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or the "Buy" link. If you run into
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(Within the USA via UPS ground. International,
and oversize/weight items will be billed for
shipping and you will be sent an emailed invoice reflecting total charges
prior to actual billing. We will not ship
without you having had a chance to review the
invoice).
We've
been quietly waiting on these reels to be produced. Finally the
patents are completed, and the reels are in the final stages of
production. They've been tested, fished, perfected. We even had one on
our recent Red Rooster charter. The time is right to offer John
Baker's reels to our clients. For fishermen
and for collectors of reels, this is something to get very excited
about!
Here's why we're so darn
excited.
JB Sportfishing reels carry a TWO YEAR PERFORMANCE AND
UPGRADE GUARANTEE.
 John
made up some new reels for us, with dramatic and beautiful cosmetics,
as well as a couple new features. He's changed the clicker knob,
making it easier to engage with slippery hands, and changed the
handle. The new handle is a cosmetic upgrade, now made from aluminum,
with a meatier fist-filling substantial quality. He's also come out
with new single speed reels. JB reels are now available in two
cosmetic versions: Gold and Black/Silver. Single speed reels are only
available in the gold finish at present. My opinion of the new reels, now that we have 'em... I think
they are the best in their class in terms of strength and design. The
new reels are not light. Accurate and Avet have that advantage. But,
if a big fish was on the other side of the line, this is what I'd want
in my hands. The shifter is not quite as user friendly as a push
button, but JB's design is more robust in my opinion. There's no one
way needle bearing anti-reverse, rather double dogs...right out of a
Penn 50! Pictured right is the smallest size, the Model 4. (About as
tall as a Penn Intl. 12 but 1/3 the width). These are robust
powerhouse reels, made for heavier spectra and larger fish.
 These are truly custom designed
fishing reels made to be fished hard. John's earned his credentials
from the standpoint of machining and high performance reel design over
the past four years. The new JB Sportfishing Reels incorporate
everything John's learned. First off, the reels have an understated
beauty, they are smooth and subtle in their cosmetics. They are robust
in terms of construction. They are mid-size to small in size and BIG
in terms of capability. Look at them as a 30 in terms of construction,
packaged in the body of a low profile 3/0! Their performance in the
drag department is more like a 50!
The shifting mechanism is
very interesting. It's a toggle switch knob, you twist to change gear.
You'll get used to using it quickly, it's reliable and user friendly.
They spin, they spin like tops, the have superior freespool for great
casting performance, and high capability drag performance.
 There are three sizes, a 4, 6
and 12. For those who remember the old Penn International 6, you know
what a nice comfortable size reel it was to fish. Well, what if it had
(how do I say this nicely) balls, big balls. John's reel has
substance. With the inherent strength of the design we will no doubt
see these reels fished up to 80#'s. A lot of guys fish 'em at 60#. At
that range there's plenty of line capacity, plenty of drag potential,
and with their compact size they'll feel right in your hands. They are
meaty, they are confidence inspiring as you'll no doubt understand
when you turn the handle on one and feel it work. And, they are
compact and comfortable to fish. (pictured Model 4)
Here are the particulars:
-Patent pending toggle switch
for high to low gear
-Gear Ratios - 5:1 high and 2:1 low (Single speed reels
are 5:1 - low geared as a special order)
-Double disc drag system capable of 40#'s of pressure @ full!
-Grade 5 Stainless Shielded SAPPORO Japanese Bearings (not Chinese...)
-Heat treated stainless steel gears, cam and pinion shaft
-14 Point Double Dog anti-reverse
-Proprietary Carbon Fiber U.S. made drag washers for smoothness and
heat dissipation
-6061-T6 aluminum construction on frame, spool, sideplate and clamp
-All exterior components are hand polished, both stainless and
aluminum
-Lever drag control with finite notches on sideplate to eliminate
lever arm movement from boat vibration
-Big Game style clicker
-Precision ground stainless steel friction plate with minimum 32
Rockwell hardness for high loads and consistently smooth drag
performance at all ranges
-Easy 5 screw takedown for maintenance
-Proudly designed, manufactured and assembled in the U.S.A.
The reels come in an etched
"clear pine" wooden box manufactured at Baker's factory. The reels are
individually serial numbered. The 4 and 6 do not use lugs, the 12 will
arrive with harness lugs (and plugs) so it will differ slightly from
the picture below (the reel with line is the 12). The line capacity
figures below are all made using 80# Spectra leaving room for a small
25' topshot.
3/16/08 - I spent a nice day
with John this past Sunday, talking and taking apart his reels. It
really was fun, fun to see the pride he takes in the development of
this new product, fun to see how he's talking to clients, getting some
refinements from their feedback. You know, he's got 57 unique machined
parts in his reels. He's been working some long hours to arrive at his
dream of creating a new reel from scratch. He has made some
significant improvements/enhancements since his very first
production. And, he will probably continue to come up with some subtle
changes as the years go by. Among the things he's done recently:
| 1. Driving pin .80" deeper for better contact
while shifting (new version pictured right) |
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| 2. Heavier springs so that the spool kicks
over more allowing even better freespool performance
(new version pictured right). |
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| 3. Studs now use a shorter hex so that the
reels can fit AFTCO #6 reel seats for greater compatibility on
heavy rods
(new version pictured right) |
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| 4. Enhanced tolerances to achieve better
shifting performance - less vague, more direct and precise.
