Ultra light spinning reel for St. Croix travel rod

[MDRookie]

Ultralight is not a super popular topic here... I have searched through previous threads regarding ultralight reels. I see that the Pflueger President is highly touted. Would a 6920b be a good match for the 5'6" St. Croix travel rod? Is a Pflueger Supreme XT (25 series) too much reel for this rod? Is a Supreme XT twice the reel of the President? Anything else that would be better suited for this rod? Thanks in advance......

[EvanT123]

Take a look at a shimano complex c2000s

[fishnkamp]

I would pick the 6920 Pflueger President. I fish with 25s 30s 35s and 40 and have been happy with all of them.

[Loomis13]

Pflueger just came out with the president xt which is basically the same as the president limited edition. I would go with this in size 25. I use shimano size 1000 on my UL's and that is equivalent to pflueger size 25. I do not think it will be too much reel.

[DaveT63]

I would look at the 25 size Pfluegers or 750-1000 size Shimano on that rod.

[fishwizzard]

I do some UL fishing for bass, but mostly for perch and pickerel.  My only advice is to get the lightest reel you can stand to buy.  A super short, light rod is going to feel off with a large and heavy reel on it.  Right now my UL rods have a Okuma Avenger 500 and a Stratic FJ on them.  The FJ is obviously great, but that little Okuma has been a very good reel and has survived a ton of abuse and fish far beyond it's size.  

[smr913]

Check out a Stradic Ci4 1000. I just got one and it is super light (5.6 ounces.) I have it on a light power st croix (legend elite) that weighs 3.2 ounces and it balances very well. It is an awesome little reel. Highly recommend. 

[tholmes]

13 hours ago, MDRookie said:

Ultralight is not a super popular topic here... I have searched through previous threads regarding ultralight reels. I see that the Pflueger President is highly touted. Would a 6920b be a good match for the 5'6" St. Croix travel rod? Is a Pflueger Supreme XT (25 series) too much reel for this rod? Is a Supreme XT twice the reel of the President? Anything else that would be better suited for this rod? Thanks in advance......

The President 6920b would be, IMHO, a perfect match. A 25 series reel would be a tad too large for an ultralight rig. Another good choice would be a Shimano Sahara SH1000 FE. 

Tom

 

[Loomis13]

1 hour ago, smr913 said:

Check out a Stradic Ci4 1000. I just got one and it is super light (5.6 ounces.) I have it on a light power st croix (legend elite) that weighs 3.2 ounces and it balances very well. It is an awesome little reel. Highly recommend. 

This is what I run on my UL's and absolutely love this reel, the suggestion I gave above was to not spend 200$ on an UL reel. I don't know if i will ever get another spinning reel that isnt the CI4+...

 

[smr913]

18 minutes ago, Loomis13 said:

This is what I run on my UL's and absolutely love this reel, the suggestion I gave above was to not spend 200$ on an UL reel. I don't know if i will ever get another spinning reel that isnt the CI4+...

 

I agree. I have a first model 2500 and it has been a champ. So when I was in the market for a new creek setup it was my first choice. Only down side of the new model is parts won't be available for a few months. This is per Shimano Customer Service. I was really wanting to get a second spool. One for braid and one for fluoro. 

[fishwizzard]

Oh man I got to handle a new Stradic Ci4 1000 the other day.  Come black friday I am replacing my two main spinning reels with them. 

[MDRookie]

Appreciate the feedback.... Not sure I can bring myself at this point in my rookie stage of fishing to spend 4X the President. :-)  

I have my eye on President Supreme XT... the SP25 model but according to feedback.. might be too big. I may be able to pick it up for $70ish. 

Question... Is there a difference between a 6920b and 6920x? 

 

[fishwizzard]

Yea, a CI4+ is in no way a necessity at this stage.  But do write down a list of the weights of whatever reels you want to look at when you go to the store.  A few grams here and there is hard to judge well but say an ounce or so could really make or break a reel you are on the fence over.  

Really look at the Okuma AV-10b, at $40 and 6 ounces, it is a lot of reel and can another site if you use the drag well.  

[MDRookie]

I'm going to take the Sedona 1000fe off other and try on this rod tomorrow. I'd like to keep it under $100 and have a connection at Dick's....with discount ... $80. Would like to buy the right/best reel the first time....

[Hulkster]

I like 1000 size shimano reels for UL setups. the new generation of sedonas are one hell of a reel for the price point.

[tholmes]

Take your rod with you when you go to check out reels. Try likely candidates on the rod to check for balance, ergonomics, etc. On an ultralight, a few ounces of reel weight can make a noticeable difference. Remember: the reel will be slightly heavier when spooled vs. empty.

Tom 

["hamma"]

Shimano products are premium in eyes, I know they used to put out a couple 500 series ul reels that were highly regarded. Check out there site and look for whats available now, it should provide weights for each reel offered.,.. I know the stradics are top notch, but a bit pricey for what your looking for. There should be some lesser expensive models in the ul lineup.

