Do you have an all time favorite fishing reel?

[roadwarrior]

7 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

Shimano Core 50mg7

I still fish two.

[Bankbeater]

Mine would be a Shakespeare 2200-II spinning reel.  I received that reel for my 10th birthday and used it every season for the next 31 years. 

[MN Fisher]

Mine would have to be my old Mitchell 320 that I got for my eighth birthday. Used it, replacing parts as needed until I couldn't find parts anymore (pre-Internet)...wish I'd kept it instead of tossing it as now I can find parts.

 

Caught everything from panfish to stripers off Cape Cod with that thing...was a workhorse.

[JMac603]

An older Pflueger President 35. Caught so many d**n fish with that. It spent a few nights at the bottom of a local pond until I could get back to fish it out. Took it apart, cleaned it, and still chuggin. Don't fish it much now because I got bit by the upgrade bug..but I still take 'er out for a spin once in a while. 

[Mike L]

Shimano Curado E7

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[The Maestro]

Toss up between my Bantams and my Metaniums.

[NHBull]

Got a couple of these hoping to hand them down to my grandkids.

I hope they love them as much as I do

 

[GReb]

Quantum Energy E600 PT

 

I had two E600s that carried me for over a decade. Caught thousands of fish on them and never had a single hiccup. Both are retired now but still work flawlessly. 
 

Current favorite is the 2021 Zillion

[MAN]

Old green curado.  Sold 1000's of them when I was in high school.  Never could afford one personally.  I was just gifted my very first one 20 years later by one of the guys who had a decision in killing them. 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

31 minutes ago, MAN said:

Old green curado.  Sold 1000's of them when I was in high school.  Never could afford one personally.  I was just gifted my very first one 20 years later by one of the guys who had a decision in killing them. 

Interesting, I'd enjoy a chat with an engineer or product manager from Shimano.   My last two Shimanos were a Calcutta digital that was easily the worst high end reel I've ever bought, and then the second one which I still own was the Calais that was about $500 too.    Ironically enough I bought those two reels when I finally got older enough to afford them based on using friends calcuttas, curados and for the life of me I can't remember the base model of the curados/calcutta line....but I remember it being the best bang for the buck in the reel universe at that time.   I had one, and I'm sure everybody in this thread will know which model I'm talking about.  Started with a C...haha 

 

I say all that because it seems like Shimano kind of jumped the shark in the mid 2000s starting with the incredibly stupid Calcutta digital.    Before that, they dominated the high end reel landscape, and I guess still do in some regards, but their late 90s to early 2000s reel models were basically perfection.  Seems like that's the case with Daiwa reels too, even though I like Daiwa new models a ton.   But atlas companies always upgrade their products to continue sales.   That's one thing you learn in fishing especially, at some point the law of diminishing returns kicks in, and paying hundreds to shave an oz, or for an extra nano coated ball bearing becomes nonsensical imho.  

 

Thanks everyone for your replies, I enjoyed reading them all, and found a number of them to be wholesome due to personal connections, and sentimentality.   Ever since I was a little boy I nerded on Rods and Reels.....lures and such are fun, but I love the evolution of the actual baitcaster and modern day Bass fishing rods.    I'm sure so many of you guys share this as well    

[bulldog1935]

For the sake of pure curiosity, you might enjoy this thread on antique reels. 

 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

5 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

For the sake of pure curiosity, you might enjoy this thread on antique reels. 

 

 

Very cool, and thanks for sharing.   Need to go and take some pics of the tackle and reels I inherited from my Granddad.   I'm a southern man, but he was from Ohio and fished every summer in Canada.   His tacklebox is super cool with all the old baits, and a couple of really old reels.   Got a antique store right by me that has the mother load of old reels.  I guess non fisherman decorate with them or something.  

[Randy Price]

I primarily use spinning reels and my "favorite" was the Shimano Stradic 2000 with the wooden knob for the reel handle.  For a BC probably my Chronarch 200e7.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

3 minutes ago, Randy Price said:

I primarily use spinning reels and my "favorite" was the Shimano Stradic 2000 with the wooden knob for the reel handle.  For a BC probably my Chronarch e7.

Bingo, Chronarch was the reel name I was looking for in my above post.  I think it was the base model of what were considered the "high end" Shimano reels.   Cheaper than Curados and Calcuttas, but had fantastic performance/specs for the money.    I've had my Stradic (the smallest one) for 20yrs give or take, and I use it for everything from Rainbow Trout, to Smallies, to Alabama Bass using shakey heads.     Only spinning reel I've ever loved, the next model two models up IIrc were crazy awesome.   Buddy had one, and it was such a nice reel.   It was 350-400 back in early 2000s, I wasn't going to drop that kind of money on a spinning reel lol 

[BayouSlide]

Shimano Chronarch here for the win! My best two rods carry Chronarch MGLs in 7.5:1. There may be better reels but I ain't spending the money for 'em. ?

