Best tournament budget spinning reel?

[Cerhardt161]

Im 22 years old work full time and fishing when im not sleeping. I just got invited to fish 2 different 12 week weekend tourneys with a friends dad thats pretty big in the bass fishing community in the state. Ive fished with him when he needed a fill in and weve always won money but i knew i didnt have the proper gear to be fishing for the amount of money i was putting up. I had a few instances where my pfluger president locked up on me and even a supreme that broke the bail spring. Anyways my friends dad has an IROD connect that im getting 4 spinning rods and a couple casting hes throwing in some curados for the casters but id like something cheaper than the the shimano c+ which he runs on all his rods but i dont know if i can afford them. Im more in the 100$ reel range but im here to see what everyone says and if its worth the 200$ Because if it is i guess im working overtime the next few weeks. Thanks to anyone that replys!

[jbsoonerfan]

Shimano Sahara would get my vote for sub $100

[Michigander]

Penn Fierce won't lock up on you.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Neither will a President is maintained. The felt drag must be greased to repel moisture and prevent swelling. Better yet install a carbon drag. 

[MN Fisher]

7 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Neither will a President is maintained.

My President-25 is going on 3 years now with no issue

 

7 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Better yet install a carbon drag. 

Which I did not only with the Pres-25, but also my Pres XT-30

[jimmyjoe]

   You might look into the Daiwa BG2500.                        jj

[FishTank]

I haven't tried the new one but the Shimano Sahara use to be a great budget reel. 

[bulldog1935]

Tica Libra SX1500 or the worm drive Tica Samira SAAT 2000H is my choice for a long-lived $100 reel.  

Amazon sells them.  

[Bluebasser86]

I've not had good success with the new Presidents. My last good President is hit or miss if the anti reverse works each time anymore so I replaced it. The Daiwa Revros has been the main replacement reel and it performs well above it's price IMO. I've also got an Eliminator that has been really nice. The last one was replaced with a gently used Pryocon that feels like a really nice reel but haven't gotten it out yet. 

[Hammer 4]

2 hours ago, FishTank said:

I haven't tried the new one but the Shimano Sahara use to be a great budget reel. 

Agreed. The new ones are still very good, except there's no ar on them.

[Kyle S]

I too am a fan of the Daiwa Revros, Shimano Sahara and a few other sub $100 reels. I've even had a shimano Sienna that I was a fan of and that thing was only $30. Cant go wrong with any of them of you ask me. If I  had to pick a favorite it'd be the Revros. For $50 I feel i'm getting a heck of a reel. Good luck and let us know what you get!

[PhishLI]

7 hours ago, Cerhardt161 said:

I had a few instances where my pfluger president locked up on me

Grab a Daiwa BG 2500 like @jimmyjoe said. It's a tank. Great drag too. Maintain it and your grandchildren will inherit it.

[garroyo130]

Shimano Spheros - aluminum frame, worm gear, threaded handle 

[Fishes in trees]

I fish mid range priced spinning reels almost exclusively.   I have a couple of Pflueger Presidents - 4 to six years old & no issues with them.  I have a Shimano Nasci and it is an ok reels - wish it had an anti-reverse on it.  I have a mid range priced Diawa, (80 or so list) that I got at Bass Pro during a Christmas sale.   The spinning reel I have that gets used most often is on my shakey head spinning rig and it is an older Shimano Spirex.   I like everything about this reel.  I liked the double paddle handle, it has an anti-reverse switch - has the Quickfire trigger for one handed bait opening ( most of the time I still close the bail manually). It will handle mono or fluorocarbon up to 10 lbs with no issues.   If you can find any of those, that's what I'd get.  The only reason I got the Pfluegers, Daiwa & Nasci was that the store that I bought the Spirex reels from was out and they mentioned that they weren't going to get any more.

 

Looking at the Shimano web site, they are still in the line up.

[hokiehunter373]

I'm no expert but I went through a similar search as it sounds like you're doing and landed on the Daiwa BG 2500 as recommended above.  So far, it's been amazing.  Absolutely love it and will buy more when I add to my collection.

[new2BC4bass]

27 minutes ago, hokiehunter373 said:

I'm no expert but I went through a similar search as it sounds like you're doing and landed on the Daiwa BG 2500 as recommended above.  So far, it's been amazing.  Absolutely love it and will buy more when I add to my collection.

Love my BG!  The Revros seems to be an excellent reel for the price.  B-I-L is still using an older model I bought him a few years ago.  I think it was the Exceler that one of our fellow members posted how much it impressed him.  Daiwa seems to be putting out some great reels at every budget.

 

I have a President XT.  Nice reel, but I've read quality has gone downhill on the new Presidents.  A shame.  They have been great staples for a long time.

[FishinBuck07]

I have the Daiwa Fuego LT on all of my spinning rods, they are nice and light and haven't had a bit of issue with them!

[928JLH]

Fuego LT, BG 2500 and the Shimano Sahara are excellent choices. I'd avoid the Daiwa Revros due to the inconsistent drag. That reel cost me a few bass over 6lbs a few summers ago. 

[redmeansdistortion]

Daiwa SS Tournament 1300.  The most bulletproof spinner on the market.  It has been in continuous production for over 30 years and the drag is impeccable.  I've owned mine since about '92 and have had countless fish on it from bass and pike to walleye, salmon, and steelhead.  She's ugly, but she can cook!

[lunkerboss923]

I would look at a Shimano Sedona 2500HGFI 

[Bubba 460]

Wow, amazing all the different suggestions. There are many I have not used so here is what I am familiar with in that price range.  On the  Daiwa Revros, I've have or had at least 6 of them. They lasted about 5 years of heavy use before I started having trouble with them such as bails not closing making noise even after cleaning and grease. But for the $60 price I guess they they did OK. The last Revro I got a year ago already sounds like a boat wench and bail is broke so not happy with that. The Daiwa BG Spinning Reel is a very good reel at a tad over a $100.

 

The Pflueger President reels for about the same price of the Revos are great reels for the money. I have a couple of the older ones that I have had for 20 years and still cranking in fish. The Pflueger Supremes spinning reels are even better reels at around a hundred.

 

A fairly new company, Piscifun has some offerings. The Piscifun, Honor XT Spinning at around $50 bucks is a solid reel for the money.

 

The Penn battle reels under a hundred are good but I've had good ones and bad ones so that's all I can say about those... If you get a good one you're set.

 

 

 

[WRB]

2 New 2019/2020 Shimano Stradic FL & FK 2500’s for $150-$170 are available and good reliable tournament reels.

You could also go with 2 new CI4 or Vanford and upgrade 2 of the drags on your spinning reels. The 2 older reels tuned up make good back up rigs and 2 new combos is all you need during a tournament.

Tom

 

[Allen Der]

most of my spinning reels are the current generation President XT and I'm totally satisfied with them and no issues. usually I pick them up on sale for $50-60

[garroyo130]

9 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Daiwa SS Tournament 1300.  The most bulletproof spinner on the market.  It has been in continuous production for over 30 years and the drag is impeccable.  I've owned mine since about '92 and have had countless fish on it from bass and pike to walleye, salmon, and steelhead.  She's ugly, but she can cook!

 

Interesting recommendation. I don't hear about these a lot for bass.

[basser27]

The shimano Sahara is great for the price