Looking for some advice on what baitcaster would be best for lite lures?

Can’t speak on best, but I fish numerous brands of reels. First thing I do is pull the magnets /brakes.

Long medium weight rod helps me with a fluke.
Any lighter and I go to a spinning reel.

Shimano slx for around $100 or look for deals on Dawia tatula, Shelton's had tatula 80 for a little over 100 last week,anything from shimano or Dawia should be good.

How light you talking? If you’re talking ultralight, google BFS (bait finesse systems) fishing. It’s a recent popular trend.

Here’s one article that lists some suggestions…

https://www.wired2fish.com/tackle-tips/bait-finesse-system-the-bfs-fishing-guide

Thanks fellas. I'm basically trying to not use a spinning reel... I flippin hate spinning reels.

Me too. Since I fish sitting down, I have to hold the rod higher than I would like if it's a spinning rod, and that's harder on my bad back. A baitcaster let's me hold it in a more comfortable position, and that's just one of the advantages of baitcasting tackle over spinning.

I switched to the BFS reels several years ago and use them extensively. With a 7' light action rod, it's not a problem to cast a 1/16 oz crappie jig. Lighter than that becomes a problem with the reels I have; I think some of the better BFS reels will cast lighter lures, but 1/16 is as light as I generally use anyway.

The Kastking Zephyr is the cheapest BFS I have used, and it's a decent reel for the price. I put 5 lb line on them and use them crappie fishing and I think they are good enough for that. You can get one from Amazon for $75 or order it off AliExpress for $45. There's a whole bunch of them on AliExpress, but I don't know anything about the others.

Use 8-10lb braid with mono leader attached with FG knot.