Major Pfleuger Pres XT reel failure at worst possible time

[throttleplate]

Wading in the lake throwing a chatterbait, threw with the wind for a bomb cast. Started reeling in get bit and fish pulls me into weeds and pads.

Struggling to pull him out the handle on my XT broke off. I have to retreat and crawl up the bank to get out of the water carring rod with bail open and get up to the shore. Put rod down and go back into water and hand pull the fish out of the weeds.

 

The president XT to me is a solid internal working reel but if you examine the handle it is poorly constructed. Compare the XT handle to the regular President handle and the cheaper president has a much heavier style handle, the same handle that is on my pfleuger Supreme.

 

I bring spare setups so i finished out the day but i have to say that i will never buy a XT again and i may never buy another Pfleuger reel again.

[FishTank]

With the exception of Berkley, I have moved on from everything that Pure Fishing offers. In a word, it's just... bad. And it's also a shame. The President was, at one time, one the best bang for the buck reels out there but time and time again, I see more people getting burnt by their equipment. I know it can sometimes but operator error when it come to how a reel or rod fails but a handle like in the pic above, no way. 

 

On a side note from Berkley.... When did they become the brand that rips off other baits or did I miss something?  Their stuff does catch me a lot of fish so I am not mad at them. It's just a curiosity to me as to when the other brands they are copying from will have enough. 

[bulldog1935]

The fracture looks like it had already cracked through halfway - you just finished it off.

 

[LCG]

I had two president xt's at one point. Liked them well enough, but ended up selling them and buying one Shimano Stradic FL about 3 years ago or so. Big difference in quality and overall feel, granted the price is double, but I have no doubt it will last quite awhile.

 

If that happened to me, I certainly would buy another. You could probably order another handle and sell of the reel for piece of mind and buy something else. Would recommend sticking with Shimano or Daiwa. 

[bulldog1935]

There's a big Stradic stock currently at Asian Portal, and cost is around $165. 

https://fishing.asian-portal.shop/category/select/pid/300224

Throw in a megabass lure or two to get free FedEx shipping. 

 

@throttleplate - it's definitely aluminum, a guess, it's cast, which is a lot cheaper, dirtier, and more susceptible to cracking than a forged part (Shimano)

[throttleplate]

48 minutes ago, LCG said:

You could probably order another handle

 

The handle is $44.00 plus add in shipping and tax its over $55.00. Then there is the problem of out of stock. I will not at this time pay that much for a handle.

I woud be better off walking into and buying a pfleuger regular president on sale for $59.00 at feetfarm.

At least i can trust the handle as i have allready a reg president that is my wifes workhorse for the last 2 years.

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

The fracture looks like it had already cracked through halfway - you just finished it off.

 

 

I am curious as what material is used for the center of the shaft?

I bought this reel in dec 2021, that makes it more dissapointing. I have another XT i can use but now i have no trust in the handle and may have to use my Supreme full time now but it sucks to have to swap rods over.

Will have to turn the mighty XP into my panfish reel.

[garroyo130]

54 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

There's a big Stradic stock currently at Asian Portal, and cost is around $165. 

https://fishing.asian-portal.shop/category/select/pid/300224

Throw in a megabass lure or two to get free FedEx shipping. 

 

@throttleplate - it's definitely aluminum, a guess, it's cast, which is a lot cheaper, dirtier, and more susceptible to cracking than a forged part (Shimano)

 

Digitaka has been having better prices recently plus free shipping 

 

https://www.digitaka.com/items/5/4/1/STRADIC

[LrgmouthShad]

6 hours ago, FishTank said:

With the exception of Berkley, I have moved on from everything that Pure Fishing offers. In a word, it's just... bad. And it's also a shame. The President was, at one time, one the best bang for the buck reels out there but time and time again, I see more people getting burnt by their equipment. I know it can sometimes but operator error when it come to how a reel or rod fails but a handle like in the pic above, no way. 

 

On a side note from Berkley.... When did they become the brand that rips off other baits or did I miss something?  Their stuff does catch me a lot of fish so I am not mad at them. It's just a curiosity to me as to when the other brands they are copying from will have enough. 

Pflueger is way off and IMO so is Fenwick. Not brands I trust. 

[dodgeguy]

5 hours ago, throttleplate said:

 

The handle is $44.00 plus add in shipping and tax its over $55.00. Then there is the problem of out of stock. I will not at this time pay that much for a handle.

