Spinning Reels $150 Or Less

[NEjitterbugger]

I have been thinking about some ideas for what I want for christmas ( i know pretty early) and for one thing I want to get 2 decent spinning reels 150 bucks or less and also 2 decent rods preferably around the same price...

Any suggestions, thanks

[NEjitterbugger]

I have never used a baitcaster... Would anyne srongly suggest that? Don't know how to put line on a baitcaster either.

[DaveT63]

In that price range, I would strongly consider either the Pflueger Supreme XT or the Shimano Stradic for spinning reels. If you wait until Tackle Warehouse or other places have their Black Friday sales, you can save some good money on them. It 's hard to go wrong with St Croix Avid rods for the price. They are a little above $150, but again, Black Friday sales should bring them down to that or lower.

If you don't mind used, you can find some great deals in the Flea Market section, and stretch your money even farther. I've seen Stradic CI4's and Pflueger Patriarchs in there for well under $150 before, and St Croix LTBs and Loomis IMX rods for that as well.

I'm relatively new to baitcasters myself, so I won't "strongly suggest" you make the switch. There is a learning curve to using one that I know frustrates less patient people like myself. But I finally got the hang of it and now use mostly baitcasters, with spinning gear for only a couple specific techniques. Best I can say is see if a friend with one will let you try one out for a while to practice with before yo make the decision.

Dave

[MCS]

For your spinning gear some of the best reels out there are Pflueger President, President xt and Supreme. You can get them starting at around $50 for the president model and the supreme is at the upper end of your range, but they are well made, smooth and nice finish. I have two Pfluegers a president and a templar(which is like a president xt). You can also watch ebay, sometimes you can snag a new in box for less than store price. If your targeting bass, walleye and larger game fish recommend getting a 35 or 40 size. that way you can have 8 to 12 pound line with no worries. The setup I use is a 35 series Templar with a Bass Pro Shops Carbon Lite 6'-6" MH rod and 8 pound stren megathin.Like Dave just said I have heard great things about the Shimanos but they are a little pricing and not my style. As far as rods, the Abus have nice ones the veritas or villians I hear good things about. Their new Inshore rod is only $99 and looks nice too. But the Carbon Lite is deffinitely my favorite rod I have owned and best for the money IMO. I have only thrown spinning gear my whole life, so don't worry if you like it stick with it. There are tons of people that do the same, baitcasting isn't a must. There are pros and cons to both. I have considered and still might get a baitcasting setup in the future but am happy with my spinning gear for now.

[BASSHUNTER1961]

Pick up a baitcast set up and begin the learning process, it will make you a more versatile angler. No need to make a switch, just learn something new. I use both spinning and baitcast gear, and there is a time and place for each.

I can't see spending $150 on a spinning reel unless you are fishing saltwater. For $60-$100 you can get a very respectable spinning reel like a Shimano Sedona. I would take a look at the Falcon Bu Coo Micro line of rods or the St Croix Avid line.

If going with baitcast gear, get a decent reel and the learning curve will be much easier.

[NEjitterbugger]

Thanks for the input guy, well appreciated.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

For your spinning gear some of the best reels out there are Pflueger President, President xt and Supreme. You can get them starting at around $50 for the president model and the supreme is at the upper end of your range, but they are well made, smooth and nice finish. I have two Pfluegers a president and a templar(which is like a president xt). You can also watch ebay, sometimes you can snag a new in box for less than store price. If your targeting bass, walleye and larger game fish recommend getting a 35 or 40 size. that way you can have 8 to 12 pound line with no worries. The setup I use is a 35 series Templar with a Bass Pro Shops Carbon Lite 6'-6" MH rod and 8 pound stren megathin.Like Dave just said I have heard great things about the Shimanos but they are a little pricing and not my style. As far as rods, the Abus have nice ones the veritas or villians I hear good things about. Their new Inshore rod is only $99 and looks nice too. But the Carbon Lite is deffinitely my favorite rod I have owned and best for the money IMO. I have only thrown spinning gear my whole life, so don't worry if you like it stick with it. There are tons of people that do the same, baitcasting isn't a must. There are pros and cons to both. I have considered and still might get a baitcasting setup in the future but am happy with my spinning gear for now.

