I'm looking into purchasing another spinning reel to pair with a 7' St. Croix, med/fast rod I bought for tubes/wacky/grubs and would like some recommendations. I own several Pfluegers & Shimano spinning reels and have all Shimano baitcasters and have been very pleased with the quality. I'm thinking about getting another Shimano Sahara or Symetre but would like to hear some other suggestions and what others would consider their go-to spinning reel & rod combo. When I target bass, it is mainly smallies. Thanks for your input.
NRX 852s with a sustain fe 2500
Expensive but I would rather have just one of these combos in place of 3 cheaper setups.
SYMETRY without a doubt. I own about 8 of them and love them all! On that rod I'd go with the 2500. I have a few more expensive reels (Stradics, Sustain) and have gotten the same mileage out of my Semetrys.
Thanks. I am leaning towards the Symetre. I have the 4000 size Sahara but the 2500 seemed alot smaller. I do think the 4000 that I have is a little to large so hopefully the 2500 Symetre will be paired nicely with the rod. I looked at getting a G-Loomis NRX series rod & I do agree you get what you pay for, but I have a hard time justifying $450 or more for a rod. I have spent over $300 for reels but have never spent over $200 for a rod. I just don't think that if I was fishing the exact same presentation with a quality rod that costs $150-200 & one that costs twice that amount that I would detect more strikes or catch more fish. For those that own the NRX or other top end rods, why do you feel they are worth the extra $. I could always be persuaded and guess I'll never truly know unless I buy one and see if I can tell a difference in performance.
For Spinning reels
I own just Shimano's in the 2500
I've never had any problems and you get a little more as pay more for the reel
The deal these days would be last years Stadic FI model
It still came with the extra spool and they were going for 100 something
were the new FJ was 179
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHIMANO-STRADIC-2500FI-SPINNING-REEL-NEW-/250986219230?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6ff1c6de
On the higher end rods
My thoughts are, after 150 seems like there's very little to gain in sensitivity
or the gains are very small
Your paying for the lack of weight, name, warr and craftsmenship
Nicer grips, eyes and wraps
I like to think you can feel the lighter bites better and react quicker. I can definitely tell a difference between a cheaper rod and high end when it comes to feeling whats on the bottom. They are generally lighter with better components that last a long time. I usually don't spend over $200 either on rods but tend to for some bottom presentations. I only went nuts on the NRX 852s because I liked the action on it so much I had to have 1 or 3 LOL. Only a couple other rods are over $200 and usually get anything for 25% below retail.
I go back and forth with my favorite spinning rig. I am a St. Croix junkie but I use both Quantum and Shimano spinning reels. My favorite overall would be a Quantum Tour Edition PTi-A 20 with a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 7' MF spooled with 8# fluoro. It has held up strong and smooth for over 3 seasons now and is an absolute pleasure to use.
My other favorite is a Shimano Stradic 2500FH with 10# Power Pro + either 6 or 8# fluoro leader. This one is paired with a St. Croix Avid 7' MLF.
Cabelas has last year's Stradic FI on sale for $119.99 online now but I have not used that particular model.
I highly recommend trying the Wave Spin reel :
http://www.wavespinreel.com/index.html
Great reel for the money. I used one for much of last season and I am super impressed and will buy another, and they are sponsors of this site.
Quote from: bigjc on February 02, 2012, 07:40:14 PM
I highly recommend trying the Wave Spin reel :
http://www.wavespinreel.com/index.html
Great reel for the money. I used one for much of last season and I am super impressed and will buy another, and they are sponsors of this site.
I second that. Very nice reel for the price. Well worth taking a look at.
I was very reluctant to try one, since I am a diehard Quantum fan. All of the combos on my deck at any time are normally Kistlers/quantums, but I now have two Wavespins and will buy another.
I'm a big Shimano fan, but have to say, so far, I'm real happy with the Wavespin I got last fall, thanks to Tcook throwing me a bone on a second reel contest he won on this site. I was the cameraman and boat provider. LMBO Anyway, I haven't used it much, but I am very happy with it, and like others have said, they are a sponsor of the site. Plus Russ was great to work with. :)
I too am a die hard Quantum fan. However, I bought a Wavespin from Don 2 years ago, and I really like it.
I have two favorite spinning combos. The first is my Grandt All American, 7 foot medium action, paired with a Quantum Tour Edition PTiA 20. Love it. My second is my St. Croix Mojo Bass 7 footer with a Wavespin DH3000. For the money, the Wavespin is truly an awesome reel. It is the only reel I own that isn't a Quantum.