I woud be better off walking into and buying a pfleuger regular president on sale for $59.00 at feetfarm.

At least i can trust the handle as i have allready a reg president that is my wifes workhorse for the last 2 years.

 

I am curious as what material is used for the center of the shaft?

I bought this reel in dec 2021, that makes it more dissapointing. I have another XT i can use but now i have no trust in the handle and may have to use my Supreme full time now but it sucks to have to swap rods over.

Will have to turn the mighty XP into my panfish reel

If you bought it in December 2021 it should be warranty.

[jbrew73]

Did the handle fail from fighting a fish or was there damage from dropping it or some other external force?

[throttleplate]

8 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

If you bought it in December 2021 it should be warranty.

Dont know about that, i did try to return some new 832 for a heavier 832 but no go as it was past 6 months, so is the reel but i could give it a try with a little pleading.

6 minutes ago, jbrew73 said:

Did the handle fail from fighting a fish or was there damage from dropping it or some other external force?

 

Not ever dropped, rod only fished 5 times. I was reeling a fish in fighting it through the weeds and pad stems, the drag was peeling off and i was cranking then it snapped.

[FishTank]

On 6/25/2022 at 5:06 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

Pflueger is way off and IMO so is Fenwick. Not brands I trust. 

I went through 3 (maybe 4) Fenwick Elite Tech rods, 2 spinning and 1 casting.  All three snapped at the tip about 5 inches down from the top guide. They did warranty them but one of the ones they sent me snapped in the same place as well. I either sold or donated the others. 

[dodgeguy]

50 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

Dont know about that, i did try to return some new 832 for a heavier 832 but no go as it was past 6 months, so is the reel but i could give it a try with a little pleading.

 

Not ever dropped, rod only fished 5 times. I was reeling a fish in fighting it through the weeds and pad stems, the drag was peeling off and i was cranking then it snapped.

Contact Pflueger. Don't return to store. I've ever seen a reel that didn't have a 1 year warranty.

[PressuredFishing]

7 hours ago, FishTank said:

In a word, it's just... bad

Yeah, I have become dissapointed with their products, my xt president is starting to crap out on me too and I fish it very lightly for trout maybe 6-7 times a year, now there is a clicking sound when the spool is at its highest part of oscillation. Will be sticking to shimano or diawa for quality now, and am more happy with my aliexpress reels than pure fishing reels for the price and quality.

[throttleplate]

4 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

Contact Pflueger.

There is a big problem with contacting them, i cant even get them to reply to me about parts i needed from a year ago. Anyone here have a recent conversation with pfleuger online or someother means of contacting them?

 

How about you mn fisher, have you ever heard back from them?

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

How about you mn fisher, have you ever heard back from them?

Four months after my first e-mail - with two others and a post on their FB page between, I finally got an answer to my question about their casting reels.

 

Four Freaking Months to get an answer to a simple question.

 

I love my Pfluegers - but since PF took them over, the customer service has gone the way of the Dodo.

[dodgeguy]

Pure fishing has owned them for years.They bought Pflueger in 2004.

54 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

There is a big problem with contacting them, i cant even get them to reply to me about parts i needed from a year ago. Anyone here have a recent conversation with pfleuger online or someother means of contacting them?

 

How about you mn fisher, have you ever heard back from them?

Ok here's my next suggestion. Get a Lew's.

[Mbirdsley]

I had 2 phluegar reels die on me last year.  1 was a 3 year old supreme bait caster ( I really liked the real too) on my crank rod.  The metal ear/knob that the reel seat screws on to broke while screwed on to the rod.  I made a cast reel felt loose tightened it down made another cast and the reel fell off the rod. It’s basically the frame So it was terminal.  
 

2nd one was a president spinning reel. Reel was 3 years old at the time but, hadn’t been used much. Somthing in the bail failed.  I was fairly disgusted with it as the reel hadn’t been used much. I could have probably figured it out and fixed it but, I bought a diawa legalis 3000t and never looked back. The legalis has been a work horse on my dobyns colt.  Paid like $55 shipped on sale for it. 
 

I’ve got one more president on my UL panfish/trout st.croix premier.  Honestly, it’s been a problem child since day one.  I’ve replaced parts on it more than once. I’ll keep it untill it dies than probably buy a BG to replace it for trout and panfish. 
 

