Cheaper Reels That Have Worked Well

[Mobasser]

Reading through the threads here, I see many questions about the most expensive, high end reels.                It's a fact. Bass fisherman love good qaulity, expensive, reels. For some, only the very best will do.                     But what about the folks who can't always afford to buy these reels?                        Here's a few reels I bought years ago, that have caught plenty of fish, and, are still working perfectly.                                                    Casting: ABU4600C, Qauntum Tour grade, Lews LFS.                                 Spinning: Shimano Sienna, Diawa Laguna, Shimano Sedona, Pflueger Trion. Most of these reels are several years old, and, many cost well under 100.00. These days, that's not considered expensive for fishing reels.                                  Only two of this list are newer. My Lews LFS, and Qauntum Tour Grade. Both are impressive considering the cost.                          As for longevity? It's all about maintenance. A good clean and lube at the start of the season keeps them working well. Since I joined BR, I've gotten some good tips about reel maintenance.                                           Lots of folks are struggling now, due to Covid 19, job loss or layoffs etc. If you fall into this group, don't worry. After you've been around this stuff for so long, you realize that the mid grade reels are so much better than what was available years ago.                              I would never recommend buying the cheapest, off brand reels.                      Most of these will fail in some way, and usually don't last long.If you stick with a good proven name brand, and maintain them, you can get years of fishing out of them.                                What are some less expensive reels that have you've owned, that have worked out well for you?                                                              

[MN Fisher]

I'll double on the Pflueger Trion - I have two, a 30 and a 35, and both have performed well for me.

Never forget Mitchell either. I have an Avocet RZ-2000 and it's been a well behaved reel as well...I've been a Mitchell fan since my original 320 that I got way back in the 60s. If I did have to do that one over, I'd probably go with the Avocet RZT...same reel, just with more bearings.

[plawren53202]

7 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

Reading through the threads here, I see many questions about the most expensive, high end reels.                It's a fact. Bass fisherman love good qaulity, expensive, reels. For some, only the very best will do.                     But what about the folks who can't always afford to buy these reels?                        Here's a few reels I bought years ago, that have caught plenty of fish, and, are still working perfectly.                                                    Casting: ABU4600C, Qauntum Tour grade, Lews LFS.                                 Spinning: Shimano Sienna, Diawa Laguna, Shimano Sedona, Pflueger Trion. Most of these reels are several years old, and, many cost well under 100.00. These days, that's not considered expensive for fishing reels.                                  Only two of this list are newer. My Lews LFS, and Qauntum Tour Grade. Both are impressive considering the cost.                          As for longevity? It's all about maintenance. A good clean and lube at the start of the season keeps them working well. Since I joined BR, I've gotten some good tips about reel maintenance.                                           Lots of folks are struggling now, due to Covid 19, job loss or layoffs etc. If you fall into this group, don't worry. After you've been around this stuff for so long, you realize that the mid grade reels are so much better than what was available years ago.                              I would never recommend buying the cheapest, off brand reels.                      Most of these will fail in some way, and usually don't last long.If you stick with a good proven name brand, and maintain them, you can get years of fishing out of them.                                What are some less expensive reels that have you've owned, that have worked out well for you?                                                              

Great post. For much of my fishing life, my shopping for fishing gear consisted of going into Walmart or occasionally BPS and just grabbing what "looked good" and was reasonably priced.

 

Fortunately/unfortunately I've gotten to the point where I depend on having good quality gear--e.g. I can instantly tell the difference between a sensitive rod and a mediocre one, and I depend on having a sensitive rod for detecting bites, feeling the bottom, etc.--yet at the same time I'm at a point in life where I can't just run out and buy lots of things at the top of the price scale. Budget is always a major concern. So there is a challenge to finding good quality gear that doesn't break the bank.

 

I think places like this forum have been a large reason why manufacturers have had to step up their game and make more reasonably priced gear good quality. I see the exact same thing in my other hobby, guitar, where 15 years ago mid-priced stuff was for the most part pretty junky, and now you can get really really solid gear for not too much.

 

My less expensive reels to add to the list: Shimano Sahara, Daiwa Regal LT; the Lew's Tournament MP MSRPs at over $100 but I got one on sale for under that, so I'll include it.

 

Also, I continue to be surprised by the quality of the Lew's Xfinity line that Walmart carries. I handed my Xfinity spinning combo down to my son when I upgraded earlier this year, but it continues to perform extremely well, both reel and rod. Haven't tried the casting combo, but the spinning combo is solid.