If inshore rod is something you may be interested in look over at the St Croix website. They have their Legend Inshore rods HALF-PRICE $150--$165..Ive neved use that model so look for input on them but its a good deal.

Here are the ratings on them.

http://www.stcroixrods.com/shop/catalog/Saltwater-24-1.html#

Legend Inshore Spinning Rod Specifications Model Length Power Action Line Weight Lure Weight Rod Weight

(Oz.) LIS70MLF 7' 0" Med. Light Fast 6-12 1/8-1/2 3.7 LIS70MF 7' 0" Medium Fast 8-17 3/8-3/4 4.2 LIS70MHF 7' 0" Med. Heavy Fast 10-20 1/2-1 1/4 4.7 LIS76MLF 7' 6" Med. Light Fast 6-12 1/8-1/2 4.4 LIS76MF 7' 6" Medium Fast 8-17 3/8-3/4 4.9

[BASSHUNTER1961]

For your spinning gear some of the best reels out there are Pflueger President, President xt and Supreme. You can get them starting at around $50 for the president model and the supreme is at the upper end of your range, but they are well made, smooth and nice finish. I have two Pfluegers a president and a templar(which is like a president xt). You can also watch ebay, sometimes you can snag a new in box for less than store price. If your targeting bass, walleye and larger game fish recommend getting a 35 or 40 size. that way you can have 8 to 12 pound line with no worries. The setup I use is a 35 series Templar with a Bass Pro Shops Carbon Lite 6'-6" MH rod and 8 pound stren megathin.Like Dave just said I have heard great things about the Shimanos but they are a little pricing and not my style. As far as rods, the Abus have nice ones the veritas or villians I hear good things about. Their new Inshore rod is only $99 and looks nice too. But the Carbon Lite is deffinitely my favorite rod I have owned and best for the money IMO. I have only thrown spinning gear my whole life, so don't worry if you like it stick with it. There are tons of people that do the same, baitcasting isn't a must. There are pros and cons to both. I have considered and still might get a baitcasting setup in the future but am happy with my spinning gear for now.

This.... I have a President and like it a lot. I also have a Templar, and for some reason it just does not like braid. I have never fished or heard of any Shimano not liking braid.

Again as stated by MCS, baitcast gear in NOT a must, but I do prefer it for frogs in really heavy cover. I also use a 7'2" MH/XF spinning rod for frogs in heavy cover, but the baitcast does it a little better.

[MCS]

I agree with Basshunter there is no reason to spend IMO more than $100 on a spinning reel and you can get the President XT for around 75 that is a super nice reel and should last you for years. You can also check out Lew's they make the speed spin reel in a resonable price range as well. It is comprable to the Pfluegers from what I read, I considered them before I got hooked on Pfluegers.

[bassmainiac]

shimano sahara is a nice spinning reel for about 80 bucks.

[SirSnookalot]

I have been thinking about some ideas for what I want for christmas ( i know pretty early) and for one thing I want to get 2 decent spinning reels 150 bucks or less

Are we talking $150 for 1 or 2 reels?

What are your plans for these reels and do want them both to be the same size? From $60-100 there are countless choices that can be used for freshwater fishing, most of which will be more than adequate. Generally speaking the you spend the more refined the reel will be. I would suggest getting an idea of what you have in mind in reference to weight, line capacity and so on. I would pay more attention to the quality of the drag rather than the max number, your drag will be set in relationship to your line. I have read in the past that some ICW fishing is in store for you, all reels can be used but some are better suited. Now it's up to you to do your homework and become an informed shopper.

Interesting, as I was thinking about my response I went on few websites, I noticed some reels that used to be approved for saltwater no longer are. Probably for occasional use no problems would arise, but doubt I'd go there for steady use.

