Which size spinning reel do I need?

[k813zra]

A while back you all advised me on picking my first rod (in years) and aside from getting a lemon the first time around I have been happy with the replacement. My current rod is used for mostly small eater sized Channel cat 1-2 pound range and walleye or whatever else bites the line. It is a 6'6'' Shimano Sojurn Medium with a Shimano 2500FE and has been serving me well this past few weeks. However, as was mentioned to me by a poster here I did in fact decide I needed a second setup pretty quickly. I do a lot of panfishing and my wife brought me home a surprise rod. Ugly stick Elite.

 

This rod is an UL with a line rating of 2-6 pounds and a lure rating of 1/32-1/4 and is 5'. It will be used for 1/16-1/8 crappie jigs and roster tails of the same weight. Maybe a little float fishing around trees and stumps. I think the size will work well for the stretch of river I panfish as there is a ton of overhead cover and the river is narrow. My question is what size reel to go with?

 

Now, I like the Shimano just fine and I liked my old Abu Garcia Cardinal too but I got to see and feel some president reels in the bait shop the other day and they just feel better to me. I can't describe why, I just connected with the reel. The thing is, I don't know which size to go with. 20, 25 or 30. I was tinking that the 25 might best fit this rod. I have been doing a lot of reading and it seems that the 25 is overall larger and has a bigger diameter spool than the 20, which from reading seems to be something many suggest. On the other hand the 30 seems like it might be a bit heavy for a 5' UL rod. Also, is there any reason to go with the XT over the regular president?

 

The thing is, I may or may not outgrow this rod and want something different for panfishing. If that ends up being the case I would like to get a reel that will move over to the next rod nicely.

 

Thanks!

[mllrtm79]

my gut would say for 5' definitely not over the 25, but I'm the guy who has a 1000 size lew's mr crappie on a 6' medium rod for senkos... I think for the line size you're going to be using the smaller reels would be just fine, but I have not looked at the president series. Maybe take your rod into the store with you and get a feel for how each size balances/feels to you with it, that way you don't have to get it home and find you've got too much or too little reel for your liking. 

[Darren.]

1 hour ago, k813zra said:

Now, I like the Shimano just fine and I liked my old Abu Garcia Cardinal too but I got to see and feel some president reels in the bait shop the other day and they just feel better to me. I can't describe why, I just connected with the reel. The thing is, I don't know which size to go with. 20, 25 or 30. I was tinking that the 25 might best fit this rod. I have been doing a lot of reading and it seems that the 25 is overall larger and has a bigger diameter spool than the 20, which from reading seems to be something many suggest. On the other hand the 30 seems like it might be a bit heavy for a 5' UL rod. Also, is there any reason to go with the XT over the regular president?

 

This is the critical part of your post (IMO). I had the opposite

experience and "connected" better with Shimano. We're all

different, and it's all good!!

 

I'd go with a 20 for a 5' UL rod. On Shimano I'd pick a 500.

 

Like @mllrtm79, I'm a 1000 size guy. Not sure if Lew's is 

the same as Shimano, but I've got 5 Stradic 1000s and use

them for bass fishing... Got 1 500 Sahara and it's been used

for bass, too, capable of brining in a good one if you happen

to score one during UL fishing. The 20 will be fine, too.

[k813zra]

Thank you both. I have not had the chance to try out any of the mid to high end shimano gear, maybe that has a better feel than the Sienna. I like the idea of taking the rod into the shop, that won't be an issue.  I think I will do that this afternoon. 

 

As an aside, the fishing was decent today. No target species but I brought in a fairly large carp and a few shad (small ones). 

[Spider]

For light work I use a Shimano 2500 "Relatively small reel". The most important things to consider are that it is not too heavy "Fatigue" and that it has a good drag system. The second I consider the most important. The President reel you mention is also a good choice.

 

GL

[XpressJeff]

Shimano Stradic 3000 4 me!

[k813zra]

5 minutes ago, XpressJeff said:

Shimano Stradic 3000 4 me!

 

Maybe I am misunderstanding but wouldn't that be a little overkill for a 5' ultralight and 4 pound test? I have the Sienna 2500 now on my medium 6'6'' and that seems large.

[jakebrake]

sounds like a trout setup? personally, I'm running an older quantum xs00 ( assuming that to be a 1000, or thereabouts)

 

any bigger than a 1500 is too big for my tastes when it comes to ultralight.

[RoLo]

 

I personally would target the '2500' reel.

Bear in mind that your reel is a major player in the overall balance of your outfit ('combo' if you will).

The trend toward lighter and lighter reels is understandable, but there is a tipping point.

When you go with an unduly light reel (as I tend to do), you're more likely to end-up with a tip-heavy rod.

 

Roger

[XpressJeff]

Yes sir, I misread!