Reels

[fisherboy]

I am planning on buying some new St. Croix rods and am wondering which reel(s) others like on their rods. Thanks

[skeeter 1880]

I like the 1000 Shimano Stradics or Symetres the best. I just bought a Pflueger President and have not had a chance to use it yet but it sure is smooth and has a great anti-reverse.

[RANGER]

Shimano....period!

I will 2nd the 1000 Shimano Symetre. I have had one for several years and love it. I have heard good things about the Pflueger though. Worth a try for the price.

Brent

Anything BUT Shimano....Period!! (Sorry Ranger!)

I have had absolutely nothing but problems with Shimano reels. I take VERY good care of my stuff and yet my Shimano's have all crapped out on me in less than a year. I have had a Stradic, Symetre, and a Sahara. I will personally NEVER buy another one again. I am a diehard Quantum guy know. I have a total of 14 spinning and baitcasters and have not had a problem with them...ever. I have 4 that are 7-8 years old and still perform flawlessly. Now I am not going to say not to buy Shimano, but IMHO, based on MY experience, I feel there are much better reels than Shimano. I fish with guys who use nothing but Shimano and they love them. Granted I try to kick their reels overboard every so often. ;) But to each his own. I would just say try the newer Quantum reels before you buy anything. Whatever you buy, just make sure it balances well on the rod. Go to the store and grab some of the reels and put them on the same rod you have at home. I personally take my rod with me. Kinda weird yes, but if I am going to spend that much for a reel, I want it to be setup right. Normally you can talk the guys at the store into giving you some cheap mono to put on the reel and then tie on something so get a better feel on how the setup works together.


You just mentioned that you are buying St. Croix rods. What type of rods? Spinning? Casting? What purpose will you use these said rods for? What is your price range?
If you give us more info, we could give you a better idea on what reels would be good/not so good?

My 0.02

[SUPERTROLLER]

I've been buying Daiwa's for all of my needs. I've got the linecounter's, baitcaster's, and spinning reels now too. I've had problems with Okuma's, Pinnacle's, Zebco Prostaff's (Quantum), and Shakespeare. The only problems I've ever had with any Daiwa reel was the new Accudepth's that came out a few years ago,,, they wouldn't and still don't free-spool properly. I've got to thumb the spool backwards alittle to get them to rotate but then they do work adequately. I use them only when necessary and would not recommend the Accudepths to anyone. I'm still using some Daiwa spinning reels from the early 80's on a regular basis for steelhead. They are built well and hold up over the long haul.

[RANGER]

No offense taken! Everyone is entitled!

:cheers:

[Gill]

Have been using Shimano reels for years and haven't had a problem with them. I have 8 Symetre reels. Just purchased 2 from Cabelas yesterday to go on my new St Croix rods. Good reels for the money in my opinion.
Good luck with your purchase.

Gill
"Fish On"

[Capt. Paul]

Have Stradic's on all of my St Croix jigging rods, have never had a problem with them, now into their 4th or 5th season. Two weekends ago I took my largest freshwater fish ever on my jig rig, 5 foot 70 lb class lake sturgeon. Shimano handled it just fine.