I have fished tournaments for 35 years and used to buy lots of higher end spinning reels. I now buy pflueger trionsgx-7 for 39.95. I fish a lot and use mostly all spinning reels and have some of these that have lasted 6 years with no maintainance. If you pair this up with a B & R Outlaw rod you will be set to reel in the big ones for a total price rod and reel of $140.
I have all St croix avids and quantum spinning reels but this year am gonna try Pflueger Patriarch. I like the 30 size reels.
The only spinning reels I've ever had issues with were all Quantum (or should I say Zebco?). All of them have litterally eaten gears and are utterly useless. Never had that happen to a Shimano. I have a Sedona 4000 that has so many salmon to it's credit I can't even begin to count them and it still works like new.
Can't wait to put my new Stradic Ci4 on my Shimano Cumara drop shot rod this year. The entire rig only weighs like about 11-12 ounces.
I have the Symetre reels and love em. I've had no desire to buy anything else. That said though I'm curious about the Wavespin.
I use mostly 2500's but on my tube rod I have a 4000. The extra weight balances the rod/reel at just the right angle to drag tubes.
My rods are almost all St. Croix Avids. One of the reasons I went with them was the lifetime warranty. They are also very light and sensitive. I do have one Loomis GL3 and it's a great rod as well.
I"m absolutely convinced that rods in this $200 +/- range are worth it. I know I detect bites that I wouldn't otherwise. I use a ml Avid with an extra fast tip paired with a 2500 Symetre for my drop shot. Coupled with 8# fluoro it's just sahweet.
Next purchase I make will be a 7' Avid in Med Hvy for flipping jigs. That will get paired with a Curado 101b.
Weird. No daiwa fans. I love my Daiwa Sol spinning reel. With my Shimanos I would get some line tangle problems no matter how I put the line on the things, but not so with my Daiwa. I had a Quantum PTi (the first one with the titanium sparkly finish) and it finally died last year when the anti-reverse went out, so this year I'll be picking up one or two of the new Daiwa reels they have out, either Procyon or Ballistic. Can't say that I don't want a new white Shimano Stradic though.
I use the 60 dollar cabelas ones they work just fine for the last 5 years, and the come with a extra spool
i buy used Stradics on ebay a lot. I never pay more than $70 for them.
Frank
I used Stradics for years and loved them, the old style that used to cost $129 at bass pro. Then when shimano charged their line-up a couple years back I sold all the old ones and bought the new Symetre and Stradics. Both are excellent quality but both are very heavy. Then I picked up a Pflueger Supreme XT and found that this is a very good reel for the price and it is Very Light. I think for long term durability the shimanos are definitely the best as far as how they hold up over the years but if you plan to replace for new after a couple years which I do, the Pfluegar Supreme XT is a great reel. It has a magnesium body so I think the long term, as in five+ years, may not be that good as with any magnesium framed reel. If you do go with the Pflueger, the size to get for bass fishing is the: 8230MG. Hope this helps.
http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/products/products.php?p=9
Quote from: Waterfoul on February 03, 2012, 12:46:05 AM
The only spinning reels I've ever had issues with were all Quantum (or should I say Zebco?). All of them have litterally eaten gears and are utterly useless. Never had that happen to a Shimano. I have a Sedona 4000 that has so many salmon to it's credit I can't even begin to count them and it still works like new.
Can't wait to put my new Stradic Ci4 on my Shimano Cumara drop shot rod this year. The entire rig only weighs like about 11-12 ounces.
Puting Quantum and Zebco in the same catagory is not fair. While they may be owned by the same company, it is like saying that a saturn is the same as a Cadillac.
The first shimano I ever bought was a $20 spinning reel, that lasted about an hour. However I am aware that shimanos are not all junk, $20.00 reels are all junk.
I have pretty much decided that spinning reels in the $80-100 retail class are typically pretty fair quality reels, which is why i say that Wave spin reels are a great value for the money, as they perform like reels of higher quality.
I have a Quantum Energy Ptia20 that I bought 7 years ago, and have only had one problem with it. A screw came loose on the bail assembly last year. I have really abused that reel. It has been spiked off the bottom of the boat several times. It's been fished out of Muskegon lake several times. All I've had to do is clean it up and relube it, and buy a couple of new handles. My Tour Edition has been an excellent reel as well. Not an issue in 3 or 4 years. Hasn't been thrown or drown yet either. I have had my Wavespin for 2 or 3 years now. Not an issue. I really like that reel. It's so different from my others.
As with anything else, you get what you pay for.