[new2BC4bass]

11 hours ago, PourMyOwn said:

I think I have at least 6 of these TD-X,and three or four TD-S. They are just fantastic reels. I agree with you 100%!

 

The TD -Z is worth trying too, love my Zillions and the 105 for throwing Bandit 200s. I really doubt I will ever get a reel newer than 2010.

I have one TD-S.  No box for it.  I don't see it listed in my 'Reel List' file.  Don't remember the model number.  I'm thinking I typed it wrong in my file.  Could it be a TD-S 103HL instead of the TD-X 103HL I have listed?  No thumb bar.  Lever on the side of the spool.  Maybe one of you old farts know.    Made in Japan.  Sorry. Can't post pics.

 

I have either 4 or 5 TD-X (depending on the above) and 7 TD-Z reels.  Three of the TD-Z 105H reels which I really like.  All 3 have been tuned and upgraded.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

44 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

I have one TD-S.  No box for it.  I don't see it listed in my 'Reel List' file.  Don't remember the model number.  I'm thinking I typed it wrong in my file.  Could it be a TD-S 103HL instead of the TD-X 103HL I have listed?  No thumb bar.  Lever on the side of the spool.  Maybe one of you old farts know.    Made in Japan.  Sorry. Can't post pics.

 

I have either 4 or 5 TD-X (depending on the above) and 7 TD-Z reels.  Three of the TD-Z 105H reels which I really like.  All 3 have been tuned and upgraded.

Heck yeah it was likely the TD-S, the TD-S is when imho Daiwa took over the crown for world's best baitcasters.   It was the flagship reel before the TD-X, and two before the TD-Z.   I owned several at one point, but sadly am down to just one that's been beaten up.   I actually didn't even buy the one I have, it was given to me for free as a "fix it or toss it" I don't care.      

 

Do you remember the Team Daiwa that started it all, or at least for me....The TD-1, still such a cool tank of a reel.  Still use it for flipping on a big 7'6

[new2BC4bass]

14 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Heck yeah it was likely the TD-S, the TD-S is when imho Daiwa took over the crown for world's best baitcasters.   It was the flagship reel before the TD-X, and two before the TD-Z.   I owned several at one point, but sadly am down to just one that's been beaten up.   I actually didn't even buy the one I have, it was given to me for free as a "fix it or toss it" I don't care.      

 

Do you remember the Team Daiwa that started it all, or at least for me....The TD-1, still such a cool tank of a reel.  Still use it for flipping on a big 7'6

I quit fishing for 23 years because it is so bad in the area I moved to for work.  When I decided to get back into fishing, I wanted to try a baitcast reel.  Bough my first one in March 2009 so many of the reels I own were already old.  I am not familiar with the TD-1.

 

I have 3 of the Purple Alphas reels (another favorite) that I believe were made in 2004...5 years before I got back into fishing.

 

EDIT:  Apparently I missed the Golden Era for reels.

[Texas Flood]

Shimano Curado 200E7

[MidwestBassAttack]

2016 Shimano Metanium MGL with the brass gear upgrade. Such a hot looking reel and I’m still snatching them up as I come across them ?

[FishTank]

The Shimano Core 101Mg. This isn't my original. The first one was lost overboard and I was lucky to find this one on Ebay. It was super tuned and all bearings replaced with orange seal ceramics. It is perfect in every way.

 

The Core has always been my favorite but these Shimano reels from that era seem to last better than any of the other reels I have owned. Each one of these is 10+ years old and work perfectly. 

 

[Jrob78]

My favorite reel is probably the OG Zillion, I still have a few base models and a J-Dream that are going strong. The new Zillion and its variants are creeping up the list though. The Curado E series reels are great too.

[newapti5]

Once you open up a TD-Z platform reel, you'll see why they're so tough - they're built to last. For example, the two little pillars for pinion yoke support are riveted to the frame, not like the removeable counter part of new reels.   

 

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

39 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

Once you open up a TD-Z platform reel, you'll see why they're so tough - they're built to last. For example, the two little pillars for pinion yoke support are riveted to the frame, not like the removeable counter part of new reels.   

 

 

Fantastic post, and what a God send it was to find a tech forum like this still alive in 2022.....these are the posts that made the internet a game changer for hobbies, DIYers, and people that wanted to learn the tech behind hobbies, sports, etc. before social media killed most tech forums.   Been a really enjoyable thread to read.   Thanks to all!  

[redmeansdistortion]

Hard for me to pick, but so far it's my tricked out Abu 1600C IAR.

 

Also love my tricked out ABU/Zebco Cardinal 3

 

My Millionaire CT probably gets used the most, lots of trout and smallies have been brought in with this guy.