The SXJ Raptor Plus is a powerful little reel made to catch big fish without going up in size especially since Avet lowered the low gear ratio from 3.8:1 to 3:1. Ideal for lighter live bait, topwater lures, jigs and more. I would load it 40lb braid and a topshot or straight 50lb. We’ve got a customer who has landed dozens of 100lb yellowfin on the standard-spool SX Raptor, and these reels continue to perform well above their weight class.

The Avet Raptors have received a bit of a face lift with some ergonomic changes, the new Raptor Plus models will feature a different frame to make it easier to thumb the spool as well as a more rounded side plate which is more comfortable to hold.

This is the MC version, fitted with Avet’s patented Magic Cast control. It takes the edge off spool overrun when you cast, which makes lobbing surface irons, poppers and live bait a lot more forgiving. Around it you get the full two-speed gearbox, the dual carbon-fiber drag, 9 stainless ball bearings, the standard glide plate and a rod clamp, all machined from 6061-T6 aluminum in Chatsworth, California.

Right-hand models come in silver, gold, blue, black, red, purple, green and gunmetal, plus the two-tone black and red. Left-hand is silver only. The gearbox is the one part that differs on a lefty, and colored parts vary from batch to batch, so Avet builds its left-hand reels in silver to keep the finish matched.