the spinning reel...?

[slick2526]

Well here is another one of thoose questions that never gets answered lol. Im looking at reel's for the new rod im either gonna buy or get built. well theese are the choices

1.Penn Affinity

2.Pflueger Supreme

3.Quantum Catalyst

4.Shimano Stradic

5. Diawa Tierra

I know they are all quality reels but i want to see what you would choose and why. BTW the shimano would be the one W/O the magnesium frame.

[slick814]

Shimano and Pfleuger are both great reels.. I have a hard time deciding which one to use...both work great, and I have no complaints about either. I've actually begun upgrading my equipment slowly & steadily, and I've found that as much as I love my SHimano's, the Pfluegers are equal to them in every way that I can think of...no opinion on the others, as I've never used them.

[gunflint]

Just pick the one that feels the best to you. I like Stratics and I'll stick with them because I can bring 4 or 5 rod and reels with me and I only need one back up spool instead of bringing a backup spool for each reel.

[Orlip]

I have really took a liking to to the pfluegers. Go with the Pflueger Supreme.

[fisherdog19]

Okuma or Tica. I feel they make better reels than all the brands you mentioned. If I had to choose, I'd buy an Okuma VS in size 15 or 20; it's about a $120 reel with a five year warranty.

[traveler]

Well, I like the Quantum:) I have 2, and no problems...very smooth reels with sweet drags.

[archer59]

Quote:

---

Well, I like the Quantum:) I have 2, and no problems...very smooth reels with sweet drags.

---

I agree........

Nick

[n8ivefl]

I love the Quantums as well. I have the ePTi and I love it. Here's a horror story: I bought my son-in-law a Daiwa reel and the 1st time he used it, it broke. He repaired it and it broke again. Needless to say, I will never buy another Daiwa.

[FishGUY]

I personally like the Stradic, I have a Catalyst and have used a Supreme, both are nice. Pick the reel that fits you and your rod the best. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

[youngie22]

Stradic

[Lotwfisher]

I love my stradic.

[slipperybob]

I own 5 stradics, oldest one is like over 10 years. Then again I also own a Shakespeare graphite reel, that's even older.

[Questor]

We tried the Shimano Symetre as a reel for my son. I personally do not like it. My reasons for not liking it are that the operation is not as smooth as my good Penn spinning reels, and because the line regularly gets hung up during a cast, and because there are lots of places for dirt and dust to accummulate, and because after two years it is not wearing very well at all. The cosmetic gold embellishment looks bad now and we don't abuse our equipment. They really don't appear to have improved the bail springs at all since I last used Shimanos because I had to replace one already. Just my opinion, but I think the Shimano spinning reels are vastly overrated.

My favorites are my Penn S430 and 440. These are excellent reels that I doubt I will ever need to repair or replace. They are very good and are built to last. I own three for myself, and have had one for about 12 years. We recently got a 430 for my daughter and it is just as good as the older models that I have.

[hanson]

Hmmmm...

Abu Garcia didn't make that list.

[hoggs222]

I'd have to say Quantum Energy PTi. Smooth reel.

[slipperybob]

Quote:

---

We tried the Shimano Symetre as a reel for my son. I personally do not like it. My reasons for not liking it are that the operation is not as smooth as my good Penn spinning reels, and because the line regularly gets hung up during a cast, and because there are lots of places for dirt and dust to accummulate, and because after two years it is not wearing very well at all. The cosmetic gold embellishment looks bad now and we don't abuse our equipment. They really don't appear to have improved the bail springs at all since I last used Shimanos because I had to replace one already. Just my opinion, but I think the Shimano spinning reels are vastly overrated.

My favorites are my Penn S430 and 440. These are excellent reels that I doubt I will ever need to repair or replace. They are very good and are built to last. I own three for myself, and have had one for about 12 years. We recently got a 430 for my daughter and it is just as good as the older models that I have.

---

Shimano overrated? I own way too many shimano's and I agree. The bail are still old spring style in comparison to those other's using magnetic systems - Quantum. The bail wire is still a simple steal wire, plated with noncorrosive alloy of something while others have nickel-titanium bail wires. Shimano still uses a lot of plastics/graphite parts. Dirt/Sand/Grime can get into a lot of parts and especially in the handle causing grinding.

Yeah, that's why I still have my old Shakespeare - takes abuse. Not so good, but it still operates.