 

phluegar was once a heck of a reel.  The president was legendary around here at least the older ones.  However, if you put in any serious time fishing they go to pot.  So yeah I’m not impressed with phluegar at all any more. 

[Mobasser]

I bought a new President last year at Christmas. Felt rough and grindy out of the package. Returned it for an identical model. Same rough feel. Returned this one for a Lew's Speed Spin, which has been working fine. I have a Trion ( older wooden knob) that's probably ten years old and works good. It's sad Phlueger has gone downhill.

[FrnkNsteen]

I used to LOVE the old Pflueger Presidents with the wooden knob. They came with a spare spool, held up well, and were so smooth they were as close to perpetual motion as you could get. I still have two of them.

 

The newer ones I have gotten within the last few years are definitely not as smooth, no more spare spool, and don't seem to hold up at all. Tried jumping up to the XT, Supreme, and Supreme XT and they all seem to have their issues too. Read some reviews and you quickly see they all have issues. Some models are seeing the bails breaking, others have handles breaking. 

 

It's sad, but I've kind of given up on them and am sticking with my Daiwas. Even their cheapest models feel very smooth and seem to hold up pretty well! I've got some OLD Regal X and Regal Z reels that are still smoother than most reels you can find today. I've got newer Regal, Revros, and RG as well as a few Fuegos and all work well. Need to try a Tatula LT, but hard to justify the cost with how much I like the Fuego and lower models.

[NYWayfarer]

On 6/25/2022 at 10:54 AM, FishTank said:

With the exception of Berkley, I have moved on from everything that Pure Fishing offers. In a word, it's just... bad. And it's also a shame. The President was, at one time, one the best bang for the buck reels out there but time and time again, I see more people getting burnt by their equipment. I know it can sometimes but operator error when it come to how a reel or rod fails but a handle like in the pic above, no way. 

 

On a side note from Berkley.... When did they become the brand that rips off other baits or did I miss something?  Their stuff does catch me a lot of fish so I am not mad at them. It's just a curiosity to me as to when the other brands they are copying from will have enough. 

A year ago I would have argued with you over your views of Pure Fishing offerings.

 

I am not afraid to admit I have come to see your point on most of their brands. Berkley and for me Abu Garcia excluded (Still love my Revo’s, Black Max and Zata spinning reels)

 

Pflueger is a pale comparison to the past. I still have my President with the wooden handle knob. I would not go near them anymore.

 

Fenwick…

 

 
 

enough said.

 

 

 

[FrnkNsteen]

1 hour ago, NYWayfarer said:

A year ago I would have argued with you over your views of Pure Fishing offerings.

 

I am not afraid to admit I have come to see your point on most of their brands. Berkley and for me Abu Garcia excluded (Still love my Revo’s, Black Max and Zata spinning reels)

 

Pflueger is a pale comparison to the past. I still have my President with the wooden handle knob. I would not go near them anymore.

 

Fenwick…

 

 
 

enough said.

 

 

 

That's sad! I like my Fenwick rods!

 

Though I can say I've got a bunch of Fenwicks, including multiple HMX, and have never had one do that. That's a new one for me.

[ska4fun]

On 6/25/2022 at 11:22 AM, throttleplate said:

Wading in the lake throwing a chatterbait, threw with the wind for a bomb cast. Started reeling in get bit and fish pulls me into weeds and pads.

Struggling to pull him out the handle on my XT broke off. I have to retreat and crawl up the bank to get out of the water carring rod with bail open and get up to the shore. Put rod down and go back into water and hand pull the fish out of the weeds.

 

The president XT to me is a solid internal working reel but if you examine the handle it is poorly constructed. Compare the XT handle to the regular President handle and the cheaper president has a much heavier style handle, the same handle that is on my pfleuger Supreme.

 

I bring spare setups so i finished out the day but i have to say that i will never buy a XT again and i may never buy another Pfleuger reel again.

Pflueger had a solid name some decades ago. Now just sell generic, overpriced gear. 

[ironbjorn]

As an aside, Abu Garcia (Pure Fishing) knocked it out of the park with the rebranded Black Max (now the Max X) reels. 

[fin]

So did you have to turn that little nub to get the fish in, or did you have to pull the line by hand?

 

I bought my first Pflueger President about four years ago, based on its reputation. Bail spring broke within a month or so and I've had other problems with it, so I bought a Legalis XH a year later and have loved it. I've had good luck with Daiwa and Shimano. Never tried Lew's reel.