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Location: Rhinelander | What reel do you feel is the best on the market now? I have a hodge podge of reels, and am looking to buy a couple mid dollar range, say in the $40 range, reels for pitching jigs and cranks. |
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| I use Okuma, nice reels |
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Posts: 106
Location: Chilton, WI | I have a couple of Shimano Sedonas and they seem to hold up well. They were about $40 and I think they are well worth it for the money. |
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Posts: 625
Location: LaCrosse, WI | I use the Okuma Epixors. They're 10 ball bearing reels with a smooth, powerful action. They run in the $40 range, and I've never had any problems with any of my Okuma reels.
I've heard that Gander will be comming out with new spinning reels soon in the $40 range that's suppose to be pretty good. |
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Posts: 3899
| The past few years, I have picked up the Mitchell Gold 308, and 310 reels. Very smooth, good drags, and about $40. Come with two spools, so I can have both mono and superbraid ready to go. |
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| In my opinion you can't really get a decent spinning reel for $40. I really dislike any okuma i've used, never had a shimano last longer than a year, including symetre and stradic, however most daiwa's i've used I have been very pleased with, but again, the only ones i've ever had hold up were at least $60. I'd reccomend the daiwa exceler for $59. |
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| Anyone running Pflueger? Bought one this year to test, but don't have enough use on it to speak definitively. On the surface, seems like a lot of reel for the money. Opinions?? |
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| I agree with Slipknot. However,I'd spend a little more and go with a St.Croix Avid.It's a Diawa"hardbody"without the "airbail." Also,I picked up a Scheels' series on special,also a Diawa,and am pleased with it.Smooth,good drag,relatively large spool,light weight and no vibration are the features I look for in a reel. |
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| XXL, stay away from pfluegers, about as bad as okumas. |
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Posts: 23
Location: Arlington, WI | The St. Croix Avid reel and the Scheel's reel are both Daiwa Laguna series reels. I own a bunch of them. My suggestion is to not get the St. Croix's. I own a bunch of their rods but their reels are over priced. The asking price for the St. Croix Avid is over $100 but the Scheels and Daiwa Laguna are in the $70 range. The Laguna/Scheel's/Avids all have 7 bearings and are ultra smoothe. While at the Madison Fishing Expo the St. Croix rep said that the Avid reel is the Daiwa Laguna with zero changes other than the label. The Laguna reel is great but I wouldn't pay the extra bucks for the St. Croix label. For a jig rod get the smaller bodied 1500 series. They are lighter weight, have a good spool capacity, and will balance any jig rod out nicely.
Good fishing,
bdirks |
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Posts: 30
| Wow it is the 100% truth that the fishing industry has everyone brainwashed that the number of ball bearings are what makes a reel smooth or it's performance a step above the rest. However it is the quality of the bearings and where those bearings are placed in the reel that make it perform. Ball bearings alone range in price from abot three cents all the way up to about 13-20 dollars each. If you ever wondered why say a shimano sahara ($60 retail) for example, which only has 4 ball bearings, is so much more smooth than say a 10 ball bearing Mitchell of around the same retail. The reason why is the design of the shimano reel. Shimano has a patent on their design which is why they are so smooth and hold up so well. They have what they reffer to as a "floating" handle. The handle travels through a high end ball bearing and goes directly through the center of the main gear of the reel. This gives the reel more of a one peice feel other manufacturers have this feature but it's the "fluid drive" feature that has the patent which performs alot like the worm gear in a bait caster. All this info to the average angler means nothing but a higher sticker price but for the guys like us that need great reel that will hold up over time and perform well with little or no maitenance this info is valuable. If you want someones thoughts who really knows reels inside and out talk to John at reelangler.net. He's reel repeir guy that really knows reels inside and out. He used to repair reels for Pure Fishing out in Iowa and now he does it out of his house as a side job.
Spend just a bit more and get a reel that will hold up and will be as smooth as the day you bought it 5 years later. My recomendation, Shimano Sahara, and you'll get a free aluminum spool with it. Pfluger President would be a great choice too for the same price. ($60). Personally I fish with the Stradics, Sustains and I am lucky enough to have awife who also lets me sneek in a few Stella's. To tell you the truth buying a reel that costs more than $100 for jigging gives you nothing other than a pretty looking reel that weighs alot less than the others. Spend alot more money on a quality rod like a St. Croix, since in this case the rod is far more important than the reel.
