What's your favorite line of reels?

[Kyle S]

I recently asked about everyone's favorite line of rods and had some great feedback. I plan on checking a few suggestions out in person this week.

Now I'm interested to hear what you all have to say about your favorite line of reels?!

 

Personally, I purchased 5 shimano SLX casting reels two years ago and have been very happy with them. The small size, fantastic handle and grips and the solid feel of the frame give me the fizz. I'f I'm being honest I hate the big SLX plastered on the side of the reel though...not my style at all.

Just like a few rods that I own, I'm looking to add to my reel collection as well.

[Eric 26]

I’m going with Daiwa although I own different brands including the aforementioned Shimano slx i really like my Daiwas from my CA80 to my recently purchased Tatula 100.

[Bluebasser86]

Daiwa, the Tatula LT in the spinning lineup and the Tatula TWS SV in the casting. I have several other reels of theirs and I've been very happy with all of them. I was a big Shimano fan until I tried my first SV Daiwa, that was the day I started selling my Shimanos. 

[Deplorable Fisherman]

Daiwa is my favorite brand. Was an Abu guy for many years but several years ago they started to disappoint and I tried a few new ones including Lews and Shimano and Daiwa was the one that performed the best and gave me zero problems. I own all Daiwa now from Revros to Luvias in spinning and Tatula CTs to Steez in casting.

[Born 2 fish]

I like my Lews reels 

[NavyVet1204]

As some have mentioned already, Daiwa is my go to reel in my six reel line up for baitcasters. My others include lews and Abu’s and while they are good reels in their own right, they don’t compare to my tatula 100. The tatula hasn’t given me one second of trouble at all while the side plate keeps coming off randomly on my Revo SX’s and my lews sound like cessna’s taking off while casting and retrieving. I have yet to try the shimano lineup and would really like to try a curado. KastKing reels have me wanting to try frogging as lord of folks I have spoken to swear by the reliability of them especially at the price point they normally sale at.

[bulldog1935]

Guess I didn't see the rod thread, and would have given the same basic answer - I'd hate to limit myself - there's too much fun to try out there in different niches, and especially, quality available at just about every price level.  You often can't find the latter without looking past the brand.  

Just bought my first Daiwa (matching a rod and niche, and because I liked the spool diameter) -  don't expected it to replace my Lew's, just like my Shimano's won't replace my Tica's.  

Rather than picking by brand, I pick by features I need for my niche and expectations.  If a reel meets or exceeds my expectations, I might be back for another, or may try something different next time.  

[Jig Man]

Shimano is all that I own.

[dodgeguy]

Lews for me. Best reels I've ever owned. I've had diawa Shimano Pflueger quantum Shakespeare and Abu. 

[Catt]

1978 Shimano Bantams were my #1, until Calcutta came out, i've thrown them until 2020. 

 

Arthritis, bursitis, calcium deposits, bone spurs, & other old age ailments forced me to go lighter.

 

I've been slowly making the change to Lew's mostly because of ergonomics. Diawia, Garcia, & Shimano low profile reels don't feel right in my hands.

[ATA]

Shimano of course, And if I have choice ill go with DC first, But if for my application no DC available, I would go with MGL. 

Excence 3000 (Spinning)

Antares DC 16

Antares DC 18

Metanium DC 15 

Curado DC

Aldebaran BFS

Aldebaran 70 MGL

Calcutta BFS

Tranx 300

Antares DC 21 (I am on waiting list).

 

[Boomstick]

Most of my reels are Daiwa Tatula reels. I also have a Steez SV and a Pflueger Patriarch.

[Randy Price]

Shimano fanboy.

[Dens228]

All my reels but two are Daiwa Elite's.   Love them.

[garroyo130]

Shimano makes me feel nice (good tolerances, QC is good even in the non-Japan models, feels like a higher quality product), but for me my Daiwas perform better ...

[Fishingmickey]

Shimano fan boy here. I do have a couple of Diawa Coastal SV's that have I have snuck in my arsenal. They are pretty sweet so far. I've only had them a couple of months.  But the majority of my reels are Shimano. I have several Bantam's, Metanium's and Scorpions with a few other sprinkled in.

FM

[Mike L]

90% of what I own are Shimano. 
The others are a BPS Pro Qualifier and JM Signature. 
Both of those are excellent and use them every outing. 
 

Anything new tho will be a Curado or Chronarch. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Sir Shamsalot]

By far most of my reels are either Daiwa SV's or Elites now. I do own alot of Shimanos and Lew's but the Elite line-up is what I always go to first. My newst editions added this spring where another Elite, a Daiwa Zillion G, a 20 Metanium, and a Curado pgK (lowest ipt I could find for a designated rig).

[MN Fisher]

As a budget minded person, I've still got a hankering for Pflueger (BC & Spin) and Mitchell (Spin) - which I've had reels from those brands since the 70s...but I've added Diawa (BC) to the list.

[swhit140]

Daiwa & Shimano 

[Spankey]

Shimano fan boy also. But I’ve been fishing some Abu Garcia Revos the last few years and very satisfied. Got hooked on their very low gear ratio for some crankbait setups. 

[Bassattackr]

Revo STX4 for me.   I have close to a dozen, I personally like them.

[PhishLI]

8 hours ago, Kyle S said:

Now I'm interested to hear what you all have to say about your favorite line of reels?

I think it's hard to know what someone else's opinion about a reel or rod actually adds up to. My brother eats black olives from a jar. I get queasy just looking at them. You could choose to believe either him or me, but you'll never know until you try them for yourself.

 

Then there're over the top proclamations. For instance, I've read here on these pages that the new Metanium blows the Chronarch MGL away. Does it, or is that statement hyperbolic? Is it actually true, or is it only true to the person who wrote it? What about polar opposite opinions stated as fact about a particular reel's performance? That has happened too.

 

It's also obvious that one negative experience with a maker's product can color the opinion of some people for eternity. Lew's makes multiple platforms that are quite different in use, but the guy that had a bad time with a $59 plastic Lew's reel may be convinced they're all trash, and say so over and over again. It's not valid pegging Lew's or any other maker's reels like that, but it happens often enough. Some makers have a few cherries in their lineups, but they're not cherries to everyone.

 

In theory, a person that has the means to buy a ton of reels across maker's lines, and then fish them all extensively, might be the person to listen to more closely. But that's not really true either. I've trained lots of people over the years. They're all different, even with the same body type. The "why" behind one 6' 175 pound man's straight punch being more powerful than another man's with a comparable build comes down to several innate factors. The point is that people have quite different casting mechanics which will influence their preference in both reels and rods. If you purchase a product and use it long enough to form a solid opinion, it's just that, your opinion.  Some will agree loudly, and others may disagree. One man's upgrade is another's downgrade. It keeps the classified section humming though.

[EWREX]

daiwa tatula series casting reels and pflueger spinning reels for me

[GreenPig]

My favorite BC reels are Curados but I fish Abu, Lew's, Daiwa, Okuma, and a old Quantum. In spinning the Stradic's lead my pack.