Pondering on size of my next spinning reels

[Ray K]

I've got mostly casting tackle (Lews Tournament reels) and only one spinning combo which is a 6'6" BPS Carbonlite rod with a Penn Battle 4000 reel.  I really like this combo but want to add another spinning combo or two to the arsenal.  The Penn 4000 series seems comfortable but, I'm wondering what size reels I should consider for the next set-ups?  They will be used mostly for finesse fishing (Flukes, soft jerks, shakies, etc.) and perhaps some cranks in open water on occasion. 

I'm looking at Penn 2500, 3000 and 4000, Daiwa SS1300 & 1600, Lew's Tournament Pro TP 200, 300, & 400.  My main quandry is the size.  I want the lightest possible that still does the job.  I'll be using 20-50 lb braid and 10-14 lb mono mostly.  Capacity isn't an issue.  Suggestions?

[MBB Nate]

I haven't used any of those but my Pflueger President 2500 is a true reliable workhorse that is worth twice what they cost.

 

[Ray K]

Just now, MBB Nate said:

I haven't used any of those but my Pflueger President 2500 is a true reliable workhorse that is worth twice what they cost.

 

I looked into the Pfleuger Presidents but, they are all 5.1 gear ratios.  I'd like a little better retrieve like a 6.2 perhaps.  Does Pfleuger make high gear ratio reels?

[rippin-lips]

28 minutes ago, Ray K said:

I looked into the Pfleuger Presidents but, they are all 5.1 gear ratios.  I'd like a little better retrieve like a 6.2 perhaps.  Does Pfleuger make high gear ratio reels?

Look at ipt and not gear ratio. One reel could actually take up more line 'ipt' but have a lower gear ratio than a different reel with a higher gear ratio.  An inexpensive but good reel is the Okuma Rtx 25 or 30. I've had mine for years and it's been dropped,dunked,dragged, and it's still as good as it was when I got it. It's my dedicated river combo for smallmouth. It gets a workout. The drag system is smooth too. Something I look for in a good spinning reel. I believe @Bluebasser86 has been using one recently also and is enjoying it.

[Ray K]

1 minute ago, rippin-lips said:

Look at ipt and not gear ratio. One reel could actually take up more line 'ipt' but have a lower gear ratio than a different reel with a higher gear ratio.  An inexpensive but very good reel is the Okuma Rtx 25s or 30. I've had mine for years and it's been dropped,dunked,dragged, and it's still as good as it was when I got it. Smooth drag system too. 

Thanks for the tip.  Hadn't thought about IPT.

[MIbassyaker]

30 minutes ago, Ray K said:

I looked into the Pfleuger Presidents but, they are all 5.1 gear ratios.  I'd like a little better retrieve like a 6.2 perhaps.  Does Pfleuger make high gear ratio reels?

Yes, but you have to go up a level in price. the size 30 president for instance is a 5.1 gr with 25.2" IPT. The size 30 supreme is 6.2 ratio with 31.8" IPT.

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-spinning-reels/pflueger-president-spinning-reel/1280293.html

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-spinning-reels/pflueger-supreme-spinning-reel/1347902.html

[Scott F]

Gear ratios do not always tell how fast a spinning reel is. A larger spool will pick up more line per turn than a smaller one even with the same gear ratio. I currently have a Quantum "Speed Freak" spinning reel with a 6.2:1 gear ratio. My 25 size reel will pick 33 inches of line per turn of the handle. The 50 size reel picks up 42 inches per turn.

[Ray K]

14 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

Yes, but you have to go up a level in price. the size 30 president for instance is a 5.1 gr with 25.2" IPT. The size 30 supreme is 6.2 ratio with 31.8" IPT.

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-spinning-reels/pflueger-president-spinning-reel/1280293.html

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-spinning-reels/pflueger-supreme-spinning-reel/1347902.html

I see, so if I were to go with the Supreme which size 25, 30, 35 or 40 might work best for finesse fishing with say, 15 to 20 lb braid + FC leader?

[bigfruits]

shimano 2500 is a good all around size for LMB fishing. not sure if penn's is the same size.

[Darren.]

My .02: a 4000 is rather big for bass fishing in my book,
but certainly not unheard of.

I'd probably go for a 25/2500 size if I were you, take your
pick of brand.

Me, I use 1000 size for 97% of my bass fishing and have
never been spooled or had issue with drag despite catching
dozens of bass over 6# not to mention logs, weed salads
and so on. But that's me. I prefer smaller reels which tend to
be lighter.

[buzzed bait]

9 minutes ago, Ray K said:

I see, so if I were to go with the Supreme which size 25, 30, 35 or 40 might work best for finesse fishing with say, 15 to 20 lb braid + FC leader?

i'd go with the 30 myself as i think it's perfect for 10-15lb braid.  i have 35 size pflueger patriarch and trions and i believe a 25 size trion which is a little small, but it's on my ultralight setup.

[Scott F]

31 minutes ago, Ray K said:

I see, so if I were to go with the Supreme which size 25, 30, 35 or 40 might work best for finesse fishing with say, 15 to 20 lb braid + FC leader?

