It always feels great to have gear that takes your bass fishing skills to the next level. It’s not that the gear itself takes you towards your success, but a well-equipped fishing gear does play a huge role in making that happen. The fact is no different when it comes to a bass fishing reel.
Now, there are a lot of options to consider when you are planning on getting a fishing reel, especially for bass fishing. However, it’s always a safe play if you stick to the prominent and well-known brands and popular models among anglers. Such a reel is the Okuma Helios Baitcast Reel.
Today, we are going to look through the in-depth features of the reel and find out if it’s the one you are looking for! So, let’s get started!
Okuma Helios Baitcaster Reel – Exploring The Features
Here are some of the most useful features that the Helios Baitcast Reel comes with. Although there are many more features and options are there, we have selected the features that should be useful to any angler – newbie and expert alike. So, here we go!
Heavy-duty Aluminum Construction
The Helios baitcasting reel is designed and made with heavy-duty diecast aluminum. The entire frame of the reel is crafted from diecast rigid aluminum to make sure it offers excellent durability. Apart from the frame, the side plates are also designed with the same rugged aluminum for optimum long-lasting service.
Now, it’s not always about the construction material. Coating plays a huge role in ensuring a better service, too. That’s why Helios didn’t spare the chance to coat the entire frame with corrosion-resistant material. The coating ensures that the reel doesn’t fall victim to seasonal rust or saltwater corrosion-attack.
Moreover, this coating also prevents it from getting scratches here and there. So, if you are an angler who goes rough and tough with your fishing gear, this one will be a perfect suit for you.
7-position Velocity Control System
Although the velocity control system may sound like something quite new in the field of fishing reel, it actually isn’t. It’s basically a centrifugal braking system that is optimized for precision control over the spool. So, this VCS used in the Okuma Helios reel comes with a 6-pin centrifugal brake.
Moreover, you can also adjust the weight IN and OUT for an extra spool brake. When you position the weights ‘IN’, it will give you more free spool. On the other hand, if you adjust the centrifugal pins ‘OUT’, you can enjoy more control over it. It’s up to the user to check and balance the weight until he/she finally finds the point where it feels perfect.
As for the centrifugal brake control, the Helios baitcasting reel comes with a unique solution for it. The side of the reel can be easily opened up just by a bit of push. When you open the side up, you can see that the brake adjustment knob is there. There are 6 levels of adjustment clicks you will find on it that you can select simply by rotating.
From 0 to 6, you can easily pick the intensity you need. 0 will mean there’s absolutely no brake at all, and 6 will mean the highest brake applied. So, depending on your situation, you can select the brake intensity on it.
Lightweight Design
It’s a wonder how Helios TCS reel has successfully managed to keep its weight quite low. Although the reel is crafted from heavy-duty aluminum, it weighs only around 6 ounces. To be specific, this 6.3-ounce baitcasting reel feels really light on your hands. Moreover, it doesn’t add much weight to the rod when attached to it. So, you can expect a fatigue-free fishing experience every time you are going fishing with it.
One way that Helios adopted to mitigate the weight of the reel is synthetic. Using synthetic alongside aluminum paved the way smoother for the reel to defy much of gravity. That’s why you can feel the lightweight profile even if you are pulling the heaviest of fish from the water.
Ergonomic Handles
Most newbie anglers struggle with the handle. It gets really tough to keep the reel under control during and immediately after a cast. Okuma tried to solve this issue by introducing ergonomically designed handles on this Baitcast reel. The handles are designed as extra wide so that anyone with any hand size can fit it.
Moreover, to ensure optimum comfort for your hands, the handles are covered by EVA foam materials. This offers a smooth and soft feel for your hands and fingers. So, you don’t feel any pressure or itching at all.
8+1 Ball Bearing
No matter how strongly built the reel is, unless there aren’t enough ball bearings inside, it’s going to be a nightmare for you in case of fishing. This is because the ball bearings make sure that the particles inside that are supposed to move are actually moving continuously without any barrier.
That’s why Helios came up with 8+1, a total of 9 ball bearings inside the device. So, you can feel the smoothness of the line moving out of the reel every time you cast. The same applies in the case of dragging.
Then again, the bearings are Precision Japanese ABEC-5 spool bearings. That means you can rest assured of the quality of the bearings. These are some of the best-quality bearings out there to get the job done. The anti-reverse roller bearing is also there for sudden and precise anti-reversing in case of necessity.
3 Different Gear Ratio
Any angler who has been around in fishing for a while knows how crucial the gear ratios can be! That’s the reason Okuma took real care of gear ratios in this model. 6.6:1, 7.3:1, or 8.1:1 – these are the three gear ratios you can take advantage of while using this reel. If you are going a bit low and don’t need much pressure for pulling, the 6.6:1 will be a good choice for you.
However, if you are gradually increasing the power, you can choose to increase the ratio towards 7.3:1 and 8.1:1 for maximum performance.
Zirconium Line Guide Inserts
Okuma Helios baitcasting reel has a unique oval-shaped line guide. This line guide insert makes it quite easy to run the braided line through the hole with excellent precision. So, it works in two ways. One, it makes it easy for the line to get through the real smoothly. Two, it mitigates the chances of backlash.
Okuma Helios Baitcaster Reel Pros & Cons
Now, here’s a quick look at what we have absolutely loved about this reel and what seems to be somewhat disappointing. Let’s get started with the pros!
Pros
- Rugged die-cast aluminum frame and side-plates
- Coated with corrosion-resistant materials
- A6061-T6 machined aluminum material for the making
- Gears and shafts are made from heavy-duty aluminum
- Multi-disc carbonite drag system
- 8BB+1RB top-class SS bearing
- 7-position Velocity Control System
- Ergonomic handle with EVA foaming
- Lightweight reel weighing 6.3 ounces
- Zirconium line guide for backlash-free lining
- Three gear ratios – 6.6:1, 7.3:1 and 8.1:1
- It comes with a right-hand retrieve
Cons
- The centrifugal brake system could be replaced with a magnetic one to make it even more powerful
- The fact that you need to open the side plate to adjust the brake is not going to be an exciting option for many
Final Words
So, that was all we had for the Okuma Helios Baitcast review. Apart from the fact that the reel comes with some incredible features and excellent options, the best part is that it comes just under 200 bucks. So, if you are tight on budget but still want one of the best reel options around, it shouldn’t be a blind guess if you pick this one up! We hope our review has helped you to get to know more about the Helios Baitcast Reel. Tell us how do you feel! Happy fishing!