Hello All,
I've had (but not used)the same gear for 20 years or so and now I'm thinking about upgrading. I am shore bound on Lake Mead in Nevada. What I am looking for is recommendations on a reasonably priced spinning real. One that will hold heavy line and aid in casting a good distance. There are a lot of reels I have researched but looking at a picture and reading a description does nothing for me. One Ball Bearing, four BB's, five BB's, and up to 10 BB's. I have learned that the more BB's the more digits before the decimal point on the price. So I figured I would pose this question to those who have field-tested some gear. Any input would be appreciated. Take care,
David
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well , because i'm a little on the "gotta watch the budget" side of things i used to say "no way am i gonna spend that much money for a reel".
but for steelhead and salmon , buying a couple reels a year seemed to be what i was doing , stripped gears , the spool started to wobble , junk after a few trips .
i went to bass pro shops , there's a vast array of them there for you to drule over . asked the guy what they would sugest for my type of fishing and looked them over . they were good reels , but i knew what i wanted in a reel too . a larger spool capasity , quick drag change , drag adjustments in the rear of the reel instead of on the spool . and zero backspin of my spool when setting the hook , no plastc spools either , there just not for me .
everything i wanted came on the shimano sedona 4000 reel , the guy never showed me this reel because the reel was rated for a heavier line test that i was using and a little more pricey .
it may have been few bucks more than i wanted to spend but well worth the investment .
i've had everything from bluegills to kings (50 lb. + salmon)on this reel and have not one single complaint about it .
i would recomend this reel , but you should really think about exactally you want in a reel , how it will fit your rod , and the type of fishing you intend on using it for .
some , not all stores will let you try the reel on one of their rods to judge the feel of it , pick a rod as close to yours as possible , good balance it what will keep you fishing all day , bad ballance will effect your wrist , arm and your back .
most stores have a return policy if your not happy with the reel - ask before you buy !
most manufactures have a warrinty too , depending on the reel or manufacturer , 90 days , year or two , lifetime .
make sure you understand store return and factory repair /replacement policys before purchasing . don't end up with something that dosen't suit your needs . i have a few of those already .
i'm a little long winded on the subject but once i realised that you don't buy cheep tools to work on a car with , you shouldn't do the same with your fishing tools either .
cheep hooks bend , cheep line breaks , cheep reels , well .......
i hope it helps
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here is the deal, reel verses casting.
the cheepest open face spinning reel on the market will cast just as the most expencive reel on the market.
the more expencive reels have only this to offer over the cheeper modles. Longer life and duribility, smothier handling, better drag settings from the rear of the reel as aposed to the front. and better looks from fancy pants anglers.
to get any reel to cast well you need to combine both of two critera. one quality line. Stay away form abrasion and memory free lines, they are expencive and a quality line but are not designed for the job you are looking to for your reel to acomplish. Stren origional blue is the best all around genneral porpus line and will suffice with what you are attempting to accomplish. Trilieane also makes a good product for the job. just remember that above mentioned note about line selections. ignoring the mentioned note you may as well go out and spend a dollar on Kmart brand mono cause you are just going to be throwing away your money in line twist and bird nest on your reel.
thats it, that is all you need to know about line selection other than matching the distance with line weights. the heaver the line the more weight you are going to need to get it out across the pond.
I mentioned a second criteria and that was the rod. this is as important as the line you use, the best line in the world on the best reel in the world wont let you cast any farther than your rod will allow.
you need to match your rod to your reel, If you ask any one in any store thay will sell you any thing you take a fancy to because they saw you comming and lets face it, if a kmart employe knew any thing about fishing gear at all would be making better money at cabelas or gander mountain or the bass pro shop.
here is the reel scoop about matching a rod to your open faced spinning reel, you need to have the first eye on your rod (closest to your reel) to be at least half the diamiter of your reel's spool. (no joke) each eye sould gradualy get smaller twards the end in session.
what happens is resistance is placed on the line from the spool to the eye. the line drags on the eye as it spins thorugh the eye. if you give it a bigger space to travel through you releive the drag stress while casting. ultimatly acheiving a better cast in distance and control.
remember first eye must match your reels spool, at least half the diamiter of the spool up to the same diamiter of the spool. going smaller will cut down your casting distance.
now with the above being said I will make a sugestion for a set up. [ul] [li]first select your line. I selected the Triliene gold 17 pound. [li]second select your reel. Diawa makes a modle called Jupiter. it runs in sizes form ultra light to 30 pound class reels. select the reel to match the line you entend to use. I selected the Jupiter Z 4500, it is rated for 20 pound line and runs under $50 [li]next you need to select your rod with the above stipulations mentioned. the flexibility of the rod dose not matter, that is a user's prefferance. I selected Eagle Claw's 2peice 9 foot rod with eyes to match the spool.[/li][/ul]
total cost of my setup was under 50.oo, all I perchased was the reel and the line. the reel was 35 and the line was free from triliene and the rod was free from my grandpa who passed away some 20 years ago, the rod is thirty years old.
to put a real cost on the set up, you can walk in and out of any quality shop with all the above mentioned for under 125.oo.
if you are fishing for some of them lakers and lunkers and wipers there I would suggest this set up. this one works well for me in the past twenty years of deep water walleye and salmon fishing.
with the same rod I can go up to the 30 pound class open faced spnning reels with no swet of being over or under classed in any of my part of my rigging.
