if you are beginning, i would suggest a shimano bantam curado. 5 ball bearings and one roller bearing and very smooth. retail for about 130-140 dollars but well worth it. the first one i ever bought and i do not buy anything else. plus it has some brake settings to help prevent the backlash until you get more used to it.
<mailto:timgomes@attbi.com>

>On the bait casting subject..what techniques or tactics would
>you recommend to unfrustrate a prospective convert? What
>model reel would you buy for the beginner? I had an old
>Shimano Bantam combo but I could only throw it side armed
>(overhead would cause bird's nest)