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

The Fuego, kick my self for starting with Tatulas.

 

Same for my Legalis, cant see a reason to buy something more expensive.

[Hook2Jaw]

Third on the Pflueger Trion.  That little reel whipped so many bass for me and remained smooth with a great drag until a jet ski buzzed me and knocked it off the bow of my kayak.

 

I'd like to add the Abu Garcia Black Max.  I never put it through the paces of heavier techniques, but the two I've owned never let me down.  My uncle still uses them to this day and they're nearly five years old.

[greentrout]

My "budget reels" I have had for many yrs. are the Shimano Sienna 1000 and Solstace 2500 ...both are bullet proof and have been in some battles ...

 

If money is a constraint for some right now ... been there done that ... Piscifun offers the Flame 2000 for 23 dollars ready for braid if desired ...  a good little reel ...

 

good fishing ...

[TnRiver46]

I’ve never paid over $40 for a reel and they all work well. If they break I fix them, they really aren’t complicated 

[Captain Phil]

I haven't bought a new fishing reel in many years.   The Shimano Chronarch Bantam 100 was one of the best bass reels ever made.   It's light, rugged and smooth.  Mine are over ten years old and still going strong.  I buy them used on EBay for under $100.  My spinning reels are all Daiwa BG 13s.  They are simple, inexpensive and easy to maintain.  I buy my rods from Bass Pro for less than $50 each.  An expensive rod and reel does not catch more fish.  If it did, I would pay more.  

[mrpao]

My shimano spirex are fairly cheap but have worked great for many years. So have my daiwa spinmatic ultralight reels. No issues after many years of service.

So far I have been impressed with the daiwa revros LT. 

All these reels are $50 or less new.

[r83srock]

Abu black max is a great inexpensive baitcaster. Sometimes it’s hard that tell it from it’s more expensive revo brothers. Pfluger spinning reels, trion, president are all a great value too.

[the reel ess]

2 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

I'll double on the Pflueger Trion - I have two, a 30 and a 35, and both have performed well for me.

Never forget Mitchell either. I have an Avocet RZ-2000 and it's been a well behaved reel as well...I've been a Mitchell fan since my original 320 that I got way back in the 60s. If I did have to do that one over, I'd probably go with the Avocet RZT...same reel, just with more bearings.

I have 3 now. The first one, a size 40, worked so well, I bought another 25 and 20. They just keep working. I got the 25 in a pawn shop unopened for half price. SCORE!

[OkobojiEagle]

2- Abu Premiers 2nd Gen, Pixy 68, Lew's BB1 "rachet reverse", 2- Morrum 1601c mags, 6- original Techna Av rods, 3 Aetos rods, various HMG rods... nothing in this list I paid more than $100 for.  Do your research, decide EXACTLY what you want IN ADVANCE and be very patient -- there are bargains to be taken advantage of.  The mentioned rods were all new from stores, the reels were all in very good condition from on-line swap pages... everything I use today and am very happy with!

 

oe

[Chet C]

i would like to ad to this topic on bait casters, the Piscafun Phantom is a real nice reel, i actually like it over my new daiwa tatula CT 100 HS

chet

[Tywithay]

I've only caught one fish on my KK Megajaws (15" wiper) but it handled it with ease. I've used it on a couple trips now to sling crankbaits and it casts well, retrieve isn't the smoothest, but it hasn't struggled. For $45, it has been decent. I don't know if it will still work a year from now though. I have a Fuego CT that I've had since they first came out. I could probably own just those and be totally happy, if I weren't an addict. 

[RoLo]

 

One of the best deals I've gotten in a reel is the Shimano Symetre.

They cost something like $60 apiece, and I can't say one bad thing about Symetre.

In spite of brutal abuse, both of them are still kicking around in my den.

 

Roger

[Bankc]

None of my Zebco 33's have ever let me down.  They don't cast well, but they're cheap enough you can often buy them on a whim.  Last year I got a 33 with a rod and line for $10 at Wally World.  Half my lures cost more than that!  

 

And guess what?  It catches fish.  The rod isn't sensitive by any stretch of the imagination, but if you hold your finger on the line as you reel it in, it tells you everything you need to know.  The drag sucks to use, but it works.  Like I said, they don't cast well, but they don't backlash if you mess up either.  They're definitely not as refined as any other rod and reel listed, but if you can't catch a fish on one, then you're a pretty terrible angler.  And best of all, if I go fishing with someone who hasn't fished much, we can take out my 33's and I can teach them about fishing instead of how to use a reel.  They have fun instead of messing with difficult gear, and I have fun reliving my childhood instead of watching them like a hawk so they don't break something expensive.