I would like to mention that with this setup I cast on a regular baisis 50 to 75 yards per cast depending on the wind.
using the above mentioned peramiters you can use just about any setup you like.
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Hey AL
you bet ya we know what happens to cheep reels. they fall apart. litterilay in your hands. make a cast and the bail flies further than the lure.....[pirate] the crank falls off in your hand and the stem of the reel snaps right off the base and lands in the drink. drags wont tighten enough to hold a 3 pound bass let alone that 5 pound salmon and froget about that 30 pound salmon, it just aint going to happen.
I am sure there are hundreds of fishing reel nightmare stories,
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Thanks for the input,
I'll check out those reels. Davetclown, it looks like I was on the right path, the rod I choose is an Ugly Stik 9' Medium, and the reel I was eyeballing is the Jupiter Z6000, but I'll look at the 4500. I already use a 6'6" Ugly Stik and really like it, it has a Mitchel 300A on it. I am familiar with "cheap" reels, one of my other rods has one now. It's getting worst every time I use it.
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I picked up the Z6000 stainless for my dad, He fishes off the golf. that is a 30 pound class reel. I got his the same time I got mine. he is using it for grouper sheep head snook and I think red snapers.
I am targeting smaller fish in the great lakes area, salmon, sturgeon carp pike and muskie.
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I took a look at the Jupiter reels again, I like the Z5000. Do those reels feel as heavy as they sound, 21oz, or will the longer rod reduce the heavy "feel"?
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I can tell you it feels like a good solid real. the rod I placed it on was about 1/2 inch in diamiter at the base. this is why I mentioned earlier that you get a 9 foot 30 pound class rod to match your spool of your reel, you can place a smaller reel on it when fishing for smaller fish like salmon or trout and wipers. I constantly change over from reel to reel depending on what I am fishing for.
if you walk in to a place and you are ready to buy and you want to balance your equipment, most any outlet will allow you to assemble a reel to a rod so that you can get the feel of it. the last thing they want is you to be bringing it back in 9 days and returning it because they dont match.
when you get something that feels good, you will feel confident about it and some times that is all it takes to start pulling in the big ones.
dont let the weight scar ya, 21 ounces is like the weight of a big blue gill, and when you add a 2 pound rod, and yes I would go with a rod that will handle a 30 pound test line. you deffanantly want a rod with some meat to it.
if something breaks you want it to be your line not your reel or your rod. I have made both these mistakes. this is why I say the first thing you select is your fish, the biggest you will be fishing for, then your line then your reel then the rod. in that order.
you never want or out class your reel or rod with your line nor out class your reel over your rod.
if you follow this simple rule then should you come across a pro in the water, they will at least look at ya like ya know a little about what your are doing because your at least matched your equipment, and better yet you wont be trashing your equipment in the feilds and throwing the rest of it in the drink.
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my cheep reel horror story started off as a kid , i worked all summer bailing hay in maine .it's hard enough for a grown up , i was just a kid then .
when i got paid for my work i went into town and bought a reel from the zares store , an abu garcia , model ? i'm not sure , but it was a blue plastic thing that looked like it was pretty sturdy .
second day fishing with the thing i set the hook on a big fish and the reels suport stem snapped right off the base .
the store didn't have a replace or refund policy at that time . i've never bought or concidered
an abu garcia since .
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They grow hay in Maine? I thought there was 2 seasons, Winter and July 28.
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Most of my non-ultralight fishing is now with a Shimano Stradic (1000 for 4lb., 4000 for 8lb.) Prior to getting the Stradic 4000, I used a Shimano Aero Symetre 4000 which is now my "heavy" fishing backup. You didn't specifically say what price range you were looking for, but your comments about the decimal point in costs indicate you're looking for a moderately priced reel. I'd suggest you take a peek at the Aero Symetre 4000. Shimano touts it's ruggedness and dependability and the big river canyon fishing I put mine though seems to support their claim. At $85 and holding 200 yds. of 10# line, it should fit your needs. It's available in both front and rear drag models. It's reasonably light at around 12 oz.
The Mitchell 300X someone previously mentioned is obviously another consideration. I feel it hasn't yet proven its durability. I have special concern about its non-metal body, but if it's anything close to my old Mitchell 300's, it'll do great. I bought my daughter one and she likes it. She won't put it through all the stuff my reels have to endure, but it has been through one big river canyon trip, landing six trout around five lbs. from heavy, fast water. A friend of mine has put his 300X through something like four or five of those big river canyon trips with over six five+ lb trout each trip and his has been like a Timex -- "takes a beating and keeps on ticking," so far.
As for a one rod outfit, I'd suggest a seven foot, medium action Ugly Stick. You can always upgrade later and have the Ugly Stick as a backup, because I'm sure that one will last forever unless you drop a heavy safe on it or fish so much that you wear a grove in the guides.
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yep , it's a little on the cool side up there .
did a lot of fishing there , but not much swimming , lol !
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Once again thanks for all the recommendations. I have made and ordered my choice. I'm ordered (but didn't receive) a 9' Medium 2 piece Ugly Stik, the reel I chose is a Daiwa Jupiter Z5000 (man this thing is flippin' huge compared to my Mitchell 300A). The rod that was sent to me is an Offshore Angler, Inshore Extreme 7' MH 1 piece. Not sure if I going to keep it or not. I'll test it within the 30-day return policy. The MH sound intriguing but the 7' isn't what I wanted. Shimano, I thought they made bicycles?
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