With all the good reviews on the wavespin reels
I'll have to give one a try
In the past I looked at them thinking they were a gimmick
At least do seem to be priced right
with all this being said the only spinning reel in my use is a wavespin. i can probably honestly say I am the only person on this board other than russ that has used them since there introduction. I still have one of the first prototypes in my desk. Since the first ones that were sold at the grand rapids show which were not production reels they have made great strides and russ being he does spend a lot of time on he water and does listen to some of us has help make chnages that only will benefit the fisherman and the reels performance. If you all want to handle one and havent I can make sure they are at the wonderland open house and i will also have them at the show in traverse city.
I was using Pflueger for a while. I thought they were one of those diamond in the roughs - you could get a $60 to $80 reel that felt, worked and lasted like a reel that cost twice that much.
I'm switching over to Wavespin (http://www.wavespinreel.com) now - I have 3 so far. They help out this website that is pretty important to me and they are the same kind of diamond in the rough type of reel. The latest models are smooth, cast well and feel good. Same deal - I feel like I'm using a reel that fishes like a $100+ model but they don't cost that much.
I like deals that allow me to afford quality, dependable tackle in enough quantity so I can enjoy fishing better. We all know you pay more for more popular brands. Some of us (all of us?) need to save money and it helps to have products available that still feature great quality at a reasonable price. LGMOUTH uses only Wavespin and he seems to do a little bit more than alright ;D
We will be having more Wavespin Reel photo contests in 2012 starting with opening day of Michigan catch and release bass fishing again too!
I also use mostly pfluegers and they hold up very good for a half the cost of the others. I bought a couple wave spins last year and they are very nice. thedropshotdenny has them on his websiteaas well as tubes and my jigs.
I have Quantums and Shimanos and both are good reels, however the Quantums have been much smoother and lasted longer and as long as they have the Maglock anti-rev. system you won't have to replace the a/r bearing ever. I just got the new Energy and have not tested it yet, but they are much lighter than the old models. I think if you want a good one look for the last model on e-bay or the Tour Ed. and you should get them for very little cost compared to when they were just released. My Dad has dropped 2 different Energy's in the lake and retrieved them. They still work as if they were new (PTIA's I think 20 & 30). Always look on online stores or auction sites first to the best deals whatever brand you go for.
Quote from: djkimmel on February 04, 2012, 02:44:17 PM
I was using Pflueger for a while. I thought they were one of those diamond in the roughs - you could get a $60 to $80 reel that felt, worked and lasted like a reel that cost twice that much.
I'm switching over to Wavespin (http://www.wavespinreel.com) now - I have 3 so far. They help out this website that is pretty important to me and they are the same kind of diamond in the rough type of reel. The latest models are smooth, cast well and feel good. Same deal - I feel like I'm using a reel that fishes like a $100+ model but they don't cost that much.
I like deals that allow me to afford quality, dependable tackle in enough quantity so I can enjoy fishing better. We all know you pay more for more popular brands. Some of us (all of us?) need to save money and it helps to have products available that still feature great quality at a reasonable price. LGMOUTH uses only Wavespin and he seems to do a little bit more than alright ;D
We will be having more Wavespin Reel photo contests in 2012 starting with opening day of Michigan catch and release bass fishing again too!
Well said, couldn't have said it better myself, and I cannot wait for the next photo contest!!!
Quote from: LAPORTE on February 03, 2012, 10:08:11 AM
I use the 60 dollar cabelas ones they work just fine for the last 5 years, and the come with a extra spool
They are made by Daiwa Don, that's why they last. I have switched all my spinning reels to Daiwa in the last couple years and love them. I need a couple new spinning reels this year and I will probably give a wavespin a try.
Cy
I have a Wavespin that Don "loaned" me to try out a couple years ago. When I got it lets just say it had few "miles on it!" LOL!! Used it for about a season and while it was obviously a used real when I got it, it still functioned well and has never given me any trouble. I tried to give it back to him a while back... seems he didn't want it so I still have it and use it once in a while, in fact I just picked it up this very moment... yup, still spins smoothly. The only drawback is they seem a bit heavy when compared to some of my higher dollar reels. But then again, you kind of get what you pay for.
i only have 2 spinning rods, but i have 3 diawa regal's i got at [REMOVED - see No Links Policy List (http://www.greatlakesbass.com/forum/index.php?topic=11129.0)] for like 20$ a piece (on sale + another 20% off). I have a daiwa capricorn on my drop shot rod, and figure i'll just throw away the regal every 10 years when it actually gets wore out.
One of the best spinning reels i've owned was a clam-shell mitchell i paid 8$ for about a decade ago the other was a quantum energy from the 90s i bought for alaska, i still use it for skipping docks. All i look for in a spinning reel is durability and a good drag. i don't buy shimanos because you have to spend 100$ on one thats any good. i have a bucket full of old spirex's and sedona's to prove it..... i'll pay 150+ for a good baitcaster, but for spinning reels, the max is 50 bucks.