The 13 Fishing Concept C2
has a dazzling bright white pearlized paintjob. Accompanying this, the reel possesses contrasting black accents and components to give it a truly unique appearance. Costing $230, it is one of 13 Fishing’s mid priced reels but it’s still a considerable chunk of money in terms of the endless options of equipment out there. Weighing only 5.8 ounces it puts other reels to shame within this price range. Sporting 9 total bearings (2 high spin corrosion resistant, 6 stainless steel, and 1 roller) this helps to ensure maximum smoothness.
The 25lb “Bulldog” drag system is more than any bass fisherman will surely ever need. To go along with this, the spool holds approximately 125 yards of 12 pound mono which is plenty big enough if you are trying to get the most out of the drag system with heavier line. Lastly, we have a multitude of gear ratios available to suit your needs, 5.6:1 (22.2 IPT), 6.8:1 (26.9 IPT), 7.5:1 (29.7 IPT). and a blazing fast 8.3:1 (32.8 IPT). This reel has nearly all of the features you’d expect; clicking tension knob and star drag, Beetle Wing side plate, an arrowhead line guide, and an integrated hook keeper located on the top of the frame.
Regarding the brakes we have a centrifugal dial located on the spool. There are 7 different positions to set it to, 0 through 6. The little white dot on top of the dial shows what setting you have it at and turning it to 2-3 yields the best casting distance to control ratio similar to 13 Fishing’s other reels. Once adjusted properly depending on the lure, wind and your preference, you can easily cast this with one hand without thumbing the spool. Because of the “low friction brake system” all casting is effortless whether it’s pitching a jig to cover or sailing it to the edge of a weedline. To access the brakes, we need to take the sideplate off, and this is where we run into one of the coolest things about higher priced 13 Fishing reels. The Concept C2 has a Beetle Wing sideplate which is attached by a small rod that goes through the frame and is accessed by taking the other side plate off, so in other words, it should never fall off.
In relation to the performance of this reel, it is almost a night and day difference in comparison to cheaper reels and even the Origin line of reels by 13 Fishing. From the reels I have acquired, the Abu Garcia Zata is a close contender, but to be fair, both of these reels blow the competition out of the water. You will know exactly what I am talking about if you pick one of these up. Even though one may look at the specs and see it only has the 9 ball bearings, it performs flawless. I used my specific model for pitching creature baits to weedlines, docks and trees and have never had any issues and would rate it as smooth as other reels with 11 to 12 ball bearings. Realistically, you only need three bearings on a reel for it to perform well: one on each side of the spool and one on the handle shaft, so don’t let the amount of ball bearings determine whether or not to buy it. Interestingly enough though the bearings make a “whirring” noise similar to that of Shimano’s DC line of reels.
BFA’s score: 11/10. I am extremely impressed and I cannot believe it has taken me this long to acquire a higher end 13 Fishing reel. This is a prime example of, “you get what you pay for.”
Check out the Concept C2 here:
View Most Recent Articles
Bass Fishing Addictions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.