[WRB]

Everyone today wants the latest and greatest rod and reels. This may be a result of always upgrading computers to current state of the art. Reels haven't changed very much the past 30 years. 

Tom

[MN Fisher]

28 minutes ago, WRB said:

This may be a result of always upgrading computers to current state of the art.

For some it's 'necessary'...only computer upgrade I've done in the last half-decade is my phone...my old Galaxy S-4 finally bit the dust. My desktop is 6 years old - still running Win-7. My Netbook (HP Mini 110-4250) is almost 10 years old, also running Win-7.

[NOC 1]

3 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

2- Abu Premiers 2nd Gen, Pixy 68, Lew's BB1 "rachet reverse", 2- Morrum 1601c mags, 6- original Techna Av rods, 3 Aetos rods, various HMG rods... nothing in this list I paid more than $100 for.  Do your research, decide EXACTLY what you want IN ADVANCE and be very patient -- there are bargains to be taken advantage of.  The mentioned rods were all new from stores, the reels were all in very good condition from on-line swap pages... everything I use today and am very happy with!

 

oe

I wouldn't call a PX68 a "budget reel" New it was a $400 reel. I get what you are saying and agree with most of it though. I have a whole lot of top drawer stuff that I got in Mint or NOS condition for about 1/2 the list. In fact I would recommend that people buy an older high quality reel rather than spend the money on a brand new bottom of the barrel reel.

 

But that is not what the thread is asking. Under your definition you could include any reel that you got a deal on..Could I include the new Steez that I got for Christmas? Hey, it was cheap to me...

 

 

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, NOC 1 said:

But that is not what the thread is asking. Under your definition you could include any reel that you got a deal on..Could I include the new Steez that I got for Christmas? Hey, it was cheap to me...

 

Oh - that means the Fuego CT I got as a Yule gift last year could be included.

[NOC 1]

6 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

.  The best cheap BC reel I have used was a Kastking Spartacus from their Aliexpress store for $35.  I got $10 shallow spool for it and I casts great. It does have a known issue with the level wind and I don't think it will hold up or be serviceable years and years down the road like the Fuego.  It's more of a disposable reel.

I'd say so. It would cost more to send one in for a deep clean servicing than it would to just buy a new one.

[r83srock]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

None of my Zebco 33's have ever let me down.  They don't cast well, but they're cheap enough you can often buy them on a whim.  Last year I got a 33 with a rod and line for $10 at Wally World.  Half my lures cost more than that!  

 

And guess what?  It catches fish.  The rod isn't sensitive by any stretch of the imagination, but if you hold your finger on the line as you reel it in, it tells you everything you need to know.  The drag sucks to use, but it works.  Like I said, they don't cast well, but they don't backlash if you mess up either.  They're definitely not as refined as any other rod and reel listed, but if you can't catch a fish on one, then you're a pretty terrible angler.  And best of all, if I go fishing with someone who hasn't fished much, we can take out my 33's and I can teach them about fishing instead of how to use a reel.  They have fun instead of messing with difficult gear, and I have fun reliving my childhood instead of watching them like a hawk so they don't break something expensive.

A zebco 33 makes a nice dock skipping reel. I have one I modified with a big handle that I hand to people learning to skip. Works great.

[Teal]

I had an old dawia Laguna that was 50 bucks... that little thing was awesome.  Whoever broke into my shed a few years ago wanted it more than me... thank goodness all my good stuff was locked up inside the the boat.

[NOC 1]

23 minutes ago, Teal said:

I had an old dawia Laguna that was 50 bucks... that little thing was awesome.  Whoever broke into my shed a few years ago wanted it more than me... thank goodness all my good stuff was locked up inside the the boat.

I have a couple of those old green Lagunas. I don't much use them, but I have them on rods and occasionally hand them out to family which don't ordinarily fish much. they work very well and feel like a solid Daiwa reel. One of the best cheap reels in my book.

[LCG]

I had a pflueger president xt that lasted me 3 years with no problems at all. I sold it to buy the Shimano Stradic FL, and yes there is a big difference.

 

But if on a budget I would recommend the president xt. I have a Daiwa Fuego CT and it's a solid reel, but not the same smoothness as my Curado K.

 

I am frugal so I always wait for a sale. I will also add that there is something to be said for buying something of quality and paying once rather than buying something of less quality and replacing.