in-shore reels

[basstired]

my bass reels are loosing performance with the salt water, even when being rinsed and cleaned immediatly after fishing. I've been a Shimano man. How about some feedback on this subject. How does the Spheros hold up, Penn graphite, Diawa-bg, etc.

[sundown]

I used two Spheros 4000 FA's for a couple years , then went to Stradics..Dont know but what the Spheros is just as good for salt water as the Stradic..plus a lot less expensive..
Only thing with the speros, the bail comes mighty close to your fingers on the hand holding the rod...esp if you got big hands...I think the Spheros is bout as good as you can get for the flats....

[Jacknasty]

if you can wait until Oct/Nov, Shimano has some new Stradic designs coming out. They will have waterproof drags on them, like the Spheros. You get the best of both of them in one reel.


check out Shimano's website for more info

[jsuber]

I've been experimenting a lot with the Shimano, Penn and Quantum. They all have their plus and minuses. I look forward to putting the new Stradic FI to the test. They are adding a 3000 to the line this year too.

[Capt_J]

I've been impressed with the Penn Slammer 360 spinning reel series. Not the 'smoothness' of the Stradic, but the durability and performance have been excellent. I'm fishing two of them, one with braid, one with mono. No complaints.

[Supa Fly]

I have a Shimano Twin Power in the 3000 and one in the 2500. It's the Japanese version of the Sustain, but has a few more bearings than the Sustain. They are awesome reels. I've had the 3000 for probably 4 years or so now, and it still reels as smooth as the day I bought it. I do need to replace a gasket in it though, and that's where the tricky part of buying a Japanese version comes in - trying to find parts for them here. I think I'm going to order a gasket for a Sustain and hope it fits - I'm pretty sure it will. Anyway, you might not want to go the Twin Power route for that reason, but I'd imagine the Sustain is just as nice. Plus, this year they're starting to put the nice machined handles on the smaller reels (2500 and down) which is a really nice addition. They're a little pricey, but when you consider that if you maintain them they'll last 5 years or more, I think they're worth the money. Oh, and in my opinion, if you're considering the 3000, just buy the 4000. It only weighs fractions of an ounce more, and holds a good bit more line from what I remember.

[redfinned]

35 years old and fishing since 4years old. Grew up in Miami and have been there untill 2 months ago. fished all over south florida and tried them all over the years several times. I still keep coming back to Shimanos. I still think you get the most for your money with them. Yes sometimes a little more money, but do you want to replace it after one good hard season of fishing???? Some of my Shimanos I still use regularly and have had them for many years. I even have a couple of first generation stradics that get used regularly, and still have the original drag in them. But you test as you see fit. This is just my two cents worth. I even sent them an older shimano one time for a new drag system because I could not find it locally. They sent it back to me appologizing for not having the part I needed anymore and told me they could not fix it. Along with sending my reel back they sent me a brand new Stradic 2000 free of charge. Yes I did tell them that I have been a Shimano user for many years.

[Seachaser]

Some good reels for the money: Shimano Sahara, Okuma epixor 30, and Daiwa XI. Any Shimano or Daiwa will be good, but you have to take a tad more care of the shimano's. Match the rod to the reel. Cheap reels are cheap reels, but the ones above are good starters. I fish mine to death and a good reel is a good investment.

[Reel Cowboy]

The Penn Slammers I have are great reels and priced right.

[FUTCHCAIRO]

GO WITH ABU GARCIA AMBASSADOR 6500, 5500 , 5000. I HAVE 8 OF THE REELS, 3 OF THEM ARE OVER 20 YEARS OLD AND THE ONLY THING I HAVE HAD TO DO TO THESE 3 IS REPLACE THE PAULS. MANY HOURS AND YEARS AND THEY ARE LIKE THE TIMEX WATCH, TAKE A LICKING AND KEEP ON TICKING. GREAT REELS.
PA THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA

[redfinned]

That is a good point. That line would definatly been an exception in my opinion. Those models of the abu-garcia line are bullet proof. If that is the type of reel your looking for.

[Ty one on]

GO WITH ABU GARCIA AMBASSADOR 6500, 5500 , 5000. I HAVE 8 OF THE REELS, 3 OF THEM ARE OVER 20 YEARS OLD AND THE ONLY THING I HAVE HAD TO DO TO THESE 3 IS REPLACE THE PAULS. MANY HOURS AND YEARS AND THEY ARE LIKE THE TIMEX WATCH, TAKE A LICKING AND KEEP ON TICKING. GREAT REELS.
PA THE OLD MAN OF THE SEA

PA knows what he is talking about. Abu Garcias are all I throw.

Paws cost around $4.00 each. Buy a paw today for a reel yesterday. even 30 years old.

I have one from 1975 (Black in color, 5500 "Striper") I still use it sometimes.

[flounderpounder]

I also throw the 5500 and the 6500 In the Abu for flatties asnd sheepies, just a all around great reel. I have caught tarpon to snook to 25# Jacks with that reel and no problems.
With that said when I moved over here 4 years ago I have used less live bait and more artificial, so I have switched over to a spinning reel. I use Shimano Stradic and Penn gold and blacks. You cant go wrong with either reel.

[Littoral]

I've been using all 2500 Stradics and Symetres side by side for a long time and I see no reason to spend more on the Stradic. The Symetre at $79 has matched the Stradic every step. That said, if I was spending a few extra dollars the new Saros is what I'd get ($120). It's replacing the Stradic at that price point.
OR... the old model white Stradics (but still new) can be had for less than $100 dollars all over Ebay.
The Saros are about $110 delivered on Ebay.
Here's a Stradic:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-Stradic-250 ... dZViewItem" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And here's a Symetre:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-Symetre-250 ... dZViewItem" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Talltails]

I've had a couple of the new Stradic FIs for about six months now, and after fishing usually 1-2 days every week, they are just as silky smooth as when I bought them. I fish from a kayak probably half the time, and that is a good testament to the durability of this reel. Kayak fishing is notoriously hard on reels.