re: Bait caster reel recommendation

I started with an Ambassadeur, even tried some of their higher end models, but for me once I went Shimano I never looked back. I loved my Calcuttas but actually had a few problems with them along the way, though I never took much care of my stuff. But for the OP's price range, I'd definitely go Curado. I loved those too and had less problems than I did with the Calcuttas. Just depends on if you like a round reel or not.