Note the stainless cam construction, all stainless, all
ruggedly built... |
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| 5. Double dog anti-reverse (as always) but now
a little better sizing. (same size as a Penn 50) Rugged and
durable, not a one way needle bearing (which can and will fail
under load...just ask the folks at shimano how many trinidads
have been found to spin backwards after fighting a big
fish...). |
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| 6.Here's the drag plate, showing the side
which fits onto the dogs and the other side with the carbon
fiber drag material. |
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As I mention, John will no doubt
arrive at other things to further refine his new reels. But, he also
strongly wants folks to have confidence in his design and his
commitment to providing anglers a quality product. Purchase a Baker
reel knowing you have at minimum a
2 YEAR PERFORMANCE AND UPGRADE GUARANTEE.
Yes, for a minimum of 2 years after purchase John will provide any
design upgrade at no charge. You can have confidence in this purchase.
Remember, it's got his name on the side of the reel. He's not looking
to disappoint anyone, he's not going to embarrass himself by having
one of his reels perform less than advertised.
|
Model |
Weight |
Capacity |
2 Speed Price |
Single Speed Price |
| JB 4 |
30 ounces |
350 yds 80# hollow
Spectra |
$439 |
$339 |
| JB 6 |
33 ounces |
450 yds
80# hollow Spectra |
$459 |
$359 |
| JB 12 |
36 ounces |
550 yds
80# hollow Spectra |
$479 |
$379 |
The reels are attractively priced, quite competitive in
terms of features and construction.
Whether for vertical jigging or tuna at the rail,
if you are taming tougher fish JB's new reels make a lot of fishing sense.
Add to that, they also represent a bit of a collector's value as a first
production.
The reels come with free shipping, free reel
cover, and we'll toss in free mono rigging, too.
Spectra will carry a cost. Please make your
selections below.
John Baker Upgrades
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Topless Frames
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 John's made a true one piece
frame and integral sideplate for several Penn reels, including the 20! I bought the first one that John made,
that's my reel in the pics. It's a wonderful upgrade to the 20.
There are a few other things incorporated into the new frame/sideplate
design. The lugs are moved forward, and the top is open, IT'S
TOPLESS! The reel seat is also enhanced, so your 20 will fit on
larger reel seats properly, the kind of reel seats you'd expect on a
heavier rod. Given most folks who upgrade their 20 to two speed use
also run 60-80#, the larger seat makes an awful lot of practical sense.
In the case of this upgrade, you'll need to send your reel to us.
There are a few versions of the reels out there, also the frame must be
made to accommodate Cal's conversion to two-speed use. (If you look
over what the new Penn 30VSX you'll see that they also learned a bit from
John's re-design...)
Based on the tremendous feedback and success of
the 20 topless frame, John has also manufactured a topless 16S and 30S
frame and sideplate. The topless series allows the angler more room
on top for feathering line. Combine the frame with his freespool
enhancement and you've really made a tremendous reel even better.
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The Reel on the left is my own 16S International, with the very
first John Baker produced topless frame/sideplates. John
rounds the sideplate, making the 16 look more modern, like his 20
and the 30S above, he rotates the lugs back towards the angler for
very effective positioning and leverage.
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Here's the 30 Topless.
If you'd like to see how my enhanced 16S Topless, with Baker
enhancing spins, just watch the video clip:
My Sweet 16 Goes Topless |
BACKGROUND: JOHN BAKER
About 2003 John introduced himself to
us. He and his family had a machining business, and they long held a
strong passion for fishing. Back in '03 John was contemplating entering
the fishing industry with custom sideplates and frames. He also
demonstrated some talent working on reels - making them spin better and
apply drag at higher settings while maintaining freespool. For several
years now we've worked closely with John, introducing anglers the world
over to his upgrade services and custom machining. His redesigned
Penn and Shimano reels proved his mettle, and paved the way for him to do
something on a grand scale.
 About
30 years ago John's dad, a machinist and avid fisherman had a dream, to
build a superior fishing reel. Well, along came John and the reality for
providing for a family. John's dad couldn't fulfill that dream, but his
son could. Baker senior has the machining capability, invested in the best
CNC machines available while John studied the craft of working with metals
and computers. After spending a few years learning more about the current
state of the art in fishing reel designs, making plans, patenting new
approaches to design, John has created some wonderful reels.
In late 2007 John introduced his own line
of reels. He did his apprenticeship in reel design making other
manufactures reels better. Now he's incorporating those lessens in a very
nice line of reels.
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