What reel should I buy for drop shot?

[It's a toad]

If you had to pick from the options I will list below what reel would you choose for drop shotting and why? Okuma RTX, Lew's Mach l, Lew's tournament pro spin, pflueger president, or pflueger supreme 

[Nor-Cal Basser]

The Pflueger President is a solid reel. That would be my pick.

[DaveT63]

I've never used any of them, but the President gets some SERIOUS love around these parts, so I would probably go with that.

I've never used any of them, but the President gets some SERIOUS love around these parts, so I would probably go with that.

[tander]

Any Pflueger spinning reel, can't go wrong. Just according how much you want to spend.

[fishnkamp]

I have been using the Pflueger Presidents for years and really like them. However I also own an Okuma RTX30. It is a bit faster speed reel, but mostly it is a super lightweight reel. If you are drop shotting with a rod around 6'8 medium light then it may balance better with the lighter reel. My RTX is on my 6'6 medium fast tipped rod that I throw unweighted Sencos, and lightweight texas rigs. It plays really nicely with the super light baits.  I doubt either reel will disappoint you.  I have nothing against the Lews I have no experience with either one.

[Further North]

The reel is the least important part of a drop shot rig.  Rod and line are infinitely more important.

 

Any reel that'll get the fish on the boat will get the job done - see above Pflueger President, etc.

[iceintheveins]

I have always used the Pflueger Presidents and they are awesome, better than many $100 spinning reels. I just bought a Pflueger Supreme though to try it out, and since it's about an ounce lighter.

[Fishes in trees]

Buy a reel that balances well with the rod you're going to use.   My issue with spinning gear for drop shot has been that often, when the bait is resting on the bottom, a loop or two of line will come off the reel and when I go to set the hook the loose line gets tangled up in the handle.   This issue is solved by paying attention to your line, but often I don't as I'm attending to other issues.   More and more, I've going to using bait casters for drop shot fishing because of this.  I still keep the finesse rig in the boat, but I'll use the bubba drop shot set up or a lighter rig with 10 lb Abrazx much more often.

[MickD]

Drop shotting has nothing to do with what reel is better.  The best reel will be best for any technique.

[Puggz]

Shimano Ci4 (or better!) 1000 series spooled with 6lb Tatsu.

[bigfruits]

I agree that the reel matters little but the Ci4+ feels great on lighter rods!

[Puggz]

21 hours ago, MickD said:

Drop shotting has nothing to do with what reel is better.  The best reel will be best for any technique.

Not correct!  Dropshotting usually means an angry smallmouth on light line, sometimes out of 40 FOW.  A good drag is paramount!

[MickD]

A good drag is important as it is with any type of fishing.  My point is that any reasonably good quality reel will work fine for drop-shotting.  There is nothing in the technique that would lead one to a specific reel.  Unless you're drop-shotting for tuna.

 

Of course the reel and rod should be reasonably matched, as it should be for any kind of fishing. A good combination for drop-shotting will likely be on the light side.   When it comes to the rod, it's a different story, because there are powers and actions that don't work well for drop-shotting.  Previous posts get to the rod pretty well.  Most fishermen seem to like medium power fast or Xfast action.  As mentioned before, it is important that the line match your expectations.  I like braid for its low stretch/high sensitivity with a floro leader, but I've also done well with mono and floro.  The deeper the water the  more important sensitivity is, so it leads naturally to braid.

[Crestliner2008]

Another vote for the Presidents!