Spinning reel

[lokidog]

Hard to beat a Mitchell

Still have an old fixed handle from the 70's, we had to buy "left handed" ones as we all learned to fish with Zebcos.

[87Ford]

I sure like my Shimano CI4 2500.  So much so that I bought two of 'em..

[Bone_Collector]

I have been using the shimano Sahara and they have been holding up a lot better than some of my higher end reels. So far this season I have blown up 5 new stratics and 4 new symetres! Needless to say I have not be real impressed with the up grades shimano has been doing to their reels, but the Sahara have been holding quite well! All of my reels are in the 2500 series!

Just my

B_C

[BigGoonTuna]

i've had crappy luck with shimano spinning reels in the past few years.  work great out of the box, but will start getting jerky after a while.  not even from hard use, just jig fishing(where there's no load on the reel 90% of the time).

the daiwas i've had over the years have been great.  not as smooth as shimano when new, but the quality doesn't deteriorate after heavy use.

[Button Nubbs]

I'm trying to figure out how you guys "burn up" so many spinning reels. My symetres have seen a lot of water time and are still going strong. Hell I have an okuma metaloid that is over 10 years old and probably has caught more steelhead than all my other reels put together and while its a little beat up it still functions flawlessly.

[fast60eddie]

Well maybe I won't be buying a new one  I found a decent shimano AX4000AF in a bag of reels I have. I have never used it but it seems like it runs good.

[Bone_Collector]

Button
My reels see a lot more use than the average persons, typically over 150 days on the water so they get a real good workout!

The newer reels just dont seem to be as high of quality as the older styles! But I will say that I love my shimanos and they are usually pretty good about taking care of the ones that have gone bad!

B_C

[gadwall]

Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 140









Re: Spinning reel

« Reply #2 on: February 21, 2013, 09:46:08 PM »

Quote


I have a penn battle 3000 and love it.
 

I agree with Rainstorm Hunter.  I like the Penns for their simplicity.  Not quite as many parts in them as some of the others and they are very reliable.  I have a quantum I really like as well.

[TONTO]

 I just picked up a penn battle 6000 at the portland sportsman's show. Haven't caught anything on it yet, but thats not the reels fault.... I have used it surf casting once and been plunking for sturgeon with it. Seems pretty smooth and casts great, I plan on using it this summer for throwing swim baits for TUNA!, should work great. My only problem with it, and didn't notice this until after fishing it a few times, the reel doesn't have reverse. I know most people never use reverse on a spin reel, but sometimes it does come in handy. In order to play out alittle extra line I have to pull it out against the drag, or flip the bail. Not that big of deal, but kind of a pain. I guess I got spoiled on my Okuma Cedros  Baitfeeders, but that baitfeeder option is great.

[PolarBear]

I've been a die hard Shimano guy for 30+ years (was even sponsored by them for a while) but just recently was talked into buying a Phlueger President for my side drifting rig and absolutely LOVE it!  10 ball bearings, much smoother than my Shimanos ,very reasonably priced and did great on several screaming steelhead (one that took almost 1/2-3/4 of a mile of river to land).  Last week I spent 11 an hour day of side drifting with it and was extremely impressed with how smooth and well it performed.  I will be buying a couple more for my arsenal!

[ribka]

X2 on the Sahara. Much better reel. Can find them on sale at Cabelas from time to time for 70 bucks.

I have been using the shimano Sahara and they have been holding up a lot better than some of my higher end reels. So far this season I have blown up 5 new stratics and 4 new symetres! Needless to say I have not be real impressed with the up grades shimano has been doing to their reels, but the Sahara have been holding quite well! All of my reels are in the 2500 series!

Just my

B_C

[SkookumHntr]

I would check out the quantum smoke! Thats my next reel!

[Tyler_C]

I have a Shimano Sonora and i've had a lot of success with it.  Only about $50 or so, and it is VERY smooth.  Real smooth drag system.

[JM]

I've got a shimano stradic. It's by far the smoothest reel that I have ever owned. One problem that I had with the lower grade shimano spinning reels is that when it gets in the mid 20s or colder the reel starts sticking. I returned 2 reels before ending up with the stradic and the ones that I returned weren't cheap either. They were only a grade or two below the stradic.

[andersonjk4]

Another +1 for Shimano 2500 sized reels.  I own a Sahara, Saros, and Stradic and they are all awesome.  I think the Sahara is a hard reel to beat for the price.  I've had mine for about 5 years and it is still performing great.  They aren't quite as smooth and the Stradics or even the Saros, but for $80 or less on sale they are well worth the money.  I haven't bought a new Shimano in a few years, but after reading a few of the comments on here I'm a little concerned.  I may have to wait a couple more years for them to work out the kinks in their new designs.  Right now Cabela's has Saharas on sale for $50.