need of new spinning reel

[slab]

im in need of new all around spinning reel for jig and slipbobber fishing it will go on a 5ft9 gary roach jigging rod i have energy reels but would like some opinions on other makes thanks

[REW]

I would get a reel with the following characteristics:
1. dead smooth drag -- no glitches of any kind.
2. Dead smooth gears -- you want no catches when you are reeling and feeling for that light tap.
3. Instant back stop. When you go to set the hook, you want no backlash on the reel.
4. Long cast spool. With a long cast spool, you have no "digging in problems with superline, and you can use the last foot of line, due to the shallow spool.
5. High quality ball bearing - line roller. You want the line roller to feed line with no catches.
6. Anti-twist goove in the line roller. This groove has been put in many of the line rollers in the last few years, and helps very much to reduce line twist.
7. Front drag. Although some folks still use rear drag (and it is convenient) the front drag systems use much larger and lower pressure drag washers/system to make a better smoother long term drag.
8. Many ball bearings. You need a minimum of three ball bearings. One for each side of the reel shaft, and one for the spool shaft. More bearings past the first three - makes for a longer lived and smoother reel. Although some vendors advertise more than 6 - anything more than 6 ball bearings -- is more for window dressing.
9. Paddle - non-wood handle. Although some of the "high-buck" reels have a circular wooden handle -- from a practical view point -- it is very tough to beat the flat paddle "rubberized" handle for a smooth handling, non-slip, non-fatiguing handle.
10. Mid-size. For the reel that you are talking about - I like a mid-size reel. Although a small reel is lighter, you have a smaller spool, both diameter and depth. The larger spool gives you longer casts - and the weight difference is only a couple of ounces. By mid-size, I am talking about something similar to the Shimano 2500 line of reels. This compared to the 1000 (smaller) or the 4000 (larger).

11. Price -- you don't mention price -- but most of these parameter shoud be met on a reel - starting from about 60-70 and on up to several hundred.

Now take this shopping list to the store - and get the reel that meets this requirement.

Many of the Shimano reels meet these requirements in virtually all of their lines - cheap to ultra-expensive.

Pinnicle dead bolt work well. In some years, there have been some quality issues, so you might need to pick and choose - to insure that you have one with the required smoothness.

The FIN-NOR reel is very nice, and meets these requirements.

Several of both Bass Pro, and Cabella's Imported reels are fine, and meet this requirement as well. If you check out the point of manufacture on Quantums, Shimano, Pinnicle, Diawa and others -- you will find that most if not all are made off-shore in Korea, Japan, Banglidish, or China.

I suspect that if you look at the actual reel of some of the private label (Cabella and Bass Pro reels -- they are exactly the same reel as the name brands - except they have a private label attached.

I would be a bit skeptical getting a reel mail order, since (they may be fine) - it is nice to feel and touch the specific reel that you are going to purchase - to insure that it mates will with the rod (balance, reel seat etc. ) and that the particular reel that you are purchasing meets your requirements for drag, gear, and overall handling and smooth qualities.

good luck in your purchase, and enjoy.

Take care

REW

[Phil T.]

I insist my reels have a much bronze and stainless steel and as little plastic and pot metal inside as possible. I just bought a Penn skirted spool spinning reel. It meets my requirements. Whatever you buy, bells and whistles or internal strength (no one seems to offer both), I wouldn't buy a reel that weighs over 8 ounces for jigging.

[Mike B. (OK)]

I have a Shimano Sahara reel that gives great performance, especially for the price (@ $59, Cabela's). Has all the stuff REW talked about, and enough (4) bearings to be very smooth. Even comes with an extra ALUMINUM (not plastic) spool. Beyond this reel the improvements are slight. As for reel weight, I don't think that's as important as balancing with your rod. The rod balancer kits work very well for that, the ones with lead weights and a rubber end cap you put on your rod. When the rod tip stays level, or slightly above level, with your normal grip, it is balanced. Makes a big difference.

[PFMN#1]

Look at the new T500f or T1000f from Abu. It has 6 ball bearings and I bought mine for $69.99. This reel is as good as anything else on the market at that price. I also bought a Agenda which is 3 bb for $29.99 at the sport show.

[Smitty]

I just bought a new Shimano Symetre & although I haven't had a chance to use it over the long haul, it seems like a VERY smooth reel so far. The guy at Cabela's fished quite a lot and highly recommended it. REW pretty much hit it on the head without getting too manufacturer specific.

[cisco]

Check out the new Abu Garcia Center Drag. It's a great reel with the future drag system today. No front or rear drag can equal the center drag. This reel is simply a less expensive copy of the Suveran -- which is also a great reel. The Suveran is a bit pricey for most of us, but if your budget permits, you can't go wrong.

[Mrrugs]

It is my personal opinion that one of the best kept secrets out there is the line of high quality, medium-priced Quick reels available from Cabela's. These are precision, German-made reels, metal parts, smooth drag and as durable as they come. They are nothing fancy but they perform and they are DURABLE. I own four, three of which I've used extensively for fifteen years of hard fishing and have yet to replace so much as a bail spring. Personally, I would never even consider another brand of reel. Except for a couple of original Mitchell 300's, all the other reels I've used, other than the Quicks, have succumbed to the normal rigors of abuse.