[Jim_M]

For your spinning gear some of the best reels out there are Pflueger President

ditto...

I have "several" Presidents. Tremendous value for a 50-60$ reel.

[kickerfish1]

Get a fenwick elite tech smallmouth rod and pflueger supreme XT and call it good. Very light weight and can be had together for under $250.

[Darren.]

Are we talking $150 for 1 or 2 reels?

Bingo. I read your question and thought you implied TWO reels for $150 and TWO rods for $150...

If that's the case, I'm a Shimano guy and highly recommend the brand. Obviously there are plenty of Pflueger guys who love their reels, too.

Will you be fresh-water only, or desire to do fresh and salt? I see you're a New Englander, so you've got both fresh and salt (presumably) near you. If so, Shimano or Daiwa. All Shimano reels are ready for both.

As for rods, there are so many to choose from. I was gunning for a St. Croix Avid, but bought a Shimano Compre and love the rod(s) with lifetime over the counter warranty as opposed to sending in to St. Croix with shipping $ and all that.

But St. Croix makes some incredible rods. Your $150 would barely land you an Avid, but could land you two Compre's, or a couple Veritas from Abu, etc....

And do you NEED to learn bait casting? No. Is it worth learning? Yeah, IMO. Doesn't mean you should go and dump a load of cash on a rig now. If spinning is your gig now, then rock n' roll with it. When you are ready to spend some cash on a quality baitcasting setup, then do so.

[iceintheveins]

Get a pair of Pflueger presidents and use the leftover money for tackle.

[NEjitterbugger]

I was talking for each but thats okay, great input was given thanks a lot!

[SirSnookalot]

Will you be fresh-water only, or desire to do fresh and salt? I see you're a New Englander, so you've got both fresh and salt (presumably) near you. If so, Shimano or Daiwa. All Shimano reels are ready for both.

@DarrenM

Not sure if that's true, although I'm not knocking the products. In the case of Shimano, the new saros, symetre, and sahara the words "approved for saltwater use" are no longer on the web site, previous versions of those models were. I would do my homework first before considering the 3 reels mentioned above. This is why I say this, if one is a devoted saltwater fisherman you will be fishing at times in some very harsh conditions. For example, the last 2 days, and the forecast is the same for today, we have had 25 mph winds with 6-8' surf busting over the side of the jettie, every 7-9 seconds, everyone's gear( people too) were drenched within minutes. I gotta say we live for this weather, a bluefish, kingfish, and jack crevelle on every cast, total awesome, not only will the fish pull your equipment apart but harsh conditions are going to play havoc. A reel suited for the elements is a wise choice, I had no concerns with my stradic or my soron. On a calm day day, yeh you can get away with about anything.

[skeletor6]

In that price range, I would strongly consider either the Pflueger Supreme XT or the Shimano Stradic for spinning reels. If you wait until Tackle Warehouse or other places have their Black Friday sales, you can save some good money on them. It 's hard to go wrong with St Croix Avid rods for the price. They are a little above $150, but again, Black Friday sales should bring them down to that or lower.

If you don't mind used, you can find some great deals in the Flea Market section, and stretch your money even farther. I've seen Stradic CI4's and Pflueger Patriarchs in there for well under $150 before, and St Croix LTBs and Loomis IMX rods for that as well.

I'm relatively new to baitcasters myself, so I won't "strongly suggest" you make the switch. There is a learning curve to using one that I know frustrates less patient people like myself. But I finally got the hang of it and now use mostly baitcasters, with spinning gear for only a couple specific techniques. Best I can say is see if a friend with one will let you try one out for a while to practice with before yo make the decision.

Dave

X2 on the reel and rod selections. Great post ....if you can get a Shimano Stradic Cl4 when the deals come around. It is a sick reel.

[upnorthbassin]

I say Pflueger Supreme XT. They seem to last (knock on wood) and they are lightweight too. I also like that they still throw in the extra spool which some other companies are doing away with lately. Even the regular old $50 President is a good reel for the money.