Spinning Reel Recommendation

[FryDog62]

Just picked up a Fenwick 7 foot MH Bass Elite spinning rod.  Anyone pair this with a reel that would specifically recommend?  Looking at moderate priced options.  Steez looks great but I'm in the $60-120 range for this rod.  

[Darren.]

Shimano Sedona

Shimano Sahara

Shimano Symetre

 

Daiwa Lexa

[ChrisD46]

I would look at a Daiwa Exceler series (perhaps in a 35 or 40 size) as your using a 7'MH for a reason I suppose with some heavier line ? ...The Daiwa Exceler is around $75 so not too bad a cost and a nice reel . Another option would be a Pflueger President in a 40 series at about the same price .

[smalljaw67]

Pflueger Supreme, fantastic reel for the price!!!

[I.rar]

I picked up a symetre for 80 on fleabay and I'm pretty pleased with it. Still haven't had it in the water yet but the fit and finish are on point with anything shimano I've owned in the past.

Or if you wanna wait, you could probably score a stradic fj on closeout.

[d-camarena]

Best reels ive had are pflueger president, shimano symetre and sahara. And my stradic fk but thats a whole different animal. Any of those will serve you well

[Way2slow]

I bought my first Shimano's, bait casters and spinning reels in 1985 and since I've grown fairly fond on them.  For bass fishing, my bait caster of choice is the Curado's and spinning reels are the Stradics.   For the price, they are hard to beat. 

[The Fisher]

Try to wait for the new Shimano Sedona FE. It looks really good with some nice new features. TW says it will be available 7/30.

[RoLo]

Shimano Symetre

Great little reel

 

Roger

[nascar2428]

Okuma RTX 30s, I have this paired up with a 7' Avid MH. One super light combo.

[k3bass]

Pflueger president. For 60 bucks it's better than any shimano spinning reel under the stradic fj.

[Fisher-O-men]

This:

http://www.basspro.com/Shimano-Sedona-FD-Spinning-Reel/product/10203500/

[I.rar]

On 7/20/2015 at 4:32 PM, k3bass said:

Pflueger president. For 60 bucks it's better than any shimano spinning reel under the stradic fj.

While the president is a sweet budget reel (I've owned a bunch), $100 really opens the door to a lot of much nicer reels.

 

[Allen Der]

Pflueger Supreme, fantastic reel for the price!!!

+1 for the supreme.  the 35 size should match up well with a MH rod

[FishTank]

Until last week I would have said the Pflueger Supreme but it started to malfunction and I exchanged it for a Shimano Symetre. This reel, SO FAR, has been great.   I have it pared with a 7'3" ML Fast Fenwick Elite Tech Walleye rod.  It has been a lot of fun.  The Supreme got the job done but the Symetre has the proper balance with the rod.  Another way to put it, this rod and reel set up communicates well with me. 

[jtharris3]

Shimano Symetre's have worked extremely well for me for the past 25 years. I've used them for bass, trout, bluegill, steelhead, walleye, etc. Needless to say I own quite a few of them. You really can't go wrong with this reel.

And, no, I don't work for Shimano.....lol.

[no39]

Just picked up a Fenwick 7 foot MH Bass Elite spinning rod.  Anyone pair this with a reel that would specifically recommend?  Looking at moderate priced options.  Steez looks great but I'm in the $60-120 range for this rod.  

 To give some context the girlfriend and I fish about 5 to 12 times a month.  We tournament fish as co-anglers and generally have a few tournaments each week, so the reels are constantly being banged about in and out of boats and cars.  The tournaments also mean we fish in less than ideal conditions, more often than not the reels are soaking wet.  The reels we run are all shimanos.  I generally NEED to service them at least twice a season.  Some reels seem to need more attention than others.   The list of the spinning reels are as follows:

 

Sedona FB

Sedona FD

 

The sedona fb and fd reliable reels. They work when they're dry and they work when they're wet. The sedonas never "wowed" me with its aesthetics or feel. They simply continued to work and I continued to use them.  

 

Sahara FE

 

I'd pass on this one.  The sahara is just off to me.  I'm not sure if it's the bail mechanism or the handle, but it just felt off.  It also suffers from light binding when wet (read: soaked).  Typically a light cleaning and oiling will cure the problem.  The binding wasn't bad enough to stop fishing with while its doing it though.  Also, by "binding" I mean that it requires a little more effort to start the reel.  Which is terribly annoying with stop and go retrieves.  

 

Symetre FL

This is a step in the right direction.  Much better feel during the retrieve.  This one suffers from the same binding the sahara does, but to a lesser degree.  It only happened once while wet, and if you're not hard on gear I doubt this one will give you problems.  

