Expensive Spinning Reels

[cableguy031]

I have 2 Shimano Curado SF on both of my Shimano casting rods. I understand they can be a bit steep in price at times but with a vigilant eye, one can obtain a decent reel for a reasonable price.

TYCO==> Tell me about your Shimano 400 CTE and 700 CTE, I've been looking at them and wondering if I should buy them.

[fishinJohn]

When I was a kid I thought Cerwin Vegas sounded good. Then I listened to a pair of $20,000 Martin Logans and I could hear the material of the drum heads, I could tell where the band members were standing, and baiscally it sounded like they were in the room. I do not have experience with high end fishing gear but to those who can afford a $500 reel and still fish 200 days a year, hats off to you. I cringe at the cost of a lite up bobber.

[Deitz Dittrich]

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TYCO==> Tell me about your Shimano 400 CTE and 700 CTE, I've been looking at them and wondering if I should buy them.

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I'm not tyco--but I do have a calcutta TE.. What are you going to be using it for?.. I have the 400TE and use it for fishing catfish and sterg and Muskies... its a great reel, I have a buddie that has one of the smaller ones and he uses if for crankbait fishing bass...

[turn_in_poachers]

I truly believe you get what you pay for. Ive had a lot of $50-$60 reels, and theyve never lasted me one fishing season. Id always buy another one next year.

Ill admit, my reels arent cheap. My Daiwa spinning reel was $230, and my Shimano baitcaster was $330. But I do take better care of them because of the price. I dont toss them around my truck. Reel covers on when theyre not in use. and they are a lot nicer to fish with than my cheaper tackle. So for me, yeah, Ill spend the money if I think its worth it.

[Ralph Wiggum]

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I'm not tyco--but I do have a calcutta TE.. What are you going to be using it for?.. I have the 400TE and use it for fishing catfish and sterg and Muskies... its a great reel, I have a buddie that has one of the smaller ones and he uses if for crankbait fishing bass...

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Deitz, you have the most expensive catfish reel of anyone I know!!!

Seriously, I would love a Calcutta 700 for flatheads but finances (and fiance ) don't allow. I picked up a Calcutta 250 (deal of a lifetime!) this winter and can't wait to use it!!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

RW- if you only knew how much I catfished.. I want to do it a bunch more.. .but I really have only been catfishing probably 5 times....

[pfluemis]

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I think there is more of a difference than that. For example a Stella costs $500 and a Symetre costs $80. I think you could compare the Symetre to a Wingmaster as it's not bottom of the line, yet not elite either. That's 1/6th the price. A Wingmaster 12ga costs $500? That'd equate to $3000 on the upper end. Yes, both shoot pellets and have the same result. But is the extra $2-3000 worth it for the fancy gun? Tough to agree on that unless you get style points, and in that case I don't think the pheasants really care and style points don't put more birds in the bag.

Buying a $1000 gun compared to a $500 gun is like buying a $80 Symetre and a $110 Spirex. A lot different when you add another $400 to the bill on a reel or $2500 on a gun.

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As a registered skeet shooter I can tell you there IS a difference when it comes to guns. I have/have shot guns ranging from Rem 1100's pulled up from the bottom of a lake after their duck boat capsized all the way up to $7500 custom fit and balanced guns. Shooting 1000+ targets in 3 day's requires a high quality gun if your serious about being consistant. While I don't own high end reels, I do have high end rods. I see the comparison being almost identical. For those who cast all weekend, most weekends of the open water season, I can see the need/desire of a balanced, smooth, quality reel and rod combo. The reservation I have is, are the high end reels really that much better???? I haven't bought a gun in awhile, but it used to be that higher end guns truely were higher quality with superior craftsmanship. I've seen/used some really, really nice reels in the $200-$350 range. I do wonder if there is enough in the $600 reels to call them superior. In order to charge that much, they, IMO, would have to be superior, not just better. By way of comparison, a Rem 3200 or a Krieghoff 32 is a really nice gun, but after you use them, then use a Krieghoff K80, you will feel how superior a gun that cost almost twice as much truely is.

[pfluemis]

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Spinning reels are like wine. Anyone can buy an outstanding wine for $200 and up. The trick is to buy a really good wine for under $10

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In this age of paying for a name, and paying to support pro sports, I think that is a pretty good statement. There are a lot of "hidden jewels" out there in the fishing reel world. I would be curious to see what reels people picked out if there was a way to have people look over all the reels, without knowing what company made them, or what the MSRP is of the reel.

[TycoCowboy]

I'm Tyco. I love them both and yes they were expensive at least to me, but I'm so glad I bought them. I was using a Abu Garcia 6500 tcm when I went out with Tanner Wildes, a Muskie guide in Northern Wisconsin and he was using a Calcutta CTE 400 and reeling in so effortless I thought I would die. 10 hours later, he was still reeling in with ease and my arms and hands were killing me with the Abu. The next trip I had a 400CTE and life was great, I could stay with him all day. I still had arms left. The 700 is a little bigger and heavier and I used it for Strippers and hopefully BIG salmon this summer in Green Bay Area. Do I regret buying them? not a chance, they are great reels and when I retire soon, I know I have great reels that will be there when I need them. As far as I'm concerned, both the 400 and 700 and as close to pro as I'll ever get. Love them both!