[pfluemis]

Quote:

---

Well here is another one of thoose questions that never gets answered lol. Im looking at reel's for the new rod im either gonna buy or get built. well theese are the choices

1.Penn Affinity

2.Pflueger Supreme

3.Quantum Catalyst

4.Shimano Stradic

5. Diawa Tierra

I know they are all quality reels but i want to see what you would choose and why. BTW the shimano would be the one W/O the magnesium frame.

---

I chose Pflueger Supremes as my upgrades for this year. I bought a Stradic, becouse everyone posting seemed to be raving about them. When I got it home, I couldn't get the bail to return. When I took it back to the store, and started digging, I found others with the same issue. I was then going to try Presidents when I found out about the Supremes. I waited. Well worth the wait IMO. One of the best values on the market right now, IMO. My third choice most likely would have been Cardinal (Abu garcia).

[slipperybob]

Going back and forth, back and forth...I caved in and bought a Shimano Sustain... and got a Shimano Cruxial drop shot pole med.light 6'8".

And looks like the weekend weather is rain on the forcast...

What the heck, I better be detecting subtle nibbles...Those finicky walleyes are going to see what drop-shotting will do.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Sweet set up!!! I have that same rod!.. love it for fishing walleye and bass!

[Questor]

SlipperyBob:

I saw your post about your older reels serving well. If you, like me, just want really good reliability and durability at a reasonable cost, then give those Penn spinning reels a look. They change handle designs and frame shapes occasionally, but the quality is always there.

[slipperybob]

Quote:

---

SlipperyBob:

I saw your post about your older reels serving well. If you, like me, just want really good reliability and durability at a reasonable cost, then give those Penn spinning reels a look. They change handle designs and frame shapes occasionally, but the quality is always there.

---

Yeah, I've been eyeing them for years. But the spare spool and the line wrapping, stainless steel bearings, multi disc drags, on the Shimano won me over on my first Stradic purchase. I think I went by the weight of the reel at that time too. It was how it handled super lines and how it prevented line biting down on the spool. I've also always eye'd Shakespeare/Pflueger reels too. I had a Diawa Regal Z but the metal shaft in their handles were too soft and bent from transportation/fish fighting. The line wrapping wasn't very good for small diameter line, so that one I could only use mono effectively. When I test reels at the store, it's not just feeling how smooth it operates, but the noise it makes tells me how well machined it is.

I had once mail ordered the most advance engineered spinning reel, but the machining and poor assembly made me return it even before I wet a line on it. It was a something Helix reel.

My old Shakespeare has 10lb mono. I tried 10lb fireline on it and it was a tangled mess. I tried 4lb mono on it and it was a tangled mess. Not much for ball bearings, but the metal bushings hold up, greased well and it operates. I wouldn't finesse fish or spinner bait it, but tossing the bobber or bottom fishing for little cats/carps is just fine. And this reel has been abused from sturgeons to monster pikes that've gotten away.

[Schloogs]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Well, I like the Quantum:) I have 2, and no problems...very smooth reels with sweet drags.

---

I agree........

Nick

---

Thats what I use...

[slipperybob]

Let's see, I've also used a Browning Medalist spinning reel when they first came out with it. Well after fishing in the rain, rain, and lot's of rain. Come about next year, the ball bearings had rusted. Talk about cleaning out brown grease...Browning - brown...

[slipperybob]

Quote:

---

Going back and forth, back and forth...I caved in and bought a Shimano Sustain...

and got a Shimano Cruxial drop shot pole med.light 6'8".

And looks like the weekend weather is rain on the forcast...

What the heck, I better be detecting subtle nibbles...Those finicky walleyes are going to see what drop-shotting will do.

---

So anyway, I didn't catch any walleye's with the dropshot technique, but I did catch one loner of a nearly 14inch crappie. I wasn't feeling bottom as much as I would've liked, but I did detect every bite as it happened. Barely lipped hook'm, but did hook'm regardless.

[zachp]

I bought a pflueger supreme 8030 and paired it up with a 6'6" medium fast imx g loomis and I did not like the feel of the combo at all, they say the reel is very lightweight but i found it to be somewhat bulky and felt heavier than the (7.4 oz) it states, especially comparing it to the medalist 6030 which is supposedly (11 oz), the 6030 made for a much better pair with the rod so I returned the supreme.

[JCB]

My wife and I have half a dozen Quantum spinning reels between us that we love (Energy PTi, Catalyst and Kinetic). The oldest has held up for 5 seasons with no issues. Quantum reels feel smoother to me than the equivalent Shimano's that I have, but it would be hard to go wrong with either brand.