15 to 20lb braid does not say "finesse" to me.  I'm like Darren, smaller reels 10-25 size will hold a lot of 6 to 10lb braid. Light braid will throw those light finesse lures a lot farther than 20lb will. A 40 with 20lb braid would work for well for any power fishing you'd want to do.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

A 2500 size spinning reel is a good all around size for common bass fishing applications 

[Bass Turd]

12 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

A 2500 size spinning reel is a good all around size for common bass fishing applications 

The Pflueger Supreme 25 size is their smallest and not the same as other manufacturers 2500 size. Double check sizing with the line rating of the reel and compare different reels that way.

[timsford]

Get the ss 1300 and call it a day. A 2500 or 3000 size daiwa is what I prefer and the 1300 is the same size. Amazing reel that will outlast you if you clean it every once in a while. Most makers 2500-3000 size should work great unless you go with pfleuger. Their line capacity per size is quite a bit smaller so I'd go with a 30 or more likely 35 size pfleuger

[Onvacation]

4 hours ago, rippin-lips said:

Look at ipt and not gear ratio. One reel could actually take up more line 'ipt' but have a lower gear ratio than a different reel with a higher gear ratio.  

To confuse matters more, take Shimano as an example.  My 2500 Stradic and my 3000 Stradic are the same size frame, but the 3000 has a different spool with more capacity and a higher IPT.  

Both are 6.0:1 gear ratio.  The 2500 holds 8/140 the 3000 holds 8/170. 2500 is 34 IPT and 3000 is 35 IPT.  Not a massive difference, but it shows you the effect of a slightly larger spool capacity.  Take some line off of the 3000 and it will be the same IPT as the 2500. 

[Darren.]

This thread (and others over the years) got me thinking 
about line capacity and getting spooled.

So I started a new discussion about that topic so as not
to distract from @Ray K's post. 

Here if interested:

 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

3 hours ago, Bass Turd said:

The Pflueger Supreme 25 size is their smallest and not the same as other manufacturers 2500 size. Double check sizing with the line rating of the reel and compare different reels that way.

That's right there's no standard. 

[soflabasser]

Lots of good answers.You can easily bass fish with a size 2000-3000 spinning reel ,but I prefer using a size 4000 spinning reel since I can use this reel for both freshwater and saltwater applications. 

[Nomad357]

I just finished buying 7 new spinning reels. My first time at buying reels was in 2014 and I went with these hugh things 4000,5000  and bought one that was  so big I had to buy a boat rod to mount it on. Lets just say they weighed my Kayak down and were miserable to fish with. But this time around I went alot smaller. My main go to reel will be a 2500 series, I was wanting a 3000 but guys from here and other forums convinced me that 2500 would be best. I think they are right. On some of the inshore forums guys are using 1000 series for inshore and doing very well with them.

Spool size well from my research guys pointed out when do you ever use over 100yds of braid for normal freshwater and most of the inshore fishing. SO most of the 2500's is plenty big enough. 

[Bluebasser86]

On 9/22/2016 at 2:52 PM, rippin-lips said:

Look at ipt and not gear ratio. One reel could actually take up more line 'ipt' but have a lower gear ratio than a different reel with a higher gear ratio.  An inexpensive but good reel is the Okuma Rtx 25 or 30. I've had mine for years and it's been dropped,dunked,dragged, and it's still as good as it was when I got it. It's my dedicated river combo for smallmouth. It gets a workout. The drag system is smooth too. Something I look for in a good spinning reel. I believe @Bluebasser86 has been using one recently also and is enjoying it.

I bought the 25 size RTX this past winter so I have almost a full year of use on it now. The faster retrieve speed was one of the main reasons I ended up with this reel instead of another President. I've been using it for dropshotting and the slow retrieve of the President is a killer in deep water, especially if fish are racing to the surface to jump, no way to keep up with them. 

It's been a great reel. It's very smooth and feels very connected. Drag works well and it picks up line very quickly just like I'd hoped. I've suggested it before and will continue to do so when someone needs something faster or lighter than a President. 

[Ray K]

I appreciate all the informative replies.  I think I've decided to go with a 2500 this time around to go along with my Penn Battle 4000.  The Penn is also used for inshore snook and redfish with 50 lb braid and also works fine in fresh water.  But, the lighter 2500 or 3000 reels should provide less fatigue and handle any bass I might encounter.

[Big Bait Fishing]

On ‎9‎/‎22‎/‎2016 at 1:26 PM, Darren. said:

My .02: a 4000 is rather big for bass fishing in my book,
but certainly not unheard of.

I'd probably go for a 25/2500 size if I were you, take your
pick of brand.

Me, I use 1000 size for 97% of my bass fishing and have
never been spooled or had issue with drag despite catching
dozens of bass over 6# not to mention logs, weed salads
and so on. But that's me. I prefer smaller reels which tend to
be lighter.

i had a 40 size (9540 ) Pflueger Patriarch , it worked great but was just too big so i traded it on a 1000 size (9525 ) patriarch and let me tell you it is absolutely fantastic !!! holds plenty of 10 lb. Sunline SX1 line , the drag was a little weak , needed a little more stopping power so i cleaned the drag washers that were greased and re-installed them dry and now the drag is perfect and still silky smooth . plus the reel only weighs 5.6 oz. , making my spinning set up super light and sensitive .

[custer]

I fish 2500 size shimano stradics exclusively. Matter of fact I prefer the "FJ" series. 

 

They can be found on ebay used for around $100.. and worth every penny. 

[fvogel67]

I think the Stradic FJ is one of the best reels ever made