Edited by GB Eyes 7/27/2006 4:58 AM
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Posts: 30
| For casting look for a reel with a wider diameter at the top of the spool. This gives you the most casting distance. Shimano Symetre has the largestin the 1500 size catagory. Daiwa's also have a large diameter and actually work great for casting. |
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Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Another vote for the Shimano Symetre. Built like a tank and lasts forever. You get what you pay for. |
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Posts: 30
| dennis...dont forget to tell them about the maitenance port which allows you to directly contact the main gear so you can lube your own reel as needed. Awesome reel. You do get what you pay for |
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| I think that the Quantum Plazma is the best reel for under $100.00 Can. My local fishing hole store sells loads of them and they are not being returned. As for shimano........hype and junk. ..................good fishing to all |
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Posts: 30
| Hype and junk...hmmm I find that hard to believe since in my store I have them returned all the time due to the bail being garbage. We sell 15 shimanos to 1 quantum but I will give you this...the pti is a nice reel. Why recomend a reel that is geared towards fishing for "lily carp" on a walleye sight. |
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Posts: 859
Location: Appleton wi | Anyone know of a a good place that does trolling reel repair near appleton/greenbay. I know gander does not do trolling reels. Thanks |
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Posts: 12
| i love diawa you can buy the 50 or sixty dollar reels on sale for about 40 dollars . the large spool end is great for casting and the key to these reel would be the drag system. very smooth and reliable . using super line drig is key. setting the hook you have drag or you have a torn hook hole in the fishes mouth . also a 7 foot medium fast tip will be the rod of choice . IM8 any brand. for virtical jigging stay short. Im8 5 or 6 footers have fished the diawa for many years .,. i dont take care of them and they dont let me down. they always come with a spare spool in the box . so changin over to mono or a fresh spool of line is a breez. why pay more for a spare spool ., PS if the real is under 30 bux it is most likly not gonna hold up |
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| I have been using Pfluegers for about 4 years now and love them...not a problem..good drag and smoothe for me...a lot of how long something will last depends on how well you take care of it. I clean and lube my reels 3 times from spring to fall...some people hardly do it once. I never had a shimano, but if it ain't broke don't fix it is how I go. |
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| Started with the Pfleugers 3 years ago, only thing I had to replace was the line.
The best feature is they are lighter than some of the others. That may not mean much to some but 6hrs of three-waying on the Ill. River and that extra ounce feels like a pound. I always cinch up a rod and see how it balances on the rod I intend to use. Ideally it should be slightly butt heavy to compensate for a lure on the other end.
Just MHO,
Mac Da Gaff |
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Posts: 50
Location: Loves Park, IL now Mt. View Ar. | I have been very happy with the Pfluger President reels. My reels are four years old now and have not had one problem, the drag is as strong as the first day out of the box. All I have ever done was keep them clean and oiled, I also take the tension off the drag when not in use or stored between fishing trips. |
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Posts: 17
Location: stevens point | Junked all of my Shimano reels and went with Abu Garcia Cardinal 500 series. Now I have reels that last more then 1 maybe 2 years. |
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Posts: 82
Location: Janesville | i use and like a guide series gs300. it only cost 20 bucks. works very well never had any problems with it. 
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| I think you'll find it difficult to land on a high quality reel under $50. All in all, I like Shimanos, and I've had great luck with Pinnacle Deadbolts.
Quantum is junk, I burned out a $100+ reel (plastic parts!) in half a season back when I ws a bass guy. (Burned out a $100+ Quantum baitcaster in one season, too.)
You get what you pay for. |
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| Sworrall, I'm still using the 10 Daiwa SS 1300 prototypes that I got back in the late 70's, when I was repping Daiwa and you were doing your thing for Tuffy. Hey, aren't you still doing that? 
Way ahead of their times back then, but now I miss not having the infinite anti-reverse. They really seem indestructable. Hell, they're 30 years old!
Unlike some previous posters, I have had some good luck with the Quantums that I bought. The spinning reels have held up well, but I maintain them as well as I can. I'm not a guide or a tournament fisherman, so figure that into the equation.
You're like me. We spend waaaay too much time chasing muskies to wear out any spinning reels.
Beav |
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Posts: 1991
| Steve, this months Outdoor Life has a test on reels for what it worth |
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| I can't wear our the Shimano Sedonas I bought about 4 years ago. I can't wear them out, and I do a lot of fishing. Buying the Shimano Sedona is the best fishing money I've every spent. Only trouble is I haven't been able to buy another real for 4 years because the Sedonas just keep on hauling in the fish. |
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| These new Bass Pro reels are really great this year. I was skeptical but WOW
I have some of the $50 and 70 dollar reels and have been very very impressed. They need to be used once w/fireline then used again to get the line set right. The spool design is a little radical but works great once the line is packed properly wet and under pressure. At least 15-20% longer casts with the same effort as my Stradics.
They've finally hit a winner at BPS on this stuff.
http://www.tackletour.com/reviewbasspro2007reelpreview.html |
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Posts: 5
| Everyone definately has there own opinion on this matter by the looks of things.
