Hey Saltheart - Being an owner of both reels was wondering if I could get your opinion on the BG6500cl and the 6500cs mag. I am looking at purchasing one of these fine reels as a Best Man present for my brother who has never used a conventional reel. I own the 6500cs mag and love it but I remember how much you like the Big Game. Which of the two reels would be a better reel for a conventional reel beginner to start on? What is the casting difference between the two? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Looking at picking one of these up this weekend. Thanks again.

tobias

They are both nice reels. For a beginner to learn to cast a conventional , the mag control on the 6500CS Mag will help a lot. Once the casting is mastered though , he'll wish he had the Big Game.
The best way to look at this would be to look at the difference between the 2 reels. First off , the basic design is the same. Except for the parts associated with the mag control , you could swap parts from the two reel. There are some differences though. The Big Game reel has a brass frame while the CS Mag has an aluminum frame. That difference means that the CS Mag is lighter. It also means that the BG is more corrosion resistant. From using both , my feel is that the BG is also a stiffer more heavy duty frame. Definite edge to the Big Game here. I'd call it a New England style hierloom reel. If well maintained , the thing should last 20 years.
The next differrence is that the BG6500 CL has a bait clicker while the CS Mag doesn't. That's because the mag control in the CS Mag is where the clicker is on the BG. Some people would say the clicker is useless but I use it livelining , and occasionally when bait fishing ( I sometimes throw out a chunk in the fall while I rest my legs after plugging). If he intends to throw bait at all , the bait clicker will come in handy.
Next difference between the two reels is the casting controls. The BG and the CS Mag both have spool tension adjustments and centrifugal brakes. The big difference here is the CS Mag has an adjsutable Mag casting control. This is a great feature for long casters and also for a beginner. The mag control helps you adjust for differing conditions. With a cross wind you can open the controls right up and let it rip. When the wind in is your face though , you can increase the Mag Control and cast even an eel right into the wind. So without a doubt a beginner would find the Mag Control to be a big advantage.
The last feature I can think of is the large fighting handle that comes standard on the BG6500CL but must be added to the CS Mag for about $12. I like the power handle.
It doesn't take that long for a heavy user to get good with a modern conventional reel. Once you get good at casting , the spool tension is backked off to about zero. The centrifugal brakes come out , and you rely on your thumb. The Mag casting control gets backed all the way off.
If you friend is a heavy user and will become a casting expert quickly , Ithink he'll be happier fishing with the BG6500CL. If however he is an occasional user(say 10 times a year), who might become good but never really expert in controlling the reel with his thumb , then I guess I'd go for the Mag Controls on the CS Mag.
Well that above covers it I think. If it were me getting the reel (heavy user under widely varying conditions) I would grab the Big Game. For a casual fisherman who doesn't fish enough to truly master the reel with his thumb , I guess I'd go with the mag casting control and the CS Mag.
If you are going for the CS Mag , you should look at the souped up version Tres offers at hatterousoutfitters.com. It come with abec 7 bearings , high speed gears , bearing levelwind , and a power handle. Its quite a bit more expensive than the stock model but it will also outperform a stock model. You can also get a custom bait clicker installed. You can get the BG6500CL or a stock CS Mag from Mike T at capecodtackle.com.
Remember this is just my preference for the BG6500CL. I also have 2 CS Mags and i like them too.