. It was about a 50 yard sprint. I had around 40 pounds of drag on him. Glad he's not a marlin. The only thing that stopped that run away bull was the bamboo. When I told him to do it again, he shot the finger at me while he was huffing and puffing away. Next time I'll use a lighter guy that's in good shape.

My overall opinion is that the shifting knob takes a little practice. If used properly, it's faster then thumbing around with your finger poking the little button found on most two speeds on the market. I hate loosing eye contact with my line while fighting a fish. This is a nice reel. I suggest to John Baker to forget about the wood box and spend some money on a printer. I was surprised when I found out it didn't come with any printed material. That's strange. Hell, every little box I opened at Christmas had more instructions and warranty cards then the trash can could hold.

[MrBill]

Originally Posted by Gunsmoke

Glad he's not a marlin. The only thing that stopped that run away bull was the bamboo. When I told him to do it again, he shot the finger at me while he was huffing and puffing away. Next time I'll use a lighter guy that's in good shape.

.

I'm not really sure how to respond to that quote. Let me just say that there is not a reel on the market that can stop this freight train in 50 yards.

[SkeeterRonnie]

Originally Posted by MrBill

I'm not really sure how to respond to that quote. Let me just say that there is not a reel on the market that can stop this freight train in 50 yards.

Gunsmoke- I figured you woulda moved into freespool right when MrBill got to the edge of the bamboo. He mighta found his 2 poppers that are in the middle of that stuff

[hatidua]

thanks for the review. where's an alternative source to charkbait?

[MrBill]

Hatidua,

I read where Performance Tackle in Calif is teaming up with John Baker for a Qualifier 105 LR trip next year. One would think they would be a dealer for his reels. Here's their website which is in the building process. You can read the phone# and fax # on the only web page they have at this time.

Performance Tackle

Charkbait must be on your short list. I know a few people that won't buy from them anymore because they cut down Shimano all the time. Fact is, Shimano cut them off. The owner lost a great line and a ton of sales. It pissed him off so now he has to push saltist and Avet's and Penn's. I still think of all the six reels I took a picture of earlier in this thread the Torsa is the smoothest. It's a great jigging reel.

I still haven't heard from John Baker on my email I sent him on 12/27/07. I have an AOL account. AOL to AOL you can check the status of any email you have sent. It is the holiday season, maybe he's out of town. As of today he hasn't opened up the email.

[MrBill]

I was just checking my emails before putting my tux for a New Years party. Happy New Year to everyone and may we all get to fish more in 2008 than we did in 2007. I thought this was a very nice email and therefore will post it with some names and accounts XXXXed out. Thanks John for your reply. My confidence in your reels and company stands strong after your reply.



Hi XXXXXX,

The reel has a 1 year warranty. The shift is like the clicker...Turning it towards the angler moves it into high gear, away from the angler moves it into low gear. The reel can put out 35-40 lbs of drag with a heavy set of bellvilles that can be installed free of charge. Your reel should put out 28-30 lbs of drag @ full now and 18-20 @ strike. The reel uses anti-reverse dogs similar to that you would find in the penn international big game reels which has some backlash. The line capacity for 60lb specta is approx. 550-600 yds and 450-500 yds of 80lb with room for a short topshot. Schematics will be available shortly online that can be printed via .pdf files from our website Welcome to Baker Custom Sport Fishing. A new updated website is under construction with up to date info on the reels and future projects. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to contact me. If you want us to take a look at the reel or install the heavier bellvilles I will provide our UPS account # so you do not incur any shipping expenses.

John Baker
UPS Acct# XXXXXXXXXXXXX
PH: 909.856.6392
FX: 909.795.8588

JB Sportfishing
1060 Fifth St
Calimesa, CA 92320

Thanks
-John

[fishr1989]

great letter from John, I have a feeling you're definitely going to go for the heavier bellvilles, knowing your fishing style!

Is the reel going to be filled with 80lb spectra? or are you going to go for 100 with slightly less line capacity?

[ksong]

I fished with John on the Qualifier 105 in 2005. You can trust him.

[SkeeterRonnie]

WOW! VERY impressive customer service..

[Gunsmoke]

I'm not sure that reel needs a heavy set of bellvilles. It was pulling 36 pounds with a little room to spare. John is conservative with his drag estimates. Having 500 yards of line and using 30#s of drag will stop a 200#+ tuna.

I"d load that sucker with 100#. If you're just going to use it for chunking in the GOM, forget the braid. I'd put Momoi Diamond 50 on it. I trust mono more than I do spectra. If you got 300 yards on it, that's more than enough to stop any GOM tuna in his tracks. I've never seen a 100# tuna pull off over one hundred yards with 30#'s of drag. That handle that comes with it has a very nice feel to it. Larger than any reel in its class.

Let me know when you want to do some more wind sprints with 36 pounds of drag tied to you. I'm still laughing about that day. When you put your drink down and got in that four point stance and took off I saw a look of determination. I knew you were going to make it 50 yards. I just can't get that memory out of my mind.