Heres my 2 cents. As a kid my dad always went with Shimano and thats what he bought me. And they were the cheap ones too. We did a ton of fishing with these reels and never had problems. As I got older and smarter(so I thought) I figured I needed to start keeping up with the Joneses and started buying the more exspensive reels. By exspensive I don't mean $100's of dollars more like $60 instead of $20. Anyway, I have had more problem with the higher dollar reels than I have ever had with the el cheapos. The cheap ones you never have to clean and they always work great. The more spendy they are the more up keep it seems to me. You get a little dust on one and the drag isn't as smooth, they don't reel worth of poop. I like trouble free gear, something I don't have to baby at all times.
The funny thing about the Shimanos the ole man bought me back in the day is that I still use them and they work great. I decided I'm gonna spend the high dollars on the rods and go back to "Ole Reliable"...Shimano, for the reels. If it aint broke don't fix it really applies here.
And by the way the "spendier" reels I was buying were Abu Garcias. Complete junk if you ask me. I'll never buy another one. |
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| IntroC, check those old Shimano reels where the reel contacts the rod. I bet they say "made in Japan". All of the good ones do, including the new $100.00 plus models. About 6-8years ago, most of the $20-$30 Shimano reels went to China or worse (does it get any worse than China?). I still have 4, 20+ year old $15.00 Shimanos (FX/AX all made in Japan) that work really well. Only one of them is showing a little bearing wear. I do have other brands, most made in China that I use for "guests" that I take fishing. My main reels are the Stradic and Symetre. This past week I used the Symetre to land 4 King Salmon from 9-19 lbs, pier fishing on Lake Michigan. Never had to think twice about the reel holding up to that abuse. I even have a Sweadish made Abu-Garcia, it too is 20-25 years old and is near perfect.
Frogman |
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Posts: 591
Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | DIAWA like said above 50-60 dollar reals for 40 bux , awsum drag, large spool, and smooth and reilable ,,get a 1500 you will be happy, and the drag is what im after ,, also the long casts ,,, i throw them around and dont take care of them they dont let me down... good in cold and ice too,,, and for god sake make sure you buy a 7 foot IM8 or a 7 and a half ,,, makes all the dif in the world,, |
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| You evur been to China man? What u got gnst china?
China WILL be the next super power Will produce products better than Japan or we ever did.
I memeber my daddy complainin' bout the samecrap in the 60's after WWII from the japanese products. Then it was the Korean products in the 80's Now it's the Chinese? WOW..........Suppose in another 20 years my kids are gonna be sayin the same thing about all the Iraq products they are buying. Quality is Quality and if it ain't priced accordingly it won't survive!
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Location: in the boat off the east shore somewhere | hmmm china... lets see,,, cant feed my dog anything from china not that i would knowingly,,, can give the kids any toys from china as they have been poisoning us with lead paint for years... i know some people from china, like em a-lot,, but when i see vitamins and things produced there that can kill me or somone i love, i will stay away!!!!!!!!! Sorry China,, get on the stick and do something about it..... now if i could buy a cheeeeeeeeep 20 Ranger knock off and a big black 225 yammahondadavidson for the back of it for about a grand and i can throw it away like computer printer every year... when its out of gas you will have something... |
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| I use the Shimano Sahara's. I've tried others, but nothing stands up to the Sahara's. They're about $60, but definately worth it!! |
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Posts: 7
Location: Wabasha Mn | Here is my two cents.
For 50 bucks you can have these.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_1...
I purchased two of the bigger brother's that were on sale this spring for $49 and I have too say that they are very nice reels for the money and with my line set up I can throw lite jigs farther than ever before. I purchased the 2000 series.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_1...
Edited by reefrunner 10/2/2007 7:45 PM
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Posts: 127
| DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOOK INTO A TICA REEL. 10 BALL BEARINGS AND VERY SMOOTH. I HAVE FOUR AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, BUT I DO PREFER SHIMANO'S . I HAVE TWO STRADICS AND A SYMINTRE AND THEY ARE ALSO VERY GOOD REELS. I BOUGHT A QUANTUM AND IT LASTED TWO FISHING TRIPS AND ENDED UP IN THE GARBAGE CAN. |
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Posts: 127
| DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOOK INTO A TICA REEL. 10 BALL BEARINGS AND VERY SMOOTH. I HAVE FOUR AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS, BUT I DO PREFER SHIMANO'S . I HAVE TWO STRADICS AND A SYMINTRE AND THEY ARE ALSO VERY GOOD REELS. I BOUGHT A QUANTUM AND IT LASTED TWO FISHING TRIPS AND ENDED UP IN THE GARBAGE CAN. |
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