I tried the Shakespeare Axiom in here, and nothing good in the way of replies. Nothing good to say. So........
I was killing time at Wal Mart tonight, and noticed an Abu Garcia Spinning reel, the Cardinal 104. Holds 10, 12, and 14 lb line, according to the spool, and I'm looking to use 14 lb, to suppress personal paranoias of losing fish...that's a story for another time. I've heard Abu is a quality brand of fishing gear, but at the same time, this reel only costs $35. So is it a good one that I can rely on? Or should I keep on looking?
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$35 won't buy you any quality no matter who makes it. Save up and get one thats $60.00 or more and enjoy it for years.
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Ahh...I guess I won't be fishing the river anytime soon then.
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Agree 100%. A $35 reel MIGHT last an average fisherman 1 year. A reel like that lasts me 6 months if i am lucky. I have not bought a reel less than $60 for the last 3 years and can see a big difference in how long they last. Having said that, i am not average. I fish more than 150 days a year for different species. My reels see ice fishing, casting bait for trout, heave lures over 1 oz for bass and tigers and untold atrocities. They get thrown in lakes that are 60' deep, banged around the boat and truck and used as pry bars some times.
Simp, Buy what you can afford but remember, if you save a little extra that reel will last you for a longer period of time saving you money in the long run. Look at the Quantum Ncyte(SP). I have had it for 2 years now and it was like $45 or so. It will do you a good job and not break you. Quantums have made up my gear for over 15 years and i still love them. Just stay away from the $30 ones.[cool]
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Yeah, I'm gonna go with you guys here. None of you have EVER steered me wrong. I kinda got excited about that one because it was at a store locally. I have no way of ordering one from bass pro shop or cabela's online without using my parents, and they'll never let me spend that much on a reel. They won't understand--I don't even know how I got them to let me order my third electric guitar.
There's a rod and tackle shop in my town...but it's kind of in the real sketchy part of town, so I don't go there often. I guess I could try there and see what they got, but I have a feeling they'll be ridiculously expensive. But I don't know until I try.
On the subject of rods, by the way, I have a 7' berkley Lightning Rod that just needs a reel. Would this be a worthy rod to use with the new reel, whenever I get it?
(I'm gonna actually learn some stuff one day, I promise)
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Although you can find a trusted name brand at Wallys World (walmart), a lot of what sells there are some of the lower end produts of a top manufacturer. I have a few of the Abu Cardinals from older years. They are still working regardless of the rigorous workouts they have received.
The components make a big difference when dealing with a retailer that only aims to be the low price leader. Most of the components are of inferior quality just to drop the price of producing it.
As was aforementined, the occasional angler may get some satisfactory use from it and it could last more than a year if it is not used more than 3 times in a year.
I have equipment that I have beat the hell out of on a daily basis and does not fail me. I have other equipment that is sent to me for testing and with the intent of using it in a manner that is inconsistant with the design. Some of them fail and some accidentally handle more than what they are designed for.
Would you rather buy something that is capable of taking a beating, although you are going to be careful, or something that you are extremely careful with that will fail when you hook the accidental Monster fish?
No need to answer that one. It is obvious.[cool]
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Yeah. I hope the bass are biting in July and August, because that's probably when I'll get to go fishing on the river. Because I'm not going out there with inferior gear. It'd be a waste of time to hook fish but not land them because of crappy equipment.
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