 

Stradic CI4+

I know this is out of the range that you wanted to spend, but I found a new one on ebay for about 150.  This is it. This is the one you want for the money.  Internally, this is nearly identical to the sustain fg with a few changes that I suspect they used to lighten it up.  The drag is smooth and tight and remains that way even when wet. It's light, almost two ounces lighter than the sustain.  Bottom line: this is a sustain, just cheaper and lighter.

 

Sustain FG

Man, I like this thing.  If I could describe it one word it would be "right". It never gives me problems. The handle is right. It almost feels effortless the reel in.  The way the drag starts and stops is smooth, predictable, and waterproof.  The bail mechanism is right.  I find with most things there's typically two options.  There's loose, clunky, and reliable, but there's also tight, smooth, and problematic.  The sustain has some how transcended all that.  It's loose yet smooth.  It's tight yet reliable. 

[SirSnookalot]

It probably doesn't make much difference in performance what you buy in the $100 range.  They all are fairly smooth and have a more than adequate drag, what else a small spinning reel needs to provide I don't know.  With that being said when I look for a reel it's how it feels on the rod, clearance when cranking (bail doesn't hit your knuckles) and handle style, I personally favor a paddle style or t.

[RoLo]

Shimano Symetre's have worked extremely well for me for the past 25 years. I've used them for bass, trout, bluegill, steelhead, walleye, etc. Needless to say I own quite a few of them. You really can't go wrong with this reel.

And, no, I don't work for Shimano.....lol.

 

Most of my spinning reels are Stradics, but they run the gamut from Symetre to Stella.

If I were blindfolded though, I wouldn't know which model was in my hand.

I find that a little unsettling 

 

Roger

[k3bass]

To give some context the girlfriend and I fish about 5 to 12 times a month. We tournament fish as co-anglers and generally have a tournaments each week, so the reels are constantly being banged about in and out of boats and cars. The tournaments also mean we fish in less than ideal conditions, more often than not the reels are soaking wet. The reels we run are all shimanos. I generally NEED to service them at least twice a season. Some reels seem to need more attention than others. The list of the spinning reels are as follows:

Sedona FB

Sedona FD

The sedona fb and fd reliable reels. They work when they're dry and they work when they're wet. The sedonas never "wowed" me with its aesthetics or feel. They simply continued to work and I continued to use them.

Sahara FE

I'd pass on this one. The sahara is just off to me. I'm not sure if it's the bail mechanism or the handle, but it just felt off. It also suffers from light binding when wet (read: soaked). Typically a light cleaning and oiling will cure the problem. The binding wasn't bad enough to stop fishing with while its doing it though. Also, by "binding" I mean that it requires a little more effort to start the reel. Which is terribly annoying with stop and go retrieves.

Symetre FL

This is a step in the right direction. Much better feel during the retrieve. This one suffers from the same binding the sahara does, but to a less degree. It only happened once while wet, and if you're not hard on gear I doubt this one will give you problems.

Stradic CI4+

I know this is out of the range that you wanted to spend, but I found a new one on ebay for about 150. This is it. This is the one you want for the money. Internally, this is nearly identical to the sustain fg with a few changes that I suspect they used to lighten it up. The drag is smooth and tight and remains that way even when wet. It's light, almost two ounces lighter than the sustain. Bottom line: this is a sustain, just cheaper and lighter.

Sustain FG

Man, I like this thing. If I could describe it one word it would be "right". It never gives me problems. The handle is right. It almost feels effortless the reel in. The way the drag starts and stops is smooth, predictable, and waterproof. The bail mechanism is right. I find with most things there's typically two options. There's loose, clunky, and reliable, but there's also tight, smooth, and problematic. The sustain has some how transcended all that. It's loose yet smooth. It's tight yet reliable.

You skipped the best shimano spinning reel in my opinion, the stradic fj.

[blckshirt98]

Any Shimano reel from the Sienna to the Stradic will do you just fine, and if you closed your eyes and had one of each model in your hand, you'd never be able to tell the difference if they all had the same handle.

[MrBigFishSC]

Symetres are the best $100 reel on the market. Save some money for baits and tackle and go with it.

[largemouth01]

Daiwa procyon, it is the finest reel (spinning) i have ever used! you should really check it out.

[EricDkk]

H2O Express Motive carbon

[Philo Beddoe]

I hate being another person to name a reel above your price range, but I was at Cabelas on Sunday and the stadic fj's were on sale for $129. I don't have one, but I hear nothing but good things about them.