 I dont even look at other manufacturers for a reel anymore. I do have a couple diawa's and abu's that I consider ok,.. But shimano's just outshine them greatly. I actually was pulling out trout gear yesterday, and came across my first trout shimano reel, I think its a "magnumlite" gt 1000,.. that I still use, and it works almost like new, its 35 years old

[MDRookie]

Update...  After a week of researching, searching and agonizing.. I went into Dick's and looked at my options and decided to give an Okuma StratusV SV10 a try. Only took 10 seconds after opening that it was not what I wanted.. not really smooth and made a little bit of noise while winding. Back it went...

Today, (taking my rod with me) I decided I wanted to check out Gander Mountain (never having been there) to look at my options.. Tried the Pflueger 20 and 25... nice but did not seem as smooth as the Sendona 1000FE that I have. Tried a Symetre (nice) and then a Stradic. I was not that impressed with the Stradic.. I think it was the knob (too round) and the short stroke/handle... I dunno.. not for me. Then I noticed in the case next to the Stradic that they had a Sedona 500FD (last one) on close out. Put it on the rod and seems like a perfect fit! Only 6.2oz and 4.7:1 gear ratio that I like for a slower retrieve.  For $40... I'm in love. 

Thanks for the help!!!

[bitsandbass]

Are there any UL reels that are half decent in the $20 range for my 5 year old?  He obviously doesnt need a Stradic, but I also dont want to buy something that rusts on day 1.

 

What about the Bass Pro Tinylite reels?  Total POS or will they last?  Anyone know who the manufacturer is? 

 

What about the Microlite Plus combo.  I know the rod has great reviews.  Very popular.  But what about the $5 reel?  Again, total POS or will it survive a few years?

 

Thanks.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-TinyLite-Spinning-Reel/product/91147/

 

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-MicroLite-Plus-Spinning-Rod-and-Reel-Combo/product/2327453/

[Darren.]

9 minutes ago, bitsandbass said:

Are there any UL reels that are half decent in the $20 range for my 5 year old?  He obviously doesnt need a Stradic, but I also dont want to buy something that rusts on day 1.

 

What about the Bass Pro Tinylite reels?  Total POS or will they last?  Anyone know who the manufacturer is? 

 

What about the Microlite Plus combo.  I know the rod has great reviews.  Very popular.  But what about the $5 reel?  Again, total POS or will it survive a few years?

 

Thanks.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-TinyLite-Spinning-Reel/product/91147/

 

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-MicroLite-Plus-Spinning-Rod-and-Reel-Combo/product/2327453/

 

You can also consider a 500 size Shimano Sahara.

Excellent reel for the money. My youngest has used

one for the past several years in fresh/salt with no

issues (we do rinse in fresh water after every salt

excursion).

 

But it looks like 1000 is the smallest you can find in

the latest models. In fact, I'm not sure Shimano does

offer a 500 size any more. I use 1000 for bass fishing,

but it is so versatile a size it can be used for UL fishing

as well. Small, but not as small as a 500.

[kickerfish1]

29 minutes ago, Darren. said:

 

You can also consider a 500 size Shimano Sahara.

Excellent reel for the money. My youngest has used

one for the past several years in fresh/salt with no

issues (we do rinse in fresh water after every salt

excursion).

 

But it looks like 1000 is the smallest you can find in

the latest models. In fact, I'm not sure Shimano does

offer a 500 size any more. I use 1000 for bass fishing,

but it is so versatile a size it can be used for UL fishing

as well. Small, but not as small as a 500.

 

Darren - It is my understanding that at some point in time this year, Shimano will be putting out a 500 sized reel or two. This was per a Shimano rep on TackleTour.

[Darren.]

2 minutes ago, kickerfish1 said:

 

Darren - It is my understanding that at some point in time this year, Shimano will be putting out a 500 sized reel or two. This was per a Shimano rep on TackleTour.

 

Yeah, that'd be cool from them. I was checking fish.shimano.com

for this post for any 500 size reel and couldn't find one!

[kickerfish1]

6 minutes ago, Darren. said:

 

Yeah, that'd be cool from them. I was checking fish.shimano.com

for this post for any 500 size reel and couldn't find one!

 

I bought an UL spinning rod last year that still remains reel-less. I put a few reels on it including a 1000 sized Shimano and a smaller President and Supreme. Sadly I think the rod needs something even smaller! I am holding out patiently for a new 500 sized reel. Something for trout, bluegill, crappie and juvenile bass and 4# line.

[fishwizzard]

I have an 500 sized Okuma Avenger on one of my perch rods and I have been really happy with it.  It has tangled with some large fish and has seen about three years of use in brackish water and it is still going strong.  

[bitsandbass]

Has anyone tried these $20 Bass Pro reels. They only weigh 5.5oz and have great reviews. 

 

I know now it's only $20 but I don't want to get burned if its a total POS. Thanks. 

 

http://m.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-TinyLite-Spinning-Reel/product/91147/